It is impossible, in our world today, not to observe that evil is increasing. We see violence, resistance, and disagreement everywhere — on television, in newspapers, in towns and neighborhoods, and even within families. Evil is everywhere on planet earth; we see evil people and situations all around us and most have actually experienced it ourselves. Sometimes we believe the world has gone crazy.
People are against people, governments and citizens are against each other, country against country, race against race, gender against gender, and the list goes on. There are social disorder, political polarization, military confrontations and wars — evil everywhere. Why can’t everyone just live in peace? There is an answer to that question, but not many people want to believe it.
It is not just evil within the nature of people that is increasing, but evil within the natural world, too. There are increases in disease, famine, chaotic weather patterns, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and more.
Our Lord Jesus Christ wrote about these end times in which we now live. In Matthew, chapter 24 he said there will be wars and rumors of wars (verse 6), nations will rise against nations and people against people, famines, and earthquakes (v. 7). Then he added there will be torture and death, general hatred of God’s people (v. 9), a falling away from religion, and loathing and betrayal of each other (v. 10). Also, there will be false prophets within the church to lead many astray (v. 11), and the love of many will decrease because of the lawlessness (v.12). This certainly sounds like the world in which we are currently living.
Jesus’ divine prophesies were foretelling the conditions on earth at the end of this age — the very last days before his return. Jesus knew that the cause of the increasing problems would be a result of elevated Satanic activity, but that explanation would have to wait until after his death to be dealt with in detail. Prior to his crucifixion, the apostles did not even understand that he must die, before the final phase of God’s divine plan was activated.
Jesus understood that Satan was in charge of the world and would do all the evil he could to destroy God’s arrangement before the end of the age. How do we know Satan is in control? This was proven when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert. “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’” (Luke 4:5-7, ESV). The devil is in control of the evil happening on earth and he has many associates, both spiritual and human, who help him in his evil works.1
There it is, proof in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, but not many people actually believe it. Why does God allow this evil? God allows Satan’s control for a reason; in this present age he wants us to choose goodness because we want it, not have it forced upon us.
When God created humans in the Garden of Eden, he didn’t say his creation was perfect, he said it was good. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good,” (Genesis 1:31, ESV). Humankind is still being schooled in morality. In the new age to come, eternal life will be granted to those who choose righteousness over evil, and the time to make that decision is before the end of this age.
So, Satan is in control, but he is also invisible. That is not a problem, though, right? All angels are from an invisible realm, but they can become visible if they choose to do so; the Bible is full of such examples. Even so, most Christians still believe Satan is just a mythical being — something imaginary. To such people, evil is just an analogy for evil human thoughts; you know, portrayed by that proverbial little devil sitting on your shoulder trying to influence your decisions.
In all reality, Satan is as authentic as Jesus Christ, but it is to his advantage that people are confused about this fact. The reason is that Satan has an army of cohorts to help him do his evil work and invisibility serves to help them influence humans. These spiritual evildoers include renegade and fallen angels, as well as demons (who can actually possess humans).
Why is there an increase of evil?
Evil has been escalating since Jesus’ walked the earth two thousand years ago. Today, you can view the news on television or your smart phone and read the print media to see this increase of evil. Another indicative source for the prevalence of evil is the Catholic Church’s demand for exorcists. In the United States, the official bishop-appointed vanquishers of evil spirits now number more than fifty. As Pope Francis once said in a mass, this generation has been led to believe the devil is a myth, but the devil exists.2
One author made this observation about society. “Much of what was standard Christian morals have been taken for granted in our country for many generations. It was a part of the fabric upon which our society was built. Yet that foundation, that has slowly been eroding, is now rapidly crumbling right before our eyes. Abhorring what is evil and cleaving to what is good has shifted to accepting what is evil and leaving what is good.”3
He added that several decades ago, many of our cultural standards were illegal and frowned upon. Just about ten years ago, they then became acceptable, as long as it didn’t influence others. But today, if we don’t fully embrace those things in a positive way, we are silenced and condemned as hateful and intolerant.4 Good becomes evil, and evil becomes good. The cultural world has flipped upside down.
Most Christians that I communicate with are displeased about this change in society and many express their hate (in their own words) “for these evil people — these enemies of righteousness.” I can understand their frustration and I feel resentment, too, but let’s get our focus on the right target. Jesus didn’t tell us to feel that way, we should not hate the enemy, but only hate what they do. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous,” (Matthew 5:11-45, NRSV).
One writer gave a good example of hating the sin, but not the sinner. “If only we could see the reality behind the evil that entices us — for example, a pornographic image. If the veil could be lifted for just a moment, we would see the horrible, demonic force that undergirds the image and the bareness found there. In place of the irresistible enticement, we would see the torture and murder of our Lord that was necessary to atone for our embrace of such an illusion.”5 God encourages us to love our enemy, but hate their actions. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good,” (Romans 12:9, ESV).
