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emptatilltt
llf m.eSUS
The Satanic Offer
The tempter's offer is deceitful,
cunning, brazen, and shameless:
"Therefore if You worship (bow
down) before me, itshall all be Yours."
He says to Christ: "All this
AUTHORITY (EXOUSIA) plus the
power to use it along with all the
accompanying fame and fortune of
which You just received a glimpse
will be Yours, IF,
(and here is the
boldness of
Satan's stroke),
You will do one
single act of
worship before
me, ("worship" is
an aOristsubjunc-
tive Signifying a
single act). .
. " S a tan's
proposition is
this: God has
turned over all
these kingdoms
to him, and he is willing to rum them
over to Jesus if, as Satan is under
God, Jesus will place Himself under
Satan. Satan thus offers to make Jesus
the Mediator-Kingjust as God wants
Him to be King. It can all be done
with one little act of prosttation before
Satan. Instead of along, bitterjourney
to the throne, one short step will
reach the crown.
"The whole prostration intends to
appeal to the human nature ofJesus.
Jesus can rule at once like a god.
There is no need to face shame, agony,
ignominious death. Instead of u,e
bitter cup, only a Single obeisance.
Satan would placehimselfinharmony
with God in maldngJesus King. Yet
thewhole proposition is false through
aild through. Satan does not bow to
God in worship as Jesus is to bow to
Satan. Satan has not received the
kingdoms from God, he rules them
as the enemy of God, as a rebel against
God, as a usurper whom God is
dethroning through Jesus. By this
one act of worship Jesus would also
become a rebel against God and at
the Same time a tool of Satan. -
Instead of becoming a king, Jesus
would become the slave of Satan."
Lenski
Satan is tempting Jesus to try to
win the promised crown without
endUring the suffering of the cross, to
seek exaltation without humiliation.
He was tempting Him to change His
method of establishing His kingdom
in the earth, "namely by attempting
to lead Him to a compromise and to
cause Him to bid farewell to the path
of suffering." - Geldenhuys. If Jesus
had succumbed to this temptation,
there would be no exaltation for
Christ and no salvation for His
church, only deep and eternal
humiliation for both along with the
eXaltation of Satan and of his power
in the universe.
The Satanic Strategy:
.. THE.COUNSELofChaIcedon t Jannary, 1995
Bad]udgemmt" or Brilliance?
"It remains a mystery, how Satan,
after the two preceding repulses,
(assuming this temptatiOlI was the
last of the three as Matthewindicates),
could entertain any serious hope of
success in this instance. And yet if,
psychologically speaking, the attempt
appears absurd, It must be
acknowledged that the. third
temptation was a more fundamerital
one in that it the ultimate
issue around which thingS had been
revolving from the outset. The
question at stake
was. whether God
. should be God, .or.
Satan should be
God, and cbITes-
p 0 n d in.g 1 y ,
whether the
Messiah should be
God's . or Satan's
Messiah." -Vos,pg.
339.
Why did Satan
think this auda-
cious .a(temptto
..
work? He had
bought off Adam and Eve with a
simple promise "You shall be as gods." .
He bought off Judas fora mere thirty
pieces of silver. "He still buys men in
thisway, butnevet ata price so great
as that which he offeredJesus. Itmay
seem foolish on Satan's part to come
to Jesus with such a temptation and
to think that Jesus might be bought
thus. But after succeeding with his
proffers to otherml;n in thousands of
instances, Satan felt that this man
Jesus would certainly succumb to an
offer that was more magnificent than
any he had ever made. Let us
remember that the author of evil
lies ..... under the blinding power of
evil. As men, when they are
submerged in sin, lose all moral
:
judgement, so by his fall Satan lost all
sense of righteousness and truth and
moves only in absolute moral
darkness." - Leuski
Was this temptation desperately
bad judgement or was it a brilliant
tactic? There are "some things to be
taken irito account, to render his
conduct up to a certain point
intelligible, if not intelligent .. These
are as follows: (1). Satan seems to
have counted on the effect of the
suddenness of the assault; in the two
preceding cases he had, as it were,
submitted the case to Jesus for
deliberate consideration; here he
shows Him the object of attraction
and fascination in a moment of time;
(2). He appeals to Jesus' deep- seated
instinct for obedience and service as
evinced in the foregOing answers.
