The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

influence and power in human affairs and to keep the present order from collapsing; but
the visions plainly teach that it will fail--the present order will go down.
Humanity in general has little or no conception concerning the influence that Satan and
the fallen angels (demons under Satan's control) have exerted in this world. Indeed, only a
few even of the Lord's people have any proper conception of this matter. However, when
the Scriptures are carefully examined, it will be found that he is at the head of a most
gigantic and powerful organization of wicked spirits, whose chief interest and work has
been to build up and establish a great empire over the affairs of this world, and to deceive
and blind humanity concerning the attributes and character of God. The prime motive and
incentive that has ever spurred Satan on in this evil work is not so much his enmity to man
as it is his ambition to be exalted as a mighty ruler; hence his spirit of rivalry toward God
and his hatred of Jehovah and righteousness. (Isa. 14:13,14.) The Scriptures inform us that
as the "god [mighty one] of this world," he it is that has "blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:4); that
he is the "spirit that now worketh in the hearts of the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2);
and that he is the author of false doctrines, called doctrines of demons. (1 Tim. 4:1.) In the
book of Revelation (chapter 12) it is plainly taught that his seat of authority, the place
where he received homage in the beginning of the Age, was in the great system of
Paganism, and that when Paganism fell, in the fourth century, he transferred his power
and influence to the perverted Christianity then ruling, and later on set up his throne in
that so-called Christian system of Romanism.
Satan at the courts of earthly governments
We have a hint here and there in the Scriptures which indicates that Satan has his
representatives at the courts of worldly governments. A remarkable suggestion to this
effect was made by the angel Gabriel who had been sent from the court of heaven in
response to the earnest importunate prayer of the saintly Daniel (who had discovered by
reading Jeremiah's prophecy that the seventy years of captivity were closing) that his
people might be restored from Babylon to the land of their fathers. The angel Gabriel's
words to Daniel were, "Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine
heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I
am come for [on account of] thy words [prayer]. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia
withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me;
and I remained there with the kings of Persia." (Dan. 10:12,13.) It has seemed to expositors
inconceivable that a human prince of Persia could withstand, hold back, for twenty-one
days, a mighty angel who had been sent by God on so important an errand, and that
before he could fulfill his commission, the Archangel, Michael, would have to be sent to
his assistance. For this reason the conclusion generally reached by expositors is that this
one called by Gabriel, "the prince of the kingdom of Persia," was a powerful, fallen angel,
who secretly represented Satan at the court of Persia's king. It would not be a great strain
on our imagination to believe that Satan has had in the past, and has at the present time,
his ambassadors or representatives at all the worldly, national courts of earth.