- Satan, The Usurper

So, Satan has made his claims, and in many ways he has succeeded in exercising control through the centuries, even though he certainly could not produce a title deed.
We need at this point to review the scriptural background of creation and the fall of man. When God created Adam, He said in effect: “I am giving you the title to this good earth, and I am giving you dominion over it and over the creatures on the earth, the fish in the seas and the birds in the air. There are a few rules you must observe, however. For one, you must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!”

Tempted by Satan, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Their disobedience introduced death to the human race. The ground was cursed, and sinning mankind forfeited ready fellowship with God. In effect, the creator God took back the title deed He had given our first parents.

We seldom consider it just this way, but when Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s proposition in the Garden of Eden, they allowed him to become a squatter—an alien usurper of dominion throughout the earth, even though he did not hold the title deed.

How could the earth ever be redeemed from this encroacher and mankind restored? There was only one way—a seemingly impossible way. There must of necessity be a Second Adam. He must be able to meet the tempter and best him. Moreover, because death had come through sin, the Second Adam would have to taste death and emerge its victor. Only in such a way could mankind win back all that had been lost in the Garden. Who does this world belong to? Who owns the world? Ever since God’s right to His creation has been challenged by the forces of Satan and the fantasies of sinful men and women, our world has had its succession of dark and dreadful rulers. The intellectuals—those wise in this world’s wisdom—would have us believe that only they have the capacity for dominance and ruler ship. It is just as well that they have not usually prevailed. It would be grim, indeed, if the course of this world were shaped by the thinkers. Most of them seem miserable and unhappy. Ecclesiastes is the soliloquy of perhaps the world’s wisest man—a great thinker. He becomes more gloomy as he goes along. Finally, after “devoting him self to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven” (Revelation 1:13), he comes to this morbid exclamation:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher,
“Everything is meaningless!” (Revelation 12:8)

Another group who insist they are capable of wielding world power are the blue-collar workers—those who toil for a living. Their slogan has been a popular one in this century: “Workers of the world, arise! You have nothing to lose but your chains!” But we have discovered to our sorrow that worker power is no better than the moral level of the workers; once in authority, they can be both cruel and tyrannical.

Probably I should also mention the scientists in this discussion of world force and technology. Some think the scientists are qualified to exercise world oversight. But what do we see? On the one hand, we see learned men and women able to heal and save lives. On the other hand, we see men and women inventing new ways to destroy the greatest number of people in the shortest space of time. The scientists have not demonstrated their ability to bring good government to our world.

Then, there are the claims of the various human races. From the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt to the cataclysmic, racial-inspired wars of this century, we have seen the devastation heaped upon mankind as one or another race sought to assert its superiority. When Jesus Christ was on earth, He warned His followers in plain language that wars and rumors of war would continue right up to the time of His return. We are reluctant witnesses to the truth of His words. In the dark days of World War II, when the outcome of that conflagration was still in the balance, this was my Christian counsel to my congregation:
“No matter how things look to us now, sin and murder and violence cannot win at last. Righteousness and godliness cannot fail at last. Prophecy must be fulfilled. We will see the day when Germany’s mouthing maniac will go down like a rotten tree felled on the hillside. Let us stay by our faith. It is still right to be good, and it is still wrong to follow evil. God must still rule His world, and Christ must still be the acclaimed King throughout the universe.” I believed it then. I believe it yet.