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The Evil of this World
June 17, 2023

We live in times that seem intense. There is a war raging in Ukraine and military provocation in Asia. If wildfires aren’t burning in the woods of Canada or the United States, wildfires are burning in Australia. Climate change is a huge topic with opposing viewpoints each with very strong opinions, and if it’s not opposing views over climate change, it’s a debate between fossil fuels and renewable energy. Having just recently endured a global pandemic the world anxiously awaits the next health or food crisis.

Wages might be up but prices are up even more and the surge of migrants seeking entry into the United States recently was in part driven by very high food prices in their home country. With all of these migrants seemingly getting support from the government, citizens and residents wonder when they will get the help they need, and then become disheartened when instead of getting needed help they find elected officials helping themselves to the public trough.

If it’s not elected officials helping themselves to the public trough that bothers us, it might be increases in crime and violence, where act after act of violence occurs so routinely that it is hardly news anymore. What seems to be newsworthy is when there are longer than expected gaps between acts of violence. And in this world, lives God’s people, and make no mistake. We live in a world of evil. This world was a world of evil in the time of Jesus and evil is intensifying as time goes by. Even though we live in a world of evil, Jesus did not ask God to take us out of this world, but to keep us from the evil, knowing that as the children of God we are hated by this world as much as Jesus was hated in His day.

John 17:13-15
And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

As the people of God, the called, chosen, and faithful, we can call on God to remember this prayer of Jesus to keep us from the evil, and we do this through faith. The faith we must have needs to transcend belief. There are many who call themselves among the faithful who simply say they believe. From time to time, I walk by a house with a huge sign for all on the street to see, that the members of that family believes. Belief is a foundational element of faith but cannot be the sole component of faith for us. Coupled with belief must be what we do based on that belief.

James wrote about this concept in his letter asking can faith alone save a person, and James says no. James then gave an example of helping a person with a physical need showing how even thoughts and prayers are insufficient when it is within your power to physically help another person, and he gave this example not as an example of what works are, but to show there is a problem when faith is without works. James admitted that it is admirable to believe there is one God, and then quickly showed how even the demons believe there is one God and tremble. That might take some of us by surprise that even the demons believe there is one God, and James shows they do believe there is one God, and they believe there is one God while living in open rebellion against that one God.

James used that example to show that faith without works is dead. Nobody who is of the faith believes there is any hope of redemption for these fallen angels who today are the demons. Long ago they made their choice to abandon God and the incredible majesty of His Kingdom. These demons may be eternal beings and they have no future because their belief was so without works they rebelled against God. We cannot allow our faith to be without works.

James 2:14-26
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The works that we must have with our faith are works that lead us to remain loyal to God and Jesus Christ through obedience, doing what is expected of us through love. Satan rebelled against God and convinced a third of the angels to join him seeking to be greater than God with all the powers of God. What Satan did was evil and the opposite of what is expected from us.

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.

Imagine being Satan who sought to dethrone God for eternity only to find yourself on the losing side for eternity. In seeking his own glory, Satan was defeated and will become nothing. Imagine how unsettling that would be for anyone with an ego let alone Satan. With a huge ego and a stinging loss for all of eternity, imagine how bitterly angering that would make Satan. The Book of Revelation also speaks of a war in heaven, and from the context of what is written, this war in heaven seems to be different than that attempt to overthrow God presented in Isaiah, because at this battle, the return of Jesus Christ seems imminent. Revelation portrays Satan as the accuser of the brethren but also shows the brethren, the faithful, called, and chosen, overcome Satan through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, by the word of their testimony, and not loving their lives to death. This book also shows how Satan is cast back to earth where he persecutes the faithful with a flood of water that comes after the faithful. Because imagery is used we don’t know for sure if that is a real flood, or if it could be a flood of accusations against the faithful that would in the eyes of this world drown the faithful, or if it could something else. From the imagery given to us in Revelation, we know the earth opens up to swallow the flood, and that this angers Satan to the point he goes to war with the remnant of the faithful, called, and chosen, identified as having the testimony of Jesus Christ who also keep the commandments of God. Satan, who knows there is no future or hope for him other than an eternal future of nothing, is so miserable he seeks a future of nothing for the called, chosen, and faithful. Satan faces a future of misery living a life of misery today while also seeking misery for others.

Revelation 12:7-17
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. 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. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

A world exploding with problems is not symptomatic of God being asleep, but Satan raging in misery. Later in Revelation, we see the imagery of three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, the mouth of the beast, and the mouth of the false prophet. These unclean spirits are demons who can work miracles, not miracles of good, but miracles of evil to bring the armies of men to Armageddon to fight against God and Jesus Christ.

