Don Stewart :: Does Satan Have His Own Kingdom?

Does Satan have a kingdom? When tempting Jesus, the Devil offered Him a kingdom.

Then the Devil led Him up and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the Devil said to Him, "To You I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please (Luke 4:5,6).

Was Satan correct in saying that the kingdoms of the world are under his authority? Whether Satan has his own kingdom today is a cause for a difference of opinion among Christians.

Option 1 Satan Has No Kingdom

There are those who say that Satan has no kingdom whatsoever today. He was totally defeated by Jesus at Calvary's cross, and is now bound in the pit. The offer he made to Jesus at the temptation was something he was not in a position to make. The kingdoms were never his to give.

Option 2 Satan Presently Has A Kingdom

Other Bible believers hold that Satan has a powerful kingdom. He is the leader of a vast army of evil spirits that are constantly at work today. Though some angels are bound, others are not. Unbelievers are said to be under the authority of Satan and his power. The Bible says.

to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me (Acts 26:18).

Unbelievers are still, in some sense, under the authority of Satan.

Satan's Kingdom

The fact that Satan has a kingdom can be seen in the following statement of Jesus.

He [Jesus] knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:25,26).

Furthermore, the Bible says that he is the god of this age, the ruler of the authority of the air. Paul wrote:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).

He has authority over this world-system.

in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).

Though Satan may have a kingdom, it is, at best, only temporary.

Satan Has Been Defeated

All believers agree that Satan has been defeated. Jesus said:

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out (John 12:31).

The Bible says.

And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in Your name. And He said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven (Luke 10:17,18).

Jesus Triumphed Over Satan

The Apostle Paul wrote about the triumph of Jesus.

erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:14,15).

The real issue is, "In what sense has Satan been defeated?" Has his defeat at the cross caused him to be permanently bound in the pit, or is that binding of Satan something yet future? Will it happen only when Christ returns a second time? The Bible seems to teach that the binding of Satan is still yet future.

Summary

Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world because he claimed to have authority over them. The question as to whether his claim was legitimate has divided believers. Some say Satan has been totally defeated by Christ on the cross, and has no kingdom to offer. Others, while acknowledging Satan's defeat on the cross, do not believe it will be fully realized until Christ returns. During this interval period, Satan is ruling this evil world system as the god of this age, and the ruler of the authority of the air.