What exactly did happen to Satan at the fall of humanity? Some think that Satan gained a big promotion when Adam fell. They say Adam was originally “the god of this world,” but at Adam’s fall Satan gained that position, thus giving him the right to do whatever he wanted to do on the earth. Even God was supposedly powerless to stop him from then on, because Adam had the “legal right” to give his position to Satan, and God had to honor His agreement with Adam which now belonged to Satan. Satan supposedly now possesses “Adam’s lease,” and God can’t stop Satan until “Adam’s lease runs out.”
Is this theory true? Did Satan gain “Adam’s lease” at the fall of humanity?
Absolutely not. Satan gained nothing at the fall of humanity except a curse from God and a divine promise of his total demise.
The fact is that the Bible never says that Adam was the original “god of this world.” Second, the Bible never says that Adam had a legal right to give anyone else his supposed authority over the world. Third, the Bible never says that Adam had a lease that would one day expire. All of these ideas are unscriptural.
What authority did Adam originally possess? We read in Genesis that God told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28, emphasis added).
God said nothing to Adam about being a “god” over the earth, or that he could control everything, such as the weather, and all the future people who would be born, and so on. He simply gave both Adam and Eve, as the first humans, dominion over the fish, birds and animals and commanded them to fill the earth and subdue it.
When God pronounced judgment upon the man, He said nothing about Adam losing his supposed position as “god of this world.” Moreover, He said nothing to Adam or Eve about losing their dominion over fish, birds and cattle. In fact, I think it is obvious that humanity is still ruling over the fish and birds and “every creeping thing.” The human race is still filling the earth and subduing it. Adam lost none of his original, God-given authority at the fall.
