A world on fire!
By Paul Bawden
In the Middle East the Israel/Iran conflict rages. In the USA, the anti-sematic uprisings continue, along with the ferocious attacks on the ICE officers in different cities. Added to this, the senseless murder of the Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband as well as the shooting of a senator and his wife.
What’s going on in our world? Why is evil rearing it’s head so blatantly? Could it be, when righteousness is being administered, evil fights back with a vengeance?
Isn’t that’s what’s happening in the Israel/Iran war? Isn’t that’s what taking place in the United States as we see the different uprisings and murder.
The questions I ask are, “Why does evil oppose righteousness or truth?” and “Why is evil so difficult to defeat?
We must keep in mind, although some will not agree with this, evil is not a man-made phenomenon. It has its roots in the spiritual world, where there is the orchestrator (the evil one), along with his helpers, who oppose righteousness because he is unrighteous and he wants to defeat righteousness in the world, for he is convinced his philosophy and behavior should be followed.
Thusly we see division, deception, hatred, uprisings, unrest, murder, immorality, war, and control to take away people’s freedom being promoted and experienced in the world, as the evil one affects nations and peoples’ lives.
Since the evil one, Satan, is so intelligent, crafty, and powerful, although a created being, he is not easy to defeat. At times, it may seem he is defeated in some areas, but he continues to exercise his control over some nations, while bringing his subtle influence over other nations and individuals.
The challenge arises when righteousness exercises its muscle – that is, it begins to bring righteousness to bear on unrighteousness, when unrighteousness desires to have the upper hand. That’s when there is fire. That’s what’s happening between Israel and Iran, in the USA, and between Russian and Ukraine. That’s why continued prayer is needed for those in places of leadership that they will be able to make the right choices so righteousness will continue to prevail.
But, in the final analysis, there is more going on here than the eye can see physically. For fighting against righteousness is really a fight against the One who is the Source of righteousness – the biblical God. The Psalmist penned, “Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take council together against the LORD and His Anointed saying, ‘Let’s tear their fetters apart, and cast their bonds from us!’ He who sits in the heaven laughs. The LORD scoffs at them.”
Psalm 2 goes on to say that the LORD’s Son will eventually come and put down all lawlessness and rebellion of humanity, defeating the evil one as well. Thusly, people should pay homage to the Son, who will be the victor.
Although these words foretell a final victory over the evil one and all who follow him, they remind us of the spiritual battle going on today between righteousness and unrighteousness, and the necessity to be on the side of righteousness through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, having faith in Him. Let’s continue to pray that righteousness will continue to prevail in our world, our nation, and in our lives personally. As the man of wisdom penned, “For righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Paul Bawden is married and served in the pastoral ministry for 45 years, retiring in 2011. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Speech and attended Dallas Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology. He has taken counseling courses at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Paul is a lifetime member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as being a member of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), which serves churches during their time of transition in searching for a new pastor. He writes for Union Gospel Press, as well as being a volunteer writer for GotQuestions.org. Paul likes to write, read, bike, and work in the yard. The Bawdens have had the privilege to travel to Mexico and Romania on mission trips and visited various countries in Europe.