In recent years, people have spoken about our having a new world order. They generally have been referring to
the realignment of political power in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse.
The Bible speaks of a world order. The term new, however, is never applied to it. It is as old as humanity.
In 1 John 2:15–17 we have a description of this world order:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of
the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of
God abides forever.
A strong and related statement is found in 1 John 5:19:
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
The world order depicted in the Bible is not one in which Christians are to be involved. It is a world order
established by our adversary. While it is not eternal, it is pervasive on the earth today. We must resist and counteract
it virtually every day of our lives.
The good news is that we can! John holds out this hope:
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4–5)
Through Christ, we have the wisdom and strength to live in a way that is opposed to Satan's world order.
What Comprises the “World”?
The Bible uses the word world in three ways. First, it refers to the inhabited world, the sum of the
nations. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He was sending
His disciples into all the inhabited regions and nations of the world.
Second, world is used to describe the whole of humanity. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John
3:16). Jesus was referring to all the people of the earth.
Third, world is used to refer to a world system, or a world order. In Ephesians 2:1–2, Paul wrote, “And
you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.”
Paul was referring to the way the cosmos operates.
Although Paul perhaps gives us the best definition of the world, the word world is used 185 times in
the New Testament, 105 of which occur in the writings of John. John spent most of his ministry life in cities located
on what is now the west coast of Turkey, cities that at the time were heavily Greek in culture and Roman in rule.
John was aware that the way in which Jesus lived and ministered was 180-degrees opposed to the normal systems and
ways of Greek and Roman cultures.
Cosmos. The word cosmos refers literally to an arrangement of things. It is the key concept in
understanding the devil's world order. The devil has a design, an “arrangement” that he desires to perpetuate upon
humanity.
Every facet of life has an arrangement: politics, education, art, commerce, science, music, law. Each of these
areas works in a particular way and functions under certain laws. The overall way in which these facets of life
work together and function to create a culture is an even larger arrangement, a cosmos. The fact that things are
arranged and ordered is not what is wrong. It is the way in which things are arranged and the mind that does the
arranging that are the concern.
The Perfect World Order. The perfect world order is found in the first two chapters of Genesis. Adam
and Eve were given the responsibility for governing a perfect world in a perfect way. In this perfect cosmos, God
was in charge and Adam and Eve were completely reliant upon Him. They made only wise decisions because they trusted
God to tell them what to do and how to do it. They enjoyed a perfect relationship, one without manipulation, corruption,
or sin, because their relationship mirrored perfectly the relationship they had with God.
The Current World Order. The perfect world order established by God in the Garden of Eden collapsed when
Adam and Eve sinned. In the wake of their fall into sin, another world order was established. This world order
included the influence of Satan and his ability to manipulate and control humanity. In this world order, Satan
sought to be the ruler of the earth, the one on whom humankind is reliant and the one to whom humankind turns for
all decisions.
Every variety of world order since the demise of the Garden of Eden has been structured on the same premise:
Satan is seeking to be in absolute and total charge of all humankind. He desires to be the sovereign world ruler.
Of course the natural laws of the earth, such as gravity, were established by God and cannot be violated without
consequences that God also established. The unchanging laws of God include spiritual laws and laws related to the
mind and emotions of humankind. The systems of this world, however—the organized power structures and the
way they work—are largely under Satan's domain. As John said, “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked
one” (1 John 5:19).
• In your experience, what “systems of the world” do you have to deal with on a routine basis?
While God allows Satan's influence on the earth, He also has placed a limitation on him. Jesus clearly stated
that limitation:
Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from
the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. (John 12:31–32)
Jesus was speaking of His ministry to heal the sick and deliver the demon-possessed and demon-oppressed, as
well as His crucifixion on the cross. He was saying that those who believed in Him and accepted His sacrificial
death on the cross as their means of forgiveness and reconciliation with God would no longer be in the grip of
Satan. They would be free to live in total obedience to and reliance upon God. They, therefore, need not live as
victims of Satan's world order. They would still live in the world, but their behavior and attitudes would
not be of the world (John 17:14–16).
What the Word Says
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world … My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him,
“Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this
cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My
voice.” (John 18:36–37)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
[Jesus said], “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just
as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them
from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14–16)
What the Word Says to Me
• What new insights do you have into Satan's operation of a world order?
Satan's Ploys
Satan uses two main ploys to draw men to himself so they might live according to his design.
First, he makes his world order as attractive as possible. Satan does everything he can to make his world
order highly appealing. The fact, however, is that attractiveness fades. Nothing that is held out by Satan as being
attractive can remain attractive. That's because everything Satan controls is seeded with Satan's own decay.
Second, he makes promises he cannot keep. Every one of Satan's temptations is a “promise” of something
that will be pleasurable, beneficial, and worthy of our participation. That promise is always short-lived. It cannot
be fulfilled or maintained because it is not grounded in God's eternal goodness.
We must recognize Satan's purpose behind his ploys. Satan seeks our destruction, our demise, our death. His
tricks are just that, tricks. He does not desire for us to flourish, prosper, or be blessed. All that he offers
is an illusion of goodness. The realities of his world order are deceit, confusion, pain, suffering, and
despair.
