The devil has authority and control over many people in the world. His authority is not limited to individuals, but also extends to entire regions of the earth. It is evident that Satan has control when we hear about the evil things that are taking place against people in countries like North Korea and Iran. It is also evident in the United States as babies are murdered through abortion, and Jesus, and God's good ways are mocked and supported by the nation's leaders and its people. Killing, violence, drugs, sex , etc. Let me say about sex, that now more than ever, sex is rampant in our culture. People are highly concerned about their sexuality and identify themselves by their sexuality. Sex is no longer private between a husband and wife, but is now been made public and is between anyone or anything. Anything goes. Pornography is everywhere. I can't even scroll Facebook without seeing it. Evil abounds. Satan's authority and presence on the earth is quite evident.
It was also evident among the Jews and throughout the region of Israel when Jesus was on the earth. He cast out demons, healed the sick and the lame, and rose people from the dead. He came to defeat the works of the devil. Yet the Jews sought for an occasion to kill Him.
When Jesus was at the Passover Feast prior to the Jews arresting Him, He knew that His time had come to die, and He said,
According to Jesus, the judgment of the world and the casting out of its ruler, was taking place "Now", which would have been at that time. What took place just a few days later? Jesus's death and resurrection. When He said this, He had been talking about His death. So it make sense that these things were going to take place at His death.
At the cross, God's judgment came upon those societies which are ruled by the devil; the societies being individuals or places where Satan reigns.
Jesus said that the devil will be cast out. But cast out of where? Revelation 12:9 says that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven to the earth when they lost the war in heaven between Michael and his angels (Revelation 12:7-12).
Though many Christians attribute this as a future event, Jesus said in John 12:31 that these things were taking place "now", meaning at His death and resurrection.
At the cross, there was a great spiritual war taking place behind the scenes between God's angels and the devil. The angels prevailed and the devil was cast out of heaven and down to the earth.
I understand this to mean that the devil can no longer go before God in heaven, as we see him do in Job, but he has been exiled to the earth, where he continues his work to destroy man through deception.
However, he has been bound so that his power and authority on the earth has been limited. During the first coming of Christ, the Jews said that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.
But Jesus responded,
“How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house" - Mark 3:23-27.
Jesus is basically saying that their idea doesn't make any sense, because Satan's house would not stand if He was casting out demons by the power of a demon, because it would be divided.
Jesus then said that no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
Jesus is saying to them, that He had bound Satan (the strong man) so that He could enter his house to plunder it. He plundered Satan's house by casting out demons, healing, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Many of the people He cast demons out of, healed, and heard the gospel, were taken from Satan's house and entered the kingdom of God.
Jesus did not mean that He physically bound Satan with a chain, as is symbolically described in Revelation 20:1-3, but that He bound him by limiting his activity and deception upon the earth. When it is time, he will be released from his bondage, but just for a little while. During this time, he will deceive the nations, but then he will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:1-10).
With all of the deception that is taking place in the world, is it possible that Satan has been freed from his bondage? By deception I mean, people cannot tell the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, from a male and female. Does this necessarily mean that Satan has been loosed? I do not know, but the Bible says that when he is set free, he will deceive the nations, and it seems that there is an increasing amount of deception taking place throughout the world.
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