Shaji: I went through your Question and Answer forum in the previous issue. I agree that it is not written in the Bible that “...Jesus has delegated his authority on earth to sub-contractors.” But it clearly says that whole world is under the control of Satan now. What do you say about this verse?

PPE: Dear Br. Shaji, Thank you for reading our Q&A forum and for responding with your comments and questions. 1 John 5:19b says that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” Matthew 28:18 says that Jesus has received all authority in heaven and on earth.  So, is there a contradiction here? How do we resolve this apparent contradiction?

For this, we need to understand how John uses the word “world” in his gospel and in his epistles. In 1 John 2:15 he says, “Do not love the world...” But in John 3:16, he says “For so loved the world”.  So, a person might ask, “If God can love the world, why can’t I love the world?” The word “world” in 1 John 2:15 and John 3:16 mean different things.  In John 3:16, God loved the world—that is, all the people in the world. However, in 1 John 2:15, the word “world” refers to sin and to all that is contrary to God. How can we say that? Verse 16 explains and amplifies the word “world.”

Similarly, 1 John 5:19 uses the phrase “the whole world” in a particular way.

• First, there is a literary device called Hyperbole that is in use here. A hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration used to emphasise a point. (See Luke 4:5. There is no high place on earth from which the devil can actually show Jesus the “whole world.” This is a good example of hyperbole. There are several such examples in Scripture. Scripture contains no lies. This is a literary device.

• Secondly, we see a comparison between two groups of people in this verse. 1) “We” refers to the children of God. 2) “The whole world” refers to all people in the world who are NOT children of God.

So, the meaning of the verse is now clear. John says that all UNBELIEVERS (who are not born of God) are under the power of the devil.  This means that true born-again believers are not under the power of the devil.  The word “world” here does not refer to an earthly territory or region.  Therefore, 1 John 5:19 should not be used to support the view that there are “territorial spirits.”

I had stated this clearly in my previous article.  The devil’s power over unbelievers can be overcome by the gospel.  The devil might prevent these unbelievers from listening to the gospel.  He might cause a spiritual blindness in unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4). But the light of the gospel is powerful enough to penetrate their hearts. Thus God takes them from the devil’s power and places them in the kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ (Col. 1:13).

Shaji: In Luke 4:5-7 we read about the devil’s claim: “The devil led him up to a high mountain and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and power, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” Satan’s claim, to be sure, is very disturbing. Those who hold political power, in some sense or another, receive it from Satan.

PPE: Why should Satan’s claim disturb anyone? Do you think he was saying the truth? Why in the world should we believe the words of someone about whom Jesus said, “he  is a liar and the father of lies”? It is certainly foolish to believe that all “authority and power” was once given to Satan.

And regarding political powers, your conclusion is false. Political leaders or rulers do not receive their power from Satan. This is certainly not true! Psalm 75:7 says that it is God who “puts down one and exalts another.” Political or any other exaltation comes from GOD! Please check Daniel 4:32.  God wanted Nebuchadnezzar to realise that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.” You are trying to say that all governments are “Satan-controlled.”  What about Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord ..”?

Shaji: Often throughout the Gospels Jesus was faced with liars and hypocrites. Direct, open, and honest, Jesus condemned these people and called them what they were, liars and hypocrites. Jesus does not, however, call Satan a liar. He does not dispute Satan’s claim. Instead, Jesus asserted that he will not worship Satan, even though Satan is offering Him the authority of all the world’s governments.

PPE: Here, you are making the common mistake of “arguing from silence.”  Scripture’s silence does not prove anything! Just because Jesus did not refute the devil’s claim, it does not mean that Jesus affirmed it!

While confronting the devil, Jesus focussed on Satan’s suggestion and not on his claim.  The temptation was not in the devil’s claim but in his suggestion to bow down and worship.  What really mattered here was a victory over the temptation.  That victory depended on Jesus’ flat refusal to worship the devil.  To pick an argument with the devil to refute his claim was secondary.

Shaji: For Jesus to truly be tempted, Satan must have been telling the truth. No one can be tempted by a false promise, if it is known that the promise is false. If Satan did not truly control the governments of the world, Jesus would have known this, and would not have been tempted by the offer. Instead, Jesus knew Satan’s offer was legitimate, and was in fact tempted by it.

PPE: To say that “no one can be tempted by a false promise” is a false premise. So many people are tempted even today by false promises.  Why shouldn’t the devil tell lies and thus attempt to cheat people?  The devil used lies to tempt Eve.  You may say that Eve did not know that the devil was lying. Well, what if she knew the devil was lying? A temptation is always a temptation.

You say, “If Satan did not truly control the governments of the world, Jesus would have known this, and would not have been tempted by the offer.” Now, who told you that Jesus was “tempted by the offer?” What you actually intend to say here is that Jesus was “captivated” by the offer. Why do you think a temptation is not a tempation unless one is actually captivated by the offer? A temptation is a temptation regardless of whether you believe your temptor’s words. Even if Jesus knew that the devil was bluffing, the temptation that came to him was a valid temptation.

Jesus’ temptation was not a result of some inner conviction that the devil was right in claiming ownership over all the earth. This temptation was an external one—the devil prompting Him to do what was sinful.

Just check the other temptation of Jesus in Luke 4:11. The devil was in fact telling Jesus that God’s angels would protect him if he would jump from the top of the temple. It was a lie! Psalm91:11 and 12 does not say God will protect those who jump.  God’s protection is for those who fall or stumble by accident - not for those who jump! Still, Jesus did not argue with the devil about the true interpretation of Ps. 91:11-12. Instead he understood the underlying temptation to test the Lord. So, he identified the temptation correctly and responded to it by using God’s Word correctly. 

CONCLUSION: All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus. He is the king of kings and lord of lords.  The devil and his evil spirits are defeated.  The devil is like a jailor who is trying to hold all sinners in a prison that has no doors. Jesus removed the doors of the devil’s prison and disarmed the devil.  Any sinner can now come out and be free.  So, even though the devil controls unbelievers, his power is very limited.

Send in your questions to ppe@praisethealmighty.com to get Biblical answers in this column.
 

This page is updated on February 21, 2009