Sometimes, when things seem so terrible in the world, we may wonder does Jesus even care about what we are going through. Well, he does, but he warns us that this increase in evil must all come to pass before Satan’s influence is finally removed from our world. Jesus said many things must first take place (Matthew 24:6). “Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold,” (Matthew 24:12, NLT). But Jesus does care about what we are going through.6
And the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy saying: “Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived,” (2 Timothy 3:13b, ESV). Then a hint of how to take care of this problem says, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus,” (2 Timothy 3:14-15, ESV).
What can we do?
Few Christians remember that Paul the Apostle tells us that the perpetrators of evil are real, and he tells us where they dwell, and also gives us a short course on how to defend ourselves from them. First he tells us what to do. “…Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Then he tells us what our struggle is against: “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,’ (Ephesians 6:10-12, NRSV).
So, we must protect ourselves from invisible nonhuman evil rulers and authorities, who are attacking us. They have cosmic powers from another realm or dimension or universe, and they are using malicious tactics to deceive us mere humans here on earth. They govern not the light (good), but only the darkness (evil).7
We are not only talking about fleeting or random bad thoughts or personal decisions about fidelity and social relationships, or drinking, drugs, pornography, gambling, or money. Those are very important, but they are just the avenues of entry into a larger spiritual world of truly universal evil that results in death. Paul was saying that we need to take into consideration the full meaning of his words that our own obligations on earth are to completely separate ourselves from Satan and all the soldiers in his evil army, who are in a spiritual war against God’s righteousness.8
The idea of other realms and spiritual beings and cosmic war may be so “far out” as to be unbelievable, but the real facts are part of God’s word. Not only did Jesus believe in a real Satan and his abilities and powers, but knew that this invisible creature was the ruler of this world. Paul’s beliefs in satanic powers are identical with that of Jesus Christ. The two doctrines stand together.9
The apostle continues with his instruction and describes the various pieces of Christian armor, as though he is equipping a soldier for battle. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” (Ephesians 6:12-17).
Without this armor we will be defeated by the devil and his army, but our battle is mostly defensive — we are not to be out searching for Satan and mounting an attack, but just to stand our ground. “The armor is to put a stop to the power of demonic agenda over us . . . the armor of God is to enable us to bolt and bar the doors of our spiritual lives.”10 Their sphere of activity is not just on earth, but in the heavenly realms and their job is to rob Christians of the spiritual blessings that God has given us.11
Paul, having enlisted his readers under the right leader (Jesus) to fight the right war (against evil) with the right equipment (armor of God), now tells them what the right maneuvers should be. “They are to pray at all times under the direction of the Spirit (who knows what to pray for), and they are to keep themselves diligently alert in prayer and petition on behalf of other believers in the common struggle.”12
Conclusion
Satan is currently in control of this planet and, as previously noted, this was proven when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The earth and everything on it is now under the control of Satan the devil and his angelic and human supporters.13
Satan and his spiritual supporters are invisible to us, but just because they are unseen does not mean they are not real. X-rays, radio waves, and wi-fi signals are all unseen, but real none-the-less. Many colors, which even other animals can see (e.g., infrared, ultraviolet) are unseen by humans, but they are all real. Gravity and magnetic attraction are unseen, but they are real. Electricity and energy radiation are unseen, but real. You get the idea.14
Likewise, the following invisible things are real, too: Satan and his angels, demons, unclean spirits, evil authorities, and cosmic powers. And the invisible locations in which they dwell are real as well: other principalities, other habitations, other dominions, and other realms or dimensions. An extended study concerning evil cosmic powers and creatures, and how to fight them, is listed in References & Notes at the end of this article.15
Don’t let the devil control you, but don’t put him completely out of your mind, either. Always be aware that there are real entities everywhere, either Satan or one of his associates, who are trying to influence you. Jesus promised death to the devil and also a redemption for all of us, if only we will make the correct decisions in our life.
In keeping with my habit of providing a music video relating to the theme of my articles, I selected a new artist’s work. This rock selection is titled ‘Devil’ and is performed by Anne Wilson, a newcomer to the American Christian music scene. Wilson was raised in a Christian home and attended a Presbyterian church during childhood in the state of Kentucky.16 It is true what one website states, “she has a mesmerizing voice and a visible hunger for Jesus.”17 Selected lyrics are below; a link to the music video (closed captions available) is listed in References & Notes.18
Devil still lying and accusing me
Trying to drag down what has been redeemed
But I’ll stand my ground, stare into his face
And fight back with the power in Jesus’ name
Son of God’s always been a bit of a rebel
You brought life to me and death to the devil
Holy Ghost has got a hold on me
I was blind but now I can see
Freedom won, got me on another level
You brought life to me and death to the devil
Copyright © 2021, Dr. Ray Hermann
OutlawBibleStudent.org
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References & Notes
- Hermann, Ray, “It is Time to Get Right with God — End of Age Events are Starting”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 13 August 2020), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/it-is-time-to-get-right-with-god-end-of-age-events-are-starting/
- Chabba, Seerat, “Exorcisms Are On The Rise: Number Of People ‘Experiencing Evil’ Is Increasing, Indiana Priest Says”, (International Business Times, 3 November 2016), https://www.ibtimes.com/exorcisms-are-rise-number-people-experiencing-evil-increasing-indiana-priest-says-2440939
- Linder, Andrew, “The Increasing Irony of Good Vs. Evil”, (Godly Parent, 2 August 2020), https://godlyparent.com/the-increasing-irony-of-good-vs-evil/
- Ibid.
