God of This Age

As the Adamic race fell, mankind was subjected to the angels.

Gal 4:1  I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate;

Gal 4:2  but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father.

Gal 4:3  So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe.

Gal 4:4  But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

Gal 4:5  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

 

Soon after the fall, the Garden of Eden was protected from Man by posting a Cherub at its gates.

Gen 3:24 LITV  And He drove the man out. And He lodged the cherubs at the east of the Garden of Eden, and the flaming sword whirling around to guard the way of the Tree of Life.

 

The Book of Daniel gives us a glimpse of a government in the spiritual realm to deal with the fallen race of man. 

(Dan 4:17 LITV)  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the command by the word of the holy ones, so that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will. And He sets up over it the lowest of men.

 

There is a council of Holy Ones and the Watchers execute the judgement of the Holy Ones.  This idea of Watchers is again expressed in Micah in terms of the day of visitation for judgement and distribution of justice.

 

(Psa 56:2 LITV)  My watchers panted for me all the day; for many are proudly fighting against me.
(Mic 7:4 LITV)  The best of them is like a thorn; the upright more than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchers, your visitation is coming; now their shame shall be.

 

So soon after the Babel crisis God seperated  the continents (Continental Shift) and distributed 70 Nations over these continents.

Gen 10:21-25  Sons were also born to Shem …… Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

When nations were distributed over the continents  God has given the overseeing to his Angels.

Deu 32:8 When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. 9 And his people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel was the line of his inheritance.  

Septuagint translation (c300 BC) uses "sons of Israel" ( bene Yisrael) instead of "angels of God." Older manuscripts in Aramaic found among the Dead Sea Scrolls uses "sons of God" ( beney 'elohim)

However the watchers themselves being free beings are liable to fall.  As a result many of these Angels fell in time.  These ‘gods’ judged unjustly and God was angry about it and rebukes them. 

Psa 82:1-6  God standeth in the congregation of God; He judgeth among the gods.

How long will ye judge unjustly, And respect the persons of the wicked? Selah

Judge the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

Rescue the poor and needy: Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

They know not, neither do they understand; They walk to and fro in darkness: All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High.

This picture is validated by the visions of Daniel (Dan 10) where a shining one talks about his fight with the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece.  It also names Michael as the Prince of Israel.  These Princes (Angels, gods, sons of the Most High) has the character of the people over which they have authority.  The influence seems to be mutual.  It is this idea that is enunciated in Paul’s warning:

(Eph 6:12 KJV+)  For3754 we2254 wrestle3823 not3756 against2076, 4314 flesh4561 and2532 blood129, but235 against4314 principalities746, against4314 powers1849, against4314 the rulers2888 of the darkness4655 of this5127 world165, against4314 spiritual4152 wickedness4189 in1722 high2032 places . flesh...: Gr. blood and flesh spiritual...: or, wicked spirits high: or, heavenly

746  arche  ar-khay'

from 756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):--beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

 

1849  exousia  ex-oo-see'-ah

from 1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:--authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength

 

2888  kosmokrator  kos-mok-fat'-ore

from 2889 and 2902; a world-ruler, an epithet of Satan:--ruler.

 

4655  skotos  skot'-os

from the base of 4639; shadiness, i.e. obscurity (literally or figuratively):--darkness.

 

 

165  aion  ahee-ohn'

from the same as 104; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity (also past); by implication, the world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future):--age, course, eternal, (for) ever(-more), (n-)ever, (beginning of the , while the) world (began, without end). Compare 5550.

 

4189  poneria  pon-ay-ree'-ah

from 4190; depravity, i.e. (specially), malice; plural (concretely) plots, sins:--iniquity, wickedness.

 

2032  epouranios  ep-oo-ran'-ee-os

from 1909 and 3772; above the sky:--celestial, (in) heaven(-ly), high.

 

Each nation therefore elects their own type of government during this age.  The ruler of this age of darkness is Satan.  There is a whole gang of depraved beings in the heavenly high involved in the process on earth.