Satan Shows Jesus the Kingdoms of the Worldby CBPepper
4:5Luke 4:5
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
The devil himself bore Jesus to an exceedingly high mountain and in a moment showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a sweeping panoramic view made dazzling and enchanting while all evil was hidden from sight. This was the last and most alluring of the wilderness temptations, in which Satan claimed the power and glory of the kingdoms had been delivered to him and offered to yield them all to Jesus at once without suffering or death if He would acknowledge Satan's supremacy by worshiping him. His claim was false and presumptuous, for he had not created the world and what he offered was not his to give. Jesus steadfastly refused, would bow only to His Father, met the assault with the written Word alone commanding worship of God only, and chose the appointed way of sorrow, conflict and death that He might become the lawful heir and redeem the kingdoms by the blood of the cross. That wilderness victory decided the destiny of the human race, proved Satan had not gained complete control, and was won on behalf of humanity as the pattern by which fallen people in His name can overcome as He overcame.
Mountain Vision Described
The adversary himself lifted Jesus to the top of an exceedingly high mountain, taking Him in his arms and bearing Him by a literal exercise of power. The taking up and the showing belong together, for the ascent set the place from which the display was made.
In a single moment of time all the kingdoms of the world were caused to pass before Him in one sweeping panoramic view. The sight was framed in the most attractive light, dazzling and enchanting, a scene of beauty and prosperity and glory and splendor meant to entice by worldly grandeur. What was evil in those kingdoms was kept out of sight, so that only their power and magnificence appeared.
The mountain scene stands in the temptation in the wilderness after the baptism, when Jesus had withdrawn from busy life and was led by the Spirit into a desolate wilderness before His mission began. It was at the beginning and start of His public ministry, through forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer. He was then in physical weakness and suffering and keen hunger, having truly felt hunger's pangs, in desolation and unpleasant surroundings away from scenes of gaiety and feasting.
That display of the kingdoms was the last of the three temptations and the most alluring of all, the final great effort upon which everything turned. In it Satan threw off his disguise as an exalted messenger from heaven and revealed his true character and purpose, bringing all his strength to bear because the effort was to decide the destiny of who should be victor. The same showing is also set forth as the second temptation, appealing to worldly glory and honor. The difference in numbering stands alongside the fuller reckoning that places it last, while both agree it belongs to the threefold test, a subject most important yet neglected, bearing on the great work of redemption and giving a practical lesson in temperance.
Satan's Claim and Offer
On the mountain Satan claimed the world as his long-held dominion, calling himself the prince of the world and the prince of the power of the air, asserting that the power and glory of all the kingdoms had been delivered to him and that he could give them to whomever he willed. He presented himself as their rightful and lasting ruler and possessor, displaying them at once in their glory as his empire taken from the world God created. He offered to give up that claim and transfer it to Jesus.
That claim was false, presumptuous and an arrogant insult to God, since he had not created the world or its riches. What he offered was not his to give and will soon be taken from him, and his claims could not stand unless he overcame Christ, for only by conquering Him could he become conqueror and prince.
He offered to give Jesus all the power, honor, riches and glory of all the kingdoms at once in one great gift, yielding his scepter and dominion and making Him the rightful Ruler without striking a blow to obtain them. It was a way to possess them without suffering or peril, without hunger, death, danger, hardship or conflict, avoiding the suffering and death required to redeem them. The sole condition was that Jesus acknowledge Satan's superiority and supremacy by worshiping him and doing him homage as to a superior. Even a small concession was a snare to dishonor God and draw away from duty, to be refused altogether in trust in God rather than taking the matter into one's own hands.
The offer was a bribe to yield integrity and to turn Jesus from His Father's will and the appointed way of redemption to an easier way to gain His object, seeking to stop the work of salvation and to draw Him to Satan's side. It was a studied plan to save Him from suffering and death and prevent the plan of salvation from being carried out. Satan knew that if Jesus died to redeem humanity his own power must be limited and finally taken away and he would be destroyed. If redemption failed he hoped to retain the kingdom he claimed and reign in opposition to the God of heaven, and even if it succeeded he flattered himself he could still reign in opposition. He knew that if he failed his case was hopeless, while if he succeeded he had gained a victory over the entire race and his life and kingdom would be established, for prophecy had foretold a kingdom established on earth by the Prince of Heaven embracing all the kingdoms of the world whose coming would end his power and glory and bring retribution for the sin and misery he introduced, so everything concerning his prosperity depended on overcoming Christ and he brought every artifice and force against Him.
The display tested ambition and love of the world, promising worldly honor, riches, glory, wealth, pleasure, power and success at the cost of loyalty to God. Worldly honor, wealth and the pleasures of life, with money, land, honors and riches, were made attractive to allure Christ to acknowledge Satan's claims and serve wealth rather than God, drawing people away from God toward serving themselves and abandoning principle, integrity, Christian honor and obedience for the approval of the ungodly unto loss of soul. No temptation faced by people will be stronger than what assailed Him, and He did not yield His integrity but resisted and overcame.
Christ's Refusal and Victory
Jesus steadfastly refused to worship Satan and would bow only to His Father, holding to the one law of His life which was His Father's will. He met the tempter with the command to depart and with the written command that God alone is to be worshiped and served, thereby repulsing the enemy and forcing him to depart as a conquered foe. That bearing of Christ to the mountain summit and demanding of homage was blasphemous presumption, revealing the deceiver bent on opposing Him. He did not consent to sin or yield even in thought, gave Satan no word to lead Him on, and kept His will submitted to His Father. He stood firm in moral power and kept His integrity despite keen hunger, poverty, hardship, great physical suffering and most flattering inducements to bribe and influence Him.
