What did Satan not understand about the nations he offered to Jesus?
Satan did not understand that the nations he offered to Jesus will one day be under Christ’s own rulership when He rules and reigns. They will come to Him as a result of His sovereignty, not by Satan’s gift or Jesus’ act of worshiping him.
Les explains that Satan took Jesus to an exceeding high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, offering control over all these nations if Jesus would fall down and worship him. Les notes that because Jesus and Satan are both spiritual, Satan could show Jesus backward to Nebuchadnezzar and David’s great kingdom and forward to all the great empires of human history. But Satan did not understand that one day these same nations will be under Christ’s rulership when He rules and reigns, and they will come as a result of His sovereignty, not Satan’s offer. The context also ties this to pride and the desire to control masses of people.