The Prince Of The Power Of The Air

It is written:

“In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].” (Ephesians 2:2, Amplified)

Here, Satan is called “the prince of the power is the air.”

What does this mean?

“The second powerful influence that formerly held the readers in bondage to sin was the devil. Far from simply stating this fact, Paul elaborates on this being and his work with a descriptive series of expressions. In characterizing him as “the ruler” (), Paul uses the primary title given to Satan in John’s gospel (“ the ruler of this world,” ; John 12: 31; 14: 30; 16: 11). Satan is also referred to as “the ruler of the demons” () in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt 9: 34; 12: 24; Mark 3: 22; Luke 11: 15). This usage can be traced back to apocalyptic, especially the book of Daniel, where the Theodotian text (a second-century AD form of the Greek OT text) uses the term in reference to the angelic powers over the nations (e.g., “the ruler of the Persians” and “the ruler of the Greeks”; cf. Dan 10: 13, 20). On one other occasion Paul uses the term to refer to demonic powers (1 Cor 2: 6, 😎. This evil angelic ruler wields control over a realm (), which Paul describes as “the air” (). This is a different usage of the term than the way it is used elsewhere in the letter (Eph 1: 21; 3: 10: 6: 12), where it is used in the plural and denotes demonic beings. Here it refers to the sphere of the ruler’s influence. It has this sense also in Col 1: 13. By analogy with earthly political power, it is used to refer to Herod’s jurisdiction (Luke 23: 7). This is the only time, however, that Paul (or for that matter, any other biblical author) speaks of “the air” () as the domain of Satan. The idea of “the air” as a place where demons were active is well-known in Judaism. This can be seen in a first-century Jewish document: “For the person who fears God and loves his neighbor cannot be plagued by the aerial spirit of Beliar since he is sheltered by the fear of God” (T. Benj. 3: 4). Similarly, Philo speaks of demons as hovering in the air (Philo, On Giants 1.6, 8 ) and 1 Enoch as dwelling in the clouds (1 En. 15: 10–11). This was also a common conception for any of Paul’s readers who had participated in magical practices, where the notion of “aerial spirits” and “aerial powers” was common. One magical text has the petition, “protect me from every demon in the air” (PGM IV. 2699). Another one says, “I conjure you by the one who is in charge of the air ()” (PGM CI. 39). Air is a particularly apt metaphor for the realm of spirits because they are invisible. In fact, the very word “spirit” () could also be used for “wind.”” (Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary On The New Testament: Ephesians, 3287-3307 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan)

Satan is working in our world, friends, especially through the politicians and political systems of the world. Place your faith in King Jesus! He is the Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9).