He met every assault with the written Word of God alone rather than with human argument and reason, answering from point to point with what He Himself had inspired holy men of old to write. Argument and reason would have been useless, while It is written set His feet on solid, immovable rock, baffled the enemy and left no lodgment for his surely aimed fiery darts. That victory by It is written proves the power of the word to fulfill the commission to preach the gospel to all nations. He saw what Satan tried to veil, did not exchange divinity for humanity but clothed divinity in humanity, and through divinity flashing through humanity proved He was the Son of God.
He knew the time would come when by His own life He would redeem the kingdom from Satan, so He chose a life of sorrow, hardship, conflict, suffering and dreadful death as the way appointed by His Father. In that appointed way He would become the lawful heir to the kingdoms of earth and have them given into His hands as an everlasting possession. The blood of the cross sealed the irrevocable covenant giving Him the nations for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession, while Satan would be given into His hands to be destroyed by death never more to annoy Him or the saints. His loyalty showed that Satan had not gained complete control and that the claim to the world was false, and through Him the dominion Adam lost through sin would be recovered. He refused because He came to establish a kingdom of righteousness rather than one won by earthly triumph, worldly honor and display, and He would not abandon that purpose or turn from the path of humiliation and sacrifice for worldly success at the cost of loyalty to God.
Salvation Decided and Foretold
The mountain showing was not a common warfare between two kings with no bearing on human life and character, but the foundation of the plan of salvation and an infinite, wonderful, priceless victory gained in behalf of man. In that single-handed conflict after the long fast the destiny of the human race was at stake in whether Satan or the Redeemer of the world would come off conqueror, answering Adam's failure. Angels of God watched the trial of their loved Commander with intense interest beyond human conception.
Satan knew that if he failed his case was hopeless, and he thought that if he succeeded he had gained a victory over the entire race and his own life and kingdom would be established. He feared his empire over the world was to be contested, his right disputed, and his power broken, for prophecy had foretold a kingdom established on earth by the Prince of Heaven embracing all the kingdoms of the world. He knew that when that kingdom came his own power and glory would cease and he would receive retribution for the sins he introduced into the world and for the misery he brought upon man. He knew that everything concerning his prosperity depended on his success or failure in overcoming Christ in the wilderness, so he brought to bear upon Christ every artifice and force of powerful temptation to allure Him from His allegiance.
Christ was conqueror there, and the tempter left Him for a season to return for the last fearful conflict in Gethsemane. Satan spent the three years of Christ's ministry preparing for that final trial, with everything at stake for himself. If Satan fails in that last fearful struggle his hope of mastery is lost, the kingdoms of the earth shown in the temptation finally become Christ's, the strong man Satan is bound and cast out, and after a season all in heaven and earth will submit to Him. But if Christ could be overcome the earth would become Satan's kingdom and the human race would remain forever in his power, and had He yielded for a moment Satan's agencies would have triumphed and the world would have been lost and never ransomed.
The same foe renewed that fierce and subtle temptation as Jesus turned toward Jerusalem, pressing Him to avoid certain death and to keep the vigor of manhood to continue giving the bread of life, healing the suffering, and carrying grace, light and gladness to darkened and sorrowing millions, rather than leave the harvest-gathering to disciples weak in faith, dull in understanding and slow to act. That appeal to turn from the path of humiliation and sacrifice was also pressed upon Jesus through Peter, whose protest against His suffering would have turned attention from the cross and the mission He came to fulfill. The temptation was to change His course in the least particular to save Himself from persecution, denial, rejection, condemnation and death, but Jesus held to the one law of His life, the Father's will.
The evil spirit that tempted Jesus in the wilderness was the same evil spirit that later met Him in the synagogue demoniac at Capernaum in another form, and Jesus again defeated him there and wrested the captive from his grasp. That victory is recalled when Jesus again confronts and defeats the prince of darkness while freeing the demon-possessed man, and likewise when face to face with possessed men from the tombs He freed the captives with calm authority. After withdrawing from the wilderness Satan planned to oppose Christ's ministry through human agents by turning the Jewish people against Him and making them reject Him as the promised Messiah, and Israel's leaders became instruments in that opposition.
Tempter and Tactics Exposed
Bearing Christ to the mountain summit and demanding homage was blasphemous presumption and cruelty in warfare upon the Redeemer, revealing the true character of the great deceiver bent on opposing Christ. In that last and most alluring of the three temptations he threw off disguise and brought all his strength to bear, showing in a moment of time in panoramic view all the kingdoms long under his dominion in the most attractive light while claiming to be prince of the world and prince of the power of the air. Together with bearing Him to the pinnacle of the temple and urging Him to cast Himself down, hunting Him from place to place, and inspiring priests and people to reject His love and cry for crucifixion, it unmasked him and most effectually uprooted him from the affections of heavenly angels and the whole loyal universe to their amazement and indignation.
He concealed his real character and came disguised as an exalted messenger from heaven, an angel of light and heaven-sent friend, even in the form of a beautiful young man more like a monarch than a fallen angel, with Scripture in his mouth. He came clothed in the livery of heaven as soon as the long fast began, enshrouded in light and claiming to be one of the angels from God's throne sent on an errand of mercy to sympathize with suffering and to save life, as the angel who stayed Abraham's hand from slaying Isaac. He took advantage of Christ's weak and suffering human condition in the desolate wilderness after forty days and forty nights without food, when keenest pangs of hunger were truly felt, pressing Him to believe God required only willingness to endure and not the anticipated self-denial, suffering, painful hunger and death from starvation. The offer was an apparent good adapted to that condition, with most flattering inducements to bribe and influence Him to acknowledge Satan's claims and yield integrity, and an easier way to gain His object than the path of trial and suffering entered, while disguising evil as good and appearing as humanity's friend rather than its enemy.
The tempter was once an honored covering cherub who became ambitious for the more exalted honors bestowed upon Christ, envied Him, asserted equality in honor with Him, and became dissatisfied when Christ was preferred before him. He drew sympathizing angels into rebellion, fell with them from a high and holy estate, and was expelled from heaven with them. His divine character had just been attested at Jordan by the opening heavens, the descent of the excellent glory, and the Father's voice declaring This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, after which Jesus withdrew from busy scenes to the desolate wilderness, led by the Spirit to endure conflict with the fallen foe and bear the threefold test in behalf of those He came to redeem.
