Surveying The Lay Of Conspiracy Land

I've been researching, reading, thinking, and talking about the various veins of conspiracy and subterfuge at play on planet Earth for the better part of 15 years. I spent a lot of time in this and similar forums for a few years and then checked out for a while, but have returned to ats to open some.dialogue and have some interesting conversations.

I am very interested in mapping the various strains and flavors of conspiracy theories to find parallels and potential origins, as well as continuing my own search for the ever elusive and always frustrating "truth".

So I want to ask if you will comment and explain what beliefs/experiences brought you here and what specific conspiracies you believe in.

The following examples are just some of the theories I've encountered not ones that I necessarily believe myself.

Are you a devotee of some sort of astro theology ? Are we caught up in an extra terrestrial space opera? Are the Pleadians contacting Earth?

Do you believe we are trapped in some sort of matrix being controlled by a nefarious or unknowable entity? Gnostics...

Are you a Q Anoner ?

Are Alesteir Crowley and L Ron Hubbard reincarnated as afternoon lounge singers at a small casino somewhere in Nevada?


Do you get your kicks from David Icke and his reptilian blood line fetishes?

Are the Illuminaughty playing language games and secretly subverting all forms.of theism?

Is the CIA mind controlling everyone through the Disney Channel and '___'?

Are you an evangelical Christian who believes the devil is pulling the world's strings?

Are the Jesuits rogue antichristians intent on following a Catholic left hand path and subverting the church?

Do you believe that the end times are upon us and the revelation of John is concretely true?

Are bankers, Zionists and Masons trying to usher in the NWO?

Did Kubrick help fake the moon landing?

Tried to be a little humorous with these, but I am interested in what other members believe. I want to try and do a genealogy of sorts and I assure you I am not trying to debate, I am just curious.

I was/am a big fan of Jim Marrs RIP, one of the shining star members of ATS. Especially....

"The Rise of the Forth Reich" and "Rule by Secrecy"

And Timothy Goods' "Above Top Secret" Synchronicity...I don't think so!!

And I'm fascinated by the Qanon conspiracy to the point of obsession.

a reply to: olaru12

Very interesting guy. I will have to look into that book, not familiar with it, but he is definitely an OG of ats.

I would check out the stats page from there you can find the top forums and click on them and see what all threads are about.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

for example

Origins and Creationism has 72 posts per threads
2,475 topics; 177,179 posts
post to thread ratio: 72

Here are the recent topics and page totals

Whats the origin of information in the genome
neoholographicstarted this topic on Mar 26, 2022 | Pages: 1 2 3
44
24on Apr 01, 2022 by
St UdioA second study shows that mutations are not random
neoholographicstarted this topic on Feb 03, 2022 | Pages: 1 2
24
11on Mar 15, 2022 by
coopertonScience finds more evidence of Gods Creation
neoholographicstarted this topic on Mar 09, 2022
18
19on Mar 11, 2022 by
LoneCloudHopper2Human Footprints in Ancient Geological Layers
coopertonstarted this topic on Jan 21, 2022 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 11
217
46on Feb 27, 2022 by
KreeateHave They Found How God Created
SeaWorthystarted this topic on Jan 29, 2022 | Pages: 1 2
32
13on Feb 24, 2022 by
GoShredAKWhere does order come from in evolution
neoholographicstarted this topic on Feb 15, 2022 | Pages: 1 2 3
59
5on Feb 23, 2022 by
WakeUpBeerEntropy Disproves Abiogenesis
coopertonstarted this topic on Jan 11, 2022 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 5
89
19on Feb 23, 2022 by
Quadrivium