Revelation 16:13-16
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

What we just read shows that miracles can be miracles of evil. That means that we should do more than just consider if a miracle has been performed. We need to evaluate if what has happened is a miracle of good or a miracle of evil giving us reason to never consider the miracle but what and who is behind the miracle. In his first letter, John tells us to not believe every spirit, but to try the spirits to see whether they are of God. With men we look to those who acknowledge that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. If a person performs a miracle and they are not aligned to the Bible, there is a problem with the spirit behind the miracle.

1 John 4:1-6
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus had encounters with demons living in people. When these demons inhabiting a person saw Jesus, the person would fall down proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God. On the surface, it seems like even these demons had respect for Jesus, and maybe in the world of spiritual dynamics which we do not fully understand yet, that might be the case. It could also be that these demons were trying very hard to bring attention to Jesus before His earthly ministry was complete in a desperate attempt to undermine divine authority. Through the world of spiritual dynamics which we don’t fully understand yet, not only can demons be cast out, but in the case of these demons trying to bring attention to Jesus, Jesus was able to shut them up.

Mark 3:7-12
But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

Luke shows us that some of the women who followed and helped Jesus had problems with demon possession and illnesses, and Jesus healed these women.

Luke 8:1-3
And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Some having read the verses we just read might conclude that demon possession and illness are always a package deal, and with demons, just about anything except doing what God expects of us can be part of that package deal. Matthew shows a distinction between demon possession and sickness and disease. The disciples were given power to cast out demons, and could also heal sickness and disease, two distinct actions.

Matthew 10:1
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

When Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, He came across two people who were possessed and wild with energy to the point that others stayed away. Immediately they knew who Jesus was and instead of calling Him out as the Son of God, they asked if He was there to torment them before the time. The demons know their future of eternal nothing is a future of eternal torment. They begged Jesus to allow them to leave the humans whose bodies they were inhabiting and possess a herd of swine. Jesus agreed and the pigs stampeded down a steep place into the sea, and died. When word got back to the city of what had happened, instead of rejoicing at the freedom for these two people, the city people feared Jesus and asked him to leave.

Matthew 8:28-34
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

These people were so accustomed to the evil they saw through demonic possession, that they could not accept a righteous result. Today we should not expect a difference in viewpoint from people who are primarily used to evil. People today will equally have a hard time accepting righteousness. The Pharisees couldn’t accept the righteousness of Jesus Christ and attributed what He did do Satan. When Jesus healed a person by casting out a demon, the Pharisees claimed Jesus did this through the power of Satan. Jesus had to point out how wrong they were.

Matthew 12:22-29
Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

An entire city rejected righteousness favoring evil, and even the religious elite rejected righteousness favoring evil. Today, we should not expect anything more from people who are not part of the called, faithful, and chosen. Being part of the called, faithful, and chosen, does not mean we can automatically cast out demons. Even the disciples of Jesus had difficulty with one instance. A man had a son with no sense of reasoning who self-harmed himself and the disciples could not cast out the demon. Jesus had to extend teaching to the disciples and explain that their unbelief led to this failure, that they should have prayed and fasted first.

Matthew 17:14-21
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

The example which we just read is an account of a single person. It would be a mistake to conclude that all people who lack reasoning who also self-harm have a demon problem. There are many genetic and medical reasons that bring these symptoms without any type of demon possession.

During Paul’s ministry, he encountered different types of people in every city, including a young girl who was demon possessed, and that demonic possession became a financial boondoggle for her handlers. This girl followed Paul and loudly proclaimed that Paul and Silas were servants of the most high God and would lead people to salvation. This demon probably wasn’t performing a public service announcement but was acting to distract and annoy Paul. Paul became annoyed and cast out the demon, and that caused a civil problem because the girl’s handlers lost their source of income. As a result, Paul and Silas ended up in jail.

Acts 16:16-24
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

Paul became well known for casting out demons, and a few who had seen Paul devised a plan to profit from it by casting out demons in the name of Jesus through Paul. These men found out that the demon would have been fine with a Christian calling on the name of Jesus or the man of Paul calling on the name of Jesus, but the demon had no regard for these men and violently attacked them, showing a person can fool another person religiously, but will never fool a demon with phony religious intent and sincerity.