This seems an attempt to betray Him
into that form of religiOUS
subjectiveness, wherein it makes no
longer much difference who or what
the object ofsemceis, provided there
be scope for the unfettered assertion
of the religiOUS instinct. This, of
course, gives rise to a pseudo-
religiOUS, in which the processes are
governed by man and not by God.
Religion is not worship or service in
the abstract; it is worship and service
of the true God, and according to His
revelation specifically." - Vos, pg.
338f.
The Resistance of the Christ
There was nothing in Satan's offer
which recommended itself to the
mind and heart ofjesus.Jesus repels
Satan's temptation unconditionally
with a final conclusive answer: a single
pronouncement from God's Word:
"It is written, 'You shall worship the
LORD your God and serve Him onry.
His answer is a reflection of
Deuteronomy 6:13. Deuteronomy
6:13 reads literally: 'You shall fear,
(reverence), only the LORD your God;
and you shall worship, (serve), Him,
and swear by His name. "Three words
sum up the duty of man: 'fear, serve,
swear.' To fear God means to believe
that He is the absolute Lord and only
Saviour, He with whom we must
reckon in every thought, act, moment,
and place in our lives. To fear God
means to be unafraid of all men and
idols, for the more we fear God, the
less we will fear men. To serve God
means to obey His law and to work in
tenus of His calling with our whole
heart, mind, and being. To 'swear by
His name' means to place our whole
life before Him as grounded in His
word and truth, so that our every
word and action is in effect under
oath to God. This is the confession of
faith." - R.]. Rushdoony, Law and
Society, "The Idolatry of Testing God,"
pg. 459. Jesus' answer reveals the
sharp contrast between Himself, Who
delights in worshipping and serving
God alone, (In. 5:30; 6:38), and the
devil, whose love is rebellion against
God, (Gen. 2:17; 3:4; Zech. 3:1;Jn.
8:44, etc). "Here we see how Jesus
acknowledges the absolute authority
of the Word of God and maintains it
as the guiding principle of His life as
Man. What is written therein gives to
Him the final, conclusive answet." -
Geldenhuys
With this answerJesus completely
rejects the offer of Satan that He
should compromise in order to gain
dominion over the world with the
help of the Evil One. Jesus refuses to
secure a kingdom for Himselfby evil
methods. "He chooses of set purpose
to establish and build up the eternal
kingdom of God along the road of
self-denying love, struggling with
spiritual weapons, suffering, and at
last sacrificial death, in complete
devotion and obedience to His Father.
He has rio desire to gain the kingdom
for Himselfbut for His Father, for He
alone must be worshipped and
served." - Geldenhuys. Jesus
understood clearly that the first
commandment is inseparably linked
to the second commandment. It is
not enough to strive for Biblical goals,
(the worship and service of God
alone), we must also strive to reach
those goals by Biblical methods (the
worship and service of God alone by
God's revealed means alone).
(Lk. 4:9-12) The
Third Temptation:
Worship Satan not God.
The Circumstances of
the Temptation
To set the stage for Jesus' third
temptation, (second in Matthew), the
devil "led Him to Jerusalem and set
Him 011 the pinl1acle of the Temple."
