Is God in Control? Part 2

Who Is the God of This World?

God as Creator is Lord over His creation, the heavens and the earth. Part 1 of this series showed that 1) God created the heavens and the earth and all living things in them, 2) He set everything in its course within the natural confines of time and space, and 3) He created man in His own spiritual image, giving him dominion over His creation.

Then why isn’t everything in this world good and a blessing? We will go to the Bible and learn who the “god of this world” is today that brings such hurt to mankind.

Although created by God to reflect His glory, Lucifer proudly thought he was greater than his Creator. Jesus Christ unveiled this fallen angel, the Devil, who only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus Christ came to overcome the Devil so that we can have life more abundantly.

God’s Authority on Earth as in Heaven

Jesus Christ knew his heavenly Father intimately. He understood that God’s will is done in heaven. Yet Jesus taught his disciples to pray in order that God’s will would be done upon earth. Jesus Christ knew that his Father had all rulership, power, and glory forever. He also knew that there was an evil one, the Devil, who stood in direct opposition to his Father.

Matthew 6:9,10,13:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil [the evil one, the Devil]: For thine is the kingdom [rulership], and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Jesus Came to Overcome the Devil

Jesus Christ described the Devil as a thief, one who takes by stealth and deception what does not belong to him. The Greek word for “Devil” means one who throws accusations against another. He is also called Satan, the deceiver. As the thief, Satan steals the thoughts of men’s souls, he kills men’s bodies and physical blessings, and he destroys their potential for eternal life and spiritual rewards from God.

Yet Jesus Christ came to overcome the Devil. Through Jesus Christ, anyone can have life more abundantly. Why? Because the one true God, the Father of Jesus Christ, is greater than the Devil. Jesus said that his Father was “greater than all.”

John 10:10,29:
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

The God of This World

How did mankind get into such a position that we needed to overcome this evil? If God was originally in control of events on earth and gave such dominion to Adam, how did the Devil get so much power today? The Bible, God’s Word, gives us the answers.

Who is called “the god of this world” in our day and time?

II Corinthians 4:3,4:
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Satan, the Devil, is the “god of this world.” He is a thief, who blinds the minds of those who refuse to believe the glorious good news of Jesus Christ. He is the leader of the “princes of this world” who were responsible for crucifying God’s only begotten Son.

I Corinthians 2:7,8:
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

If God is the Creator, how did such evil enter the world? Did He originally create the Devil to be so wicked and destructive? No. Originally God created spirit beings, which are called angels. One of these angels was Lucifer. Angels are spirit beings who were given the privilege of ministering. They excelled with God’s strength and could do God’s will. They had the freewill choice to hearken unto the voice of God’s Word.

Psalms 104:4:
Who [God] maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.

Psalms 103:20:
Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

Lucifer Becomes the Devil

With such great power and authority given by their Creator, the angels could decide to lovingly acknowledge God as the Source of their abilities. One mighty angel is named Michael. His name means “who is like unto God?” Michael realizes that God is greater than he is. Another mighty angel is named Gabriel. His name means “mighty one of God.” He knows that his might and power comes from his Creator. So what about Lucifer? What was he like originally?

Ezekiel 28:13-15:
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou wast perfect [without blemish] in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity [evil, wickedness, unrighteousness] was found in thee.

God originally created Lucifer to be perfect before Him. The Creator did not put any blemish within His angel. Lucifer had the freedom of will to love, worship, and serve his Creator. But wickedness was found in him. He decided not to acknowledge Who had given him all the wonderful abilities and beauty that he had. His heart was lifted up with pride and therefore his wisdom became corrupted. God had no choice but to cast him from heaven.

Ezekiel 28:16-18:
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Lucifer not only failed to recognize the true source of all the good things that he had. He also said in his heart that he was greater than his Creator! That is why he was brought down from what should have been a joyous relationship with his loving Creator and his fellow angels.

