We left our pondering posts with the possibility that God is closing the window of freedom in America. I say possibility because we do not know the future. In fact, God may be opening an even larger window. I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet (Amos 7:14). It would be wise to consider what we know for sure from God’s Word. We absolutely know that the Lord Jesus Christ will ultimately be glorified. All the light in the entire universe will finally be shined upon Him (Rom. 11:36; Eph. 3:21; 2 Tim. 4:18). We know the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10). We must know the plans of our enemy! It is difficult for believers to tell the good guys from the bad guys. The reason? It is not as easy as contrasting good versus evil, but good versus good. Satan is a master at using human good to accomplish his plans. He transforms himself into an angel of light and his ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works (2 Cor. 11:13-14). This is when life gets complicated.
God has not given us night vision eyes to see in the darkness in order to tell the difference, but He has given us His Word to teach us and His Spirit to guide us (Jn. 16:13-14). It is this knowledge and leadership that gives us discernment, allowing us to navigate Satan’s darkness. Let’s look at what we know.
Turning to the words of a psalm writer, we read, “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully [arrogance],’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn [power)]. Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck [over confidence].’ For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another” (Psa. 75:4-7). God is the sovereign king over all that is. He raises up nations and puts down nations. It is His call! Sovereignty means that God created and controls every part of the angelic realm and every part of the human realm. Nations rise and fall at His will.
David said that God’s kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:9). Every atom in this entire universe at every moment is under His command. There are times when history seems to be fractured, split into many moving pieces. We are living in such a time right now. Satan appears to be running freely, corrupting everything in his path. Conflict is raging right here, right now. Cities are filled with anarchy. No matter what the politicians promise, this insanity rages. Leaders cry for peace, but there is no peace. Conflict will continue in one form or another until the end of time. But there is never a time when God is not in control. Nebuchadnezzar “blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion [worldwide dominance] and His kingdom [rule] is from generation to generation” (Dan. 4:34).
No matter what human government rules, God is in charge. He laughs at man’s futile attempts to rule (Psa. 2:4). “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven [the angelic realm] and among the inhabitants of the earth [the human realm]. No one can restrain His hand [ prevent Him from doing His will] or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Daniel 4: 35). No human can put God on trial and figure Him out. No matter how life may appear, God dominates.
There is another fact that we know for sure. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one”(1 Jn. 5:19). John exposed a serious conundrum in this small verse. Those who are “of God” are in fact living under the constant influence of the wicked one. A part of our connection to fallen Adam is that we were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), born into this world as children of wrath (Eph. 2:3); once darkness (Eph .5:8); under the power of darkness (Col. 1:13; 1 Pet. 2:9); and all under the power of Satan (Acts 26:18). “Dead in trespasses and sin,” “children of wrath,” “darkness,” “under the power of darkness,” “under the power of Satan,” are all horrible words. “Made alive,” “taken from,” “delivered into,” “called out of this world” “called into His marvelous light,” “into the kingdom of the Son of His love” are wonderful words! We once were there but now we are here! Note the fact that God does it. God delivers us. God calls us out. God calls us from Satan’s dominion of darkness and births us into the light of His glorious kingdom. Believers are born physically into Satan’s domain and born again into God’s kingdom.
We need to chart the course of how we got to where we are today. Let’s first describe the origin of Satan’s dominion of darkness. I suffer from a mild case of arachnophobia. I say mild because I do not fear spiders that I can see. I can usually distinguish the bad guys from the good guys. Although difficult to do, I often let the good guys live (unless they are in my house, my bed, my chair, or on me), and because my youngest grandson’s loves “Charlotte’s Web” and has compelled me to watch it many times; and his favorite song was “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” It is the spiders that hide in the most unsuspecting places that are the problem. I am intrigued by an interesting arachnid called the wolf spider. The characteristics of the wolf spider perfectly mirror Satan’s Babylonian religious system. How? Wolves are instantly recognized predators worldwide. They are found in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Young children of every language group quickly learn about wolves and are intrigued by them. Wolves are good hunters, and they like to hunt at night. Wolf spiders live up to that name because they are also robust and agile night hunters with excellent, reflective eyesight. Satan is also an agile hunter, and he loves the darkness (1 Pet. 5:8). He is the angel of darkness, and that is where he thrives (Acts 26:18). Blessings!