Psalms 115
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men. Psalms 115:16 NKJV
Who has dominion and control over the Earth? Is it God, Satan, or us? The simplest answer comes from Job 25:2: “Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes order in the heights of heaven.” So even though God created the universe and is sovereign over everything, He chose to share some of His power with us. God created us to have a relationship with Him and to rule over all the Earth: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (Genesis 1:26-28). This was God’s original plan for us. Unfortunately, when human beings allowed sin to enter the world by willfully following Satan, dominion over the Earth was handed over to him. This does not mean that Satan rules the world with autonomy; God is still in control and is sovereign above all. He allows Satan a certain amount of freedom, but even he has boundaries set by the Lord Almighty.
The truth is that God has allowed the consequences of our sin to enter the world for the time being. Satan and his demons cause a tremendous amount of pain, frustration and trouble in this world, as they continue on their quest to oppose God’s Kingdom, and to gather more and more followers. Today, Satan influences and pollutes the world’s political, religious, social, economic, and educational systems. He is the force behind all false religions. He affects the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes, desires, and views of all non-Christians. 1 John 5:19 says, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” So how do we escape being controlled by Satan like the rest of the world? The answer is in the power of Jesus Christ. “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Although we all have moments of weakness where we allow ourselves to give in to Satan’s lies and to listen to his voice instead of the voice of the Spirit, we are not lost and we are never without hope. In an instant, we can repent, pray, be forgiven, read God’s Word and get back on the path that leads to blessings and eternal life.
God is still very much alive, active, and in control of the world today. Most of His work in the world is done through believers like us. He has chosen to express His power through us, until He returns. Will you allow God to work through you today in order to help minimize the consequences of this fallen world?