Another method Satan uses to advance his kingdom is to hold the lost captive. He uses a two-part approach. First, he keeps the lost from coming to faith, and second, he moves them to do his bidding. From a practical standpoint, a Christian’s need to be aware that Satan holds the lost captive is perhaps second only to his need to understand that Satan is the god of this world and the father of lies. Unless we understand that Satan holds the lost captive, we’ll be confounded and overly frustrated by the spiritual darkness around us. We’ll wonder why the…
The importance of lies to Satan can’t be overstated. It’s not just a method he uses to build his kingdom but a reflection of a core defect in his nature: He is incapable of telling the truth. Jesus was speaking to some Jews in Jerusalem who were seeking to kill him. He told them that they couldn’t accept His word because they were like their father, Satan: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is…
Satan’s Kingdom has subjects. The first general Biblical evidence of Satan’s desire to be like God is the extensive teaching regarding the reality of Satan’s unholy kingdom. Satan can live and exploit the lie that he is like God partly because he has his own kingdom. Like God’s kingdom it has subjects. Satan’s subjects are the fallen angels and the lost. We’ve already seen how Jesus, anticipating His coming crucifixion, death, and resurrection, recognized Satan as the ruler of the world: “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”Satan’s tempting Jesus…
Satan desires a Kingdom like God’s kingdom The Bible speaks of God’s kingdom in two senses. The first is His absolute sovereignty over all creation, every being and every thing that has ever existed and will ever exist. The second is more narrow, referring to the distinction between those who are and those who are not His people. In that sense the Old Testament particularly focuses on the nation of Israel under King David. David ruled Israel roughly a thousand years before Jesus was born. Through Nathan, a prophet and advisor to David, God told David that his kingdom would…