Acts 19:11-16
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

It would be Paul who would write to the Ephesians telling them to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might to put on the whole armor of God to stand against Satan’s tricks. He reminded them that our battle is not physical but spiritual, and we have to fight our fight through spiritual means based in truth, righteousness, understanding the Gospel, having faith, protecting our mind with the hope of salvation, and using the word of God, the Bible, as our offensive weapon, and always praying.

Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

The evil of this world is rooted in Satan and the demons, and we need to heed the words of what Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy, that in the latter times some would depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. Anything that seduces somehow makes you feel good. You are not seduced by feeling bad, so think about a version of Christianity that makes people feel good-that is the Christianity of seducing spirits. Now we should take comfort in the faith and hope that we have and feel good about that hope, but not to be seduced about the present. Coupled with these seducing spirits are doctrines of demons which among many things includes commanding to abstain from meats which God created to be received with thanksgiving, the clean meats of the Old Testament. Can you think of any movement that suggests people should limit their consumption of meat for any reason? There are some who suggest that people should limit eating beef because cattle are large contributors of methane gas, which creates climate change. There are others who grow beef in a lab. It might be called lab-grown meat, cultivated meat, or cultured meat, and in the United States the Food and Drug Administration is already granting approvals. While I am not planning to eat any lab-grown meat, these meats and the vegetable products made to taste and look like meat are a modern fit within the words of Paul and that should alert us that the doctrines of devils and seducing spirits is alive and well in our time today, knowing that we do not want to depart from the faith.

1 Timothy 4:1-5
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Many of the interpersonal problems we tend to have as people are not physical in nature, but spiritual. James tells us to resist the devil and the devil will flee from us. Today we live in a polarized world, where people are divided and cannot get along with each other. Politically in America, there used to be a time when liberal and conservative identified differing philosophies to solve problems in the country. Today, it is as if these labels identify the enemy, and there are spiritual forces working on that as there are spiritual forces working on any type of division and fights. James wrote to the brethren and asked where do wars and fightings come from among you? He wasn’t writing to government leaders, so it’s important to know that among brethren there can be strife, and that strife comes not from doing what God expects of us, but by not doing what God expects of us. It is when we submit to God and resist the devil, that Satan will flee from us. We need to draw near to God and purify our hearts. We do not wait for others to draw near to God and purify their hearts.

James 4:1-10
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

What we spiritually know and understand is not understood by those who are not of the called, chosen, and faithful. The god with a small “g” of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of all who do not believe, who are not of the called, chosen, and faithful. As a result, what we believe and do easily stands out like a light in darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 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. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Paul did not seek his own glory in what he did. He chose to sacrifice his needs for the benefit of the brethren, so that they might be exalted. He chose not to be a burden to the brethren. He warned them of people who seek their own glory calling them false apostles and deceitful workers adding that even Satan can appear as an angel of light. He encouraged the brethren to consider not the appearance of the person, but what they do. Do they do what God expects, or are they like Satan who sought his own glory?

2 Corinthians 11:7-15
Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

We have to hold the truth in righteousness, meaning in having the truth we have to do what God expects of us. We cannot hold the truth in unrighteousness where we know the truth and ignore it. Paul gives an example that is common to many people who do not acknowledge God as creator, and yet who gladly accept the creation. They might attribute the creation to mother nature or natural selection, but they do not accept God as creator for whatever reason works in their mind. Some might somewhat accept God, but these people tend to worship and serve the creation more than the creator.

Romans 1:18-25
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Rejecting God while accepting what God creates leaves a spiritual void and Satan will be quick to fill that void. Satan seeks to spiritually devour whomever he can, and seeks to devour those who are of the called, chosen, and faithful. We resist Satan by being steadfast in the faith, rejecting those seducing spirits and doctrines of demons knowing that in time, through Jesus Christ God will bring us to perfection.

1 Peter 5:8-11
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Finally, the evil of this world in which we live will come to an end. Peter shows that God has cast away the demons and Satan, and will bring them to judgement where they face an eternity of nothing. We can look to Noah and his family, eight people who were spared from the flood. We can look to Lot who was spared from the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, knowing we too will have deliverance from the evil of this world.

2 Peter 2:4-9
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds; The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

The evil of this world seems to be growing, and because Satan has a future of nothing that for him is a future of complete misery, he seeks through evil to bring misery to the people of earth. We who are the called, chosen, and faithful know that God delivers His people out of temptations and reserves the unjust for the day of punishment to be punished. We have no idea what difficulties may lay ahead as we move closer to the return of Jesus Christ, but we can take comfort in knowing for us, for the called, chosen, and faithful, God will deliver us from the evil of this world.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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