“Do
not quench the Spirit…examine everything carefully;
hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (rf. 1
Thess. 5:18–22 NASB)
“And
do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the
kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (rf. Matt.
6:13 NASB)
As I pen this article, the mass
shooting at the Country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada has just occurred,
killing over 50 people and injuring over 500. The terrorist attacks on London are
still very fresh on our memories. Those in the Western world with a secular
worldview have a difficult time reconciling what they perceive as the taking of
innocent human life for the sake of pure anger or extremist ideology. They
believe that it is just a matter of finding the correct political solution,
that those who desire such deaths can be helped ahead of time with proper
counseling or broad scale gun control or those with ideological or religious “axes
to grind” can simply be brought to the bargaining table and “peace in our time”
can be reached for all concerned. Not only is this view a pipe-dream, it is
overlooking the principle feature found in the scenario. As much as we do not
want to face up to this reality, we are dealing with evil in one of its many
forms, an evil that is wreaking havoc, largely because of our own willful ignorance
of its deceptive ways and actions. We fail to see evil in all of its
manifestations.
Jesus says in John 10:10 that “the thief comes to steal, to kill and to
destroy”. He, on the other hand, gives life and provides blessing to those
who are His sheep, to those who believe and trust in Him unto salvation. In
sharing this information, Jesus is stating details regarding the very nature of
evil that emanates from its source, the Evil One or Satan. Those who serve him
take from others their lives, their property, the things that mean much to them
and seek to bring about their destruction, both physically and spiritually. In
whatever form they take, these servants of Satan will leave ruined lives and
devastation in their wake, pain and suffering as their calling cards.
Here we are in the month of October,
quickly approaching a day of celebration of what is typically thought to be an
innocent celebration for children (and adults as well), namely Halloween. Yet,
how many of us have considered how this day brings out characters in stark
contrast to the life-giving qualities of Christ. Witches, warlocks, mediums and
other examples of partakers of magic, witchcraft, divining, and necromancy are
all strongly condemned as abominations by the Lord (rf. Dt. 18:9-14; II
Kgs. 21:1-6). Vampires, monsters, werewolves, zombies and many
other examples of creatures whose existence is predicated upon devouring people
and terrorizing the living are simply extensions of “the thief” in Jesus’ description (rf. Jn. 10:10). They
have come to take life, not to give it. When we find ourselves caught up in the
“fun” of this particular “holiday”, especially as Christians, we unwittingly
are exalting the merits of evil, instead of the benefits of our Savior and
Lord. There truly is “joy” that we
can have “in the Lord” (rf.
Ps. 33:1) and enjoyment in things that He blesses; therefore, we do
not have to participate in worldly exploits that both implicitly and explicitly
promote dark and evil messages in order to have a good time as believers in
Christ.
Honestly, I believe the rise of evil
in our time is designed to be a “wake-up call” to God’s people, in particular,
because we have been slumbering too long in a blanket of a self-made reality that
seeks to dismiss suffering and is devoid of an appreciation for the Biblical
doctrine of evil. As God has done a number of times in the past, I sense that
He is doing once again in our present. He is using a growing evil entity to get
the attention of His people to draw them back into His embrace. He used
Nebuchadnezzar to put Jerusalem under siege and to draw the kingdom of Judah
back to Him (rf. Jer. 39:1ff). He used the same tactic to chastise the
Jews for refusing to accept their long-awaited Messiah by sending the Romans to
overthrow Jerusalem and to destroy their prized Temple (rf. Matt.
24:1ff). The rise of ISIS, Iran or North Korea could be one more
instrument that God is using to shake His people from their stupor, to help
them to see clearly that evil is real, that their Enemy is desiring their
overthrow, but, more importantly, that the Lord is and will always be their
Protector, Provider and Sustainer as He has promised in His Word. He wants only
for His flock to trust completely in Him as their God and King. Are we willing
to do this now and to see evil in its true light, clearing away the deception,
participating no longer in its schemes? These are questions only a heart
trusting in Jesus can truthfully answer.
