Is Satan under our feet already?  Or are we waiting for this event to take place?

What does this scripture mean?  Rom.16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet” (NIV)

Answer

In context of this passage beginning in verse 17, Paul is instructing the Romans to “mark them which cause divisions among you.and avoid them.their fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.”

I believe that Paul is saying that God will soon overcome these evil deceivers that had plagued the church, thus “bruising Satan” or “crushing Satan” in this one trial they were facing. 

However, we do know that Satan’s power has not been completely obliterated yet.  He can still cause afflictions for many people.  During the 1000 reign of Christ, the devil will be bound (Rev. 20:1-3) and will not be able to deceive during that time.  Then he will be released for a short season to tempt those born during the 1000 years.  And he will not be fully defeated until he is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. (Rev. 20:10).

For now, Jesus has given us spiritual authority over devil and his works as they pertain to us personally or as they pertain to those who come to us for help.
–          Luke 10:19
–          Ephesians 1:19-22
–          Mark 16:16-20

We can’t kill the devil now.  We can’t make the devil stop hurting everyone.  We can’t chain him up in the abyss.  But we can stop him in the areas where we have responsibility (our family, our job, our people, etc.).

Satan has been stripped of his complete dominion over humanity and can not defeat the person who is filled with faith and power.  Hebrews 2:14,15, Colossians 2:14,15, Acts 16:18, Acts 13:9.  Jesus took the keys to the kingdom and gave them to the Church (Mat 16:18,19, Rev. 1:18). 

In light of the fact that scriptures say we absolutely have certain dominion over the devil and that he is already under our feet, I believe the scripture in question is directly related to the event the Romans were facing.  It could also possibly have a double reference to the final day when Satan is defeated by the army of God.