I saw a Facebook post earlier today from the page "F*** it, let's all have a beer."
The post was from a man who claimed to have grown up in the Catholic church, who has stated that since he has seen how the Islamic terrorist group ISIS has set a Jordanian pilot on fire, despite all his praying, there cannot be a God.
Well, he probably didn't come to that conclusion based on that one death. I think we can all agree that there are horrible deaths, injustices, diseases (i.e. Ebola, HIV, etc.), geo-political issues that result in genocide or war on a daily basis.
We are much more aware of this stuff today because we live in the information age. There is Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, 24hr news cycles, and the like. These technologies, while seemingly modern marvels brings our world closer together with every passing day. Things aren't 'off the radar' anymore like they were even 10 years ago, let alone a generation or two, or even a century.
World census estimates that in 2015 there are approx. 7 billion people on this planet now. In 1970, it was estimated at around 3.7 billion, and in 1950, it was closer to 2.55 billion. Suffice to say that in the last 50 years, the population of this earth has doubled. With it brings a lot of evil.
You cannot deny that evil doesn't seem more prevalent today than ever before. It's not that evil never existed before now, it was just never as exposed with all this social media. We also have twice the amount of people running around this planet today than when our parents were children. 7 billion unique individuals all with their own agendas, egos, pride, sins, etc.
I understand why people might think there is no God. Even in my own family, I have older relatives that have said "If there is a God, why all this hurt? Why all this suffering? Why all this evil and turmoil, and war?" These are people who were raised in church as well, and now question God and His seemingly hands-off attitude towards mankind.
I admit, I'd be lying if I didn't wonder why God doesn't show His hand a lot more like he seemingly did in the Old Testament. But that's precisely my point. He corrected mankind more than a few times in the OT (The great flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt, to name a few) and yet we still reject Him, blame Him, turn our back on Him. We want Him out of our schools, our marriages, our politics, our communities, and then have the audacity to bitch and complain when the world looks as if it is going to 'hell in a hand basket'.
Well, which is it? Do you want Him, or not? Remember, He didn't turn His back on us. We walked out on Him.
He gave His only son, Jesus Christ....who taught love and kindness...to the wolves of the world, as a savior, and the world instead mocked, ridiculed, whipped, beat, and crucified Him. They did all this to a homeless man, with no worldly possessions, no wife, no child.....who taught peace, humbleness, love, forgiveness, kindness, compassion. And somehow the world was offended by this. The world in it's infinite wisdom, self-appointed superior morality and intellect, decided they new better than Christ. Yeah, because the world was doing such a bang up job before hand based on their prior decisions.
So all this previous writing (above) is leading up to my main thrust today. If there is an all loving God, then why is this world is such dire straights?
Because this world, the one that we temporarily inhabit is under the domain of Satan. And even the best Christians (that includes Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Born Again, etc.) all seem to forget this.
So how is Satan the 'god' of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)?
Well, I think I found a decent answer. I'm taking this from another site, so it's not my words verbatim, but echoes what I think, but anyways.....
Answer: The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age”) indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions.
Satan is also called the "prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2. He is the "ruler of this world" in John 12:31. These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. To say, for example, that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air" is to signify that in some way he rules over the world and the people in it.
This is not to say that he rules the world completely; God is still sovereign. But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him. When the Bible says Satan has power over the world, we must remember that God has given him domain over unbelievers only. Believers are no longer under the rule of Satan (Colossians 1:13). Unbelievers, on the other hand, are caught "in the snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:26), lie in the "power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19), and are in bondage to Satan (Ephesians 2:2).
So, when the Bible says that Satan is the "god of this world," it is not saying that he has ultimate authority. It is conveying the idea that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the unbeliever follows Satan's agenda: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." Satan's scheme includes promoting false philosophies in the world—philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel. Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.
An example of one such false philosophy is the belief that man can earn God's favor by a certain act or acts. In almost every false religion, meriting God’s favor or earning eternal life is a predominant theme. Earning salvation by works, however, is contrary to biblical revelation. Man cannot work to earn God's favor; eternal life is a free gift (see Ephesians 2:8-9). And that free gift is available through Jesus Christ and Him alone (John 3:16; 14:6). You may ask why mankind does not simply receive the free gift of salvation (John 1:12). The answer is that Satan—the god of this world—has tempted mankind to follow his pride instead. Satan sets the agenda, the unbelieving world follows, and mankind continues to be deceived. It is no wonder that Scripture calls Satan a liar (John 8:44).
