Going to take a break from John his week to answer a question that has come up a few times and I have seen it answered a couple of different way. Does Satan walk the earth today?
We know that Satan has been on the earth. He was with Adam and Eve in the garden. In Job God asks him where he’s been. Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Later on, the Gospels tells us how, when Christ was in the wilderness fasting for forty days, that Satan came to tempt him.
So he’s been here before and some argue that nothing has changed and that he is only waiting to reveal himself at the start of the tribulation using this scripture as their proof:
2 Thessalonians 2:3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Others say that Satan was banished from the earth when Christ ordered him to get behind him which puts him behind the throne of God. They use this scripture as their reference:
Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6: And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7: If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. (4:8) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
So naturally Satan is tempting Christ and Christ isn’t falling for his crap, but does this stop Satan? Is he suddenly banished? Let’s read on to find out.
Luke 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12: And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13: And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Seems to me that the temptations continued and the devil left when he ended the temptation.
Well you can say that Christ was still on earth and wasn’t sitting next to God on the throne yet. OK, I don’t have a problem with that. Christ does have power over him, but it says he departs for only a season thus he isn’t locked up anywhere. Next we find he isn’t in physical form. He has entered Peter.
Mar 8:31 And he (being Christ) began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again 32: And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. (8:33) But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
So does this mean that Satan isn’t allowed here in physical form? That now he can only enter the hearts and minds of those who have carelessly let him in? Well the bible doesn’t tell us of another time of him being on earth until the tribulation, but is that all there is to it? No. Christ has foretold us all things and this isn’t any different.
John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. (Christ speaking) Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29: The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30: Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. 31: Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Who is the prince of this world? Satan of course. Did you ever wonder why this flesh age is so crappy? This isn’t God’s kingdom friends. This is Satan’s little playground and for those of you who didn’t know, the reason God allows it to run on the way that it does is so that we can all learn at the deepest part of our souls that if you don’t do it God’s way it leads to nothing but crap.
The word now in English makes you think at that very moment, but read on.
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33: This he said, signifying what death he should die.
He meant Now, as in the very moment He died and defeated death, Satan was judged and cast from the earth.
Great so does that mean we are done with him? Unfortunately no, Satan wants to be God. Go back to 2 Thessalonians 2 if you don’t believe me or check out Isaiah 14 and move on down to verse 12. So what does that tell us? It tells us that everything God does, Satan will imitate. Christians understand that God comes in three forms, the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. Man, who was created in the image of God, too has three forms. Don’t believe me? Do we not have a mind, body and soul? Of course we do, all of God’s children do, and Satan isn’t any different.
We know Christ is coming back. Well guess what? So is Satan.
So where does that leave us right now? Let’s see what Christ said after the crucifixion:
John 16:5: But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6: But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7: Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8: And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9: Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10: Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11: Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
We don’t see Christ walking the earth just as we don’t see Satan. We have The Comforter a.k.a. The Holy Spirit, but we also have Satan’s spirit working in this world and he is the prince of it and how do we know this?
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 spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
In conclusion, Satan has three parts, mind, body and soul. Satan has been on the world in physical form, but since Christ conquered death on the cross, only Satan’s spirit is able to roam among us until, as we see in Revelation 12, Michael and his angels kick him out of heaven and out onto the earth.