CMB and Big Bang have been UTTERLY debunked
sprockets2000started this topic on Jan 30, 2022 | Pages: 1 2
22
8on Feb 18, 2022 by
Toothache Was the human race bred to be slaves Let me explain.
JimmyNeutr0nstarted this topic on Feb 02, 2022 | Pages: 1 2
25
9on Feb 05, 2022 by
JimmyNeutr0nWhat was the purpose of creation
TerraLigastarted this topic on Jan 19, 2022 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 7
120
11on Jan 29, 2022 by
RavenwatcherThe Need For An Eternal Creator--Odds Are--gtExtremley Likely
Monsterenergy791started this topic on Oct 18, 2007 | Pages: 1 2
21
4on Jan 29, 2022 by
coopertonNew study provides first evidence of non-random mutations in DNA
neoholographicstarted this topic on Jan 15, 2022 | Pages: 1 2 3
56
16on Jan 21, 2022 by
neoholographic Question for those who are willing to ponder the possibility that we and the universe were created
whereislogicstarted this topic on Sep 19, 2021 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 33
654
19on Jan 14, 2022 by
coopertonThe Odds of a Beneficial Mutation is 1 in 10 Vigintillion -astronomically low-
coopertonstarted this topic on Oct 29, 2021 | Pages: 1 2 3
56
18on Jan 06, 2022 by
sarahvitalFamous Intelligent Inventor Says Evolution is Science Fiction
Blue_Jay33started this topic on Jan 03, 2022 | Pages: 1 2 3
49
13on Jan 05, 2022 by
Randyvine2Why life on Venus or any other planet DESTROYS abiogenesis
neoholographicstarted this topic on Nov 21, 2021 | Pages: 1 2 3
49
19on Dec 28, 2021 by
ToothacheCan science and religion meet with Simulation Hypothesis
adamalluholstarted this topic on Nov 22, 2021 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 4
76
8on Nov 28, 2021 by
whereislogic Its ILLOGICAL to think God didnt Create the Universe
neoholographicstarted this topic on Sep 15, 2021 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 22
431
29on Nov 11, 2021 by
i77oomiknotti What Makes Us Human The Answer May Be Found in Overlooked Junk DNA
neoholographicstarted this topic on Oct 24, 2021 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 13
242
31on Nov 10, 2021 by
Phantom423Why Does Biological Organic Life Exist in a Universe that is Inorganic
AlienViewstarted this topic on Nov 06, 2021 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 5
94
17on Nov 09, 2021 by
All Seeing EyeSumerians show why a natural interpretation of evolution is false
neoholographicstarted this topic on Sep 23, 2020 | Pages: 1 2 3 .. 11
201
40on Nov 06, 2021 by
GuitaristRob

a reply to: putnam6

Nice, I can definitely use that for some quantitative analysis and find some interesting trends.

Thanks

originally posted by: gkskg
a reply to: putnam6

Nice, I can definitely use that for some quantitative analysis and find some interesting trends.

Thanks

Don't miss the archive either here the top thread from January 1st 2003

www.abovetopsecret.com...

You probably didn’t see my reply coming.
I lurked an and off for quite a few years a lot when FBI anon first showed up and Q was still around and last year with all the crazy really winding up I began spending more and more time reading the fascinating conspiracy stuff and generally intelligent and informative OP’s that were being posted.
One day I noticed a shorty story that I liked and discovered it was post for a contest.
I had already begun playing around with writing some of my experiences fishing.
The day came for me to join and I pulled the trigger if you will.

Why? For a place to post stories as I wrote them.
I’d posted a few little things elsewhere but the Short Story Forum really grabbed me.

Sorry but it was not conspiracies that brought me to ATS


Cheers………Da Pirate. 😎









a reply to: gkskg









.

a reply to: PiratesCut

No worries, that speaks to the quality of digital conversation and the members of ats themselves.

Thanks for the reply!

The most outlandish conspiracies make it to mainstream to discredit the ones that are true

Most people will reject the idea 911 was a inside job it sounds crazy make shure that's the most popular conspiracy and you can lump the the one saying you knew this would happen and did nothing in With the inside job people and discredit them without ever having to address the much harder questions

a reply to: markovian

Great point. The cherry picking of the more outlandish theories to discredit those with some merit is a tactic we see almost daily from the major media outlets.

ATS's best quality is it's depth of topics.


