The Prince and Power of the Air

The phrase, the prince and power of the air, as far as I know, was first spoken or placed on parchment by Paul the Apostle in Ephesians 2:2.  He was speaking of Satan.

I sometimes wonder if Satan doesn't camp outside of my house.  No really.  I can walk outside to check the elements to see if it's nice enough to do some yard work or other jobs that need my attention around home ... I take a deep breath of air ... "All right, sunny and a nice gentle breeze blowing to keep me cool.  Thank you Lord."

I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times that after I get outside and start working ... things change.  The perfect breeze stops blowing, it gets humid and hot, or it turns overcast and begins to sprinkle rain drops.  Today was a good example ...

It was mid-morning, 10:30 or so and I wanted to do another small landscaping job involving three new plants, decorative stones and fabric under mulch to keep weeds from coming up.  The sun was shining, birds singing and just enough breeze to keep the air moving.  The project is going well ... life is good ... until I start to cut the fabric and place it on the ground.

There he was again ... the prince and power of the air.  All of a sudden, wham, no longer a gentle breeze.  More like a 40 mph straight line blast out of the west.  I held up my weed control fabric, and if it had been red, white and blue, it would have looked like the American Flag flapping in the wind.  But I'm stubborn; when I start, I stick with it to the end; so after about 30 minutes and a few rocks to hold it in place while I dumped the mulch on it ... the wind ceased to blow.  After it didn't matter any longer.  After the light weight fabric was secure.  "Thanks a lot devil ... why don't you go somewhere else to live?"

Am I unique?  No, I'm sure I'm not.  But it sure feels like the devil picks on me.  I know he doesn't like me ... I'm a child of God.  Satan hates all of mankind because we are created in God's image.  And those of us who believe in Jesus ... he hates even more.  We are the salt of the earth, the hands and feet of Jesus reaching out to a broken and hurting world ... and the devil doesn't like that.

I hope you don't mind me using both terms; Satan, that's his name, as well as his title ... the devil.  Do you know that the name, Satan means ... "The one who lies in wait."  Yep, that's him and he waits every morning for me to step out of my door so he can irritate my life with little pokes and prods.  My pastor and mentor back when I was still a young man, Dr. Harold Helms used to say, speaking of Satan ... that he was a good devil ... and he is.  He knows every trick.

Did you ever get what I call little ticks or irritants when you go to bed, an itch or something that makes you move or scratch that keeps you awake.  You guessed it ... that's him, poking you with the end of his finger; first your nose, then your neck or cheek.  Next he moves to your leg or feet and back to the end of your nose.  He will do anything to irritate you so you can't fall asleep.  He's not trying to hurt you, just irritate you.  I'm not teaching this as Bible doctrine ... I'm just sayin' ... 

I must admit, I know I don't have the full, complete understanding of why Satan is called ... "the prince and power of the air."  But even though I have tried to make light of one of his real powers ... some limited control over nature, (evidently with God's approval) the Apostle John in (chapters 12, 14 and 16 of his book) states that Jesus called Satan ... "the prince of this world."

There is also a third title applied to Satan when Paul describes him in 2nd Corinthians 4:4 as ..."the god of this world" ... who blinds the minds of men to keep them from believing.

Let me speak to these titles or phrases briefly. 

The word prince in Ephesians 2:2, is "archon" in the Greek, and means ... one first in authority and power ... and is applied to anyone who has pre-eminence or rule.  Since God has total control of the earth and all things dealing with it, why Satan is called the prince, having power over the air is debatable.  Some suppose it means that Satan can abuse the power of nature over the atmosphere and the elements, bringing the dark storm clouds in the air intended for destruction, like tornados and hurricanes.  Others contend it has to do with certain regions or some locality ... a dwelling place of demonic spirits within the atmosphere or air that he is prince over.  I suppose one idea is no more improbable than the other ... in fact, both may be accurate.

In the phrase ... "the god of this world" ... the word world is really "age" and it means ... the present social system of the world. 

This goes right along with Ephesians 6:12 ... "We  wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

So Satan, described as the prince and power of the air, the prince and god of this world, has placed himself and his demonic spirits high in the atmosphere as well as giving himself power in governments and high places around the world.  All these titles are given to him because of the influence or power which he has over the men of this evil world who seemingly ... have willingly allowed themselves to be under his control and subject to his will.

Calling Satan the prince or god of this world is just descriptive language to show him as if he were in possession or control of this world, when in reality he only controls the evil of man in the world.  God has never lost ownership or control of what He created and never will.

So far in Ephesians 2, I have only addressed the part about the "prince."  But there is more in this verse.  Here is my edited version of Paul speaking about Christian believers in verses 2 and 3 ...

"In the past before you were saved, you lived just like the world, which means ... living according to the prince and power of the air, the spirit that still works disobedience in men as he did in us, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and mind which made us by nature the children of wrath like all others."    

In these two verses, Paul is speaking of the universal condition that the world finds itself in.  The whole course of the world, the entire system was according to the prince and power of the air; the world itself was under his control and domination working disobedience in the hearts and minds of the children of wrath.

But Paul doesn't stop there and leave us in that lost condition; he states in verses 4 and 5 ... "But God, who is rich in mercy ... when we were dead in sins, hath made us alive with Christ ... by grace ye are saved."

"But God ..." are two of the best words you will ever hear ... "But God ... who loved us."

So I say ... let the wind howl and blow ... let the prince and power of the air try to irritate me all he wants; whether it's wind and fire, bitter cold or scorching heat,  floods or drought that comes my way; I know the one who is really in control of the earth, and His name is ... Jesus.

I cannot end this article without reminding you about Habakkuk and how he expresses his faith and confidence that the people of God would be preserved and would not perish even in uncertain times just like we are in today. 

The following masterpiece may be the greatest display of confidence in the Lord found anywhere in Scripture.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 ... "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."



Comments welcome.