The Devil Owns It All…
In the beginning God gave dominion of all things on the earth to the man he had made, formed and created. His name was Adam.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
In an unfortunate turn of events soon thereafter, the woman, Eve, made an egregious error when she disobeyed God and betrayed Adam. This had far reaching implications for all of mankind. The heartbreaking consequence of her actions lead directly to Adam committing the same transgression which led directly to the loss of their direct line of spiritual communication with God and it resulted in the forfeiture and the transfer of the dominion that God had given them, over to the devil, where it has remained until this very day.
Every kingdom of this world, along with the requisite entities that make up that kingdom.the devil owns it and, I might add, he uses it deftly, skillfully and brutally to his best advantage. You see, the devil knows what the Bible says better than you do! He has had thousands of years to study it and master its contents and I assure you he knows God’s Word far better than we ever will!! The devil knows there is but one true God and it’s not him! But that in no way prevents him from stealing, killing and destroying people who don’t know the truth.
He also knows that his days are numbered and where he will end up because he is well aware of the prophecies concerning him in the Book of Revelations. Nevertheless he continues using his dominion over this world and man’s total ignorance of his existence, to “make hay while the sun shines” to turn an old phrase, and he does so very adroitly and efficiently because......he owns it all!!!
Let’s talk for a moment about some of these systems that he owns. One of the most important ones is certainly religion. You’re probably thinking that religion is about God so how could the devil be behind that? Easy...all religions are man-made contrivances and as such usually only have God involved as sort of a mascot. God has never sanctioned any religion. You will find no mention of any religious denomination anywhere in the Bible. Christianity....true believers....are about a Father and his children. This is never the case with religion, which is most often all about controlling people, which fits the devil’s playbook rather well.
Another worldly institution that the devil owns lock, stock and barrel is government. And he uses it in multifarious ways to control men! It matters not what form of government it is, whether benevolent or totalitarian. Republic, dictatorship or kingdom he still holds the title deed to all of it and he is a master manipulator of men in the big chess game of politics. Many governments the world over, including the United States, continue to fight useless wars against other governments, with nothing to show for it but mountains of dead bodies. The devil smiles.
One of the most promising worldly institutions that the devil also owns and uses to wreak havoc on mankind is the media. It’s a virtual propaganda festival every day of the year. Controlling the flow of information is his preferred method of controlling the masses. Information that is used to form and control public opinion, disseminate all manner of false information, deny freedom of speech, delay elections and ultimately control large numbers of people without them even realizing it.
So, what are we supposed to do in light of this information? You need to first understand that God has not left us defenseless! He has supplied us with his some very precise instructions for combatting the devil’s continuous onslaught.
Ephesians 6:10-19 (KJV)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
We don’t “wrestle” against flesh and blood. A wrestling match is a sporting event, not an act of war. We are, however, competing against spiritual beings and they are in some pretty high places. The devil will be found at the very top of this pile because he owns it all!
Someone once asked me how I know that the devil owns it all. I pointed them to Luke chapter 4.
Luke 4:5-6 (KJV)
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.
There you have it right there in verse 6….”for that is delivered unto me…”. It’s his!!! He accepted delivery way back in Genesis and he has owned it ever since. You and I are trespassing here and he doesn’t like it one damn bit!
As you might expect, in the church today, there is much difference of opinion, a lot of controversy and constant argument over this clearly stated truth. It is easy to understand though, because believers rarely read the Bible and the Devil aims to exploit your stupidity!
A believer’s only hope of winning is in knowing and claiming what God says in His Word. With that in mind I’ll leave you with the following words of encouragement:
I John 4:4 (ESV) Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Romans 8:37 (KJV) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Galatians 5:1 (KJV) Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Philippians 4:6 (KJV) Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Ephesians 4:27 (KJV) Neither give place to the devil.
The devil may own the kingdoms of the world but he doesn’t have to own you! Unless of course, if you’re not born again (Romans 10:9), then he actually does own you!! I just supplied you with the one verse in the entire Bible that will remedy that situation!