See the series here
The seat or throne of wickedness or iniquity. What imaginations does this notion provoke? What exactly does it mean? Is there really such a thing, or is it purely notional?
All human governments with significant international influence have (a) a headquarters, a capital seat, (b) regional seats across its nation, and (c) strategically placed ambassadorial seats across the world. They also tend to beautify their national seats.
In establishing his global governance system, The Bible reveals satan effectively:
1. Locked-down the heavenlies around Earth, in and above the atmosphere;
2. Assigned his ranks of demons over territories; and
3. Established his governing seat on Earth.
This is exactly what conquering rulers have done throughout human history, and is also exactly what Jesus has promised to do when He conquers Earth for/in His pending Millennial Reign.
Part 1 discusses how satan accomplished the first and second steps above.
3. Established his governing seat on Earth.
Did satan, the mimicking deceiver, have, and does he now have a governing seat on Earth? The answer to this question is indicated in whether The Lord Jesus had, currently has, or will have a ‘Kingdom seat’ on Earth. Let’s think ‘Location, location, location!’, and allow this real estate mantra to echo in our minds as we progress. 1
God created man and strategically placed him in a preferred, prepared, pleasant land - The Garden of Eden. Informed opinions today are literally all over the map concerning where it may have been, presuming it was not mythical. Later, The Lord drew out Abram (a would-be champion for Godly faith and righteousness) from Ur in the land of Shinar (in modern day Iraq) to a preferred, prepared, pleasant, and also eternally promised land for a selected line of his lineage -- the line of Jacob. In this land, The Lord later designated a particular spot on Mt. Moriah for David to build an alter for sacrifices to God as part of David’s repentance for one of his offensive, nation-wide sins. This later became the same spot in Jerusalem where first two Jewish temples were built. Known as The Temple Mount, today this spot is the location of structures revered in both the Muslim and Jewish faiths. This is also the desired and designated spot for construction of a pending, third Jewish temple in the context of the promised, global, Millennial Reign of Jesus, headquartered in Jerusalem – His pending seat of global governance.
Rather than mimicking God and drawing out to a particular location some ‘would-be human champions for wickedness’, I believe the great deceiver and Christ-mimicker may have effectively inverted God’s pattern. History hints his seat of wickedness likely followed humans as our populations grew, and as human governments evolved into more complex structures over time. Genesis 3:23-24 hints Adam and Eve headed eastward when they were expelled from Eden. Later, Genesis 11 reveals the relatively small post-flood population journeyed eastward and settled in the land of Shinar, in modern day Iraq, Middle East. Here, a prideful, mighty (global) leader named Nimrod emerged, and inspired people to make a name for themselves by building a city and a tower to the heavens. The city was Babylon, and tower was The Tower of Babel. You know the story well. But most of us may not perceive this story as God’s first Bible hint that satan’s primarily modus operandi would be to target and puff-up national leaders as an efficient way to (1) spread sinfulness among humans, and (2) continue his rebellion against God
Perhaps the most prominent of such leaders was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (possibly the first of a line of Babylonian kings with that name) whom God appears to have allowed to become the leader of possibly the first major, significant global hegemon nation. The epic story of this king and of subsequent early kings of this nation is summarized in The Book of Daniel, with supplementary insights in The Books of Isiah and especially Ezekiel. Centuries later, the prophet, Zechariah (in 5:11), saw in a vision a holy angel pointing to spiritual wickedness, figuratively in a basket with a lead cover, to be carried to the land of Shinar. This picture may represent evil traits the Jewish remnants from the 2-tribe nation of Judah had embraced during their 70 years of exile in Babylon. 3
Thus the land of Shinar and especially the city of Babylon have had a prominent place in both world, and in Jewish history. The plain of Shinar was ‘the cradle of post-flood humanity’ - the place where the action was, in terms of satan’s ability to influence significant elements of humans …to grow in wicked sinfulness. What an obviously great place for the possible post-flood seat of his world governance system, that is until… 4
(See Part 3)
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1 This real estate mantra signifies the criticality of location in determining the value of land and properties.
2 See: Genesis 10 and 11
3 See: Daniel 2, Jeremiah 27, and Zechariah 5. See also: Two Visions Regarding the Cleansing of God’s People
4 Of course, no one down here knows for sure.
