1. “All the kingdoms of the inhabited earth...To You I will give all this authority and their glory, because to me it has been delivered, and to whomever I want I give it” (Luke 4:5-6).
The devil spoke these tempting words to the Lord in Luke 4:5-6, and they show that his authority in the universe is very great. He said that all the authority and glory of all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth had been delivered to him and that he could give it to whomever he wanted. When the Lord heard this, He did not deny the devil’s words; therefore, what the devil spoke was factual. God must have delivered this authority and glory to him before he fell because only God has the authority in the universe to do this. This corresponds with the fact that the devil was the highest archangel appointed by God. Thus, in the beginning God delivered all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth to him so that he would rule over them for God. The authority that God appointed to him in the universe is very great. He is above all other creatures and is inferior only to God.
2. “The ruler of this world” (John 12:31).
The Lord Jesus called the devil the ruler of this world when He spoke of him in relation to the world. The devil is the ruler of this world because all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth were delivered to him.
3. “The ruler of the authority of the air” (Eph. 2:2).
According to the Bible, God originally wanted the devil to rule over the kingdoms of the inhabited earth; consequently, God appointed other angels to be under him as his assistants to help him govern and exercise authority in the air. The devil became the ruler of these authorities in the air; therefore, his authority is higher than that of the other angels.
4. “Michael the archangel, when he contended with the devil...did not dare to bring a reviling judgment against him but said, The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9).
This verse shows that the devil’s position before God is very high because even Michael, an archangel, did not dare to bring reviling judgment against him. Rather, Michael kept the order ordained by God. He could only say, “The Lord rebuke you.” The fact that Michael, an archangel in a very high position, did not dare to revile the devil proves that the devil’s position is higher than that of the archangels. Furthermore, according to Michael’s word, only God could rebuke him. This proves that only God Himself is above the devil and that all the angels and creatures are under him. Other than God, no one has the position to rebuke him.
1. “Satan...his kingdom”; “The authority of Satan”; “The authority of darkness” (Matt. 12:26; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13).
Satan has a kingdom. He was appointed by God to rule the world in the beginning, but he established his own kingdom when he rebelled against God in order to usurp God’s authority. His kingdom is his authority. His authority is called the authority of darkness because it is filled with his darkness and evil. His kingdom of darkness, his authority of darkness, opposes the kingdom of God, which is also the kingdom of Christ.
2. “The authority of the air”; “The ruler of this world” (Eph. 2:2; John 12:31).
The realm in which Satan exercises his authority is in the air and on the earth, the world. These are the boundaries of his kingdom, and these boundaries limit the ability of the authority of God to freely operate to accomplish God’s will. This is the reason that Daniel’s prayer was withstood for twenty-one days by one of the princes of Satan’s kingdom in the air (Dan. 10:12-13). This is also the reason that the Lord wants us to pray for the kingdom of God, which is His authority, to come and for His will to be done on earth as it is in the heavens. In the future, when Satan is thrown from the air to the earth (Rev. 12:8-9) and then from the earth into the abyss (20:2-3), his authority will be completely swept from the air and the earth, and the kingdom of God and the authority of Christ will come to the earth (12:10). Then the earth will become the kingdom of God and of Christ (11:15), and God’s authority will be done on the earth.
1. “Against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies” (Eph. 6:12).
The devil also has subordinates because he is the ruler of the authorities in the air and the ruler of the world. The first group of subordinates are the angels God originally appointed to be under him to help him rule the earth. Many of these angels followed him in his rebellion against God, and they are now the rulers and authorities in the air. They are the world-rulers of this darkness and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies. As his officials and ministers, they are higher in his kingdom.
2. “The prince” (Dan. 10:13, 20).
As the devil’s subordinates, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies, the world-rulers of this darkness, govern individual nations. The Bible calls the evil angels who rule over each country evil princes. They help the devil rule this world. The devil is like a Caesar, and they are like tetrarchs under him.
3. “The host on high” (Isa. 24:21).
The devil also has an army made up of the angels who followed him in his rebellion. The host on high in Isaiah 24:21 refers to the devil’s army in the air because it is contrasted with the kings of the earth in the same verse.
4. “His angels” (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7, 9).
In the preceding chapter we studied angels, and we saw that one-third of the angels followed the devil. The angels who followed him became his subordinate angels. Therefore, he has his many angels.
5. “Evil spirits...demons” (Luke 8:2).
Demons, or evil spirits, who are often mentioned in the four Gospels, are another group of the devil’s subordinates. Demons, or evil spirits, are different from the angels who followed the devil. Angels are in the air, but demons are on the earth. They must have been the earthly population that was under the devil in the preadamic world. They were living creatures who followed the devil in his rebellion against God and who were judged by God by floods of water and became disembodied spirits living in the sea (Matt. 8:32). They work on the earth to inflict pain on people and to possess human bodies (12:43-45). The angels who followed the devil became his angels in the air, and the demons, the disembodied spirits, became his servants on earth.
6. “His ministers” (2 Cor. 11:15, see also vv. 13-14).
Another group of the devil’s subordinates are his ministers. This group consists of false apostles, or false workers who pervert the word of the truth and damage the Lord’s work. In addition to angels in the air and demons on the earth, this group of people serve as his ministers within Christianity. These false apostles work for the devil to damage God’s work.