AN ACT OF GOD? (PART 2)

In the previous episode, we established that God is not the cause of disasters or the illnesses that plagues our world today. The question now is, if God is not the cause, then why do we have these disasters and plagues? We can sum all these up in two reasons: One, the presence and consequence of sin, and two, man’s inconsiderate actions.

When God created the heavens and the earth, he put man in charge of the earth. He commanded man to be fruitful, replenish the earth, and have dominion over the earth and everything on the surface of the earth (Gen 1: 26-29). In summary, God gave the earth to man. But what happened? The devil deceived man and made him disobey the instructions of God and by this man ceded the rulership of this world to the devil. In 2 Corin 4:4, John 14:30, the devil was described as the god and ruler of this world. In Luke 4:6, when the devil was trying to get Jesus to worship him, he made a statement “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” He wasn’t lying. The exchange took place in the Garden of Eden

In Genesis 3:17-19, God spelt out the consequences of man’s actions, what is commonly known as the curse. The ground became cursed; man was to toil, sweat and suffer before he could eat; the earth would start to produce thorns and thistles to frustrate man’s efforts; and man who was meant to live forever would face the cold hands of death, well not just man but every living thing. The devil took advantage of this fall and decided to inflict all these on the earth. It became a ripple effect. 1 Peter 5:9 tells us that the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We live in a broken world, an imperfect one. The fall of man wasn’t just the fall of man; it was the fall of creation. The first man’s action affected everything and everyone. Our world kept becoming more broken and broken. One popular question among us is “Since God is the creator of the earth and is the Almighty, why can’t he intervene and stop the devil from inflicting these natural disasters on the earth?” Take a look at Psalms 115:16,
“The heaven, even the heavens are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.”

God gave the authority to rule the earth to man from the beginning and man gave it to the devil. Because God is a just God, it would be unjust for God to take it from the devil just like that and give it back to man. The next question now is, what is the hope for mankind?

At this point I feel like shouting, Thank you Jesus. God has not left us hopeless. He did not leave mankind without a way out. From the beginning, he made provision for the redemption of mankind. This is what he told the devil “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” Genesis 3:15. In this scripture, God prophesied the coming of a saviour. Now the bible specifically used a singular pronoun when referring to the Seed of the woman. So, it was referring to a specific person. Also, the scriptures say, “Seed of a woman” and not seed of a man, so God was also prophesying the virgin birth. In Isaiah 7:14, God gave a more specific prophecy through his prophet Isaiah “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”

Jesus was born of a woman to crush the head of the devil. It was on the cross He accomplished that. Yes the devil bruised his heel when he was nailed to that cross, but you see, if the devil and his cohorts had known God’s plan for salvation hidden in the mystery of the cross, they would have not crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).

Jesus took the place of man. Man owed a debt he could not pay and Jesus paid a debt he did not owe. On the cross, he had to go through both physical and spiritual death (separation from God) to restore man. On the cross, Christ purchased our freedom. He redeemed us from the curse of the Law and the condemnation that follows by becoming a curse for us, for it is written in the Scriptures, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree or is crucified. Galatians 3:13.
With the coming of Christ and the gift of redemption, does this mark the end of natural disasters in the world today? The answer is No. Jesus said something profound in John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you” AMPC

As believers, we know there is a way out for us. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law and though we are in this world, we are not of this world. We know what to do always; we have supernatural insight and divine guidance. We can discern the times and season. Most times, the Holy Spirit warns of these occurrences long before they ever occur. We can key into this fact that the devil has been defeated long time ago and is now operating on borrowed time. When our Christ will suddenly appear, and the end is here, Satan’s defeat will be made known unto all men. See 1 Cor 15: 50: 57.

All authority has been given to Jesus both in heaven and on earth and as believers, he has given that authority to us (Matthew 28:18). What are we doing with that authority? How well are we protecting/taking care of our environment? Remember, we have the power to create the world we want to see.