Who has authority the King or Prince?

I once attended a church who always talked about how the devil is running the world.  They would often say stuff like "just look around, this place must be ran by the devil. look at all the bad stuff in this world."  Often these comments are followed by " but one day very soon Jesus is gonna come back and set up His Kingdom and destroy all the evil in the world.

So where does the idea of the devil running the world come from anyway?  Look at Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, [Ephesians 2:2 NKJV]

I am not sure why this verse is used to proclaim the devil as in the drivers seat, but many Christians think so.

So is there anything in scripture that may contradict this idea that the devil himself is running the world?  Lets look at a few verses and see: bold is mine

• 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. [Matthew 28:18 NKJV]
• 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. [1 Timothy 1:17 NKJV]
• 15 which He will manifest in His own time, [He who is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom [be] honor and everlasting power. Amen. [1 Timothy 6:15-16 NKJV]
• 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. [Hebrews 2:9 NKJV]
• 14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, [Hebrews 2:14 NKJV]
• 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, [Revelation 1:5 NKJV]

As you can see from the above cherry picked verses one can easily make the case that Jesus was crowned King and has been given ALL authority (on earth and in heaven) and destroyed the devil a long time ago.  So why are we still waiting to live into this victory?  Understanding this reality is what fueled the first disciples as they setup the first groups of believers (churches). 

Who has more authority, a prince or a king?  Think about it.

I don't know about you, but as for me, I will live as though I have dominion over the devil and he has been defeated long ago.  Jesus is way more better than we have been led to believe!

On another note: will EVIL ever be totally defeated?  More on that next time....