He himself personally conducted the warfare to deceive and overthrow Christ as Adam had been overthrown, so that the world God created would become his empire. He claimed the world as his dominion with almost supreme authority, fearing Christ would contest his empire, dispute his right, and break his power. Prophecy had foretold a kingdom established on earth by the Prince of Heaven embracing all the world's kingdoms, not coming with earthly triumph and worldly honor and display, whose coming would end Satan's power and glory and bring retribution for the sin and misery he introduced and the misery he brought upon man. He knew everything concerning his prosperity depended on success or failure in overcoming Christ in the wilderness, so he brought every artifice and force of powerful temptation to allure Him from allegiance, with Christ come in person at the beginning of His ministry to challenge that authority and with Satan's kingdom standing in opposition to the kingdom of God.
He exulted when Jesus laid aside power and glory and left heaven, thinking the Son of God was placed in his power. Because temptation had succeeded so easily with the holy pair in Eden he hoped by cunning to overthrow even the Son of God and thereby save his own life and kingdom, turning Him from His Father's will to save Him from suffering and death. He surrounded Christ alone with demons under deceptive pretensions as angels from heaven with seducing attractions, using most deceiving and artful sophistry as with Adam and Eve to undermine confidence in God, destroy faith and trust, and keep the mind on constant strain to get one clue to allure into controversy, as if reading unspoken thoughts. Christ gave him no word to lead him on but answered from point to point only with It is written, while weakened by fasting with mental suffering He endured the strain forty days and forty nights under the most fearful assaults of the prince of darkness whose fiery darts found no lodgment.
He uses dazzling worldly attractions and enticing displays of the kingdoms and their glory to make the world attractive and tempt with power in exchange for worship, designed to draw the mind from heavenly influence. Such displays appeal to reason, imagination and affection in ways that can distort the senses unless guarded and protected by divine power. The same claim to yield the kingdoms for acknowledging the supremacy of the prince of darkness, proposed as compromise in the wilderness and rebuked with the answer that men must worship the Lord God and serve Him only, is still urged with greater success upon man through the Church of Rome. To secure worldly gains and honors the church sought favor and support of great men of earth, and having thus rejected Christ was induced to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan, the bishop of Rome as visible head of the universal church claiming supreme authority over bishops and pastors. There the pope arrogates the very titles of Deity, styles himself Lord God the Pope, assumes infallibility, and demands all men pay him homage, with vast numbers ready to yield it, while the standing design to draw minds from Jesus to man and destroy individual accountability corrupts doctrine, exalts popes and priests to pardon sins instead of looking to Christ, and keeps the Bible from the people to conceal condemning truths.
That he dared to face and tempt and taunt Christ and had literal and real power to take Him in his arms and carry Him up into an exceeding high mountain proves his power will be exercised to a wonderful degree upon the present generation. Christ was far greater in wisdom, while the present generation are far inferior in wisdom to Christ and to their Lord and almost wholly ignorant of his subtlety and strength. That power to harass and tempt and mislead will in marvelous manner affect the bodies of those naturally inclined to do his bidding. After putting forth his strongest efforts and most powerful temptations and prevailing nothing he was left disappointed and enraged and withdrew only for a time and for a season without giving up hope of future success. Looking forward to the period of Christ's ministry to try his power and artifices again, he laid plans and held council with his angels to blind the Jews with envy, jealousy, hatred and unbelief so they would not discern Christ as world's Redeemer and Messiah, to keep the people from faith, to discourage Jesus, to secure agents to make His life bitter and hinder His mission, and to make them expect prophecies fulfilled by a mighty worldly king rather than recognizing Jesus as Savior.
Victory Shared and Applied
Christ withdrew after baptism into the desolate wilderness before His mission began, led by the Spirit to bear the threefold test in behalf of those He came to redeem, joining divine power with humanity as humanity's representative. His victory answered Adam's failure and was won where people could not win by themselves, an infinite victory proving human cases are not irrecoverable and deciding whether Satan or the Redeemer would conquer. The conflict was not a common warfare between kings with no bearing on human life but the foundation of the plan of salvation, a wonderful priceless victory gained in behalf of man in which Satan sought to rob Him of integrity yet failed.
His victory is the example and safe pattern showing how to meet temptation, giving fallen people in His name the key and divine grace and strength to overcome as He overcame. Strength is provided in the all-powerful name of the great Conqueror, and rather than distrust God or parley with the tempter people can resist by relying on God. Yet each person must individually overcome, many still fall where Christ conquered, and His victory benefits no one unless he also gains the victory on his own account, though few choose to engage in that resistance. Those battles were fought on humanity's behalf to make it possible for followers to conquer temptation, for Christ now gives from His Father power to overcome as He overcame.
Satan can distress and cause agony but has no power to control the will or force anyone to sin without personal consent, so he cannot contaminate or defile. Christ gives strength to all who seek it for that battle, and His conquest should inspire courage to fight firmly against sin and Satan. The more nearly followers imitate Christ the more surely they become a mark for Satan's attacks, for the same adversary who afflicted Christ remains the adversary of every person to the end of time with power not weakened, and all are personally exposed to the very same temptations Christ overcame.
Believers are to learn the lessons of Scripture, hang them in memory's hall, and meet Satan with the only weapon that will repulse him — It is written. Argument and reason would have been useless against him, while It is written set Christ's feet on solid immovable rock, for all things written in the law and in the prophets are true and carry proof in themselves. They are to copy that method by using spare time to commit Scripture to memory rather than reading foolish stories, and by resisting besetting temptations not with arguments of their own but with words of Scripture spoken in season to those around them. This use of the written Word baffles the great enemy, brings strength, and perfects character in preparation for transfer to future immortal life where there will be no danger of being overcome by a tempting devil.
