Satan's role is to blind the minds of those who believe not, hiding the light of the glorious gospel of Christ from them as the god of this world.
In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 the Bible says the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them. Les Feldick teaches that this god of this world is Satan himself, and that this satanically inspired blindness is why the lost cannot believe the Word. He says believers must pray for God to take the blindness away, since there is nothing they can do on their own.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 — Paul states directly that the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, which is the core biblical answer to the question.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — This is what Paul means by 'our gospel' — the message Satan works to keep hidden.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 states: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." The passage names the one who hides the gospel — the god of this world — and defines whom he blinds: "them which believe not." The stated purpose of the blinding is so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should not shine unto them. Paul calls the message "our gospel." In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 he defines it: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
Les Feldick teaches that the god of this world in 2 Corinthians 4:4 is Satan himself. After his rebellion, Lucifer was cast down, yet God in His sovereignty permitted him to become the god of this world. When Paul says "our gospel," Les explains, he is speaking of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. That gospel, Les says, is hid to them that are lost. Les emphasizes that the hiddenness described in 2 Corinthians 4 is specifically Satan's blinding of them who believe not. It is not about those who haven't joined a church or don't read their Bible, but about those who will not believe. Because of this satanically inspired blindness, the lost have no idea they are lost, and they cannot believe the Word. Les also draws a distinction: Scripture shows God sovereignly hiding things from the human race (as with the disciples in Luke 18), but 2 Corinthians 4 is "the other side of the coin" — the gospel is hid because the god of this world has blinded the minds of the lost. His practical counsel is that believers must pray for God to remove this blindness, since there is nothing they can do until God takes it away.
Les Feldick is direct: "Who is the God of this world, even tonight? Satan." He explains that Lucifer rebelled and wanted to usurp the very throne room of God and was cast down, yet God in His omnipotence and sovereignty permitted him to become the god of this world and to roam free. That is the Satan Paul refers to as the one behind the gospel being hid from the lost.
Scripture says Satan blinds "them which believe not" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Les stresses the condition: "He hasn't blinded the minds of those who haven't joined the church. He hasn't blinded the minds of those who don't read their Bible. It doesn't say that. He has blinded the minds of those that will not believe." The lost have no idea they are lost, because Satan has them so totally blinded that they cannot believe the Word.
Les teaches that this satanically inspired blindness is a dilemma believers are constantly laboring under. He says, "There's not a thing that we can do until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness." His counsel is that believers must understand this and pray to that end — that God would remove the blindness from the lost.
Les acknowledges that Scripture shows God hiding things from the human race as His prerogative — for example, Luke 18, where the disciples were told Christ would be crucified and rise again, yet the next verse says they heard none of those things because it was hid from them. But 2 Corinthians 4 is "the other side of the coin" — the gospel is hid to the lost because the god of this world blinded their minds. Both truths stand in Scripture; in this passage the hiding is Satan's blinding work.
Les explains that when Paul says "our gospel," he is talking about 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — how that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. This is the gospel message that Satan, as the god of this world, blinds the lost from seeing.
False Teaching That Isn't in the Book
Les shows that people under false doctrine remain deceived until they search the Scriptures and find that the teaching "isn't in the book" — illustrating how deception hides truth from people.
Satan as the God of This World
Les identifies the "god of this world" from 2 Corinthians 4:4 as Satan, who has blinded the minds of the lost so the light of the glorious gospel of Christ cannot shine unto them.
Prayer for Satanic Blindness to Be Removed
Les teaches that Satan has totally blinded the eyes of the lost to the truth of God's Word, and believers must pray for God to take away this satanically inspired blindness.
God's Hiding vs. Satan's Blinding
Les distinguishes God's sovereign hiding of truth (Luke 18, where the disciples heard none of what Jesus said because it was hid from them) from the "other side of the coin" — the gospel is hid to the lost because the god of this world blinded them.
Why the Lost Cannot Believe
Les explains that the lost have no idea they are lost, and that because Satan has them so totally blinded, they cannot believe the Word.
Who Has Blinded Them? Satan
Les reads 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 and confirms that it is the god of this world — Satan — who has blinded the minds of them who believe not, calling it the dilemma the human race labors under.
Lucifer Became the God of This World
Les gives the background that Lucifer rebelled and was cast down, yet God in His sovereignty permitted him to become the god of this world. He also defines "our gospel" as 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Christ died, was buried, and rose again.
Blindness Is for Those Who Will Not Believe
Les emphasizes from 2 Corinthians 4:4 that Satan blinds the minds of them that will not believe — not those who haven't joined a church or don't read their Bible.
2 Corinthians 4:3: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
This is the opening of the passage Les builds on: the gospel being hid is tied to those who are lost.
2 Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
The core answer — the god of this world blinds the minds of them which believe not, so the gospel's light cannot shine to them.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Les identifies this as the definition of "our gospel" that Satan hides from the lost.
Luke 18:34: And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Les contrasts this case of God hiding truth from the disciples with Satan's blinding of the lost in 2 Corinthians 4.
Scripture shows both, but in different ways. Les points out that God sometimes sovereignly hid truth — as with the disciples in Luke 18 — but in 2 Corinthians 4 it is "the other side of the coin": the gospel is hid to the lost because the god of this world, Satan, has blinded their minds.
Satan blinds "them which believe not." Les stresses that the verse does not say those who haven't joined the church or don't read their Bibles — it says those who will not believe. The condition is unbelief.
Les teaches there is not a thing believers can do until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness. His counsel is to pray to that end — that God would remove the blindness.
Les says Paul is referring to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. That is the gospel Satan works to keep hidden from the lost.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Gospel Is Hidden From Some People — 2 Corinthians 4:1-4