The church age extends from the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2 up until the Rapture of the church as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. In this present age, the Apostles’ teaching has been preserved in the New Testament letters. One of the most significant revelations is that believers in this age are sealed, indwelled and guided by the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15). Conversely, we understand that non-believers are equally guided, or more properly stated as misguided, by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). There are only two types of people in this world, believers sealed by the Holy Spirit; and non-believers controlled by Satan. At the end of this age, believers will be removed via the Rapture. Since the Holy Spirit indwells believers, the removal of believers coincides with the removal of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; See also 2 Thessalonians 2:6).
The Apostle Paul addresses this subject in his second letter to the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). For clarification, I will insert my own words in brackets to clearly communicate my understanding of this important text:
Concerning the [second] coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him [via the rapture as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17], we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord [the Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom] has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day [the Second Coming and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom] will not come until the rebellion [the Tribulation Period of seven years, specifically the 2nd half when the Antichrist establishes the mark of the beast and demands worship of himself] occurs and the man of lawlessness [Satan indwelling the Antichrist as in Revelation 13:2] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him [Satan] back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness [Satan’s presence and power through his network of demons who control all the unsaved people of the world] is already at work; but the one who now holds it back [the Holy Spirit who indwells the believers in the world] will continue to do so till he [the Holy Spirit] is taken out of the way [via the rapture]. And then the lawless one [Satan in the Antichrist as in Revelation 13:2] will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming [the Second Coming of Christ as described in Revelation 19:11-21]. The coming of the lawless one [Satan in the Antichrist] will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, [that he is the one who can provide world peace and prosperity] and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They [unbelievers] perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie [that Satan is the one who will provide peace and prosperity] and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
In the preceding text, specifically 2 Thessalonians 2:7, the Apostle Paul refers to the “the secret power of lawlessness”. The word secret or mystery in the New Testament usually refers to a previously unrevealed spiritual truth. The spiritual truth here is that Satan marks, guides and empowers all unbelievers in the same way the Holy Spirit does those things for believers. In fact, as believers, we would not fully understand and embrace the truth of the indwelling Holy Spirit had it not been for the revelation of God’s Word through the Apostles’ Teaching as recorded in the New Testament. Believers have the Bible as a resource for knowledge and understanding of spiritual matters. Unbelievers have no such handbook, as Satan has not provided one for them. Satan would prefer to keep them in the dark and provide counterfeit religions and plausible theologies (Revelation 12:9). These substitutes discreetly eliminate the Gospel of Grace based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Satan is secretly at work in the hearts and minds of unbelievers. The Apostle Paul states this truth clearly in his letter to the Ephesians.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 2:1-2
He refers to Satan as the ruler of the kingdom of the air, which is the world. In these types of Biblical contexts, references to the world mean the satanic system that exists to influence and satisfy the desires of mankind apart from God. The Satanic System is a world society that, at its best, embraces commerce, entertainment, moral values, and coexisting religions. The one thing the world doesn’t include is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The world, led by Satan, directly opposes God and Christ (1 John 2:15; James 4:4).
Unbelievers are the people of Satan, the children of Satan, and agents of Satan (Matthew 13:24-43; see also John 8:44; Acts 13:6-10). These references combined with Ephesians 2:1-2 (shown above) confirm a revealed truth that all unbelievers are under the influence of Satan. Normally, when we think of someone under the influence of Satan we think of a distorted person causing harm to himself or others, or a sorcerer, or an evil person committing heinous acts. However, the majority of unbelievers are basically moral, law abiding, even religious or otherwise normal individuals. The New Testament truth reveals that even though they appear uninfluenced by Satan, they are indeed the people, children and agents of the Mighty Adversary of God, Satan.
The New Testament, revealed during the present church age, goes on to refer to Satan as god, ruler, and prince of this world.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 2:1-2
“The prince of this world now stands condemned.
(See also John 12:31 and 14:30)
John 16:11
By these revelations we can begin to estimate the might and power of Satan. Not only does he control a vast network of demons, he also is able to guide, manipulate and influence unbelieving human beings. It appears that in his devious plan, he directs certain demons to possess humans and perform heinous acts only to repulse the other non-believing humans. These repulsive acts subconsciously provide them with a sense of comfort. They reckon that they are “good” by comparison. This false confidence appears to be working well as much of the world doesn’t fear or even acknowledge Satan in their everyday lives. However the truth is revealed in the Bible. Satan is a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:28-30), a prowling lion looking to devour (1 Peter 5:8), and masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). By these tactics he is able to deceive the world. Many don’t believe he exists, and those that do have no fear of him since in their estimations; he is not affecting their lives. But he is affecting them through his manipulation and deception. The following barrage of Scripture enlightens us to this truth:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
1 Timothy 4:1-2
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
1 John 5:18-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you [the Holy Spirit] is greater than the one [Satan] who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
1 John 4:1-6
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans 1:18-32
The truth is that the only reason our world remains civilized to the extent it does, is due to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit through believers. Once that segment of the population is removed from the world, Satan will be able to operate unhindered by any restraints. At that point, the world will fall under a great delusion that allows the Antichrist to rise into power over the nations (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
Believers in our age are cautioned to guard against the power of Satan through prayer and complete reliance on the Holy Spirit. Apart from that divine assistance, we would be helpless against the great power and influence of Satan.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:10-18
So during the church age Satan will be misleading the unbelievers. Simultaneously, he will be attempting to frustrate the work of believers. God is delaying the rapture to call out from the world all who will believe in the Gospel. Once that body of believers is complete according to God’s divine plan, they will be removed from the world and Satan will be allowed to operate unhindered by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through the church.
Next Section: Satan Testing Christ
Table of Contents: The Fate of Satan
Text for this post has been borrowed from my Kindle eBook The Fate of Satan (Book 3 of the Grace and Knowledge Series) by Brother Woody Brohm. Copyright 2016.
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
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