The God of This World

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:4,

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

So Satan, not our heavenly Father, is to many, "the god of our world." But what does that mean? And, how does it impact what we hear and see in culture?

Recently, I was a substitute host for a local radio personality. Unfortunately, my first day was the day after the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, TX. People were, and still are, devastated. One man asked me, "Where was God in this? Why didn't he stop it?"

While it is futile to try to answer any question about why God did or didn't do something, it IS important to recognize that God's gift of free will can be both a blessing and a curse. When we choose good, the results are blessed. When we choose evil, the results can be destructive. The deranged young shooter chose evil and we all know the result was death and heartache. God didn't do this or will it to happen. True, He didn't stop it, but let's be clear, he didn't make it happen either.

There IS however, a supernatural being who no-doubt did will this to happen. And, while it's not fashionable to speak of him, (even in many Christian circles), that doesn't change the reality. Jesus spoke of Satan the Devil as one who seeks to kill and destroy (John 10:10). Furthermore, we know Paul spoke of him as the "god of this world" and this means he has certain power, authority, and ability to "kill and destroy" on a grand scale.

What can he do? Clearly, unless God stops him, the Devil seems to have the capability to:

* Kill. Take life at random.

* Destroy. Tear-down and bring chaos and disorder.

* Deceive people, even the whole world (See Rev. 12:9).

* Mess with the weather (See the early chapters of Job).

* Cause disease (" " " " ").

* Possess people to inspire acts of violence and/or death.

* And more....

So, rather than blaming God or questioning His decisions not to intervene in situations such as what happened at Robb Elementary School, perhaps we should focus on what we can do, using our free moral agency to make it much harder for sick individuals to do harm. This might include locked doors at school, armed police officers on school grounds, cameras at all entrances, and so on.

We should also recognize the reality of our spiritual Enemy and pray for protection, taking authority over his wiles based on our position in Christ. We should honor and worship God while resisting the Devil that he would flee (James 4:7). We should place blame where blame is due--on the one who is wreaking havoc on our world. We should also pray with even more fervor, "Thy Kingdom come" because it is the ultimate return of Christ which will put an end to senseless violence and evil once and for all time!

To that end,

Pastor Joel