I lurked for a long time before I joined and even then I don't think I actually posted till months later. But even though I read through the UFO, Paranormal, and Crypto originally (back when Crypto was just Nessie and Patty, not Bitcoin and Doge) it was 9/11 specifically a thread about the steel beams and building 7 IIRC.

Of course, Katrina was huge, war on terrorism, obviously Iraq and Afghanistan, etc.

Then BP OIL disaster was gonna be an ecological disaster and the GOM was supposed to be virtually lifeless by the most extreme predictions again IIRC

a reply to: gkskg

You got at least 3 things correct, most of the others are disinformation campaigns, psychological operations, or general social programming.

The 3 things that you mentioned that are real, or likely real are:

1. The media is engaged in mind control and the CIA has participated since project mockingbird. This comes in the form of advertising, public relations, opinion manipulation, trend setting, truth censorship, subliminal messages, psychological tricks, staged events and other theatrics, and God knows what else.

2. Many people with tremendous amounts of wealth and power are working towards global control and many of them have called it a new world order. The great reset seems to be their idea of the catalyst for such an order.

3. Sadly, there is evidence that Kubrick helped fake the moon landing, and no evidence that modern technology is even capable of landing people on the moon and returning them to Earth safely. I've seen footage of a stage set that matches the first moon landing footage , and footage of Neil Armstrong in near Earth orbit faking being halfway to the Moon using some camera magic involving the help of the Earth in a porthole and a darkened cabin.

On a side note, Icke is 100% correct when he explains how central banks are privately owned and how there is nothing Federal about the Federal Reserve bank. And how these banks are allowed to create fiat money out of thin air and then loan it to out governments with interest attached.
He discredits these truths, and truth seekers in general, with all of his nonsense about shapeshifting, blood sucking, child sacrificing, reptilians.

I can remember a crazy post way back in the day by some wacko talking about how Bitcoin would be this awesome new technology and could make people rich. I think bitcoin's value at the time was $.25. Unfortunately at the time, I couldn't figure out how to get any, or how the system worked.

It was Julian Assange that got me signed up to this site when he got arrested. The thought police where deleting the topic on other websites, while the topic was still open for discussion here. Kinda stuck around since.

9/11 has been a big topic, the facts are clear that WTC7 was a controlled demolition job. The other buildings as well when looking into it. What is not clear is how a government and corporate culture can cover up a crime so big. The topics around SRA helps explain some of it. Has some multidimensional portal been opened up with the dark side?

Covid is a big issue these days, can see some similarities with 9/11 as those at the top screw it up for the rest of us.

I've been interested in CIA Mind Control and UFO's since I was about eight years old.

I was a military brat and into some strange stuff back then, Project Blue Book both fascinated and terrified me.

I used to try to harness telepathy and telekenisis when I was about that age, and my father humored me with a few experiments but I never showed any proficency or talent for it so it passed out of interest due to lack of results.

I was first exposed to conspiracy theory in the 90's by adherents of the Church of the Subgenius in Austin, Texas and the random nutjobs who would stop me near the University telling me about how the guy who took a sniper rifle to the clocktower on campus knew exactly who he was taking out, that apperently they were "cult members" operating on campus.

Back then the Illuminati that I was exposed to was more fun, lighthearted and weird as opposed to the oppressive "satanic bloodliner world domination" theory that is popular today. I still try to hold on to the "Illuminutty" theory more than the hardline aspect these days.

Mostly harmless. Weird but harmless.

Eventually I ran into David Icke and became a fan of the Lizards, because when you are going through your "experimentation" days in College you tend to see some things and stuff.

I try to take things with a grain of salt, because too much exposure to the Underworld can make you jaded and cynical and I've been able to pull myself out of a few rabbit holes I'm happy to be out of.

There's strange things afoot at the Circle K.

a reply to: gkskg


For me the obvious draw is the fact that the scriptwriters of global narratives appear to have lost their minds.

People in positions of authority at the very least pretended to be normal and represented the interests of the people to a certain extent where most people could ignore conspiracy theories and go about their lives relatively undisturbed.

That off switch no longer exists.


Politicians are actively sabotaging their own countries and have adopted the position of being a nanny-state for which no-one asked.