Because Christ resisted when at His weakest after forty days and nights without food or drink, when Satan came hoping to overcome Him in physical weakness, temptation need not overcome us, for in His strength we can resist the enemy. It was a costly struggle between Christ and the prince of darkness, the same enemy He had overcome in the war in heaven, and Christ's victory brought help to the human family against Satan. Through it all His will stayed submitted to His Father's will and He did not yield for a moment, then Satan left Him for a season defeated and angels ministered to Him, though He appeared to be alone angels surrounded Him. The same pattern holds for His followers: they will be buffeted by Satan for a season, more lightly than Jesus was buffeted in every way, and if they resist him as Jesus did the season will be followed by grace and strength from God given through His angels.
The trial gives a most important yet neglected practical lesson in Christian temperance and self-denial, showing the great work of the Redeemer in carrying out the plan of salvation. Christ denied appetite, resisted its fierce assault, overcame its power and broke the chain of bondage held by him who would hold men in bondage, though emaciated by the long fast. He fasted to break appetite's power over humanity and win a victory people can share through their own effort joined with divine help, standing in moral integrity free from slavery to perverted appetite and passion. His victory exemplifies that human cases are not irrecoverable and men can come off victor through strength derived from Him, with heaven opened so petitions can go up before God and a living Saviour ready and willing to assist men to resist appetite so they can overcome in His strength, enabling even the liquor and tobacco inebriate to break slavery of habit and become victor in sanctification, while not one of those who declare they cannot break the force of appetite will enter the gates of the city.
The offer warns against love of the world, in which Satan tempts people with flattering worldly prospects of honor, wealth, pleasure, land, power and approval to make them abandon principle, integrity and Christian honor for the approval of the ungodly. Worldly honor, wealth and the pleasures of life were made attractive to allure Christ, but He resisted and overcame, setting an example that strengthens people to resist, for no temptation faced will be stronger than those that assailed Him. The attractions of the world can seduce people into serving wealth rather than God, into devotion to money, land, power, honors and riches at the cost of integrity and obedience, setting aside honesty, generosity and spiritual interests for temporary gain until they lose their souls and title to the children's inheritance. What he asked of Christ by dazzling presentation directly demanding homage and outward worship he still gains from men when they are dazzled and allured, love the world, rank, position and money, place affections on earthly treasure and let those things engage mind and affections and lessen heavenly attractions, not coming directly as to Christ but through that deceitful power securing the same fall.
Integrity and principle must never be surrendered for earthly advantage, since power and riches gained dishonestly become a curse. Christ refused to worship Satan for worldly power and wealth and did not grasp for those kingdoms, teaching that ambition displayed in the kingdoms must be refused. Believers are to reject Satan's bribes rather than adopt the world's ambitious methods, refusing altogether even a small concession that would dishonor God and draw away from duty, trusting in God rather than taking the matter into one's own hands, for the offer is a snare and device to gain such concession.
The same bribe works to dethrone God from the heart and to mold human nature into deformity, stirring up all evil propensities and awakening unholy passions and ambitions. He offers all power, honors, riches and sinful pleasures on condition that integrity shall be yielded and conscience blunted, and yielding degrades the human faculties and brings them into captivity to sin. He makes the same offer to people who will carry out his will, including through dishonest business methods in exchange for wealth, exposing weaknesses of character and forcing a choice between serving Christ and following and worshiping the deceiver. The same temptation draws people and ministers away from sacred trust and God's service toward worldly gain and commercial entanglement, and when success leads them to crave still more they can lose love for truth and spiritual life while the eternal inheritance and love of Jesus fade beside passing prospects, whereas had Christ accepted the inducement the world would never have been ransomed.
Where Christ refused the bribe in the desolate wilderness away from gaiety and feasting, truly feeling keenest pangs of hunger after forty days and nights without food, many professed followers are fascinated by it and fall on indulgence of appetite and worldly pleasure. Even when Satan clothes himself as an angel of light and quotes Scripture to justify indulgence, offering what suits the carnal heart through idolatry of self rather than love and devotion to Christ, the victory won there teaches every true follower how to resist and overcome in His name with sacred interest and deepest gratitude. He throws a religious garment over delusive pleasures and unholy revelings to give them appearance of sanctity and quiet conscience, especially when means are raised by them to defray church expenses, and men who refuse to give for love of Christ will part with money for love of pleasure and indulgence of appetite for selfish considerations. That same homage Christ refused Satan now receives whenever greatest anxiety, care and labor are devoted to worldly interests while eternal considerations are made secondary, for selfish love of the world and earthly riches corrupts faith, makes professed followers weak in moral power, and the more they love earthly riches the farther they depart from God and the less they partake of His divine nature which would give sense of the world's corrupting influence and dangers. Against that bribe self-denial is the Christian's portion, and self-abasement and cross-bearing are God's ordained conditions of salvation for finding hope, comfort and peace, while sincere repentance toward God for transgression of His law and faith in Jesus as Redeemer and Advocate bring sweetest joy and an imperishable treasure, a life parallel with the life of God, and a crown of immortal glory worth toil, hardship, privation, endurance, suffering and sacrifice.
Near the final conflict the same scene will be presented to people, with Satan showing the kingdoms in their glory and promising them to those who worship him. He will falsely present views of his own kingdom as views of God's kingdom. Jesus possessed heaven's activity and heaven's ambition and longed to extend His kingdom to all parts of the world, but when Satan offered the bribe of the whole world coming as an angel of light He rejected the shortcut. He chose to win universal triumph by enduring the agonies of the cross, cheered by that prospect, and the blood of the cross sealed the irrevocable covenant giving Him the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession. His rejection calls for the same keen discrimination to refuse the world's bribe and to share His self-sacrificing work.
Beyond these lessons the verse belongs to Christ's wilderness trial after baptism and to the victory over appetite and temptation won there for humanity.
