On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus made this bold declaration, ‘Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out’ ( John 12:31 ESV). Though somewhat enigmatic, Jesus was making a profound statement about the primary purpose of his mission– the conquest of evil. Through the power of his death and resurrection, the dark kingdom that dominated unabated from Eden to Calvary, would be dealt a fatal blow.
But what exactly is this Kingdom of Darkness?
In truth, its as old as history itself. Following Satan’s rebellion against God, and the successful temptation of humanity, their subsequent fall from grace, and God’s curse upon all involved–the world plunged into an era of darkness. Empowered by the spiritual forces of evil, animated by human sinfulness, burdened under God’s just curse, and augmented by a growing human population, this corrupted reality coalesced into a ‘new world order’, and order where God’s universal sovereignty was usurped by the lordship of Satan.
But to better understand this dark regime, let us break it down into its constituent parts…
Satanic Governance
Satan was the original rebel. In his rebellion, he convinced a large number of angels to join him. This was the foundation of his reign of darkness. But Satan was no ‘mere’ rebel leader.
Every kingdom has a king, and the fact that Jesus states that Satan is the ‘ruler of this world’ indicates that this dark lord’s authority and influence is wide and far-reaching. In fact, Satan is acknowledged by Jesus as specifically having an organized ‘kingdom’, ‘And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?’ (Matt 12:26 ESV) Like any kingdom, it has a definite structure, layers of organization, and a definable hierarchy–with Satan at the head.
Moreover, the Apostle Paul recognizes the potency of this dark kingdom’s organization and its specific opposition to the divine mission in a warning to the Ephesian Christians, ‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.’ (Eph 6:12 ESV)
As Paul infers, even though the dark lord’s stranglehold over the world has been broken by Jesus, its remaining superstructure still exerts significant influence. Indeed, behind every sinful/evil action there is an evil power operating. Whether, minor sinful acts of individuals, or large scale manifestations such as war–the animating power of Satan is real and continuous.
But, let us not forget Jesus’ aforementioned statement. Whilst Satan’s power remains real and effective; on the grounds of Jesus’ victory, it is no longer absolute–that is, not everyone is, or has to be, under its authority!
Human Agency
For Satan to exercise an effective rule on earth, he needs agents. Yes, he has demons, but even spiritual beings need some form of tangible agency to accomplish their purposes; conveniently disguising their nefarious operation in the process. This is where human beings come in.
To greater or lesser degrees, sinful people are open to the influences of evil forces. Of course, those who are involved in occult practices are active willing agents, whereas any unrepentant sinner may be co-opted into the works of evil without even knowing it! In short, whether willing or unwitting, any sinful human can be used by the devil.
Indeed, the Apostle Paul, infers that every human being who has not submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, is under the leadership of Satan, ‘And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.‘ (Eph 2:1-3 ESV)
That is to say, if you are not under the lordship of Jesus then you are under the lordship of Satan, and subsequently an active agent in his kingdom.
In fact, even those who call themselves Christians and actively participate within the sphere of the church, can be taken captive by Satan to do his bidding, as Paul suggests in writing to Timothy, ‘ God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.’ (2 Tim 2:25-26 ESV)
Anyone has not fully submitted to Jesus and is not walking in obedience to his will, will be used by Satan to accomplish his purposes–anyone!
Worldly Organization
If you take any number of individual sinful humans and put them together, they will develop social structures that hide, excuse, deny, justify, and eventually promote their sinfulness. Of course, this is something that Satan readily capitalizes on. To deceive and control the world, Satan needs to organize human rebellion into some kind of social structure– a structure able to exert significant pressure to force conformity to his will.
As the human population becomes larger, the social structures become more sophisticated and consequently, the more entrenched and extensive the culture of human rebellion becomes. In fact, when the bible refers to this collective structured culture, it uses the generic term the world. In short, the world is a reality created by corporate human sinfulness to avoid submitting to the authority of God. It employs a multiplicity of means to accomplish this; philosophical ideas, political ideologies, sensual enticements, fear of nonconformity, and many, many more –all appealing to base human nature of independence from God.
Given that Satan is a powerful being with a sophisticated network of demons, and given that he is able to control individual humans, it should come as no surprise that he is intricately involved in the organisation, maintenance, and growth of ‘the world’. In fact, the apostle John patently acknowledges the same, ‘We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.‘ (1 John 5:19 ESV)
The world sets itself against the purposes of God, and that is why the authors of Holy Scripture exhort their readers to resist conforming to this reality, ‘ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ (Romans 12:2 ESV)
Indeed, not only to the New Testament writers acknowledge the dangers of the world, they are fully aware of its integral part within the larger superstructure of darkness, ‘ Therefore do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Eph 5:7-11 ESV)
And this is what this kingdom of darkness is. It is everywhere, all around , and even within!
Summary
The Kingdom of Darkness, is a comprehensive system that involves Satanic rule, human complicity, and worldly validation. It’s power is so effective, that it deceives every human being into believing the true God does not exist, has no part on their lives, and even if he does have a part, it is practically irrelevant to their lives.
Moreover, because of its anti-god purpose, it is destined for eternal destruction, with the vast majority of subjects (except Satan and his spiritual cohort) blissfully unaware of this terrible fate. Indeed, only a divine act of God’s grace can alter this destiny, only God himself can break into this darkness, shed light on the truth, and save the day!
Of course, that is exactly what he did through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
However, because this sophisticated coalition of Satan’s rule, sinful human nature, and the collective power of the World is so intrusive, the work of Jesus must comprehensively address each dimension of this reality.
And, this will be the subject of our next instalment.
Spirit & Truth 