Every day we see more and more tragedy all over the world. This brings up the question in many people “Can’t God do something ?” Yes. He is doing something. He is showing people the fruits of evil actions. He is making them see that life without His is horrible.
God gave Adam and Eve a choice in the Garden of Eden. So today, each person has a choice to make. As people choose to follow their own hearts desires instead of choosing to obey God, the condition of the world will get worse. God is allowing the world to see what following Satan results in.
Matthew 24:6-8 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
1. THE DEVIL HAS POWER, AND DESIRES TO RULE OVER PEOPLE.
A. GOD WANTS PEOPLE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SATAN RULES. THEY ARE THEN GIVEN A CHOICE.
It is hard to decide between two things when you don’t know what the two things really are. People today are fed much false information about the devil, and need to know that they can reject the devil and his ways.
Isaiah 14:16-17 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
B. GOD PUTS A HEDGE AROUND HIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN THOSE WHO SIMPLY RESPECT HIS WORD. THIS PROTECTS THEM FROM DOING THE FOOLISH THINGS.
Consider this, you won’t find any of the people committing mass murders going to church, or studying the Bible or having fellowship with born-again people.
Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
–GOD PUT A HEDGE AROUND LOT IN THE O.T. BECAUSE OF THE PRAYERS OF ABRAHAM. BUT, GOD WAS GIVING HIM TIME TO GET RIGHT AND WOULD HAVE REMOVED HIS TIME ON EARTH IF IT WASN’T FOR ABRAHAM PLEADING WITH GOD.
–TAKE AWAY GOD’S HEDGE, AND THE PEOPLE WILL BE OVERRUN WITH EVIL.
Isaiah 5:5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
2. GOD HAS ALLOWED PEOPLE TO DECIDE ON THEIR GOVERNMENTS.
THIS IS TO LET THEM DETERMINE IF ANY HUMAN-LED GOVERNMENT IS GOOD, OR NOT.
A. GOVERNMENTS SO FAR ARE OF THE GENTILES.
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
B. THE DEVIL, THROUGH THE WORLD, HAS TRIED EVERY TYPE OF GOVERNMENT, AND HAS FAILED.
Daniel’s image was the representation of types of human government.
Daniel 2:31-35 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
3. SICKNESS, DISEASE, ACCIDENTS ARE ALTERNATIVES TO THE PERFECTION WHICH GOD ESTABLISHED.
THESE CAME BECAUSE THE DEVIL DECEIVED MANKIND INTO THINKING HIS WAYS WOULD BE BETTER.
A. PEOPLE FOLLOW LIES AND SUFFER AND DIE BECAUSE OF IT.
–MANY DECEPTIVE SPIRITS.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
–THE DEVIL HIMSELF IS INVOLVED IN DECEIVING PEOPLE.
Revelation 12:9 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.
Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
–A PERSON CAN DECEIVE THEMSELVES, TOO. GOD GIVES US THE OPTION OF GETTING OUR HEADS ON STRAIGHT.
Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
B. WE CAN CHOOSE LIFE OR DEATH.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
MANY DECEIVE THEMSELVES INTO THINKING THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH. GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN.