Overcoming Satan’s Worldwide Rule

Many people scoff at the idea of the devil, yet he is the god of this world! (2 Corinthians 4:4). He has deceived all mankind. He rules our planet because God allows him to—for now.

God commands true Christians to overcome the devil today (Revelation 3:21). Jesus Christ prevailed in a monumental struggle against Satan (Matthew 4), and so must we. But this time, Satan and millions of demons have been cast down from God’s throne and are confined to Earth (Revelation 12:9). The devil has much more power on Earth today than he did during Christ’s day.

As a man, Christ frequently cast out demons. This is recorded in your Bible, so why don’t more people discuss it? Why do so many religious people refuse to believe that Satan and the demons exist? What do we really know about Satan the devil?

Notice Ezekiel 28:12: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” This verse starts by talking about a king but then describes him as “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” No human king is like this! The king and Satan are interchangeable here. This probably indicates Satan controlling a powerful world ruler.

Verse 19 states “[T]hou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” Satan is the supreme terrorist in the world. He inspires the terrorists! But God will stop him forever. We’re in the last days before Christ returns to save man from himself and end Satan’s worldwide rule.

Satan has awesome power, but he is no match for God. We must rely on God to protect us from this evil being.

The Daniel 2 image pictures King Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean Empire, then the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great’s Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire—four world-ruling kingdoms covered in abundance by secular history sources. But these sources almost never mention the Bible history, which is the most important history by far! We must understand Bible history to have faith in God.

The Daniel 2 image reveals a lot about Satan’s worldwide rule. We must overcome Satan’s worldwide rule.

The Fiery Furnace

After Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the Daniel 2 image, the king knew that he was pictured by the head of gold on the image. “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon” (Daniel 3:1). Nebuchadnezzar erected a gigantic golden idol. Obviously, he didn’t know or care much about the Ten Commandments, the second of which forbids idolatry (Exodus 20:4-5).

“Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:4-6). It wasn’t enough for Nebuchadnezzar to set up an idol; he commanded the entire nation to worship his idol every time the music played. The penalty for disobedience was death.

Three Jews in Babylon didn’t bow to the golden image. “Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews” (verse 8). Certain Babylonians, perhaps some priests and others, alerted the king, who was filled with rage (verse 13).

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (verses 16-18). Daniel’s three friends really had faith in God! This is a beautiful example.

Nebuchadnezzar was so angry, his face became distorted (verse 19). He ordered the furnace to be made seven times hotter, and the fire burned to death the men who threw Daniel’s friends in (verse 22).

“And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (verses 23-25). The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was in the fiery furnace with them because of their faith! They really trusted God!

This astonishing miracle impacted the king: “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God” (verse 28). Nebuchadnezzar was a witness to God’s awesome power. He could see that these Jews trusted God, and he rewarded them with very high positions in his kingdom. Never limit God! Trials help us grow, but He answers prayers of faith. He will deliver us from serious trials if we obey.

Hebrews 11 tells us: “But without faith it is impossible to please him …” (verse 6). What an amazing verse!

The Prince of Persia

The archangel Gabriel—sent by God to Daniel 2,500 years ago to deliver the prophetic message recorded in Daniel’s book—was attacked by Satan. But God stopped Satan from stopping the message.

Gabriel told Daniel: “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13). Gabriel and Michael, another archangel, fought Satan for three weeks so Daniel could receive God’s truth! Gabriel called Satan the prince of Persia because the devil rules the kingdoms of this world. He took control of the world-ruling Persian Empire and the other three kingdoms depicted by the Daniel 2 image.

Gabriel delivered God’s message to Daniel, then went back to fighting Satan. He foretold the rise of Alexander the Great (Daniel 10:20). But implied in this verse is that Satan was about to become the true prince of Greece!

Satan’s power over the nations continues to this day. “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy” (Revelation 13:1). The first three world-ruling empires were called animals, but the Holy Roman Empire can’t be compared to any beast we have ever seen. It is a combination of the previous three (verse 2), and it is the most dreadful beast ever. Its power comes from the “dragon,” or Satan (verse 2). This is the beast rising in Europe today!

“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (verse 4). People today worship this rising beast without even realizing it. The beast is already a mighty economic power, getting stronger militarily all the time. Empowered by Satan, mighty empires can do enormous damage.

The next chapter gives the good news about the 144,000 called by God out of the world and saved in a resurrection, to rule with God as part of the firstfruits on David’s throne (Revelation 14:3). What a reward for these people who learn to believe God!

To become firstfruits before the coming trouble, we must help deliver the “everlasting gospel,” declaring with a “loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him …” (verses 6-7).

What a change this makes in our lives: “[T]he Lord has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge” (Isaiah 14:32; Revised Standard Version). God says we can find refuge in Him anytime. There’s no one to fear but God, and He’s a God of love whom we can trust!

Satan’s Downfall

Satan’s worldwide rule won’t end well: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms” (Isaiah 14:12-16).

Satan “made the earth to tremble”—was a crusher of nations, as one translation renders it. He thought he could overthrow his Creator, but he will be brought down to the grave!

Satan’s destructive power reaches beyond Earth: “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:21-22). Here, the universe is personified as groaning and travailing because Satan destroyed it. The planets are pock-marked because of the rebellion of Satan and millions of demons (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28).

When Lucifer and a third of all the angels rebelled, God decided He couldn’t trust angels to rule the universe anymore. He is now re-creating Himself in mankind! His spirit-born children will bring liberty and freedom to all creation (Romans 8:21).

“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (verses 25-27). God is always there to help the saints by the power of His Holy Spirit.

To understand more about the devil and how to conquer him, request my free booklet The Real Star Wars.