Cast out of the third heaven, but is now god of this world, until Jesus returns. 2Corinthians 4:4
How futurists make satan out to be god
over Jesus in the present world is beyond me.
If we read Eph 2:2 and 2 Cor 4, we see they are pointing out how people in unbelief are not yet saved and set free, not that satan was a ruling god of the planet. Jesus defeated satan so that He rules over all demonic power (Jn 12:31; Matt 28:18; 1 Pet 3:22; 1 Jn 3:8; Heb 2:14-15; 2 Tim 1:10).
There are objects and fantasies that people may *mistake* to be god or have in place of God in the way they live their lives, but in no way are these real "gods." Those are all superstitions and fantasies.
If you read
Job 1&2, satan is not god but only an angel that carried out a specific role for God in the Old Covenant age: accusing the Hebrews of their uncovered sins, that they might be judged and receive the curses of the Law. But the New Covenant removed the curse of the Law from God's people (Gal 3:10-13), and thus St. Paul says of the Christian:
"Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (Rom 8:32-34)
And John says "he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not" (1 Jn 5:18)
And Paul says that Jesus, having spoiled principalities and powers, made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col 2:15). For, Jesus is "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." (Eph 1:20-21)
So, you are confusing the idea of God with the idea that people have made for themselves substitute things for God that are not gods at all but mere superstitions. There is only ONE God with actual authority and power over the whole world, and it's JESUS:
"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth'" (Matthew 28:18)
Jesus Christ, not satan, is God and King over this world (over all of heaven and earth):
Ephesians 1:19-23
He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
1 Peter 3:22
Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Revelation 1:5-6
Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood--and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Only Christians are not in satans kingdom - the rest of the world is.
Your suggestion that one day even the unrepentant will share in Christ's Victory over Satan is wholly untenable to any honest Bible expositor.
Only Christians will EVER be Victorious over Satan. NEVER will the unrepentant enjoy victory over him. Your suggestion that one day in our future they will is unbiblical.
Look at the world, try to tell me satan is bound and the nations have turned from darkness to light.
I look at the World and I see Christians subduing Kingdoms and establishing righteousness everywhere on the planet, which is only possible BECAUSE Satan is Bound.
We went from 12 people in the Middle east to the Dominant, largest Religion on the planet in 2000 short years... hardly the work of the losing team, destined for defeat, hamstrung by and subservient to a world ruled By Satan that you suggest we are.
However the scriptures that tell how terrible and evil the world will get in the last days before Jesus returns, are in fact being fulfilled now.
We are the people of
Hebrews 11 faith and dominon. We are the People who God has predestined that we might "establish righteousness and subdue kingdoms" as did the heroes of our Faith (Heb 11:33). And so we are the only nation upon earth that has been given all dominion over Heaven and earth to subdue it and establish Christ's law and rule among mankind.
Indeed the Church used to think that way up until the late 1800s and 1900s when the endtimes leaders (Darby, Scofield, Moody, Sunday, Lindsey, Impe, etc) began to teach a doctrine of "predestined endtimes defeatism for the Church." Their prescription to the Church? Withdrawal. Retreat. "Come out from her my people." Don't vote. "You Don't polish brass on a sinking ship." Your kids aren't gonna live long enough to choose a career, spouse or college. Etc. etc. etc.
This short-term thinking has hamstrung our Churches and hamstrung America which was founded on great faith by Christians who were mostly unfamiliar with endtimes short-term thinking patterns. The pioneers of America were builders and people who saw human history through the eyes of all-powerful faith and Divine destiny.
That worldview and faith has been lost due to false endtimes dogmas such as those you hold so dear.
Only return to the Historic Partial Preterist view of the unstoppable Victory of the Gospel in the new covenant age will right that ship.
The historic Church has always had an eschatology of victory and hope. Catholic Amillennialists and later the Postmillennial Revivalists (Johnathan Edwards, etc) all have the same belief that the Church will triumph victorious in this age before the final consummation talked about in the historic creeds. As St. John also said, "The darkness is past; the true light now shineth!"
The apostles rightly understood that the purpose for the end of the Old Covenant Era was "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7) and that the Church is God's agent of His own glory and wisdom (Eph 3:1-11, 21). Augustine, Eusebius, the Puritans, and today's Reconstructionists all taught/teach us an eschatology of victory and triumph for the Church (and not doom and gloom).
Partial preterism is the most early and established Christian position on eschatology and it is the position that embraces and affirms the Victory of Christ and His Church in this age.
The Church is the only Nation of Christ that goes on forever, and the Church will never crumble (Matt 16:18-19;Eph 3:9-11,21). However, geo-political nations do come and go, for our God "sets up kings and puts them down" (Dan 2:21)... for God "is the supreme governor among the nations" (Ps 22:28)... for our God "rules over all the kingdoms of the heathen so none is able to withstand Him" (
2 Chronicles 20:6)... and His "is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is His; His is the kingdom" (
1 Chronicles 29:11). That is the gospel. That is the rule of law for mankind. That is the reality of the kingdom. The Church was given dominion over all the universe by divine right (Rom 4:12-18; Matt 28:18/Dan 7:14,27; Matt 5:5), and the world belongs to us (1 Cor 3:22) -- but, as with Joshua, the people of God must take it all by faith (1 Jn 5:4).
The vast majority of American evangelicals are dispensationalists, and they have been taught that America is doomed by God's will because we are in the last days. This has been their gospel for at least the past 100 years, and so those evangelicals and their kids and their grandkids were taught
not to govern, run cities, play baseball, launch universities, or even get into media to fulfill one's duty to Christ. Mere personal piety was taught, the kind that doesn't affect anyone or anything else.
Ideas have consequences. Dispensationalist ideas have
disastrous consequences (withdrawal, abandonment, escapism, surrender).
Their problem is that dispensationalists were taught a castrated, reduced gospel so that they don't even know what it means to have Christ govern their lives, marriages, jobs, society, and country. Moses understood what it meant to have Christ govern lives, societies, families and country. So did Joshua. And David. And the apostles. And King Jesus. And even many of the fathers of America.
That's why I trust the power of Partial Preterism to get Christians back in the game to win. Nearly all converts are willing, but they are often without vision from their endtimes pastors who have abandoned America due to some foolish "prophetic inevitability." We have to change the faithless cowardice of our abandonment clergy that are too drunk on endtimes wine to carry out their duties to the country, and the World, and encourage all Christians to embrace the victorious, historic preterist eschatology.
