Matt 4:8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (9) And he said to Him, All these will I give You if You will fall down and worship me. (10) Then Jesus said to him, Go away, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve."
The third temptation is a matter of worldly glory, promotion, ambition, position, and a promising future. All this is the glory of the world. Luke 4:6 says that the kingdoms of the world and their glory were delivered unto the devil; hence, to whomever he wills he gives them. Before his fall, Satan as the archangel was appointed by God to be the ruler of the world (Ezek. 28:13-14). Thus, he is called the ruler of this world (John 12:31), holding all the kingdoms of this world and their glory in his hand. He presented all these to the newly anointed King as a temptation in order to secure worship. The heavenly King overcame this temptation. The new King rebuked the devil's presentation and defeated him by standing on the ground of man to worship and serve God only. To worship or to serve anything other than God for gain is always the devil's temptation to secure worship. The Lord seemed to be saying to Satan, "Satan, as a man, I, Jesus, worship God and serve Him only. You are God's enemy, and I will never worship you. I don't care for the glory of the world or for the kingdoms of the world. Satan, get away from Me!"
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Matthew, 1986, pp. 145-146. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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