A peer of mine asked me recently if I had any thoughts about why society is so messed up. I have a lot to say about how society is messed up, but admittedly, I have never discussed in satisfactory detail why it has become this way. Both of us acknowledged that the easy and true answer is "Satan", but we want to delve deeper into the methods and tools used by Satan to motivate people to continue living in such a fallen world. This way we will be more informed and successfully counteract Satan’s attacks. I will attempt to answer this very difficult question as the Lord inspires me. Hopefully I can skim the surface -- this may yet become my lifelong search and question that I attempt to answer.
Society is influenced by the leaders or the more respected people.
During a given period in history there has always been one group in each culture esteemed as "The Respectables". I will define this word as I perceive it: a person or persons whose thinking holds sway over the masses. Their ideologies are cast, sometimes forcibly, among the people and become the new "norm". Here is my definition of "norm": the predominant belief system of the majority of the people regarding politics, morality, equality, and society; anyone straying from this (the "revolutionaries") is seen as dangerous, uncultured, and wrong. "Revolutionaries" are thus: a minority group who disagree with or distrust the Respectables and seek to turn the norm in their favor.
Once the Revolutionaries gain ground on the Respectables, the norm starts to change into the belief system of the revolutionaries. We see this over and over again in history. The Nazis were considered the Respectables in their country until they were overthrown by the change-seeking Revolutionaries. The church in the Middle Ages discouraged any sort of intellectualism until they were overthrown by the Enlightenment, who were in turn overthrown by another movement who reacted against the beliefs of the Enlightenment. Slavery was considered acceptable until a group of people took a stand against it.
I believe you understand my gist without me citing valid historical documents. Forgive me if my statements above are incorrect (better yet -- correct me!), but those are common and brief history lessons easily found in any textbook. One day I would like to research these in more depth, but I will ask you to call upon your history lessons of old in order to keep this blog short.
In any case, there is a pull for power from either end of the political, social, and moral spectrum. Imagine Power itself as a game of Tug-of-War; one side will be winning, the other side will fight back until they are both on equal ground, and then the other side will inevitably win. But the power struggle continues, as the winner's prize is to fight the next contestant who comes along. Power is not like Gumby, who can be stretched equally in any direction. Look at how at the Scriptures point to a tug-of-war for balance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
2A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
The leaders are often influenced by Satan and sin.
What motivates these fighting groups to start the war for Power? Most of the time it is for such sins as Pride (more fame), Greed (more spoil), or Envy (more land), but occasionally there are those valiant Freedom Fighters who yearn to release the oppressed from their chains of bondage. Perspective has a lot to do with this as well; the Nazis argued that they were oppressed by the Jews, so they decided to rid themselves of a problem. For the sake of argument, let us all agree that when I say "valiant", I mean it in the Godly way -- so no, my perspective would never suggest that the Nazis are heroes. Quite the opposite, actually. As we are all aware, those with valiant hearts who set the enslaved free will taste brief victory -- sometimes for their lifetime or for a few generations -- but inevitably, those who come after them will become the Slave Drivers instead of the Freedom Fighters. The cycle continues. Our world will never see peace.
Here is an example of a successful man of God who was succeeded by his evil son, who was in turn succeeded by an evil son -- both of whom seduced God's chosen people to sin.
[Hezekiah] did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. And the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 2 Kings 18:3-5, 7
[Manaasseh] did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 2 Kings 21:2-3
Is humanity lost to its sin? Will the winnings of the valiant and brave be forever corrupted by the villainy of men until Christ comes again?
We know Satan holds sway over this world -- for now.
Ephesians 2:1-2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
Revelation 2:12-13 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Revelation 20:2-3 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
We know that humans seem to be doomed to repeat history (because they never learn from their sin, not because God wants it this way!)
Ecclesiastes 1:9-11
9That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there anything of which one might say,
"See this, it is new"?
Already it has existed for ages
Which were before us.
11There is no remembrance of earlier things;
And also of the later things which will occur,
There will be for them no remembrance
Among those who will come later still.
Judges 3:7-9, 12-13, 15 and 4:1 8Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9When the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 12Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees. 15But when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 1Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died. (this just keeps going. . . )
The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
So if sin, or disobedience to God, is the reason why humans will never have world peace, why won't they just wise up and stop sinning?! Well, you'd think that the knowledge of a loving Savior who forgives and cleanses us from sin would be enough. You'd think the Good News would actually sound good to people instead of sounding like an unfashionable trap. But then again, people often underestimate the seducing power of the Respectables and their Norm.
My next blog will discuss the root of the problem, sin, and how Satan uses his tools to make sin seem more important than obeying God.