MSM are blatant liars now in favor of sinister agendas. Journalism is all but dead.

Extremism is being fostered one way or another.


Philanthropists and activists are using fear mongering tactics like saying the world will end in a couple of years, a cheap tactic intended to tax people even more while they fly in jet planes to their next climate change rally.


Every time their lies get exposed they simply deflect. There is no more accountability. There is only a by any means necessary attitude to further a multi-faceted agenda.

Supreme court judges who won't give a definition of what a woman is because they are not, in their own words, a biologist.

Giant corporations are openly saying the customer is wrong.


What really gets to me is that their sense of urgency is very real. Time is running out and it appears there is a deadline for these idiots.

Who set the deadline? What happens when we get to that point in time?

It must be very close when puppets like Hillary Clinton claims that if the Republicans win in the next election it will be the death of democracy .


It feels like it is a duty to resist this madness, no matter how small your contribution.


Terrible hardships await us all if this trend continues and it has been deliberately planned out to be this way.


The elites are at war with the rest of us and the prize is total authoritarianism under the guise of a global community.

It's obvious that it's a coordinated effort, which suggests that the strategy has been ordered down from up high.

Who has such unfathomable power?

Follow the money all the way back to those who create it. In our system that ability is nothing short of godlike.

a reply to: gkskg

Most of what we're getting these days isn't really about "conspiracies", at least not in the traditional sense. It's more like a combination of partisan politics and doom porn.

Just browsing through this forum you'll see that maybe 2/3 threads can be summed up as either "Liberals hate America" or "Liberals want to kill us all".

Everything is a plot by liberals to control us through pandemic regulations or artificial food shortages, or by making everyone gay.

Sometimes people say "globalists" or "NWO", or "TBTB", but when you read the thread it's all Clinton this or Biden that.

originally posted by: gkskg
a reply to: markovian

Great point. The cherry picking of the more outlandish theories to discredit those with some merit is a tactic we see almost daily from the major media outlets.

It works similarly with the more outlandish interpretations of Bible prophecy and its exposure of the only conspiracy people should be concerned with.

Is There Someone Behind All Evil?

“I shook hands with the devil.” So said the commander of the United Nations forces in Rwanda, reflecting on their failure to stop the genocide in that land during 1994. Commenting on the unbelievable savagery at that time, another observer stated: “If someone still dares to deny Satan, meet me at a mass grave in Rwanda.” Are such atrocities really the work of the Devil?

Most people do not regard wanton violence and cruelty as the work of an invisible wicked spirit creature. Many think that such things are a result of the evil inherent in human nature and that the main cause of evil is our own dark instincts. Others theorize that a group of the wealthy and powerful, some sort of a shadowy global network, has been manipulating people for decades in order to rule the world. Then, of course, there are those who blame the national governments and rulers for all the injustice and suffering they see.

What do you believe? Why is it that evil, cruelty, atrocities, and suffering run rampant throughout the world today in spite of efforts to curb them? Why is it that mankind seems to be dashing headlong into a self-destructive course, turning a deaf ear to repeated warnings? Is there someone behind it all? Who really rules the world? The answer might surprise you.

Who Really Rules the World?

Likely you have never met any leaders of organized crime. Does that mean they do not exist? Criminal bosses are skilled at hiding their identity or even operating from behind prison bars. Yet, newspaper headlines about drug wars, prostitution rings, and human trafficking, to name a few, remind us of the corrupting influence and dire consequences of the activities and of the existence of such crime figures. By the mark they leave on human society, we know that criminal leaders exist.

God’s Word, the Bible, reveals that Satan is a real person who, like a powerful criminal kingpin, sees to it that his will is accomplished through “lying signs” and “unrighteous deception.” In fact, he “keeps transforming himself into an angel of light,” says the Bible. (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10; 2 Corinthians 11:14) The Devil’s existence can likewise be ascertained by the marks left by him. Yet, most people find it difficult to believe in an invisible, wicked spirit being. Before we examine more closely what the Bible says about the Devil, let us look at some common obstacles and erroneous beliefs that prevent many from accepting the idea that the Devil is a real person.

