WORLD POWER

If you and I lived in some primitive culture that had never heard of Jesus, it would not be surprising that we worshipped Satan.  But, would you be surprised if I told you that the most advanced societies in our world also worship Satan?  Well, it is true.  The Apostle Paul actually called Satan the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4)!  It is no wonder the world has fallen under Satan's spell; after all, he does come with miracles (Rev. 13:14), signs (Mt. 24:24), and lying wonders (2 Thes. 2:9), with promises of peace (Dan. 11:21-24) and prosperity (Mt. 4:9; Lk. 4:6). 

In his effort to tempt Jesus, Satan offered Him the entire world:  "Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" (Mt. 4:8-10).

Notice that Jesus did not challenge Satan's authority to give Him the world, a world that, in a parallel passage, Satan revealed that he had received, and it was therefore his to give (Lk. 4:6)!  Although Satan does not say who gave him dominion over the world, it was not God.  Some say that Adam, like Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew (Gen. 25:29-34), forfeited his ownership over the world when he believed Satan rather than God (Gen. 3:1-6).  That makes sense because it is clear that God originally intended for mankind to have dominion over the world (Gen. 1:26-28). 

Later in the Lord's ministry, He stated that the value of the entire world was of less value than that of one human soul (Mt. 16:26).  It seems both sad and hilarious to me, that Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet would be willing to literally risk spending eternity in the Lake of Fire over something having less value than a single human soul!  What's even sadder, is that many church members will spend eternity with them, because they will not have God to rule over them.  They are determined to do things "their own way."  They choose to be the masters of their own domain, to control their own little world.  Unfortunately, that is proof that they are not saved!

One must confess that Jesus is LORD in order to be saved (Rom. 10:9-10)!