The "pinnacle of the Temple" was
"the wing of the outer wall of the
entire Temple complex. The exact
spot is not given. It may have been
the roof-edge of Herod's royal portico
(porch), overhanging the Kedron
Valley, and looking down some four
hundred fifty (450)feet .... This spot
was located southeast of the Temple
court, perhaps at or near the place
from which, according to tradition,
James, the Lord's brother, was hurled
down. See the very interesting
account in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical
History, II. xxiii." - Hendriksen
Was Satan "leading" Jesus and
'setting" Him on the ' pinnacle of the
Temple" forcibly? Was Jesus being
controlled by Satan unwillingly? The
answer of course is NO! "Like Job,
Jesus was placed into Satan's power
so that the latter might tempt Him to
the uttennost. The transfer of Jesus
to the Temple was physical. There is
no difficulty as to the willingness of
Jesus; He consented to the Father's
will 10 be tempted of the devil as the
January, 1995 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 5
devil might will. We need not say
that Jesus transferred Himself to the
Temple; the motive power in 'he
brought and stood him' is that of the
devil. Throughout all three
temptations, Jesus only submits to
the tempter's operations: - Lenski
The Temptation of the Devil
The temptation was "If You are the
Son of God, cast Yourself down from
here; for it is written, 'He will give His
angels charge over You to guard You.'
and, 'On their hands they will bear You
up, lest You strike Your foot against a
stone. "
The Use of
Scripture by Satan
The important thing to take note
of here is that Satan is quoting
Scripture (!), although he is quoting
itforevilmotives. In fact, he is quoting
Psalm 91:11 andl2; "The cunmrigof
.tEE! _ternptati<!Il is doubled bythf!
devil's use of SCripture. By himself
quoting Scripture , the devil would
block any resort ofjesus to Scriptl.\re;
He would wrest the sword of the
Spirit from Jesus' hand. The devil
shows himself expert in handling
SCripture." - Lenski
The passages Satan quoted seem
to fit his proposal to Jesus perfecdy.
His application of these verses seem '
to fit the context of the entire Psalm
91. 'The deception does not lie in
misapplying toJesus whatreallydoes
nbtapply to Him." - Lenski. Although
Satan omitted the phrase from Psalm
91;11 -. "in . all your ways," the
oII1ission in no way misrepresents
the text. If the omission was essential
to Satan's argutttent,Jesus could have
easily destroyed his argument by a
correct quotation. The deception is
not in the omission. So, in what way
is Satan misusing Scripture? "The
deception in the use of this SCripture
by Satan lies in setting one Scripture special promise of God to the limit
against another. One statement is and on the instant. Letjesus throw
stressed, and others that should go Himself down, from this great
with it are quiedydisregarded. The Temple height andplCove that God's
devil's way of citing Scripture has promise stated in Psalm 91:11,12 is
been taught far and wide in thedevil's true. If Jesus has real filial (childlike)
schools, and some of his pupils and trust, the deVil imitates, he will not
graduates are doctors who are quite hesitate a moment; and, of course, if
as expert as he is. One of their tricks God fails to keep His Word, that
which is constantly pra!:ticed, often Word amounts to nothing, ahdJesus
on a large scale, is to combine a mass might as well be dead as to live and
of passages in a way that makes the . bank on empty promises. The idea
Bible say what it most certainly does that in the first and this temptation
not say, in fact, openly contradicts the devil is promising to believe in
elsewhere in the plainest language. ' Jesus if Jesus complies successfully
This type of deception catches the with the devil's suggestions, is
unwary, especially the devout among untenable: - Lenski,
them who esteem the Scriptures , Satan's objective in the temptation
highly .... " - Lenski. One thing is was "to seduce,lesus to test the
certain, Satah was well aware of the faithfulness of God in a purely
power in quoting the Bible! arbitrary manner and to expect of
The Intent of Satan . Him a spectacular intervention for
in This Temptation His safety," - Gelderihuys. Satan was
tempting] esus \0 place FALSE TRUST
5atan'sprep0saI-w:!@511sw
a
smis: . iij:meFamer, wnrdiWas afme-same
"If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself nature as the DISTRUST he proposed
down from here: (i.e., the pinnacle of to Him. in the first temptation. He
the Temple). What was his point? : .was calling on Jesus to experiment,
Satan knew that Jesus trusted to force a test of God the Fathertosee .
abSOlutely in God for all His needs, if indeed His promises could be
and in God's word for all His, trusted.
