It’s difficult to escape the fascination with super-heroes in all types of media sources in our culture. Everyone wants all wrongs to be made right, and wishes a super-hero would show up when life falls apart and save us. Unfortunately, our world doesn’t include super-heroes with supernatural power. At least “not now. “
But, you may be wondering, “what do you mean? ‘at least not now?’” Am I saying that someday, this world will have super-heroes in it? No, but I do mean that, most of the time we don’t think about it, but this world that we currently live in does have supernatural beings with supernatural power. And you may be thinking, “yeah… really? Are you talking about angels and demons, and God?” Yes, I am. I’m a Christian who believes in God, in angels, and demons, and what the bible says about everything supernatural. God tells me that there is more going on in this world than just what I can see with my eyes. I live in a supernatural world, and so do you. Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The bible has a lot to say about God, Satan, angels, demons, heaven and hell. These are all supernatural. Science alone cannot explain everything about them.
There is a super-natural spiritual world all around us, whether we acknowledge that or not, doesn’t change its existence. There is an invisible veil hiding that spiritual world from our present view and preoccupation. We are more concerned with our material, fallen world as it is today, and how that world affects us. Most of the time, we remain unaware and ignorant of the supernatural world beyond. Occasionally, some of us, get a sneak peek, or a glimpse of the supernatural, and then become aware of the spirit world around and beyond what we can see. But more often than not, we are oblivious. Usually, that’s a blessing, but denying God entirely, that will ultimately, not be a blessing to you. Instead it will be a condemnation. Your rejection of God, and the existence of His unseen world, will be your greatest regret, of that I am certain.
God exists, the spiritual world exists, and our present world has a ‘Prince’, but this worldly prince, namely Satan, is not one filled with peace. He’s liar and a murderer, and he wants this world filled with the same. And so it is. Take one look at our world and you will recognize, evil prevails here, more than anything else. For now, Yes, Evil seems like it’s winning. Satan may be the ‘prince of this world’ that I live in, but even he doesn’t have complete control and dominion over it. Only the creator does, and that happens to be God, not Satan. This is God’s world. He has dominion over his creation. I serve a God who is unlimited by the natural world I live in. He is creator, He has all authority to rule over my world and all that occurs within that world. I just live in it. But, more than that, God has mercy on this world and on me. God has given me access to Himself through His Son, Jesus. Because of all Christ has done, I have full access to God. And He’s given me more than just instructions about how to live. I have his holy spirit within me to live in this difficult world. I have the ability to become more and more like Christ, and I will have Eternal access to His kingdom after I die. A place has been prepared there for me, I know where I’m going and who I will be with. A new Heaven and Earth are waiting as well. The world as it is now, will pass away.
God had a plan greater than this “present darkness”. God hasn’t abandoned this world and given it to Satan, to reign forever. God will take it back. He sent his Son, Jesus to redeem this world and save us. And there is much to be saved from. Maybe you tire of hearing about it. Maybe you don’t want Jesus as your savior. Perhaps, if you admitted the truth, you’d rather be your own God, then bow to the God there is.
For most people, that’s the truth. Nothing has changed since the beginning. Most people don’t want to worship God, be subject to God, answer to His authority over them and His creation, and live the way God tells them to live according to what the bible says. We’d rather be our own god, in control over our own lives, live the way we want to live, whether that’s the best way to live or not. God has always offered a better way to live, but very few choose it. Adam and Eve had direct access to God, and lived in a garden paradise, and still didn’t choose Him. It shouldn’t surprise us that we also don’t choose God, who we cannot hear and see. Unless this world was as terrible as it is, would you actually seek God? Would you search for a savior? Would you choose Christ or seek God if our present world wasn’t filled with the worst of everything possible? What would you need saved from if this world was still a paradise?
God offered Himself by visiting daily with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He provided a ‘paradise’ for them to live in, with physical and spiritual access to Himself, and it wasn’t enough. They weren’t satisfied with the paradise God provided them before ‘the fall’. Even with daily visits from God, Adam and Eve didn’t like getting their knowledge only from God and following only what God suggested. The tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, was enticing partly because, before eating from that tree, they had to rely on God to tell them what was good or evil. They didn’t know that on their own. They had to rely on God. Even in the beginning, in a paradise garden, they seemed to tire quickly from listening, obeying, relying on, and following God. We’re just like Adam and Eve.
It seems we forget, originally, in the beginning, there was another way to gain Eternal life, in that garden. The “tree of eternal life’ was also in the garden, not just the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Before Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, The Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, they had access to the other tree, the Tree of Eternal Life. Adam and Eve were instructed not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but weren’t forbidden to eat from the other tree, the tree of Eternal life. At least, not, initially. They weren’t barred from that tree until after they ate from the forbidden tree. But, they weren’t tempted by the Tree of Eternal Life, were they? They weren’t forbidden to eat from it. What was readily available to them, God and the Tree of Eternal Life, didn’t appeal to them, did it? Not like the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that the Serpent suggested, which was forbidden by God. God’s instructions and warnings weren’t enough for Adam and Eve to listen and obey. They listened to someone else besides God, they desired something else, besides God.
