The prince of this world

“I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on Me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what My Father has commanded Me.” John 14:30-31
Jesus uses the phrase ‘the prince of this world’ here, and it is worth taking some time to understand what it means, and what the implications are. It is used also in John 12:31 and John 16:11. The title ‘prince’ is also used of angels (e.g. Michael, Dan. 10:13, Dan. 10:21, Dan. 12:1) and evil powers (Dan. 10:13, Dan. 10:20, Matt. 9:34, Matt. 12:24). Jesus Himself is also called a prince (Acts 5:31, Isa. 9:6). We also see the title ‘ruler of the kingdom of the air’ (Eph. 2:2). This, and the title ‘prince of this world’, both refer to Satan.
Satan is the prince of the world. He is the one who rules over it, and has done so even since Adam sinned and handed over the reins. But the good news is that Satan will not rule over the world forever. Jesus will depose him, and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
At the time Jesus spoke these words, the cross was imminent. This was the great showdown God prophesied to the serpent in the Garden of Eden: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel” (Gen. 3:15). In the same act, the heel of Christ was struck by the serpent, and the head of the serpent was crushed by Christ. Satan did not overpower Jesus by his own power, but because Jesus allowed him to – and this was out of His obedience to the Father. Now, if we are in Christ, he has no power over us either, unless we allow him.