Are you concerned about satan’s authority based on what is going on in the world? The good news is that satan’s power is limited and he was defeated at the cross when Jesus gave his life to take away the sins of the world. Although satan is a defeated enemy, he is still active in this world for a time as we see in the story of Job. At the appointed time in the future, the Lord will cast this defeated enemy into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:10)
Job 1:6 One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the accuser, satan, came with them. 7 “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked satan. satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” 8 Then the Lord asked satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”
9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! 11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” 12 “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence. [1]
As we see in today’s reading, satan still had access to the throne of God even after his fall. Though satan lost his once high-ranking position, he was able to see God. In spite of his power and wicked agenda, satan has to seek God’s permission before he does anything to a child of God because of the “hedge of protection” God has put around his children.
While God did allow satan to test Job through various tragedies (death of servants, stolen goods, deadly storms, loss of children,), God gave satan this restriction: “but don’t harm him physically” (Job 1:12). The devil’s demon forces must also receive God’s permission to do certain things. In Mark 5:1–20, when Jesus cast out a group of demons named “Legion,” the demons asked Jesus for permission to enter a herd of pigs.
In Colossians 2:13-15 are some of the greatest verses in the Bible about Jesus victory over the devil. Jesus victory is our victory for every believer! 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. [2]
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[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.