The Villain of the Story
Scripture gives us a view of the creation of this universe. It also pulls back the curtain and tells us that before the dawn of time the immortal, eternal God of everything existed. This is a story that our hearts crave to hear. We are told that the story of beginnings is a love story. The God of the universe is a God of love. Like most great stories, our origin story is simple, and yet there are complexities. We must understand that God’s amazing creation epic is an expression of His great love. Also, God’s creation was a demonstration of His limitless power and handiwork. Yet, while we are informed of these great things of God, we are also told about a villain.
Before we move along and understand this great story, we need to pause and ask why all the great stories have a villain. It is hard to think of a tale without one. As children we were taught to fear the big, bad wolf. As we grew older, we discovered the more serious villains of the Star Wars series: Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Darth Sidious. The Wicked Witch of the West hunted Dorothy. In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, there is the Dark Lord Sauron who commands the evil orcs, the black riders, and a host of evil minions. We need to understand that every story has a villain because our story does. We live in a world of evil. What I find strangely perplexing is that most people do not live life as though there is an evil villain involved in their lives. How is this so? All the stories we have been told tell us of the presence of evil in our world. All the dark characters that send chills down our spines and have given us restless nights are spoken to us as warnings. However, most do not heed these warnings.
There are evil forces all around us. They are seen in war, famine, betrayal, murder, and so many other malevolent things. Surely this must compel us to acknowledge that there is an evil force in this world. Where did this evil come from? What is its motive? How are we to find refuge from these evil forces? A truth that most people either do not know or choose to ignore is the fact that we are not alone in this universe. I’m not talking about UFOs; rather, I am speaking of the angelic realm. The Bible tells us that before mankind was created, the angels were created by God. When the angels were created, they were good. As a matter of fact, most angels are still good and continue to serve God. A number of the angels, however, rebelled against God. These “fallen angels” are what the Scriptures describe as demons. Angels and demons are beings of great power. Their power and abilities far exceed those of humanity. While we live and operate in what I call the physical dimension, the angelic world includes this dimension and a corresponding spirit dimension.
As we come to grips with the grand story of God creating this universe, we have several plots or storylines that are active. While God made a beautiful, perfect world for mankind to inhabit, there is an evil that is at work. As a matter of fact, not long after Adam and Eve were created by God, evil entered the story. Satan successfully corrupted the sinless garden that the first man and woman lived in. There are two primary responses that people have as they try to come to grips with this complex and frightening story. One response is to ignore the evil that surrounds us. Such a response is naïve and foolish. To close one’s eyes to evil is to surrender to evil and its influences. The second response is to be overwhelmed. Many people see the evil that Satan brings and have no hope.
In truth, there is no hope apart from God. This is the third part of the story that we need to give our attention to. To successfully navigate this world, with all of its good and evil, one must acknowledge God. God is the creator and sustainer of this universe. Yes, Satanic forces are at work, but they are no match for God. To survive and thrive in this world, we need to lean on God and His truth, His righteousness, and His provision. We will continue to examine the great and hope-giving story that God has for us in the Gospel next week. Keep looking up!