Page 63 - Foundations

Colossians 1:13
For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved
Son...

What should not be overlooked in this statement is that there continues to be a domain of darkness.
In the Scripture above the words “domain” and “kingdom” are used in parallel to one another. One
definition of the word domain is “the territory governed by a single ruler or government; realm.” In
Luke’s gospel we read of Satan describing his dominion to Yahshua.

Luke 4:5-7
And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the
devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me,
and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours."

The Lord never reproached Satan for lying in this statement. What Satan spoke was indeed true. All
the kingdoms of this world have been handed over to him. He has been granted ruling authority over
the earth, an authority that God acknowledges. In another place Christ described Satan as “the ruler
of this world.”

John 16:8-11
“And [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness,
and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness,
because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the
ruler of this world has been judged.”

Few Christians today understand that Satan and his angels legitimately hold positions of authority
and power before God as rulers and judges of Yahweh’s creation. When Adam chose obedience to
Satan over obedience to God in the garden of Eden, Satan was able to regain dominion over the
earth. Adam sold all mankind into subservience and slavery to the rule of Satan. The apostle Paul
provides the following insight.

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are
slaves of the one whom you obey...

Because all humanity was “in Adam” when he presented himself for obedience to Satan, all mankind
fell under the dominion of Satan. It would be 4,000 years before God sent His firstborn Son to earth
to begin the process of delivering mankind from the rule of Satan in order to reconcile them to
Himself.

There is a tremendous parable in the Old Testament that provides deep insight into the rule of Satan
and his angels up until this day. It is a story of an exchange of kingdoms from one lineage to another.
In the manifold details that the Bible provides of these two kingdoms and their rulers, we can glean
a tremendous amount of insight into the domain of darkness and its relationship to the Kingdom of
the Son of God. The story is found in the books of I and II Samuel. It is the history of Israel’s first