This is from an article I read on another website recently. There are some interesting, and insightful articles on the site, however, this excerpt surprised me.
“The Bible tells us that Satan is the “god of this world.” He is the one guiding and directing the affairs of everyday life. Because he is a spirit, he lacks the ability to act in this physical realm. He uses men to carry out his will.”
I’ve never heard this, and it doesn’t really make sense to me. If Satan was an angel, this shouldn’t be true. The angels were able to “act” in the physical realm of Lot and his family (as well as other passages in the Bible). What are your thoughts on this?
It could be that only God can authorize an angel to take on human form. This may be why the angels who married human women before the flood are being held in chains for judgment (Jude 6). But since the Bible doesn’t come right out and say this, It’s something a person can only infer. The Bible does mention men being taken over by evil spirits to do evil things. Judas Iscariot is an example (John 13:27). Maybe this is what the author meant.
But whether in person, or by directing the actions of humans, it’s pretty clear that Satan has a lot of influence on the world today.