The devil himself bore Jesus to an exceedingly high mountain and in a moment showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a sweeping panoramic view made dazzling and enchanting while all evil was hidden from sight. This was the last and most alluring of the wilderness temptations, in which Satan claimed the power and glory of the kingdoms had been delivered to him and offered to yield them all to Jesus at once without suffering or death if He would acknowledge Satan's supremacy by worshiping him. His claim was false and presumptuous, for he had not created the world and what he offered was not his to give. Jesus steadfastly refused, would bow only to His Father, met the assault with the written Word alone commanding worship of God only, and chose the appointed way of sorrow, conflict and death that He might become the lawful heir and redeem the kingdoms by the blood of the cross. That wilderness victory decided the destiny of the human race, proved Satan had not gained complete control, and was won on behalf of humanity as the pattern by which fallen people in His name can overcome as He overcame.
Mountain Vision Described
The adversary himself lifted Jesus to the top of an exceedingly high mountain, taking Him in his arms and bearing Him by a literal exercise of power. The taking up and the showing belong together, for the ascent set the place from which the display was made.
In a single moment of time all the kingdoms of the world were caused to pass before Him in one sweeping panoramic view. The sight was framed in the most attractive light, dazzling and enchanting, a scene of beauty and prosperity and glory and splendor meant to entice by worldly grandeur. What was evil in those kingdoms was kept out of sight, so that only their power and magnificence appeared.
The mountain scene stands in the temptation in the wilderness after the baptism, when Jesus had withdrawn from busy life and was led by the Spirit into a desolate wilderness before His mission began. It was at the beginning and start of His public ministry, through forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer. He was then in physical weakness and suffering and keen hunger, having truly felt hunger's pangs, in desolation and unpleasant surroundings away from scenes of gaiety and feasting.
That display of the kingdoms was the last of the three temptations and the most alluring of all, the final great effort upon which everything turned. In it Satan threw off his disguise as an exalted messenger from heaven and revealed his true character and purpose, bringing all his strength to bear because the effort was to decide the destiny of who should be victor. The same showing is also set forth as the second temptation, appealing to worldly glory and honor. The difference in numbering stands alongside the fuller reckoning that places it last, while both agree it belongs to the threefold test, a subject most important yet neglected, bearing on the great work of redemption and giving a practical lesson in temperance.
Satan's Claim and Offer
On the mountain Satan claimed the world as his long-held dominion, calling himself the prince of the world and the prince of the power of the air, asserting that the power and glory of all the kingdoms had been delivered to him and that he could give them to whomever he willed. He presented himself as their rightful and lasting ruler and possessor, displaying them at once in their glory as his empire taken from the world God created. He offered to give up that claim and transfer it to Jesus.
That claim was false, presumptuous and an arrogant insult to God, since he had not created the world or its riches. What he offered was not his to give and will soon be taken from him, and his claims could not stand unless he overcame Christ, for only by conquering Him could he become conqueror and prince.
He offered to give Jesus all the power, honor, riches and glory of all the kingdoms at once in one great gift, yielding his scepter and dominion and making Him the rightful Ruler without striking a blow to obtain them. It was a way to possess them without suffering or peril, without hunger, death, danger, hardship or conflict, avoiding the suffering and death required to redeem them. The sole condition was that Jesus acknowledge Satan's superiority and supremacy by worshiping him and doing him homage as to a superior. Even a small concession was a snare to dishonor God and draw away from duty, to be refused altogether in trust in God rather than taking the matter into one's own hands.
The offer was a bribe to yield integrity and to turn Jesus from His Father's will and the appointed way of redemption to an easier way to gain His object, seeking to stop the work of salvation and to draw Him to Satan's side. It was a studied plan to save Him from suffering and death and prevent the plan of salvation from being carried out. Satan knew that if Jesus died to redeem humanity his own power must be limited and finally taken away and he would be destroyed. If redemption failed he hoped to retain the kingdom he claimed and reign in opposition to the God of heaven, and even if it succeeded he flattered himself he could still reign in opposition. He knew that if he failed his case was hopeless, while if he succeeded he had gained a victory over the entire race and his life and kingdom would be established, for prophecy had foretold a kingdom established on earth by the Prince of Heaven embracing all the kingdoms of the world whose coming would end his power and glory and bring retribution for the sin and misery he introduced, so everything concerning his prosperity depended on overcoming Christ and he brought every artifice and force against Him.
The display tested ambition and love of the world, promising worldly honor, riches, glory, wealth, pleasure, power and success at the cost of loyalty to God. Worldly honor, wealth and the pleasures of life, with money, land, honors and riches, were made attractive to allure Christ to acknowledge Satan's claims and serve wealth rather than God, drawing people away from God toward serving themselves and abandoning principle, integrity, Christian honor and obedience for the approval of the ungodly unto loss of soul. No temptation faced by people will be stronger than what assailed Him, and He did not yield His integrity but resisted and overcame.
Christ's Refusal and Victory
Jesus steadfastly refused to worship Satan and would bow only to His Father, holding to the one law of His life which was His Father's will. He met the tempter with the command to depart and with the written command that God alone is to be worshiped and served, thereby repulsing the enemy and forcing him to depart as a conquered foe. That bearing of Christ to the mountain summit and demanding of homage was blasphemous presumption, revealing the deceiver bent on opposing Him. He did not consent to sin or yield even in thought, gave Satan no word to lead Him on, and kept His will submitted to His Father. He stood firm in moral power and kept His integrity despite keen hunger, poverty, hardship, great physical suffering and most flattering inducements to bribe and influence Him.
He met every assault with the written Word of God alone rather than with human argument and reason, answering from point to point with what He Himself had inspired holy men of old to write. Argument and reason would have been useless, while It is written set His feet on solid, immovable rock, baffled the enemy and left no lodgment for his surely aimed fiery darts. That victory by It is written proves the power of the word to fulfill the commission to preach the gospel to all nations. He saw what Satan tried to veil, did not exchange divinity for humanity but clothed divinity in humanity, and through divinity flashing through humanity proved He was the Son of God.