Isaiah 14:12-15:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

The Book of Revelation describes the Devil as a dragon who drew a third part of the stars (angels) of heaven with him. He fought against Michael and the angels under his authority, and Lucifer and “his angels” could not prevail over God’s greater power. Lucifer and his angels had no more place in heaven. They now make up the evil spirit realm that continues to plague the earth.

Revelation 12:3-9:
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Anyone who believes on Jesus Christ has victory over the Devil and his angels. We have salvation through the accomplished work of God’s only begotten Son. But does that stop Satan from accusing God’s people? No. The word “Devil” in Greek is diabolos, and literally means to “throw against.” He accuses the brethren day and night.

Revelation 12:10:
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Lucifer Gets Dominion

Part 1 in this series showed that God gave Adam and Eve dominion over the earth.

Genesis 1:28:
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

We also saw that by giving mankind dominion, God gave man the authority to exercise that dominion.

Genesis 2:16,17:
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God, Who is all love and gives only life, was showing Adam that he must follow Him as Lord over all to continue in the blessed life that He had entrusted to him. But Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Lucifer, called the serpent, deceived Eve and Adam followed in the deception. He got them to believe “the lie,” that they could be as great as God. This was the same lie that had brought down Lucifer in his pride and self-righteousness.

Genesis 3:4,5:
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods [Elohim, God], knowing good and evil.

Romans 1:25:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie [the lie], and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

II Corinthians 11:3:
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled [seduced away from God] Eve through his subtilty [trickery]….

The Devil is tricky. He even tried to seduce Jesus Christ into believing “the lie” and worshipping him rather than God. Jesus Christ refused the offer of worldly power and worshipped and served his heavenly Father alone!

Luke 4:5-8:
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said unto him, All this power [authority] will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered [handed over] unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Remember that God gave Adam dominion over all upon earth.

Genesis 1:28:
And God blessed them [Adam and Eve], and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion [radah, subjugate] over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

The Devil could offer Jesus Christ all the authority and glory of the world, because Adam had handed it over to him. If Satan did not have such dominion, Jesus would have told him so. The Devil, as the god of this world, exercises his dominion over the nations in anger.

Isaiah 14:6:
He [Lucifer] who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled [radah, subjugated] the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

Satan and Job

Moses may have written the Book of Job as the very first recorded Word of God, according to some Bible scholars. It shows the Devil exercising his dominion over God’s man, Job.

Job 1:7:
And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Remember that Satan and his angels had been cast out of heaven because of pride and wickedness. Now Satan goes to and fro and walks up and down in the earth. Job had lost much of his trust in the Lord and was fearful (Job 3:25); he continually worried that his sons had sinned and cursed God in their hearts (Job 1:5). This allowed Satan to use his dominion in attacking Job.

Job 1:12-19:
And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:
And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire [lightning] of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house:
And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

The Devil used worldly means to steal, kill, and destroy Job’s family and property. Sabean raiders attacked Job’s farms and livestock, killing his servants. Lightning burned up Job’s sheep and the shepherds. Three bands of Chaldeans stole the camels and killed those keeping watch over them. And even Job’s own children were killed when violent winds caved in the house they were in. The Devil only spared four messengers to bring this devastating news to Job.

When Job recognized his sin and again trusted in God, he saw deliverance from the Devil’s exercised dominion.

Job 42:1,5,6,10:
Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

God’s Plan for Mankind

God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, our heavenly Father wants to care for us. He gave mankind dominion in this life. The Devil, that old serpent, deceived Adam and Eve so that he gained dominion as the god of this world. Yet God in His foreknowledge knew all this would happen. God had lovingly given even Lucifer the freewill choice to love and obey Him. God had a plan.

In Part 3 we will see how God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to redeem mankind and give God’s children dominion over the adversary in this world. Although the Devil thought he would have dominion forever, God provided a mediator to give man back his God-given authority. That man was a ransom, a savior—the Lord Jesus Christ!

I Timothy 2:5,6:
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

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