[Lord_Calvinus]

the one ruling today is Satan, not Christ and when Satan is defeated then the Millennium begins ~ Dispensationalism

Thankfully, I don't fall into the defeated theology of Dispensationalism. I'll address your Scripture proofs:

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

First of all, you are citing a verse which has absolutely nothing to do with who rules this age. It is a verse about Reprobation. Truly, the Lord has left the veil over the eyes of many people in this age. Others, as the next few verses indicate, will be illuminated for it is God who commands light to shine to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. If one has the knowledge of God, then it is because God commanded it. Other's God has not commanded the light to shine through. They have been left with Satan.

Second of all, if you had read a verse or two further on, you would come across the phrase for it is God who commanded light. It is clear that even in this Gospel age that God commands. It doesn't sound very much like Satan is ruling much of anything except those to whom he is still their head. He obviously doesn't have any more power and rule and authority than his own Lord gives him. You see, Satan is a SERVANT and he has always been a servant. He works the will of the Lord just as any other servant, even if he works to further his own cause. It must gall him to no end to know that even his own efforts work ultimately against him. I know that this is so because all I have to do is read the story of Job and know that even Satan must present himself when called and can do nothing without the express permission from the THRONE of the one whom he means to defeat.

Good grief, but all you have to do is read the gospel to know that Satan does not rule, but serves. He is not the king of this age. Not even something as insignificant as a sparrow may fall to the ground apart from the Father and I am more valuable than a sparrow. I am comforted. Not even a single hair of my head may be harmed apart from the permission of the Father. That doesn't sound very much like Satan is in control. It sounds like he has no more authority than his own Lord gives him.

Furthermore, the Lord himself testifying that we should be of good cheer, even in the face of tribulation, because I have conquered the world [John 16:33] and it is NOW my conquest. I added the last portion because of the tense in the Greek verb for nikao (I am conquering) is perfect, active, indicative and means that the action of conquering has been completed in the past and never needs to be repeated. Did you get that: the action of conquering has been completed in the past and never needs to be repeated. The purpose is to conveigh the resulting state, the fact that the kosmos is NOW the Lord's conquest. And, it is this fact which should cause us to be of good Cheer.

But, if you need more proof and the plain speaking of the Lord to know that Satan himself has been defeated, then read the gospel for yourself:

But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.

Has a stronger than Satan come?
Are Satan's spoils, people, being plundered?
Are deomons being cast out by the finger of God?

Surely Satan has been overcome, nikao, (yep, it is the SAME verb as John 16), conquered. The Lord testifies to it. Surely the kingdom of God has come upon us. Satan's house is divided and will surely come to desolation. The Lord testifies to it. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. We only wait for the last of the precious jewels to be plundered from Satan's house before its fall is complete.

Be of Good cheer. I have conquered the world [and it is NOW my conquest]. ~ The Lord of all the cosmos.

My Bible says that He rules the nations with a rod of iron and warns the kings of the earth to serve Him with fear and rejoice with trembling-(Ps.2) Clearly, that hasn't happened-yet.

Why? Because men don't submit? Why do you STILL judge and perceive with your sight instead of your faith?

BTW, let's look one more time at Revelation 20 since you seem to believe that it makes your case:

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Now, since it appears that you didn't look at my post #1758, I'll review a bit. You need to take note that John sees psuchas, souls, not living breathing in the flesh people. And, more importantly, John sees souls that were beheaded dia ton marturian, literally on account of the witness of Jesus and on account of the word of God. They were beheaded specifically on account of the Lord's witness of them, not their witness of the Lord. It is a very important distinction because it makes no sense that this is a literal beheading like Dispensationalists like to depict and talk about. It is a literal beheading in the sense that the Christian's former head, Satan, has been removed, and we now have a new Head, Christ. We are the body of Christ, performing his will. He is our head. We were formerly the body of Satan, performing his will. It is a removal of the head of authority, i.e. Satan. On account of the witness of Jesus our head has been removed and we now have a new head, Jesus.

Is this starting to make sense? Satan is the head of his house and kingdom. Satan was bound. His house is being plundered. Those of us precious jewels taken out of his house and kingdom have had our former head removed. We now have a new head.

Now, Dispensationalists love to talk about Satan being cast into some deep hole in the ground with a seal placed over him without ever considering that Satan is a spiritual being, not a physical one. It makes no sense that a physical prison be constructed to contain a spiritual being. Given the context of all things in the Bible, it is clear that this is a spiritual binding and prison for a specific purpose. All you have to do is read Revelation to discover that purpose:

I saw an angel.... He laid hold of... Satan, and bound him for a thousand years... so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.

Satan is bound so that he should deceive the nations no more in this millennium.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Lord came to the earth and conquered it. It is now his conquest.The gospel of the kingdom of God has come to the nations. He truly rules the nations of the earth which is his conquest with a rod of iron. All men are warned to serve him with fear and rejoice with trembling. Has the Holy Spirit come upon you? Do you have the dunamis, power? Do you exercise your power or are you like the man with only one talent? Are even the demons hupotasso, in subjection, to you? Do you have the exousia, the power, to trample on all the power of the enemy?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

BRAVO, L-C! That is one of the finest posts I've ever read on FR.

Furthermore, the Lord himself testifying that we should be of good cheer, even in the face of tribulation, because I have conquered the world [John 16:33] and it is NOW my conquest. I added the last portion because of the tense in the Greek verb for nikao (I am conquering) is perfect, active, indicative and means that the action of conquering has been completed in the past and never needs to be repeated. Did you get that: the action of conquering has been completed in the past and never needs to be repeated. The purpose is to conveigh the resulting state, the fact that the kosmos is NOW the Lord's conquest. And, it is this fact which should cause us to be of good Cheer.

AMEN!

"...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." -- Matthew 28:20

[tabsternager]

“Now, Dispensationalists love to talk about Satan being cast into some deep hole in the ground with a seal placed over him without ever considering that Satan is a spiritual being, not a physical one. It makes no sense that a physical prison be constructed to contain a spiritual being. Given the context of all things in the Bible, it is clear that this is a spiritual binding and prison for a specific purpose. All you have to do is read Revelation to discover that purpose:”

Good point.

[fortheDeclaration]

Now, since it appears that you didn't look at my post #1758, I'll review a bit. You need to take note that John sees psuchas, souls, not living breathing in the flesh people. And, more importantly, John sees souls that were beheaded dia ton marturian, literally on account of the witness of Jesus and on account of the word of God. They were beheaded specifically on account of the Lord's witness of them, not their witness of the Lord. It is a very important distinction because it makes no sense that this is a literal beheading like Dispensationalists like to depict and talk about. It is a literal beheading in the sense that the Christian's former head, Satan, has been removed, and we now have a new Head, Christ. We are the body of Christ, performing his will. He is our head. We were formerly the body of Satan, performing his will. It is a removal of the head of authority, i.e. Satan. On account of the witness of Jesus our head has been removed and we now have a new head, Jesus.

WOW!

That is some allegory of scripture that you got going there!

No Roman Catholic could do better!