The Resistance of the Christ
the Resistance of Satan
With Deuteronomy 6:16
direction. In dOing so, He was being
the true Son of God, trusting, obeying,
submitting to His Father's will. Satan
must destroy this faith, ifhe is to win
this battle. And so he reasons "If
By a single pronouncement from
Jesus is such a true and trustful Son God's Word,Jesus finally repels this
of God, let Him demonstrate that fact temptation: "It is said; 'You shall not
by something that is more decisive ' force a teston the LORD your God:
than just continuing patiently in which is a quotation from
hunger. That, the devil implies, is. a Deuteronomy 6:16. He does not
cheap way of showing real trust. Yet, correct the omission in Satan's
like the liar he is, this cheap way was quotation and He does not argue
the very one he assailed first of all withSatan,for He knows thatheisan
when he sought to entice Jesus to incorrigible deceitful liar, He simply
give up that trust by not waiting for quotes the words of Deuteronomy
bread from God but by rushing to 6:16. "In this mann\!IJesus rejects all
provide it Himself. The heroic way to self-will, self-seeking, self-display and
prove trust, Satan says , is to testsome fanaticism as being incompatible with
6 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon January, 1995
God's Word and God's will.
Furthermore, He rebukes the devil
for suggesting that it is ever proper
for anyone to force a test on God,
demanding that He prove His
faithfulness and reliability before
man's bar of judgement. It is self-
destruction to see how far one can go
with God, forcing God to act." Godis
the Judge of man, not man the judge
of God.
The Historical Context
of Deuteronomy 6:16
Deuteronomy 6:16
reflects the situation of
Israel described in Exodus
17:1-7,howthatatMassah
and Meribah the
murmuring Israelites, in
irrational unbelief, accuse
God and Moses of cruelty,
and try to force God to
prove Himself. They were
ready to stone Moses to
death and to provoke God
to action, because, without
water, they were convinced
that God had brought them
out to the desert to kill them. They
"tempted" or "proved" Jehovah,
which means that they tried "to
ascertain by experiment whether His
power to lead them to Canaan could
be relied upon. It was a proving
springing from doubt or outright
unbelief." - Vos, pg. 338.
The Application
of Deuteronomy 6:16
by Jesus to His Own LiJe
By this quotation, (taken in
context), Jesus is clearly indicating
that throwing HimseU down from
"the pirmacle of the Temple," trusting
that God's angels would catch Him,
would be no different than the
conduct of the unbelieving,
murmuring Isrealites in the
wilderness. This may be difficult for
some to see, for it would appear, on
the surface, that doing what the devil
suggested would be a great act of
faith. How could it be the opposite: a
great act of unbelief? Geerhardus Vos
answers : "It certainly required a
degree of [rust to perform the act
commanded by Satan. And yet, while
a momentary abandon to faith, the
venture would have been inspired by
the shrinking from a protracted life
of faith. In the sequel, our Lord would
have been led on in His ministry, not
by an ever renewed forth-putting of
the same act of trust that God would
preserve Him, but by the
remembrance of this one supreme
experiment, which rendered further
trust superfluous. It would have
involved an impious experimenting
with the dependability of God.
Afterwards, His sense ofsafetywould
have depended, not on the promise
of God, but on the demonstration
solicited by Himself." (pg. 338)
Jesus knew full well that this
unnecessary, reckless, and
unbelieving exposure to danger just
to see His Father's reaction was an
evil act of unbelief and an audacious
affront to the character of God. He
knew that "the devil's proposal has
nothing to do with humbly trusting
in the protective care promised in
Psalm 91. He therefore very
appropriately answers the tempter
by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. " -
Hendriksen.
