There was a JW on facebook that I was talking to. He talked about the subject of satan being the current ruler and Christ authority being relative or subjected to satan's current power. Here is my response. Hope it helps......
On Satan being ruler of this world/system of things:
You mentioned 1 John 5:19, so I want to look at it in context." If anyone catches sight of his brother sinning a sin that does not incur death, he will ask, and he will give life to him, yes, to those not sinning so as to incur death. There is a sin that does incur death. It is concerning that sin that I do not tell him to make request. All unrighteousness is sin; and yet there is a sin that does not incur death. We know that every [person] that has been born from God does not practice sin, but the One born from God watches him, and the wicked one does not fasten his hold on him. We know we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the [power of the] wicked one. But we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us intellectual capacity that we may gain the knowledge of the true one. And we are in union with the true one, by means of his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and life everlasting. Little children, guard yourselves from idols."
The context of the scripture is talking about sin, so the scripture is saying that the whole world is in sin and in this limited way the whole world is in the power of Satan. The only way out of this is, per v.18, is to turn to Christ because he has power over Satan and sin.
After taking 1 John into context and especially v. 18, which displays Christ power over Satan, I don't see how Satan’s power makes Christ authority over all the earth (Matt 28:18) relative in any way.
Here are some more scriptures which shows that Christ power is over all. Ephesians 1:19-23, " It is according to the operation of the mightiness of his strength, with which he has operated in the case of the Christ when he raised him up from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, **far above every government and authority and power and lordship and every name named, not only in this system of things, but also in that to come. He also subjected all things under his feet**, and made him head over all things to the congregation, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills up all things in all." Again Christ is above everything, there is no room for anyone else to rule or have authority over anything. Also, this echoes Matt 28:18.
You brought up the context of Matt 28, so I want to look at it a little more. Starting in verse 16, " However, the eleven disciples went into Gal´i•lee to the mountain where Jesus had arranged for them, and when they saw him they did obeisance, but some doubted. And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded YOU. And, look! I am with YOU all the days until the conclusion of the system of things."
The disciples that came to Jesus did obeisance toward him, but some doubted which must mean that some doubted if obeisance should be given to Jesus. The response by Jesus to this doubt is “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. This is a fitting response because Jesus has to be in a position to receive obeisance, and this is what he was saying. In effect he was saying that it is ok for his disciples to do obeisance toward him at that very moment because he is king in heaven.
Jesus Having all authority also gave the ability to preach the good news of the kingdom. After saying that he has all authority he says, go therefore. In other word, because I now have all authority you can go and preach. Before then the message of the Kingdom could not have been preached because Christ was not ruling as King. Earlier in Christ life he made comments like that found in Luke 17:21, the Kingdom is in your midst, but never commissioned a message of the good news of the kingdom until he was King.
If I were to take your doctrine that Christ authority in Matt was ONLY relative to the congregation and the preaching work I would have to come up with some odd conclusions. Christ is set up as head of the church in the first century and, in your words, directs the preaching work but it is impossible to preach until Christ has taken the throne in 1914 (per the 1955 watchtower that I mentioned earlier). So, Christ directs something, but for about 1,900 years there is really noting to direct. Very confusing.
Now, about Matt 24 and Rev 6. Yes, I totally agree that these are complementary chapters of the bible. However, I do not see how it is possible that the one seated on the white horse in Rev 6:2 is Jesus. Here is a good explanation that I found:
The interpretation here identifies Jesus as the rider of the first horse, although such an identification is not made in the text itself. Rather, this identification is facilitated by conflating the rider on this white horse with the rider in Revelation 19:11-16. But there are good reasons for rejecting this interpretation.
First of all, the figure in ch. 19 is presented in quite a different manner. The horseman in v. 2 was given a ste-pha'-nos, or a wreath of victory, which relates to the rider’s military success (not kingly rulership), whereas the rider in ch. 19 wears dia-de'-mata, the crowns that are associated with true royalty.
Second, he is armed with a bow and not a sword. This is detail that is suggestive of the Parthian army, whose archers were renowned. The forces associated with the Beast in Revelation (cf. 9:1-19, 16:12-14; cf. 17:12-13) also appear to have been Parthians, and these were depicted as horsemen wearing gold ste-pha'-noi (9:7-9), and it was widely feared during the time when Revelation was written that the Parthians would invade from the East, led by Nero redidivus. The Beast is elsewhere shown as imitating Jesus Christ, but in an inferior way (cf. the “resurrection” of the Beast in 13:3, 17:8, and compare 17:8 with 1:4).
Finally, it was Jesus Christ himself as the Lamb who was opening the seals and thus it is unlikely that the author construes the Lamb as a horseman summoned by his own breaking of the seal.
Thanks again for your response. I am looking forward to your or any other Jehovah’s Witness response.
In Christ,
Aaron
