Thursday, August 20, 2015

The prince of the world

The Prince of the world is not to be confused with Jesus Christ, our Prince of peace. Scriptures included with this discourse will clarify. The Prince of the world is a prophetic picture of the Antichrist under the dominion of Satan. The Antichrist has prophetically been known and spoken of since the fall of Adam - throughout the entire plan of God

The Antichrist (also know as the man of sin/son of perdition) will not come into full power until the Great Tribulation takes place after the Rapture of the Church. During that time the Holy Spirit will step out and as a result of a Godless world "all Hell will break out on earth".  At the end of the Great Tribulation, Christ will return in Divine Judgment to destroy the Antichrist with wrath and fire.

A prophetic picture of the world - is and has always has been a godless social system ruled and governed by the powers of darkness. The Prince of this godless world, the Antichrist is a figure governed and ruled under the powers of Satan's dominion. Scriptures teach Satan is the god of this world or "age" (which means a period of time in the Greek text).

2 Cor. 4:4...In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 
 
During the 3 years of Christ's earthly ministry both the King and Kingdom message presented to Israel were rejected.  This made it necessary within God's plan for Christ to go to the cross and be resurrected. As a result of Israel's rejection of the King and Kingdom - Christ openly pronounced Judgment upon  - the prince of the world.

John 12:31...Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

John 14:30...Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

John 16:11...Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

In the overall plan of God the prince of the world is always linked under the influences Satan and all his demons. The Prince of the power of the air is merely an influence from the powers of darkness that work in the children of disobedience in this present age.

Ephesians 2:2...Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

From a prophetic perspective in Daniel's prophecy we have two Princes mentioned. One being the Messiah and another being the future Antichrist. You will find the distinction when the subject is examined closely. It is written the people of the Prince would "destroy" the Temple. Who are the people that opposed Israel? The Gentile world/Romans that destroyed the Jewish temple in 70 AD. All contained within prophetic Biblical truth.

In Daniel's 70 week prophecy we find these profound words inside one of the most important prophetic truths of the Bible.

Daniel 9:24-28...Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

After the rejection of Christ the King and the promised Kingdom...Christ pronounced Judgment upon the Jewish temple.  Daniel's prophetic statement was fulfilled when the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD - by the people of the prince. Jesus foretold and confirmed Daniel's prophecy as written in Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:2...And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down

In the destruction of the Temple during 70 AD - Approx. 1.8 million Jews were killed. The Prince the world was behind that tragedy just like Antichrists exist now; as well as in the future.

1 John 2:18...Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists;

Thank God the prince of the world will finally be destroyed by the Christ of our Salvation. This climatic event will happen after at the end of the Great Tribulation.

2 Thess. 2:8...And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 

Jesus is Lord and the Prince of peace.