He knew the time would come when by His own life He would redeem the kingdom from Satan, so He chose a life of sorrow, hardship, conflict, suffering and dreadful death as the way appointed by His Father. In that appointed way He would become the lawful heir to the kingdoms of earth and have them given into His hands as an everlasting possession. The blood of the cross sealed the irrevocable covenant giving Him the nations for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession, while Satan would be given into His hands to be destroyed by death never more to annoy Him or the saints. His loyalty showed that Satan had not gained complete control and that the claim to the world was false, and through Him the dominion Adam lost through sin would be recovered. He refused because He came to establish a kingdom of righteousness rather than one won by earthly triumph, worldly honor and display, and He would not abandon that purpose or turn from the path of humiliation and sacrifice for worldly success at the cost of loyalty to God.
Salvation Decided and Foretold
The mountain showing was not a common warfare between two kings with no bearing on human life and character, but the foundation of the plan of salvation and an infinite, wonderful, priceless victory gained in behalf of man. In that single-handed conflict after the long fast the destiny of the human race was at stake in whether Satan or the Redeemer of the world would come off conqueror, answering Adam's failure. Angels of God watched the trial of their loved Commander with intense interest beyond human conception.
Satan knew that if he failed his case was hopeless, and he thought that if he succeeded he had gained a victory over the entire race and his own life and kingdom would be established. He feared his empire over the world was to be contested, his right disputed, and his power broken, for prophecy had foretold a kingdom established on earth by the Prince of Heaven embracing all the kingdoms of the world. He knew that when that kingdom came his own power and glory would cease and he would receive retribution for the sins he introduced into the world and for the misery he brought upon man. He knew that everything concerning his prosperity depended on his success or failure in overcoming Christ in the wilderness, so he brought to bear upon Christ every artifice and force of powerful temptation to allure Him from His allegiance.
Christ was conqueror there, and the tempter left Him for a season to return for the last fearful conflict in Gethsemane. Satan spent the three years of Christ's ministry preparing for that final trial, with everything at stake for himself. If Satan fails in that last fearful struggle his hope of mastery is lost, the kingdoms of the earth shown in the temptation finally become Christ's, the strong man Satan is bound and cast out, and after a season all in heaven and earth will submit to Him. But if Christ could be overcome the earth would become Satan's kingdom and the human race would remain forever in his power, and had He yielded for a moment Satan's agencies would have triumphed and the world would have been lost and never ransomed.
The same foe renewed that fierce and subtle temptation as Jesus turned toward Jerusalem, pressing Him to avoid certain death and to keep the vigor of manhood to continue giving the bread of life, healing the suffering, and carrying grace, light and gladness to darkened and sorrowing millions, rather than leave the harvest-gathering to disciples weak in faith, dull in understanding and slow to act. That appeal to turn from the path of humiliation and sacrifice was also pressed upon Jesus through Peter, whose protest against His suffering would have turned attention from the cross and the mission He came to fulfill. The temptation was to change His course in the least particular to save Himself from persecution, denial, rejection, condemnation and death, but Jesus held to the one law of His life, the Father's will.
The evil spirit that tempted Jesus in the wilderness was the same evil spirit that later met Him in the synagogue demoniac at Capernaum in another form, and Jesus again defeated him there and wrested the captive from his grasp. That victory is recalled when Jesus again confronts and defeats the prince of darkness while freeing the demon-possessed man, and likewise when face to face with possessed men from the tombs He freed the captives with calm authority. After withdrawing from the wilderness Satan planned to oppose Christ's ministry through human agents by turning the Jewish people against Him and making them reject Him as the promised Messiah, and Israel's leaders became instruments in that opposition.
Tempter and Tactics Exposed
Bearing Christ to the mountain summit and demanding homage was blasphemous presumption and cruelty in warfare upon the Redeemer, revealing the true character of the great deceiver bent on opposing Christ. In that last and most alluring of the three temptations he threw off disguise and brought all his strength to bear, showing in a moment of time in panoramic view all the kingdoms long under his dominion in the most attractive light while claiming to be prince of the world and prince of the power of the air. Together with bearing Him to the pinnacle of the temple and urging Him to cast Himself down, hunting Him from place to place, and inspiring priests and people to reject His love and cry for crucifixion, it unmasked him and most effectually uprooted him from the affections of heavenly angels and the whole loyal universe to their amazement and indignation.
He concealed his real character and came disguised as an exalted messenger from heaven, an angel of light and heaven-sent friend, even in the form of a beautiful young man more like a monarch than a fallen angel, with Scripture in his mouth. He came clothed in the livery of heaven as soon as the long fast began, enshrouded in light and claiming to be one of the angels from God's throne sent on an errand of mercy to sympathize with suffering and to save life, as the angel who stayed Abraham's hand from slaying Isaac. He took advantage of Christ's weak and suffering human condition in the desolate wilderness after forty days and forty nights without food, when keenest pangs of hunger were truly felt, pressing Him to believe God required only willingness to endure and not the anticipated self-denial, suffering, painful hunger and death from starvation. The offer was an apparent good adapted to that condition, with most flattering inducements to bribe and influence Him to acknowledge Satan's claims and yield integrity, and an easier way to gain His object than the path of trial and suffering entered, while disguising evil as good and appearing as humanity's friend rather than its enemy.
The tempter was once an honored covering cherub who became ambitious for the more exalted honors bestowed upon Christ, envied Him, asserted equality in honor with Him, and became dissatisfied when Christ was preferred before him. He drew sympathizing angels into rebellion, fell with them from a high and holy estate, and was expelled from heaven with them. His divine character had just been attested at Jordan by the opening heavens, the descent of the excellent glory, and the Father's voice declaring This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, after which Jesus withdrew from busy scenes to the desolate wilderness, led by the Spirit to endure conflict with the fallen foe and bear the threefold test in behalf of those He came to redeem.