"A true son knows what his father
says and means; so Jesus knows that
all the great promises of His Father's
protection are meant for our humble
trust in Him and never once for our
presumption. It would be a caricature
of humble trust to take a gracious
promise of God and bysorne
foolhardy act to challenge
God to see whether He will,
indeed, do what Hehassaid,
or still worse, simply
presume that He must do
what His words say.' -
Lenski
. TheDijferenceBetween
Jesus' Way of Quoting the
Bible and Satan's Way oj
Quoting the Bible
Jesus does not set one
Bible passage AGAINSt
another Bible passage.Jesus
places one Bible passage BESIDE
another Bible passage, so that they
can explain each other. He
understood the great principle of
Bible interpretation: The only
infallible interpreter of the Bible is
the Bible. The Bible is explained and
must be explained by the Bible! We
may not place our own, or anyone
else's, ideas intO any Bible passage,
and then interpret the text in the
light of our own preconceived
notions. "Any false conclusions or
deductions drawn from anyone
passage are eliminated by comparing
this with other pertinent passages.
No man dare force into a passage a
thought that contradicts another
passage." - Lenski
January, 1995 ~ TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ 7
(Lh .. 4:13) The Defeat and
Departure of the Devil
"And wheri the devil had finished
every temptation, he departed from
Him until an opportune time: Lk.
4: 13. Satan tried every trick he knew
to get jesus to sin, but he knew he
had failed. So vanquished, he
departed fromjesus, but not for good.
He waited for "an opportune time" to
return to the battle. And so,
throughout Jesus' earthly life, time
and again, Satan renewed his evil
assaults on jesus, whenever the
The Temptation to
Avoid Humiliation
On the Way to Exaltation .
This' entire experience in the
wilderness was humiliating for our
Divine-human Savior. The physical
limitations were hUmiliating, e.g.,
hunger, thirst, physical eXhaustion.
And tHe temptations thernselveswere
humiliating. And yet, if He were to
bear in Himself for uS and in our
place ' the full consequences and
effetts of sin, He had to be humiliated
to the deepest levels.
head, Gen. 3: 15, and thus to eradicate
evil from the human race-and from
creation. "The Son of God appeared for
this purpose, that He might destroy the
works of the devil: - I john 3:8. "The
Son of God was manifested to undo
what the devil has done and is doing;
to counteract and counterwork with
him, in respect of all his doings
generally; but especially in respect of
his imparting to us, as his children,
the germ or seed of his own sin of
insubordination to the authority and
law of God." - Candlish, ExpoSition of
!John, pg. 127.
situatidn was "opportune: Lk.11:l3; Jesus "eJ9sted as Messiah in a state
Mark 8:32-33. He even temptedjesus of humiliation. Aftdthat had been In Matthew 12:22-29, after being
through Peter, His close friend and ' passed through, a state of exaltation interrogated by the Pharisees for
disciple. "But it was especially when would follow, in which these various casting a demon oUt of a Person and
the Lord on the eve of the crucifixion things now offered to Him as- discrediting their charges, Jesus
wrestled in Gethsemane that Satan temptations would become perfectly explains that: (1). He came to earth
attacked Him in person and with all normal and allowable. What was not for the express purpose of ."biI1ding
the power and savagery of hell ill a illherently sillfulbecalne so in His the strongman," (Le.,Satan),andof
desperate attempt to overcome Him case,be9auseofthelawofhumiliation plundering his property, (Le.,
before HeJinally triumj:lhecLinJlis and service underwhichHis life had . delivering those in bondageto him),
death on the cross over all the put. . -Rev :-20:2; ima(2). Thecasting6ui of
of darkness and co nfirmed His victory while Satan counsels Him to act like delnons is traced to the fact that the
through the resurrection and a sUper-man, in principle like God, Kingdom of God has come in all its
ascension." - . our Savior, with His repeated stress power in the coming of Jesus
. ,
The Point of on what a man is obligated to, Christ to earth. Wherever Christ's
the Three Temptations repudiates such self-eXilltation. It is kingdom comes; Satan's' "kingdom"
highly significant in'this connection, retreats, Lk. 11 :20. As jesus ' said,
The Temptation to Live that the words wherewithJesus repels "But if! cast out demons by the Spirit of
For Self, and Not for God the tempter are taken from the Torah, . God, then the Kingdom of God has come
"]Jnder this triple form, the uponyou:Mat.12:28. The defeat of
temptation is one. Work miracles for as though by thus placing Himself Satan in the wilderness was also a
ThiI1e own advantage. Be Thine own under the Law jesuswished to remind part ofjesus' ministry of "binding the
ambassador, and not God's. Seek Satan of the' real matter at issue the strong man" so 'as to advance His
Thyself; instead of consecrating question of humiliation versus' the own Kingdom by "plundering"
Thyself tb the glory of Thy Father's assertion ' of the prerogatives Satan's "house."