◼ “How could a loving God create the Devil?” Since the Bible says that God is good and perfect, it seems contradictory to think that he would have created an evil, malicious, and wicked being. The fact is that the Bible does not say that God created such a person. On the contrary, it says about God: “The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.”​—Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 5:4.

The point to consider is whether a perfect person created by God could do anything other than what is right. Far from making his creatures like robots, God granted them free will​—the ability to make their own choices. Hence, a perfect, intelligent creature can choose to do good or to do evil. In reality, only deeds performed by an intelligent creature, human or spirit, endowed with free will could have real moral significance.

It follows, therefore, that God would not have granted his creatures moral freedom and at the same time prevented them from doing evil should they choose to do so. Jesus referred to a misuse of free will when he said of the Devil: “He did not stand fast in the truth.” (John 8:44) That statement clearly indicates that the one who became the Devil was originally a perfect spirit person, who at one time did “stand fast in the truth.”* Jehovah God made his creatures free moral agents because he loves and trusts them.​—See the paragraph “Could a Perfect Creature Lose Perfection?” further below. [*: To understand why God did not immediately put an end to the Devil’s rebellion, see chapter 11 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach?]

◼ “The Devil is a servant of God” For some, the Bible seems to suggest this idea in the book of Job. According to one Bible commentary, the statement that the Devil was “roving about in the earth” refers to the role of ancient Persian spies, who traveled and reported matters in the service of their king. (Job 1:7) However, if the Devil were really God’s spy, why would he have to explain to God that he had come from “roving about in the earth”? Far from depicting him as an ally of God, the account in Job calls the Devil by the name Satan, meaning “Resister,” thus indicating that he is actually God’s chief Adversary. (Job 1:6) Where, then, does the idea that the Devil is in God’s service come from?

As early as the first century C.E., apocryphal books, such as the “Book of Jubilees” and the “Common Rule” of the Qumran sect, depicted the Devil as bargaining with God and yet subject to His will. In his book Mephistopheles, historian J. B. Russell explains that Protestant Reformer Martin Luther regarded the Devil as God’s tool, “like a pruning hook or a hoe that he uses to cultivate his garden.” The idea is, adds Russell, that “the hoe takes pleasure in destroying the weeds,” but it remains in God’s mighty hand, thus fulfilling God’s will. Luther’s teaching​—later accepted by French theologian John Calvin—​offended many believers’ sense of justice. How could a loving God not only permit evil but even will it to happen? (James 1:13) This doctrine, along with the horrors of the 20th century, prevents many people from believing both in God and in the Devil.

◼ “The Devil is merely a principle of evil” To consider the Devil a mere principle of evil would make some Bible passages almost impossible to understand. For instance, as described at Job 2:3-6, with whom was God having a conversation? Was he possibly speaking to an abstract principle of evil in Job, or was he perhaps even talking to himself? Furthermore, would God be praising the virtues of Job at one moment and allowing Job to be tested by a principle of evil the next? Ascribing such motives to God would amount to making him a perverse Being, not the one “in whom there is no unrighteousness.” (Psalm 92:15) Quite the contrary, God refused to ‘thrust out his hand’ to harm Job. Clearly, the Devil is not a principle of evil or a dark side of God’s personality but a spirit person who made himself God’s Adversary.

Who Really Is Ruling the World?

Today, many feel that it is old-fashioned to believe in the Devil. However, no explanation for the harsh reality of evil, apart from the Devil, has proved satisfactory. In fact, the attempt to do away with the idea of the Devil has led many people to reject God and any moral boundaries altogether.

“The devil’s deepest wile,” wrote 19th-century poet Charles-Pierre Baudelaire, “is to persuade us that he does not exist.” By concealing his identity, the Devil has actually raised doubts about the existence of God. If the Devil did not exist, would that not make God responsible for all evil? Is that not exactly what the Devil wants people to believe?