He himself personally conducted the warfare to deceive and overthrow Christ as Adam had been overthrown, so that the world God created would become his empire. He claimed the world as his dominion with almost supreme authority, fearing Christ would contest his empire, dispute his right, and break his power. Prophecy had foretold a kingdom established on earth by the Prince of Heaven embracing all the world's kingdoms, not coming with earthly triumph and worldly honor and display, whose coming would end Satan's power and glory and bring retribution for the sin and misery he introduced and the misery he brought upon man. He knew everything concerning his prosperity depended on success or failure in overcoming Christ in the wilderness, so he brought every artifice and force of powerful temptation to allure Him from allegiance, with Christ come in person at the beginning of His ministry to challenge that authority and with Satan's kingdom standing in opposition to the kingdom of God.
He exulted when Jesus laid aside power and glory and left heaven, thinking the Son of God was placed in his power. Because temptation had succeeded so easily with the holy pair in Eden he hoped by cunning to overthrow even the Son of God and thereby save his own life and kingdom, turning Him from His Father's will to save Him from suffering and death. He surrounded Christ alone with demons under deceptive pretensions as angels from heaven with seducing attractions, using most deceiving and artful sophistry as with Adam and Eve to undermine confidence in God, destroy faith and trust, and keep the mind on constant strain to get one clue to allure into controversy, as if reading unspoken thoughts. Christ gave him no word to lead him on but answered from point to point only with It is written, while weakened by fasting with mental suffering He endured the strain forty days and forty nights under the most fearful assaults of the prince of darkness whose fiery darts found no lodgment.
He uses dazzling worldly attractions and enticing displays of the kingdoms and their glory to make the world attractive and tempt with power in exchange for worship, designed to draw the mind from heavenly influence. Such displays appeal to reason, imagination and affection in ways that can distort the senses unless guarded and protected by divine power. The same claim to yield the kingdoms for acknowledging the supremacy of the prince of darkness, proposed as compromise in the wilderness and rebuked with the answer that men must worship the Lord God and serve Him only, is still urged with greater success upon man through the Church of Rome. To secure worldly gains and honors the church sought favor and support of great men of earth, and having thus rejected Christ was induced to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan, the bishop of Rome as visible head of the universal church claiming supreme authority over bishops and pastors. There the pope arrogates the very titles of Deity, styles himself Lord God the Pope, assumes infallibility, and demands all men pay him homage, with vast numbers ready to yield it, while the standing design to draw minds from Jesus to man and destroy individual accountability corrupts doctrine, exalts popes and priests to pardon sins instead of looking to Christ, and keeps the Bible from the people to conceal condemning truths.
That he dared to face and tempt and taunt Christ and had literal and real power to take Him in his arms and carry Him up into an exceeding high mountain proves his power will be exercised to a wonderful degree upon the present generation. Christ was far greater in wisdom, while the present generation are far inferior in wisdom to Christ and to their Lord and almost wholly ignorant of his subtlety and strength. That power to harass and tempt and mislead will in marvelous manner affect the bodies of those naturally inclined to do his bidding. After putting forth his strongest efforts and most powerful temptations and prevailing nothing he was left disappointed and enraged and withdrew only for a time and for a season without giving up hope of future success. Looking forward to the period of Christ's ministry to try his power and artifices again, he laid plans and held council with his angels to blind the Jews with envy, jealousy, hatred and unbelief so they would not discern Christ as world's Redeemer and Messiah, to keep the people from faith, to discourage Jesus, to secure agents to make His life bitter and hinder His mission, and to make them expect prophecies fulfilled by a mighty worldly king rather than recognizing Jesus as Savior.
Victory Shared and Applied
Christ withdrew after baptism into the desolate wilderness before His mission began, led by the Spirit to bear the threefold test in behalf of those He came to redeem, joining divine power with humanity as humanity's representative. His victory answered Adam's failure and was won where people could not win by themselves, an infinite victory proving human cases are not irrecoverable and deciding whether Satan or the Redeemer would conquer. The conflict was not a common warfare between kings with no bearing on human life but the foundation of the plan of salvation, a wonderful priceless victory gained in behalf of man in which Satan sought to rob Him of integrity yet failed.
His victory is the example and safe pattern showing how to meet temptation, giving fallen people in His name the key and divine grace and strength to overcome as He overcame. Strength is provided in the all-powerful name of the great Conqueror, and rather than distrust God or parley with the tempter people can resist by relying on God. Yet each person must individually overcome, many still fall where Christ conquered, and His victory benefits no one unless he also gains the victory on his own account, though few choose to engage in that resistance. Those battles were fought on humanity's behalf to make it possible for followers to conquer temptation, for Christ now gives from His Father power to overcome as He overcame.
Satan can distress and cause agony but has no power to control the will or force anyone to sin without personal consent, so he cannot contaminate or defile. Christ gives strength to all who seek it for that battle, and His conquest should inspire courage to fight firmly against sin and Satan. The more nearly followers imitate Christ the more surely they become a mark for Satan's attacks, for the same adversary who afflicted Christ remains the adversary of every person to the end of time with power not weakened, and all are personally exposed to the very same temptations Christ overcame.
Believers are to learn the lessons of Scripture, hang them in memory's hall, and meet Satan with the only weapon that will repulse him — It is written. Argument and reason would have been useless against him, while It is written set Christ's feet on solid immovable rock, for all things written in the law and in the prophets are true and carry proof in themselves. They are to copy that method by using spare time to commit Scripture to memory rather than reading foolish stories, and by resisting besetting temptations not with arguments of their own but with words of Scripture spoken in season to those around them. This use of the written Word baffles the great enemy, brings strength, and perfects character in preparation for transfer to future immortal life where there will be no danger of being overcome by a tempting devil.