kingdom. In theverynature of things , belonging to a state of gloty." - G. "If, then, the whole purpose of
temptation must always be one; for Vos, Biblical Theology, pg. 335. Christ's first appearing was to remove
there isonIyone way ofvi6lating the the Conclusion ofJesus' - sins and [0 undo the 'Works of the
moral law; namely, to live to one's Temptation in the Wilderness devil , Christians must not
self, and not to God, to substitute compromise with either sin or the
selfishness forlove." - E. De Pressense, Binding of devil, or they will find themselves
Jesus Christ: His Times, Life and the Strong Man" fighting against Christ. If thefitst
Work; pg. '237, Hodder and (Mat. 12:28j) step to holiness is to recognize the
Stoughton, Londori, 1879. Jesus came to earth to crush Satan's sinfulness. of sin, both in its essence
8 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon . Jan)lary, 199:>
as lawlessness and its diabolical
origin, the second step is to see its
absolute incompatibility with Christ
in His sinless Person andsavingwork.
The more clearly we grasp these facts,
the more incongruous willsin appear
and the more determined we shall be
to be rid of it." - Scott, I John,
(Tyndale), pg. 125.
(lk. 4:14-15) The Beginning of
Jesus' Preaching Ministry
"AndJesus retumed to Galilee in the
power of the Spirit; and news about Him
spread through all the surrounding
district. And He began teaching
SECOND, in submitting Himself
to temptation, Jesus is setting an
example of constancy in obedience
and resistance to sin for all Christians
to follow, Heb. 12:2,3. "The fact that
Christ was almighty and victorious
in His resistance, does not unfit Him
to be an example for imitation to a
weak and sorely tempted believer.
Because our Lord overcame His
temptations, it does not follow that
His conflict and success was an easy
one for Him. His victory cost Him
tears and blood, Isa. 52:14; Mat.
while it was supported and
strengthened by the divine, was FOR
THIS VERY REASON subjected to a
severer strain than an ordinary human
nature is." - Shedd, pg. 345f, Vol. II.
THIRD, by His mighty and
truimphant resistance of temptation
and victory over Satan, Christ reveals
His power to help all those who are
being tempted to resist the
temptations and get the victory over
them. "For since He Himself was
tempted in that which He has
suffered, He is able to come to the aid
in their synagogues and was
praised by all."
This little paragraph of
verses 14-15 is a bridge, a
transition, (of about a year's
time), betweenJesus'baptism
and temptation on one hand
and the full tide of His
ministry in Galilee, while
omitting the events that lie
between these events. The
preparation for and
inauguration of Christ's work
{fIn submitting Himself
to temptation!l Jesus is
setting an example of
of those who are tempted,"
Hebrews 2:18. "For we do
not have a high priest who
cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but One who
has been tempted in all
things as we are, yet without
sin. Let us therefore draw
near with confidence to the
throne of grace, that we may
receive mercy and may find
grace to help in time of need,"
Hebrews 4:15-16.
constancy in obedi-
ence and resistance to
sin for all Christians
to follow.!I!I
Because Jesus was
has ended. The beginning
has been accomplished. The Messiah
has been filled with the Spirit. The
Messiah has vanquished Sa tan. The
teaching, preaching, and miracle-
producing ministry of Jesus has
begun, and flows out of Christ's
victory over Satan in the wilderness.
The culmination of Christ's Messianic
work and victOlY over Satan will
come with His death, resurrection
and ascension; and Satan will not be
able to stop any of these great
redemptive events from taking place
at the appointed time.