- Foster, David Kyle, “Hating Evil”, (The Christian Post, 13 June 2019), https://www.christianpost.com/voices/hating-evil.html
- Hermann, Ray “A Strange Hospital Stay During the Covid Pandemic”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 9 September 2021), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/a-strange-hospital-stay-during-the-covid-pandemic/
- Hermann, Ray, “Ephesians 6:12: Satan, Fallen Angels, & Demons — the Real Enemies of Our Faith”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 22 September 2020), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/ephesians-612-satan-fallen-angels-demons-the-real-enemies-of-our-faith/
- Ibid.
- Findlay, George G., The Expositor’s Bible: Ephesians to Revelation, (1st American edition, N.P., 1903), vol. 6, pp. 99-100.
- Thompson, Leonard, Demons, (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company, 2005), p. 99.
- Hoehner, Harold W., “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, (Eds.), (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), vol. 2, p. 643.
- Erickson, Richard J., “Ephesians,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), vol. 3, pp. 1032-1033.
- Hermann, Ray, “It is Time to Get Right with God — End of Age Events are Starting”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 13 August 2020), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/it-is-time-to-get-right-with-god-end-of-age-events-are-starting/
- Ibid.
- Hermann, Ray, “Ephesians 6: Evil Cosmic Powers & the Armor of God”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 17 February 2019), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/ephesians-6-evil-cosmic-powers-the-armor-of-god/
- “Anne Wilson”, (Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 November 2021), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Wilson_(musician)
- “Anne Wilson”, (Capitol Christian Music Group, retrieved 26 November 2021), https://www.capitolcmglabelgroup.com/artists/anne-wilson-0
- “Devil (Live in Nashville)”; Artist: Anne Wilson, (Sparrow Records, 2021; Capitol Christian Music Group; Licensed to YouTube by UMG, Capitol CMG, others; [used under ‘fair use’ copyright for teaching under Section 107 of Copyright Act of 1976]) – MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/5elA2NxDDjM
It seems that pride is always the basic fuel for evil. We have “evolved” spiritually and intellectually to the point where we no longer believe in anything beyond ourselves and our desires.
We don’t need the silly images of demons or absolute or personal Evil because we know it’s all just a construct of imagination and superstition. That frees us to please our selves with no limit, and wonder what is wrong with those poor suckers who attempt restraint and humility.
There is no conspiracy in the usual sense; the powers in the dark simply use the trends that occur as humanity congratulates itself on its increasing knowledge, and the “conspirators” find themselves on the same train without ever having bought a ticket.
Thank you for taking the time to comment; it is appreciated.
Increasing our general knowledge does not automatically increase our intellectual acuity. We must always be aware of how the dark powers — as you said — simply take advantage of our complacency to advance their own agenda.
Over the years, I’ve come to feel that the smarter I got, the stupider I felt, because it took me so long to figure out the truth concerning evil powers. And, I would never have learned that without God’s guidance.
In these troubling days, I see how stress — caused by deceit, fear, disappointment, lack of logic, etc. — can destroy large populations. Fortunately, putting on the armor of God, will keep us on a steady path of spiritual righteousness.
I believe that a great way to keep populations in the dark is to bombard them with information – true and false in equal measure- all backed up by conflicting bonafide “experts” so that making an informed decision is onerous or impossible.
COVID was a master course in that. It seems likely that most of those born after 1990 are so overwhelmed by info (especially spurious info) that they have given up seeking truth, and have become malleable fodder for manipulation by governments and activist social groups. I can almost hear the laughter in Hell.
What Christians need to familiarize themselves with is Kabbalah, Babylonian-European Mystery Religions are Ephesians 6:12 Holy War. Read Isaiah 24:21-22. Most Americans don’t understand the social compact and Pantheon invoked in Paris Treaty 1783.
Thank you for your comment.
For others that might not know, the Hebrew word ‘Kabbalah’ means ‘to receive’ and is the specific term for the esoteric or mystic doctrine concerning God and the universe, which is asserted to have come as a revelation to certain saints from a remote past and preserved by only a privileged few.* An internet search for the word will retrieve much information.
* Singer, Isidore (Ed.), The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, (New York and London: Funk & Wagnalls, 1901–1906), vol. 3, p. 456.