CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
January 22, 2006
KEEP IN PRAYER:
Our congregation and the space at the end of the strip center
Our nation, military and leaders James in the Army
Our students Various friends, relatives and co-workers
David comes home this week finishing his tour in the Navy
WHO RULES THE WORLD?
“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever” (Psalm 29:10).
A paradox is two seemingly contradictory ideas being true. We see this in the idea of who rules the world. From the above text we know that God rules, that He is King. But Paul talks about “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” that many follow (Ephesians 2:2). When we see the violence, wars and sin in the world today, one can understand how one can say that the devil rules the world. Yet we often overlook the good, even in the midst of suffering, the faithful, and those who overcome the evil one by dying in Christ who know that God is King. What are we to think about this?
First, we need to realize that there is evil in this world. The source of that evil, of everything ungodly, is the devil. Now he is not all knowing nor is he all powerful; he is a created being in rebellion who has limited knowledge and power. He does have many angels who can masquerade as servants of light (2 Corinthians 12:14-15). He is also a liar and the father of lies and a murderer (John 8:44). The most famous illustration of this is the story of Adam and Eve being tempted in the Garden of Eden and the fall of humanity (Genesis 3). When one President referred to a nation as “the evil empire” and another President “the axis of evil,” many were upset at such terminology. In a relativistic age, to make such judgments is forbidden, even in themselves. Such has become the influence of the father of lies. When we see the terrorism, the immorality, the changing of names to obscure sin, no wonder many conclude that the devil rules the earth.
Then there is that temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The devil takes Jesus to the top of a mountain and says that if Jesus would bow down and worship him, he would give him all the kingdoms of the world. Many conclude by that statement that the devil rules those kingdoms, and it sure does look like it. Again, when we see the evil of Nazi Germany or communist Russia and China, we would agree. The pictures in Revelation show the devil rampaging through the earth, at war with the saints of God. What else could we conclude: the devil rules the earth. Or does he?
Before we reach that conclusion, consider the following. In Revelation, while the devil runs wild, he is defeated, time and again. Jesus makes some interesting statements in the Gospel of John. “Now is the time for judgment on this world, now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31). “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me” (14:30). In speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned” (16:11). We can conclude from this that the devil is defeated though he is still involved in spiritual warfare. Now I think that when the devil tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of the earth, he was lying in the sense that he did not have the authority and the control of those kingdoms certainly was limited (see Daniel 10). It would be in his nature. Going back to Genesis three, he told Adam and Eve that they would become like God, another lie.
The devil is not God nor does he have the power and authority of God. When the devil came into the presence of God from going back and forth through the earth, God asked him to considered His servant Job. The devil’s complaint was that God protected him too much and that he would deny God if that protection was removed. God gave permission to the devil to attack Job, but not to kill him, limiting what he could do.
Yes, there is evil in this world and the devil is behind that evil. When we see families destroyed through adultery and divorce, attacked by the homosexual movement to equate “gay” marriage with heterosexual marriage, when we see the multiple abortions, drug use and abuse, the attacks on believers either verbal or physical, we can see evil. Joe Beam reports that eighty percent of our teens leave churches of Christ, and about half of those go nowhere. Why do they leave? They do so because they see how people are treated by those who claim to follow what the Bible says; seeing the contradictions and hypocrisy. Yes, they have chosen to do so, and some have been tempted by other evils as well, but they have seen that the church has not been helpful in forgiveness and support.
Two, there is goodness in this world that brings glory to God. When we watch the evening news, all we hear about is how bad things are in war, economics, health, environment, and any number of other areas. But consider the contributions in the relief efforts for hurricanes and tsunamis. Look at the many who help those who are struggling, pray for the sick, visit the imprisoned, raise godly children, and influence for good those they come in contact with at school, work or in the neighborhood. We see those with little live by faith, and those with much glorify God in their giving. We see those who struggle with illness live godly and trusting lives before others. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (1 Corinthians 10:25) and “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (verse 31).
There are those who live godly lives, who are radical in their living, influencing their little corner of the world. They pray for the nations, for the lost, for those who don’t particularly care for them. They believe in Jesus as Savior and recognize the grace and mercy of God. They know there is evil in this world but they also see good and praise God for it.
Two things we need to consider in this study. One, do not overestimate the devil, but neither underestimate him. We can overestimate him by saying “the devil made me do it” taking away our choice. No, we, and all people, make choices. Some make evil choices that are destructive to themselves and others. They believe the lies of evil and make the effort to then fulfill those lies. In the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe,” Edmond is tempted with becoming a king if he would follow the commands of the Witch. He learns that be following her lies through the choices he makes, bad things happen including the deaths of three characters in the story. Only as people give themselves to the devil will the devil’s influence grow over them. In the end, what Edmond wanted he received by repentance and a willingness to sacrifice himself for others.
Neither should we underestimate the devil. To say that he does not exist, or is relegated to a unseen role somewhere out there is dangerous. In some of our theology in churches of Christ, we have become deists. We see God as uninvolved, the Holy Spirit as giving us the word and returning to heaven, and the devil no longer having any role on earth. We have the Bible and that is all we need. Scripture is clear, we have believed a lie. The devil is still active in spiritual warfare, but so is God. Maybe there is not the active demon work as seen in the Gospels today, but that doesn’t mean the devil and his followers are not working. If we can entertain angels unaware (Hebrews 13:2), we might find ourselves confronting the devil and his if we are not careful. In the movie, The Devil’s Advocate, we see the devil as a lawyer tempting a fellow with various temptations. He isn’t the picture we often see, a red guy with a pointed tail and a pitchfork. If we are not alert, we might find ourselves being influenced by evil.
There is the paradox. While it appears that the devil rules the earth because of all the evil, in reality God is King and limits the activity of the devil. We have the responsibility to continue to walk in the light, under the love and grace of God.
George B. Mearns