Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 98

April 7;   2 Corinthians 4:4;   153/260(I);   ‘The God of This Age’

2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.     NLT

This verse explains so much.  The Bible clearly teaches that God created Adam to be the god of this world.  He was to reign on this earth, working with the Lord, to bless humanity and the entire planet.  The Word tells us that satan spoke to Eve, questioning what God told Adam and her.  He questioned the goodness of God as well.  Deceived, and enticed to be like God (another part of satan’s temptation), Eve ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree.  Adam was not deceived, he simply disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Adam’s sin cursed the earth and Adam yielded the authority God gave him to the devil.  Poverty, sickness and death were the result of the curse.  You must remember Adam’s sin cursed the earth, God did not curse the earth.  Adam, before he sinned, had the nature of the Lord, love.  Once he sinned, unsaved humanity, now has the nature of the devil, pride.  Combine the curse Adam unleashed, the hatred of satan for mankind and God, and the prideful nature of man and it is easy to see why the world is in the condition of pain and suffering.  Our adversary, satan, causes untold heartache and blames God.  If you do not know the Word and the reason for the misery we see, we believe that lie of the devil.  God is good, He would never be responsible for the horror we see.  The Word teaches how Jesus redeemed us and gave us back the authority Adam lost.  It is so vitally important for us to know these truths.  It is also vitally important that we share these truths with others so that they are not deceived.  Knowing God’s Word is not an option for us or for them.