Was Satan Bound at the Coming of Christ?

When approaching the question of who reigns over the world currently, the New Testament is thoroughly clear: the Lord Omnipotent reigns. Christ in his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension has been exalted as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and "must reign until he (the Father) has put all enemies under his feet (cf. 1 Cor. 15:25)." Jesus erases all doubt about who is in charge when saying: "'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (cf. Matt. 28:18).'" Though his kingdom is not exclusive to this world, it does include this world. Though his kingdom is not consummated, it is already present. Though many men still submit to the prince of darkness, Christ is still the Sovereign. When wicked men ally with Satan, they do not do so as an autonomous empire. They do so as insurrectionists.

But what about verses like 2 Corinthians 4:4 which says that "the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers"? Doesn't that imply that Satan currently has dominion and reign over this world until Christ returns? Would this not indicate that the world is progressively getting worse until a cataclysmic, worldwide rapture occurs? Maybe not. Satan does have dominion in the lives of unbelievers, but this dominion is not exhaustive. This dominion is borrowed dominion. Satan is bound and only has as much power as our sovereign God allows him to have. In other words, the ferocious dog is on a leash.

The question then arises: when was Satan bound? I truly believe that the New Testament is clear that Satan was bound in the coming of Christ. When Christ arrived, the kingdom of God broke into this world. Prior to the Incarnation, the world was in darkness (cf. John 1:4-5). In the earthly ministry of Jesus, there was direct conflict between the evil one and his seed and the Seed. This is why in the gospels we have numerous records of Jesus casting out evil spirits. Satan knew the reason for Jesus' coming and became determined to deter Christ from the cross. During his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus was constantly asked to take any other road than the road to Calvary (cf. Matt. 4:1-11). Christ did not commend Peter for standing in the way of his death, but called it Satanic (cf. Matt. 16:23).

Finally, Satan gave up trying to prevent Jesus' death and instead entered the heart of Judas to betray him. If Christ had set his face like flint to die, Satan was going to make it the most miserable death that he could. How irrational sin is! Satan, as John Piper has noted, essentially committed suicide at the cross. The cross was a fatal blow and in the death of the eternal Son of God, the serpent's head was crushed (cf. Gen. 3:15). Then in the Lord's resurrection and ascension, he sent out the apostles who bore the message of salvation to the ends of the earth.

Thus, the entire scope of the Lord's life: his birth, active obedience, death, resurrection and ascension served to ruin the work of Satan. The works of Christ (healings, resurrections, exorcisms, etc.) themselves testify to the fact that Satan had been bound for Jesus "plundered his goods", meaning he "undid" the works of the evil one. As Christ said, no one can attempt these works unless "he first binds the strong man (cf. Matt. 12:29)." This is why I believe Satan was bound at the coming of Christ and why it is vital for us in understanding the eschatological implications of such a binding. First, Satan is bound not free. This means the gospel is having success throughout the world and that "even the demons are subject to us" in Christ's name (cf. Luke 10:17). Second, the world is being filled with the "knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (cf. Hab. 2:14)."

Finally, we are to recognize that God in Christ has given us authority to "tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (cf. Luke 10:19)." Another way of saying this is that man is being restored to his original position as vice regent of creation. God has not abandoned the dominion mandate but is restoring it through the church! Let us rejoice then that we, as subjects of our Sovereign King, are advancing a message of grace that has had its success guaranteed. Soli deo gloria!