We also must recognize that Satan is supremely self-centered. Everything that he does is designed to magnify
his self-serving power and his self-seeking glory. He isn't the least bit interested in sharing what he has amassed
with anyone else. He is only interested in duping people to give him what they have, including their souls. In
the end, everything that Satan holds out to humankind as being wonderful ends up being terrible.
• Have you ever been a victim of Satan's ploys? How did you feel at the time? How did you feel when you realized
that what Satan had promised or held out as attractive was false?
Satan's Lies
Satan's world order is governed by three principal lies.
First, Satan says man can be self-sufficient. Satan's foremost lie to humankind appeals directly to people's
greatest fear, loss of control, and people's biggest character flaw, pride. Satan's lie is, “You don't need God.
You can make it on your own.” This is the lie that he voiced to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He said, “In the day
you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5).
God says, “You need a Source for your life. You are limited in power, wisdom, and ability. I am your Source.
Furthermore, because you have been birthed with a sin nature, you need a Savior. I have provided Jesus Christ to
be your Savior.”
What the Word Says
The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts (Ps. 10:4)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.
Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, I have strength.
By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of the earth.
I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me (Prov. 8:13–17)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things
that have been freely given to us by God (1 Cor. 2:12)
What the Word Says to Me
• Recall an incident in which you were the victim of a person who had believed the lie that people can be
self-sufficient.
• What insights do you have into the devil's manipulation of humans through a lie of self-sufficiency?
Second, Satan says the pursuit of pleasure is man's purpose on the earth. Satan's lie is that if it feels
good, looks good, or says it is good … acquire it, possess it, or participate in it. From Satan's standpoint, there
are no illegitimate desires and all of man's lusts should be fulfilled.
God says that our desires must be filled in righteous ways or we will suffer severe consequences.
What the Word Says
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore
wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: … to keep oneself unspotted from the world (James
1:27)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
All these evil things come from within and defile a man (Mark 7:20–23)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members
as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:12–13)
What the Word Says to Me
• Recall an incident in which you were the victim of a person who had believed the lie that people should
pursue happiness at all costs.
• What insights do you have into the devil's manipulation of people through the lie that the pursuit of happiness
is the reason for existence?
Third, Satan says that security exists in possessions. Satan's lie is that people can purchase adequate
defense, social status, and self-esteem. Things are exalted by Satan, as opposed to relationships.
God's truth is that only God is our true defender, provider, and shield against evil. Only God gives us a genuine
feeling of self-worth. We come to this sense of our worthiness when we realize that God sent His only Son to die
in order that we might live. Any status that we have, we have solely because God allows us to hold that position
for purposes of effecting and expanding His kingdom.
What the Word Says
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange
for his soul? (Mark 8:36–37)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where the thieves do not
break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:19–21)
What the Word Says to Me
• Recall an incident in which you were the victim of a person who had believed the lie that people can acquire
status or self-esteem through possessions.
• What insights do you have into the devil's manipulation of man through the lie that possessions give self-worth
and security?
Priority on “Self” and “Now”
You'll note that each of Satan's lies places top priority on self, and on the present. Satan does not want you
or anybody else to have a concern for other people, or a concern for how your actions today might affect the future.
Certainly we can look at our world today and see that people are primarily concerned with self, not God. Today's
generation lives for today.
The three main lies of Satan are expressed by John as
1. the pride of life—humankind is completely self-sufficient.
2. the lust of the flesh—humankind's happiness and the fulfillment of all fleshly desires are supreme.
3. the lust of the eyes—humankind's position and security can be acquired by the acquisition of what
man sees. (1 John 2:16)
• What new insights do you have into the way Satan's world order is based upon lies?
How to Live Free of Satan's World Order
Jesus offers us hope and assurance that humankind can be free of Satan's lies and live in truth. Truth is the
key to staying out of the treachery of Satan's world order.
The truth of God is that God's commandments give us the most fruitful, beneficial, and blessed way to live.
We live in truth and avoid Satan's world order when we seek to know God's statutes and live according to them.
The truth of God is that Jesus Christ purchased our freedom from Satan through His death on the cross, and we
can live in that freedom every day of our lives. We live in truth and avoid Satan's world order when we accept
Jesus as our Savior and rely on Him daily to deliver us from evil.
The truth of God is that we do not need to be like this world. We can be transformed into the image of Christ
Jesus. We live in truth and avoid Satan's world order when we ask the Holy Spirit to change our habits and our
attitudes, and to make us more and more like Jesus.
What the Word Says
Then Jesus said, … “If you abide by My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke
of bondage (Gal. 5:1)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2)
What the Word Says to Me
Our Responsibility to Live Godly Lives
Our responsibility as Christians is not to live a life that has the world's approval. The Scriptures tell us
we are to live godly lives, regardless of the cost:
The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11–12)
As Christians, we will never have the approval of the world and we waste our time if we try to win it. Rather
than seek the approval of the world, we need to recognize that we are to be a light to the world, a bright witness
to the truth of God's love and saving grace.
Refuse to compromise with the world order that has been established by Satan. Refuse to participate in it. You
are called to be a citizen of God's heavenly kingdom, which is an out-of-this-world, eternal, perfect order.
• What new insights do you have into how to overcome the enemy?
• In what ways are you being challenged in your spirit?
From Overcoming the Enemy: Discover God's Plan for Winning Spiritual
Battles by Charles Stanley. Copyright 1997 by Charles Stanley.
