Satan's Empowered Dominion
Some interpretations are based on the idea that Satan's power over the world results from a specific biblical narrative and its subsequent interpretation, particularly based on the words attributed to Satan in the Gospel of Luke (4:6). According to these views, Satan, while attempting to tempt the Son of God, led Him up a high mountain and, having shown Him all the kingdoms of the universe, declared: "I will give you all this power and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I please, I give it." This statement is interpreted not as an independent possession of power, but as an indication that power has been given or entrusted to him for carrying out a hostile mission.Saint Macarius the Great develops this idea further by explaining that Satan, who tempted Adam, does not simply wield power on his own will but actually received it when man lost his original state established by God. As a result, according to this interpretation, after Adam’s fall all the power over the earth—which was originally granted to man as God’s representative—came under the influence of the fallen angel. In other words, the moral and cosmic order that was meant to belong to God became distorted through the enemy’s influence, laying the foundation for the claim that "the world is ruled by Satan, not by God."Supporting citation(s):"Satan himself testified to his power over the world: daring to approach the Son of God to tempt Him, he led Him up to a high mountain and, having shown Him all the kingdoms of the universe and their glory, said: 'I will give you all this power and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I please, I give it' (Luke 4:6). Satan does not refer to the authority over the world as his own but as that which has been entrusted to him. Indeed, it has been entrusted to him. 'The enemy, who seduced Adam,' says Saint Macarius the Great, 'and in doing so assumed dominion over him, deprived him of all authority and was declared the prince of this age...' (source: link txt)Thus, the roots of this view lie in the interpretation of key biblical narratives, where the fall of man and the temptation of original sin lead to the transfer of part of the divine order to a fallen angel. This understanding historically developed within theological reflections, in which the world is seen as an arena of struggle between light and darkness, and Satan appears as a temporary yet powerful ruler by virtue of the authority granted to him to tempt and distort God’s original plan.