Conclusion: Why was Jesus
tempted?
FIRST, the suffering involved in
Jesus' temptations were part of His
humiliation and satisfaction for sin
. in order to redeem sinners.
26:39. - Because an army is
victorious, it by no means follows
that the victory was a cheap one.
'One more such victory,' said Pyrrhus
after the battle of Asculum, 'will ruin
me.' The physical agony ofthe martyr
is not diminished in the least by the
strength imparted to him by God to
endure it. The fire is as hot, and the
pain as great, in his case as in that of
an unbeliever. Divine grace does not
operate like chloroform and deaden
the pain. - Such facts show that
victory over a temptation does not
imply that the temptation is a slight
one; that because Christ could not be
overcome by temptation, therefore
His temptation must have been less
severe than that of His people. On
the contralY, Christ's human nature,
tempted without sinning, He
has an astounding ability to
sympathize with those who are
undergoing temptation, and is able
to help them live through the
temptations without sinning. "Let all
nue Christians take comfort in the
thought that they have a Friend in
heaven, who can be touched with the
feelings of their infirtnities. When
they pour out their hearts before the
throne of grace, and groan under the
burden that daily harasses them, there
is One making intercession Who
knows their sorrows. Let us take
courage. The Lord Jesus is not an
'austere man.' He knows whatwe mean
when we complain of temptation, and
is both able and willing to give us help."
- Bishop]. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts
on Luile, pg. 109, Vol. III.
January, 1995 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ;. 9
~ o o t n o t e Jesus claims that all
authority in heaven and earth has been
given to (him)me. Passages like Eph.
2:2; 6:12, and IJn. 5:19 seem, on the
surface, to teach that Satan does in fact
own and govern all the world's nations.
But, a closer study shows that, although
Satan pictures himself as the rightful
owner and ruler of everything, Satan
only excercises a powerful influence
for evil over those wicked people and
demons who acknowledge him as their
master. Such references in no way
prove that the devil is the ultimate
owner and ruler of the nations, who
can dispose of them as he will. See
Gen. 3:15; Psa. 2; Mat. 11:27; 28:18;
Rom. 16:20; Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 2:15;
Rev. 12; 20:3, 4. Greg Bahnsen points
out that these Satanic titles, "prince of
this world," In. 12:31, and "god of this
age," nCar. 4:4, "mean something
quite different from the interpretation
that is often given for them in these
days. They are NOT indications that
Satan's power in
on planet Eanh are immense; nor do
they mean that God's kingdoms must,
by definition (of Satan, as such a 'prince'
and 'god'), be largely unsuccessful or
non-influential until some (alleged)
binding of Satan. The present era in
the created realm is NOT in the
masterly grip of Satan, and it is simply
wrong to suppon such an idea from
Satan's being called 'prince of thiS
world' and 'god ohhis age.' These
epithets simply mean that Satan heads
up the unethical realm of disobedience;
he is the captain of the ungodly and
disbelieving, the prince of darkness.
- These titles, then, merely indicate
that Satan is the ruler. over all those
who share his wicked nature. He leads
one kingdom, while Christ governs
another kingdom. The meager fact that
Satan is the captain of the
ungodly ... tells us nothing about his
strength and influence in the created
realm ... during the present era. -
Indeed, if anything, these titles are
DERISIVE with respectto Satan's status compliment. Satan rules over a
and power; (John 12:31-32). - Thus, JUDGED realm where he cannot HOill
in calling Satan 'the prince of this men's allegiance: - Balmsen, pg. 26-27
world,' Jesus is certainly not paying Thisconc1udesthesectionofLukedealing
him anything but a sarcastic with the Temptation ofJesus.
Messages by:
Greg Bahnsen
Ken Gentry
R J Rushdoony
Gary DeMar
Walter Bowie
Morton Smith
Paul Jehle
10 ~ THE COUNSEL of Cha1cedon ~ Jannary, 1995