Monday, May 09, 2016
The Bible makes it clear that
civilizations and societies are influenced by Satan.
The apostle John writes that “the whole
world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Through his
influence Satan has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9). The
entirety of civilization has been seduced by this cunning being through his
persuasive deception and insidious lies.
The result has been thousands of
years of human anguish, misery and suffering. Deceived by his lies, people have
willingly adopted Satan’s way of life rather than God’s way. The result of
following Satan’s way, which through his deception appears fine and well and
quite natural to most people, is predictable: “There is a way that seems right
to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25, NIV).
Satan’s deception is so complete, so
pervasive, that the Bible calls him “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians
4:4). The apostle Paul, in the original Greek, identifies him as the theos—the god, the one who is worshipped—of
this eon, this age, this period in history.
Consider the magnitude of Satan’s
influence over humanity—so great that most of mankind unknowingly worships and follows
the devil as its god. That is the incredible truth revealed in your
Bible! Understanding that reality explains so many of the troubling paradoxes
we see in the world around us.
Paul explained that, as a result of
Satan’s hold on humanity, most people do not believe the truth of the Bible.
They do not understand the gospel—the good news—of God’s plan for mankind.
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