Like a criminal boss, the Devil conceals his identity in order to achieve his objective. What is that objective? The Bible answers: “The god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.”​—2 Corinthians 4:4.

One important question remains. What will God do with this secret mastermind who is behind all evil and suffering? This is something for the next comment cause I'm out of space here.

Could a Perfect Creature Lose Perfection?

The perfection granted by God to his intelligent creatures is relative. Although created perfect, Adam needed to respect the physical limits imposed upon him by his Creator. For example, he could not eat dirt, gravel, or wood without suffering the consequences. If he had ignored the law of gravity and jumped from a high cliff, he would have died or been severely injured.

Likewise, no perfect creature​—human or angelic—​can go beyond the moral boundaries set by God without exposing himself to ill effects. Thus, when an intelligent creature misuses his free will, he easily falls into error and sin.​—Genesis 1:29; Matthew 4:4.

I joined this site looking for any information on the occult.

Alchemy, secret lodges, astrology, rituals, just about anything magic related.

The search for the philosopher's stone was a real trip.
The best clue to finding it came from a 1857 book, Remarks Upon Alchemy:

“The Secret of our Stone shall shew itself forth as though it bloomed sweetly upon the dunghill. And if you shall ask me what it resembles, I shall say to you that it lives and is to be found in the likeness and form of many things in Nature. For it can be as the Moon as has been said, If they say the Moon is blue, we must believe that it is true. But this only if molested, for the colour of the Moon is white in its naturalistic state.”

Conspiracies like 9/11 and JFK were already woven into my fabric beforehand, so the CIA shenanigans and our secret banker overlords were never a shocking revelation to me after years of reading.

Aliester Crowley was Barbara Bush's father.

a reply to: gkskg

The World’s Secret Ruler Exposed

“The ruler of this world will be cast out,” said Jesus to the people on one occasion. Later, he added that ‘the ruler of the world had no hold on him’ and that “the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) Of whom was Jesus speaking?

Considering what Jesus was saying about “the ruler of this world,” it is obvious that he could not have been referring to his Father, Jehovah God. Who, then, is “the ruler of this world”? How will he be “cast out,” and how has he been “judged”?

“The Ruler of This World” Reveals Himself

Just as a master criminal often takes pride in boasting about his power, so did the Devil when tempting Jesus, the Son of God. After showing Jesus “all the kingdoms” of the world, Satan made him this offer: “I will give you all this authority and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give it. You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.”​—Luke 4:5-7.

If the Devil were merely a principle of evil, as some have suggested, how could that temptation be explained? Was Jesus being tempted by some evil thought or by some inner turmoil that possibly followed his baptism? If so, how could it be said that “there is no sin in him”? (1 John 3:5) Far from denying the Devil’s power over mankind, Jesus actually confirmed it by speaking of him as “the ruler of the world,” describing him as “a murderer” and “a liar.”​—John 14:30; 8:44; The New Jerusalem Bible.

Some 60 years after Christ’s encounter with the Devil, the apostle John reminded Christians of the Devil’s powerful influence, saying that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” That one, John also said, “is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9) Clearly, the Bible speaks of an invisible spirit as “the ruler of the world.” But what is the extent of his influence over mankind?

The World Ruler Delegates Power to Associates

Writing about the Christians’ fight for the faith, the apostle Paul clearly identified their worst enemies. “We have a wrestling,” he candidly said, “not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Thus, this fight goes beyond the human sphere, since it is carried out, “not against blood and flesh,” but against “wicked spirit forces.”

According to most modern Bible translations, “the wicked spirit forces” here refer, not to an abstract principle of evil, but to powerful wicked spirit persons. Some versions offer such renderings as “the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Revised Standard Version), “the spiritual army of evil in the heavens” (The Jerusalem Bible), and “the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens” (The New English Bible). Thus, the Devil has been exercising his power through other rebel angels who forsook “their own proper dwelling place” in heaven.​—Jude 6.

