SATAN IS CALLED THE RULER OF THIS WORLD:

SATAN IS CALLED THE RULER OF THIS WORLD: A lot of people ask the same question: “If God is good, why is the world so evil?” That’s a fair question. But the Bible doesn’t leave us guessing. Scripture tells us this world is fallen, man is sinful, creation is groaning, and Satan is actively working in this present world system. Jesus Himself called Satan “the prince of this world” three times in the Gospel of John. John 12:31 says: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” John 14:30 says: “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John 16:11 says: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” The word translated “prince” carries the idea of a ruler, chief, or one holding authority. Satan isn’t equal with God. He isn’t sovereign. He isn’t all-knowing. He isn’t all-powerful. He’s a created being. A fallen angel. A defeated enemy. But right now, he operates as the prince of this fallen world system. That helps explain why the world is the way it is. It explains why evil doesn’t feel random. It feels organized. It explains why lies spread faster than truth. It explains why rebellion is marketed as freedom. It explains why sin is celebrated, holiness is mocked, children are targeted, families are attacked, and people are trained to hate the God who made them. Bad things happen because this world is not operating the way God created it in the beginning. Genesis starts with God creating everything good. Then sin enters through Adam’s disobedience. Death enters. Corruption enters. Pain enters. The ground is cursed. Man’s nature is fallen. Creation itself is affected. Romans 5:12 says: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin…” So when people ask, “Why does God allow suffering?” we have to start where the Bible starts. God didn’t create a broken world. Sin broke it. Man rebelled. And Satan has been exploiting that rebellion ever since. Paul calls Satan “the prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air…” “the course of this world.” That means the world has a current. A direction. A flow. And if a man is not walking with Christ, he’s being carried by that current whether he realizes it or not. Satan doesn’t show up with horns and a pitchfork. He works through deception. He works through pride. He works through false religion. He works through temptation. He works through accusation. He works through fear. He works through confusion. He works through the flesh. He works through the world system. From the beginning, his method has been to question God’s Word. Genesis 3:1 says: “Yea, hath God said…” That’s still his playbook. He doesn’t always start by telling you to hate God. He starts by getting you to doubt God. Did God really say that? Is sin really that serious? Is Jesus really the only way? Is the Bible really true? Would God really judge? Can’t you just follow your heart? That’s how he works. He twists truth just enough to make rebellion sound reasonable. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:4: “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not…” That’s another title Scripture gives him: “the god of this world.” Again, that doesn’t mean Satan owns creation. Psalm 24:1 says: “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof…” God owns everything. Satan rules by deception, not rightful ownership. He’s a squatter, not the King. He blinds minds. He hardens hearts. He keeps people distracted, angry, proud, entertained, busy, religious, offended, addicted, and asleep. Anything to keep them from seeing Christ. And that explains a lot of what we see around us. The issue isn’t only flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world…” There are spiritual powers behind much of the darkness in this world. That doesn’t mean every flat tire is a demon. It means the Bible gives us a bigger frame than just politics, psychology, culture, money, or bad luck. There is a spiritual war going on. And Satan’s goal is simple: Keep the lost blind. Keep the saved distracted. Keep the church weak. Keep sin looking normal. Keep truth sounding hateful. Keep Jesus out of the center. He doesn’t care if people are religious as long as they’re not born again. He doesn’t care if people talk about “God” as long as they reject the Son. He doesn’t care if churches are busy as long as they’re not biblical. He doesn’t care if people feel spiritual as long as they never repent and believe the Gospel. That’s why bad things happen. We live in a fallen world. We have sinful hearts. We make wicked choices. Other people’s sin spills onto innocent people. Creation itself is under the curse. And Satan is actively working through the world system to oppose God, deceive man, and destroy lives. But don’t miss this. The Bible never presents Satan as God’s rival. He’s not the dark version of God. He’s not equal power on the other side. This isn’t yin and yang. God is Creator. Satan is creature. God is sovereign. Satan is limited. God speaks, and creation obeys. Satan can only operate within what God permits. Just look at Job. Satan could not touch Job without permission. He was powerful, yes, but he was still on a leash. That’s important because it keeps us from giving the devil too much credit. Satan is real, but he’s not ultimate. Evil is real, but it’s not eternal. Suffering is real, but it’s not the end. Jesus came into this fallen world and beat the devil on his own turf. Hebrews 2:14 says Jesus took on flesh and blood: “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” At the cross, Satan thought he had won. But the cross was his defeat. Jesus paid for sin, shed His blood, crushed the serpent’s head, rose from the dead, and sealed the judgment of the prince of this world. That’s why John 16:11 says: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” Not might be judged. Is judged. His sentence is already written. His time is short. His kingdom is temporary. And Christ’s kingdom is coming. Satan is called the prince of this world, but Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. Satan blinds. Jesus opens eyes. Satan accuses. Jesus intercedes. Satan tempts. Jesus delivers. Satan destroys. Jesus gives life. Satan rules a fallen world system by deception. Jesus reigns forever in truth, righteousness, and glory. That’s why the answer to evil is not politics, self-help, positive thinking, religion, or pretending the world is fine. The answer is Jesus Christ. The world is broken because of sin. The devil is working because his time is short. But the Gospel still saves. The blood still cleanses. The tomb is still empty. And the King is still coming. #MoreJoyMinistries