“And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.”
And he said to him, I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to — the devil's claim to have authority over all the kingdoms is the worldview of the powers-of-this-age theology: the world's political structures are under Satanic dominion until the kingdom of God displaces them. The claim may not be entirely false — the New Testament acknowledges Satanic dominion over the current age — but the offer is the temptation to receive the kingdom without the cross.
Church Fathers on Luke 4:6
The enemy had first assailed Christ by the temptation of the appetite, as also he did Adam. He next tempts Him with the desire of gain or covetousness, showing Him all the kingdoms of the world. Hence it follows, And the devil taking him up.
What marvel that He permitted Himself to be led by the devil into the mountains, who even in endured to be crucified in His own body?
Or, the devil described the world in language, and as he thought brought it vividly before our Lord’s mind as though it were a certain house.
Read all 14 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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