Now Is The Judgment

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”

In this verse, Jesus makes the startling claim that the judgment of this world is now and that the devil is cast out now. This is startling because we always think of the judgment at the end of the world, or the judgment that is to come. So what does our Lord mean? The ruler of this world is Satan. In John 14:30 Jesus says, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me.” In John 16, Jesus promised that when the Holy Spirit came he would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (vs. 8), and concerning that judgment, Jesus said that the ruler of this world is judged (vs. 11).

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul says, “in their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” The “god of this world” is Satan. Paul told the Ephesians that they “once walked following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…” (Eph. 2:2). The “prince of the power of the air” is Satan.

So in John 12:31, our Lord is speaking of the devil. He is the ruler who is being cast out. But how is he cast out? The casting out of Satan is also connected with the judgment of this world. What does Jesus mean? First, it is entirely probable that most Christians have never really thought through the implications of this text. When we think of judgment, we immediately think of the Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. We are right to associate the judgment of Revelation 20 with the end of the world. It is also very important to remember that the judgment upon Satan does not take place at this judgment in Revelation 20. It is the “dead, great and small” who are judged in Revelation 20:11-15. But Revelation 20:10 speaks of the defeat of Satan and his being cast into the Lake of Fire. That is, of course, a judgment but not the judgment of verses 11–15. The end result is the same: the Lake of Fire.

Premillennialists and some Postmillennialists believe that Satan’s influence upon the nations is suppressed when a period of prosperity and peace is ushered in at the end. So any restriction of Satan’s power is reserved for the end. The Premillenialists see this in a literal millennium at the end of the age after Jesus has come. The Postmillennial sees this just before the Second Coming of Christ when there is a golden age and the Gospel dominates. But there is another option. We must remember what Jesus said in John 12:31.

We cannot put this verse at the end of time. That is not what Jesus says. He says “now” is the judgment and casting out. I believe Jesus is referring to the restrictions placed upon Satan at present due to what Jesus accomplished at the Cross. Jesus tells the parable of the strong man being bound by the stronger man in Matthew 12:29. Jesus is referring to the coming of the kingdom and the inability of Satan (Beelzebul) to prevent that coming. This means that the devil has no power over Jesus (the stronger man), but is bound by him (restricted in power), and thus cannot prevent Jesus from plundering his kingdom (his house).

If Jesus casts out demons by the Spirit of God (and he did), then the kingdom according to Jesus has come (Matt. 12:28). Our Lord Jesus was victorious over Satan during his Temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4; Luke 4). He was victorious over demons during his earthly ministry, and his death on the Cross is the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, where the seed of the woman (Jesus) crushes the head of the serpent (Satan).

The immediate context in which Jesus is speaking in John 12 is found in verses 27–36, in which Jesus speaks of his death and what he accomplishes through it. Jesus speaks of his soul being troubled (vs. 27). He does not ask the Father for deliverance but rather that he might fulfill the purpose of the Father (vs. 27). This was why he came. What is that purpose? It is that he might suffer and die. Jesus points to his suffering and death in verse 32: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Being lifted up is a reference to the Cross, and drawing all people to himself is a reference to his saving work (John 3:14; 8:28; also Isa. 52:13). Drawing all people is not a reference to universal salvation (that is unbiblical), but rather a reference to both Gentiles and Jews being saved (John 10:16; 11:52). This drawing is an effective drawing. It actually brings people to Christ (John 6:44). We know that Jesus is speaking of his death because verse 33 states: “He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.”

So through his death we find the results of judgment and salvation. Judgment upon the world and the devil, and salvation for those who look to the Son lifted up. Colossians 2:15 says that God has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Jesus also refers to this in John 8:28: “So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.’” Jesus also says in John 5:22 that “the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son…” Now what does all this have to do with us today? First, it means that Satan is a defeated foe. It is not a question of me defeating Satan, but rather one of resisting Satan (1 Pet. 5:8, 9). It was our Lord who defeated Satan. It was a complete rout. So my enemy is a defeated enemy. It is true that he is powerful, but he is nothing compared to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Second, there are far too many Christians who focus on the devil. He is almost omnipresent in their lives. We blame the devil probably far more that we ought. For instance, there are Christians who say we should not suffer. Such thinking is so thoroughly unbiblical, it is a wonder that we must still contend with such thinking (cf. Matt. 5:10-12; Rom. 5:3; 1 Pet. 2:19-25; 3:17, 18; 4:12-19; 5:9-11). There are Christians who act with supreme self-confidence against the devil, forgetting that he is a terrible and powerful foe (refer Jude 9). We must act soberly and carefully, not rashly.

Third, we need to make much of our Lord Jesus Christ. Look what he has done. He is the victor. He has dealt the death blow. Judgment has come and the devil is cast out. He is overcome. He is vanquished. Let us make much of our Lord in this regard.

The Scriptures teach us that “greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The victory that overcomes the world is our faith, a faith exercised by those who are born of God. This means that the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4, 5). In John 12:35, 36, Jesus speaks of walking in the light so that the darkness does not overtake us. He speaks of believing in the light in order to become sons of the light. He was referring to himself. He is the light. To walk in the light is not to walk in darkness. We must come to the light. Satan’s kingdom is darkness, but we have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col. 1:13). So live then as conquerors since you are sons and daughters of the Conqueror. Judgment has come to this world and its ruler. We are free and in the light.