It is a strange thing to know that our God is the King of Kings, yet not the ruler of this world.  The Bible says that Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), but how can this be?  This also goes into the age-old question of how a good God can allow such horrific things to happen in this world.  Well, the answer is that for a time, Satan is the god of this world.  The Good News is that there is coming a day when this will no longer be the case.  Here is our Verse of the Day:

Zechariah 14:9
⁹ The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
(NIV)

The Lord has given Satan dominion over the Earth for a time.  It seems almost backward that God would do this.  We have all wondered at one point in time why God would draw Satan’s attention to Job and then allow Satan to attack him in such horrific ways.  We wonder why there are things like hunger, rape, sex trafficking, murder, and so much other junk in this world if God is good.  Again, the answer is that Satan has dominion right now.

It is not that God is shut out of the world.  We know He is with us all the time.  But He, like Abraham, was a stranger in a foreign land.  We are reminded that neither He nor we are of this world, but we are living in it (John 17:16).  Zechariah is reminding us that one day, Satan will be destroyed and God will retain his rightful position as God without an adversary.  For now, Satan exists for the purposes of God, but not because he is powerful enough to resist God.  God created everything with His own breath.  to destroy Satan, He need only direct a big exhale and Satan is gone forever.  I don’t want to give any impression that the devil has power to challenge God.  He simply doesn’t.  And one day, the Bible says that he and all of his demons will be thrown into the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).

But why does God allow Satan so much power and influence in the Earthly realm for now?  I want to answer this by giving you a Scripture that may seem to have nothing to do with it.

1 Corinthians 11:18-19
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹ No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval
(NIV)

This is a passage where the Apostle Paul is dealing with conflict in the church.  I know…you are shocked that there was conflict in the church even way back then 🙂

Paul says “there have to be differences among you.”  Why?  Why do there have to be arguments and disagreements in the church?  He goes on to explain so that people can see on whom the Spirit of God rests.  We have to remember that God is attempting to reveal Himself in a way that allows people to choose Him.  He wants us to choose Him because this is what true love is.  If He made everything good and we had no choice but to follow Him, we would all follow Him, but we would not love Him.  Love requires a choice.  Love is an action and I must choose to love which means there must be a choice to not love.  Disagreements in the church allow people to see who is speaking according to the Word of God and who are operating according to the principles of the Spirit.  When people disagree and argue, their true character comes out.  Remember, it is out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).  To hear someone argue or complain when they are unhappy reveals what is really in their heart.  It is not the subject of the argument that reveals God’s approval, but the spirit in which a person handles the conflict.

Our world is the same way.  For now, Satan has been given limited power in order to make clear the two paths.  There is a path that seems right but leads to destruction (Proverbs 14:12) and there is the highway of holiness that leads to peace and joy (Isaiah 35:8-10).  The two paths reveal a path that is good and loving and wonderful.  This is the path of God.  It allows us to see how God loves us.  It allows us to see all that He has done for us.  As we compare the highway of holiness to the path of this world, it is clear which path comes from a loving father and which comes from a vengeful enemy.  One builds up, the other tears down.  One saves, one destroys.  One rejuvenates, one kills.

We don’t like it.  I don’t like it.  But as Paul says ‘there must be’ differences in order for people to see the love of God more clearly.  As we see His love for us, we are drawn into Him (1 John 4:19).  So, for now, we must wait.  But our hope is in the Day that is coming when Jesus shall appear on His throne in Heaven and every knee…every knee will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.  Satan will be destroyed and God will reign without opposition.  The Kingdom of Heaven will be the only Kingdom that remains.  To God be the Glory!

Watching evil to seemingly succeed is one of the most difficult things for believers.  What evils have you had to endure in your life?  Leave me a comment.  I would love to pray for you and with you.  Do you believe you have overcome or are you still working through it?

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Live Blessed and Be a Blessing!

Pastor Lee is a pastor and Biblical life coach.  He has been helping people through counseling, pastoring, teaching, and preaching for 20+ years.  His ministry focuses on helping people overcome the strongholds of the past and press on into God’s plan for an abundant life.  He has been married to his wife, Amy for 28 years.  He has three sons and one daughter-in-love.  For more about Pastor Lee or to get some Biblical advice, go to the About page.