First, let’s read the words of the Lord Jesus in John 12:27-32, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

As the Lord Jesus anticipated His upcoming death on the cross, He was troubled.  Should He ask His Father to save Him from His horrible death?  No…it was for that very reason that He came to the earth.  At that point, the Father spoke to His Son from Heaven.  What it must have been to have heard that voice!  However, some thought it had thundered while others thought it was the voice of an angel.  Even though the voice of the Lord could not be understood by those around the Lord Jesus, it surely was a confirmation of the power and approval of God for His Son and the impending sacrifice of Himself.

Who is this PRINCE OF THIS WORLD who is about to be cast out?  Surely this is Satan, whom the Lord also referred to as the prince of this world in John 14:30 and 16:11.  He is called the “god of this world” in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2.  Although Satan thought he won the victory there at Calvary when the Lord Jesus was crucified, it was really his defeat.  With His death, the Lord provided a way of salvation to all men.  The sacrifice of Himself satisfied God’s righteous demands for the payment of our sin debt, and through faith in Him, we are saved!  While the sentence upon Satan has not yet been completely carried out, his doom is sealed.  He is our defeated enemy. 

Now let’s read 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 which says, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of THE PRINCES OF THIS WORLD knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”  This ‘wisdom of God’ is given in contrast to ‘wisdom of men’ and ‘wisdom of this world’ in verses 5-6.   This wisdom of God, unknown fully before, was the wonderful results of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, ordained before the world.  2 Timothy 1:9 speaks of this, saying, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN.”  Revelation 13:8 teaches us of the crucifixion of the Lord, that He was, “…slain from the foundation of the world.”  Even before God created the world, it was determined that Christ would die for sinful men, that we might be saved from our sins.

Who are these PRINCES OF THIS WORLD that crucified the Lord of glory? It was ignorance and evil combined that would cause these people to say, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” (Luke 19:14).  Unwittingly, these men of power were agents of Satan in carrying out his evil plan to be rid of the Lord Jesus.  The Jewish religious leaders, Herod, and Pilate were all joined in their hatred of the Lord, not realizing the results of the cross.  They certainly did not realize that in their hatred of the Lord, they actually carried out the will of God.  Peter would later say to the Jews, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.” (Acts 2:23-24).  In this we see the Lord Jesus went to the cross by the “determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.”  It was God’s will that the Lord Jesus should die on the cross.  Yet it was “by wicked hands have crucified and slain” the Lord Jesus.  Although it was God’s plan that His Son die for our sins, they were still guilty of this terrible crime because of the evil in their hearts.  My friend, have you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior…the One who willingly went to the cross to be crucified that you might have eternal life?  I pray you will trust in Him today, before it is eternally too late.  (CC)  (716.6)