READ 1 John 5:18-20
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
-- 1 John 5:19 (NIV)
If God is in control, why is the world so messed up?
We know from Job 38:4-7, that Satan and the angels existed before the creation of the world. Satan was a powerful angel and exceedingly beautiful. Because of pride, he tried to usurp God’s rightful position on the throne and become God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-18). As a result, Satan and his angelic followers were cast out of heaven. Jesus saw it happen (Luke 10:18).
Satan now roams the spiritual realm between heaven and earth (Job 1:6-7) with his fallen angels to see who he might devour (1 Peter 5:8). As noted in our Scripture passage for today, the earth is now under the control of Satan.
In Genesis 1 and 2, we find that God formed the world and all the living creatures in it, including humanity. When God had finished his work of creation, he proclaimed it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). In Genesis 3, everything changed. Satan tempted Eve to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, even though God had commanded her not to. She ate the fruit and gave some to Adam. As a result, God cursed the earth and kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden to ensure they would die and never eat from another tree, the tree of life, and remain in an eternal state of sinfulness. The sin nature they inherited by eating the forbidden fruit has been passed down to us through the generations.
This world is not what God originally intended. It’s a fallen world characterized by sin under the control of Satan. God, with great patience, is allowing the status quo to persist until everyone has an opportunity to repent and turn to him for forgiveness (2 Peter 3:9).
In the end times, during the Tribulation period, Satan will be cast from the spiritual realm to the physical earth to rage against the Jews and the followers of Jesus (Revelation 12). When Jesus later returns to the earth, Satan will be bound and cast into the Abyss for a thousand years, afterward released to rebel against God one more time, and then cast into the lake of fire, with all his followers, for all eternity (Revelation 20:1-10). God will then create a new heaven and a new earth for his followers to live in, just as he had originally intended (Revelation 21).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God created a perfect world, but Satan caused our ancestors and us to mess it up.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please enable us to repent and turn to you for forgiveness.
Prayer Focus: SATAN FOLLOWERS
Rick Stockwell is employed as an IT Program Manager, teaches Sunday school for kindergartners, is an elder at his church, has been married for thirty-five years, and has two children and five grandchildren.
Rick is also the author of two novels in his Heavenly Realms series called The Wall and The Battle. Audio, eBook and paperback versions are accessible via this link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07HQ8G3MJ
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