The prophetic Bible book of Daniel discloses how these “world rulers” have been exerting control over the world since ancient times. Deeply concerned about fellow Jews who in 537 B.C.E. had returned to Jerusalem from their Babylonian exile, the prophet Daniel prayed in their behalf for three weeks. An angel, sent by God to reassure the prophet, told him why his arrival had been delayed. He said: “The prince of the royal realm of Persia was standing in opposition to me for twenty-one days.”​—Daniel 10:2, 13.

Who was this ‘prince of Persia’? The angel was obviously not referring to Persian King Cyrus, who at that time looked with favor upon Daniel and his people. Moreover, how could a mere human king resist a spirit creature for three weeks when it took one angel only one night to destroy 185,000 mighty warriors? (Isaiah 37:36) This hostile ‘prince of Persia’ could only be an agent of the Devil, that is, a demon who was given control over the realm of the Persian Empire. Later in the account, God’s angel stated that he would once again have to fight against “the prince of Persia” and another demon prince, “the prince of Greece.”​—Daniel 10:20.

What can we conclude from this? Simply that there really are invisible “world rulers,” demon princes who share control of the world under the authority of their chief, Satan the Devil. But what has been their aim until now?

The World Ruler Shows His True Face

In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, the apostle John relates how Jesus, as Michael the archangel, defeats the Devil and his demons and tells of the disastrous consequences resulting from their expulsion from heaven. We read: “Woe for the earth . . . because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.”​—Revelation 12:9, 12.

How has the Devil shown great anger? Just as many desperate criminals follow the policy of ‘rule or ruin,’ the Devil and his demons are determined to bring the earth and its inhabitants to ruin with them. Knowing that his time is short, the Devil has been using one of the key elements of human society under his control​—big business—​to promote a frenzied spirit of consumerism, which leads to depletion of natural resources and destruction of the environment worldwide, thus threatening humanity’s survival.​—Revelation 11:18; 18:11-17.

Since the beginning of human history, the Devil’s thirst for power has also been reflected in politics and religion. The book of Revelation depicts political powers as wild beasts to whom the Devil has given “great authority.” It also describes the shameless alliance between politics and religion as disgusting spiritual adultery. (Revelation 13:2; 17:1, 2) Think of the oppression, enslavement, wars, and ethnic conflicts over the centuries that have resulted in the loss of millions of lives. Can anyone honestly say that the shocking and horrifying events that have tainted the pages of human history were the normal activity of humans? Or were they the result of manipulation by unseen wicked spirit forces?

The Bible unmistakably identifies and unmasks the one who has been maneuvering human leaders and world powers. Whether consciously or not, human society reflects the personality of its ruler and his ‘rule or ruin’ policy. But for how long will humankind suffer under the Devil’s rulership?

The Devil’s Last Gasp

Christ’s activity on earth in the first century sounded the death knell for the Devil and his demons. When Jesus’ disciples related how they had cast out unseen demons, he told them: “I began to behold Satan already fallen like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) With those words, Jesus was rejoicing at his future victory over the ruler of the world, to take place once Jesus was back in heaven as Michael the archangel. (Revelation 12:7-9) A thorough study of Bible prophecies indicates that this victory took place in heaven in or shortly after 1914.* [For more details on this date, see the appendix to the book What Does the Bible Really Teach?, pages 215 to 218.]

Since that date, the Devil knows that the time remaining before his destruction is short. Although ‘the whole world is lying in his power,’ millions of people today have not been misled by his desperate attempts to control them. The Bible has opened their eyes to his true identity and his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:11) They draw hope from Paul’s words to fellow Christians: “The God who gives peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.”*​—Romans 16:20. [Paul’s words here echo the first Bible prophecy, recorded at Genesis 3:15, pointing to the Devil’s eventual destruction. To describe the event, Paul used a Greek word that means “to shatter, shiver, break in pieces by crushing.”​—Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.]

Soon will come the Devil’s last gasp! Under Christ’s loving rulership, righteous humans will turn God’s symbolic footstool, the earth, into a paradise. Violence, hatred, and greed will be gone forever. “The former things will not be called to mind,” says the Bible. (Isaiah 65:17) What a relief it will be for all who break free from the secret ruler of this world and his authority!