Because Christ resisted when at His weakest after forty days and nights without food or drink, when Satan came hoping to overcome Him in physical weakness, temptation need not overcome us, for in His strength we can resist the enemy. It was a costly struggle between Christ and the prince of darkness, the same enemy He had overcome in the war in heaven, and Christ's victory brought help to the human family against Satan. Through it all His will stayed submitted to His Father's will and He did not yield for a moment, then Satan left Him for a season defeated and angels ministered to Him, though He appeared to be alone angels surrounded Him. The same pattern holds for His followers: they will be buffeted by Satan for a season, more lightly than Jesus was buffeted in every way, and if they resist him as Jesus did the season will be followed by grace and strength from God given through His angels.
The trial gives a most important yet neglected practical lesson in Christian temperance and self-denial, showing the great work of the Redeemer in carrying out the plan of salvation. Christ denied appetite, resisted its fierce assault, overcame its power and broke the chain of bondage held by him who would hold men in bondage, though emaciated by the long fast. He fasted to break appetite's power over humanity and win a victory people can share through their own effort joined with divine help, standing in moral integrity free from slavery to perverted appetite and passion. His victory exemplifies that human cases are not irrecoverable and men can come off victor through strength derived from Him, with heaven opened so petitions can go up before God and a living Saviour ready and willing to assist men to resist appetite so they can overcome in His strength, enabling even the liquor and tobacco inebriate to break slavery of habit and become victor in sanctification, while not one of those who declare they cannot break the force of appetite will enter the gates of the city.
The offer warns against love of the world, in which Satan tempts people with flattering worldly prospects of honor, wealth, pleasure, land, power and approval to make them abandon principle, integrity and Christian honor for the approval of the ungodly. Worldly honor, wealth and the pleasures of life were made attractive to allure Christ, but He resisted and overcame, setting an example that strengthens people to resist, for no temptation faced will be stronger than those that assailed Him. The attractions of the world can seduce people into serving wealth rather than God, into devotion to money, land, power, honors and riches at the cost of integrity and obedience, setting aside honesty, generosity and spiritual interests for temporary gain until they lose their souls and title to the children's inheritance. What he asked of Christ by dazzling presentation directly demanding homage and outward worship he still gains from men when they are dazzled and allured, love the world, rank, position and money, place affections on earthly treasure and let those things engage mind and affections and lessen heavenly attractions, not coming directly as to Christ but through that deceitful power securing the same fall.
Integrity and principle must never be surrendered for earthly advantage, since power and riches gained dishonestly become a curse. Christ refused to worship Satan for worldly power and wealth and did not grasp for those kingdoms, teaching that ambition displayed in the kingdoms must be refused. Believers are to reject Satan's bribes rather than adopt the world's ambitious methods, refusing altogether even a small concession that would dishonor God and draw away from duty, trusting in God rather than taking the matter into one's own hands, for the offer is a snare and device to gain such concession.
The same bribe works to dethrone God from the heart and to mold human nature into deformity, stirring up all evil propensities and awakening unholy passions and ambitions. He offers all power, honors, riches and sinful pleasures on condition that integrity shall be yielded and conscience blunted, and yielding degrades the human faculties and brings them into captivity to sin. He makes the same offer to people who will carry out his will, including through dishonest business methods in exchange for wealth, exposing weaknesses of character and forcing a choice between serving Christ and following and worshiping the deceiver. The same temptation draws people and ministers away from sacred trust and God's service toward worldly gain and commercial entanglement, and when success leads them to crave still more they can lose love for truth and spiritual life while the eternal inheritance and love of Jesus fade beside passing prospects, whereas had Christ accepted the inducement the world would never have been ransomed.
Where Christ refused the bribe in the desolate wilderness away from gaiety and feasting, truly feeling keenest pangs of hunger after forty days and nights without food, many professed followers are fascinated by it and fall on indulgence of appetite and worldly pleasure. Even when Satan clothes himself as an angel of light and quotes Scripture to justify indulgence, offering what suits the carnal heart through idolatry of self rather than love and devotion to Christ, the victory won there teaches every true follower how to resist and overcome in His name with sacred interest and deepest gratitude. He throws a religious garment over delusive pleasures and unholy revelings to give them appearance of sanctity and quiet conscience, especially when means are raised by them to defray church expenses, and men who refuse to give for love of Christ will part with money for love of pleasure and indulgence of appetite for selfish considerations. That same homage Christ refused Satan now receives whenever greatest anxiety, care and labor are devoted to worldly interests while eternal considerations are made secondary, for selfish love of the world and earthly riches corrupts faith, makes professed followers weak in moral power, and the more they love earthly riches the farther they depart from God and the less they partake of His divine nature which would give sense of the world's corrupting influence and dangers. Against that bribe self-denial is the Christian's portion, and self-abasement and cross-bearing are God's ordained conditions of salvation for finding hope, comfort and peace, while sincere repentance toward God for transgression of His law and faith in Jesus as Redeemer and Advocate bring sweetest joy and an imperishable treasure, a life parallel with the life of God, and a crown of immortal glory worth toil, hardship, privation, endurance, suffering and sacrifice.
Near the final conflict the same scene will be presented to people, with Satan showing the kingdoms in their glory and promising them to those who worship him. He will falsely present views of his own kingdom as views of God's kingdom. Jesus possessed heaven's activity and heaven's ambition and longed to extend His kingdom to all parts of the world, but when Satan offered the bribe of the whole world coming as an angel of light He rejected the shortcut. He chose to win universal triumph by enduring the agonies of the cross, cheered by that prospect, and the blood of the cross sealed the irrevocable covenant giving Him the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession. His rejection calls for the same keen discrimination to refuse the world's bribe and to share His self-sacrificing work.
Beyond these lessons the verse belongs to Christ's wilderness trial after baptism and to the victory over appetite and temptation won there for humanity.