The ‘serpent’ in the garden didn’t challenge them about eating from that tree, the Tree of Eternal Life, did he? No. The serpent deceived Eve. He focused on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because Adam and Eve were presently gaining that knowledge about good and evil only through God, as they were supposed to. They were enjoying God’s company, His presence and His paradise. They were meant to rely on God alone, for all the knowledge they needed to live well. They were meant to rely on God alone for life and godliness.
But the serpent knew he could tempt them to bypass God and get that knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil, another way, and from a source apart from God. Formerly, that knowledge came to Adam and Eve directly from God, but after they ate from the forbidden tree, everything changed. Their dependance and reliance on God also changed, as did their access to Him. Adam and Eve’s disregard of God’s instructions, resulted in gaining the knowledge of good and evil apart from God, but ruined their fellowship and enjoyment with God in the garden, and their access to Eternal Life by eating from the other tree. As soon as they disobeyed God, they were barred from access to the tree of Eternal Life.
Adam and Eve, chose to disobey God, and chose knowledge apart from God. Soon they also lost their connection to God, were barred from the tree of eternal life, and ejected from the garden. The garden also, was no longer the paradise that naturally produced for them easily as it once did. Now Adam had to work hard to feed them, and the earth didn’t cooperate with them anymore. They didn’t stand up to the temptation to be ‘their own gods’. The serpent tempted them with the same disdain for God and His authority which he had himself, and was successful at promoting the same in Adam and Eve. Unfortunately for us, we all do the same today. We prefer our own authority over ourselves instead of God. We reject God’s authority over us, and the knowledge about His creation, our world, which he’s recorded for us in His Word, the Bible. We select our own ways to live, above and instead of living as God recommends. We live as though we know better than God.
The choice to Obey God, to value Him more than anything else, was challenged from the beginning. Adam and Eve choose something other than God, and so do we, all the time. Everyday. Every time we choose something other than God, there areconsequences. Those consequences are always unpleasant. They separate us from God, and each other. They cause tremendous problems. Often even horrific problems. And the serpent, Satan remains, here to continue to tempt, deceive, and destroy. The ‘why’ of that and other questions, I won’t address now, but encourage you to find out for yourself. Read your bible, to find out more. The resulting world we live in, has never been the paradise it once was for Adam and Eve before ‘the fall’.
You don’t like the world we live in? Maybe it’s time to look into another one. Another kingdom. The kingdom God promises us, talked about in the Bible. God rules a kingdom, but only those who acknowledge Him, accept and follow His son, Jesus, and accept Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf, has access to this greater kingdom than the world we presently live in. This greater kingdom, is a kingdom to come, not one we enjoy right now. Our world right now, presently belongs to the prince of darkness, for now, until the rightful prince of peace returns to reign again. Jesus promises to come again. When he comes, he will rule.
The “world to come.” Thy Kingdom Come.” One day, it will come. Our ‘new world’. God’s kingdom, His kingdom is one “to come”. Much of what exists in that kingdom is difficult to see or discern in our present world. There are traces of it, glimpses that we can sometimes discern and see, of what it once was and will be again. But, for now, it is partially hidden. Veiled. A mere shadow of what it once was and will be again.
As Easter approaches, we are reminded of what it cost our savior, Jesus Christ, to provide a way to reach the supernatural world, the kingdom that’s waiting for us. Death, at present hasn’t been overcome or removed, neither has the present evil in our world, resulting from our own sinful choices, the serpents existence and reign in this world as “the prince of this world’, and his followers (demons, fallen angels), and their influence upon us. Satan has a lot of them, fallen angels and followers, to affect us and our world. To think, there isn’t more going on in this world than just us and what we see, is short-sighted, and naive. We are simply living in a battleground, a battle of the possession of this earth, that precedes us. One day, another round of that war will wage for all to see. And Satan doesn’t win, God does. Satan will never rule again, Jesus will.
Until then, the focus is to spread the “good news”, God loves us, He sent Jesus to save us. Satan doesn’t win, despite his advantage right now, Jesus already defeated him. The world and everyone Jesus saves already belong to God and cannot be taken away. He secured that outcome, by going to the cross, Jesus already paid the price for all sin, our sin, and our fallen, broken world. Jesus will redeem it all. He already hasprocured it. He finished that work on the Cross.
As Easter approaches, remember that, rejoice in that, believe in all that Christ has done for you, for us all. Embrace and receive His gift of salvation that you did nothing to receive. Jesus accomplished it for you. Accept his gift. His death and resurrection on the cross, completely for you. Rely on it. Look forward to His kingdom. His kingdom will come. Jesus will reign again. Don’t you want to be there with Him someday?
I pray this Easter that you discover, or remember, that you do know someone with supernatural power, Jesus Christ. He has the power to save you, and to save us all, and this world. He died, but He lives again. He is Resurrected. He gives eternal life, to those who believe, and die in Him. He has conquered death. He will conquer Satan and all the powers of evil. He will overcome the world. He will come again to reign.
One day it all, will be accomplished, everything will be Redeemed, and New. This present darkness will be turned to light. His radiant, glorious light. Will you respond to what God has done for you?
Will you follow Christ? Will you belong to Him? I hope you will.
Receive what He accomplished on the Cross for You, Salvation, Susan