Who Is the God of This Age?

An unseen war, a spiritual conflict, is being waged on Earth between the forces of good and evil. This battle is fought on an invisible spiritual plane to control humanity, but manifests as darkness in the physical realm. Most of Earth's population is cloaked in deception, unable to see the good news of what Christ has done in redeeming (buying back) humanity from the grip of the god of this age. Paul the apostle wrote about our unseen enemy:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Satan is the god of this age, an evil angel who chose to rebel against God, drawing an army of angels and demons with him. His chief tactic against humanity is a strategy of deception, designed to prevent people from viewing the Bible as the Word of God. The Bible is a compilation of 66 books that narrate the story of the Creator God, who loves us so much that He paid the penalty for sin by sending His Son to die on the cross as a just payment for our sin debt.

There are many so-called gods, so how can one discern who the true God is? The Bible tells us that there are only two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan (Matthew 12:30). Satan has used religion against God. He understands that a God-shaped hole is missing from your life—a part of your inner nature that longs for the true God. Satan has presented different religions on earth in the hope of satisfying the search for God that we all possess. That's why our passage today describes Satan as the god of this age, blinding the minds of unbelievers. We can identify the true God by the fruit produced from the tree of the belief system of whichever god you have listened to and obeyed. Jesus told us to examine the outflow of a person’s life to see if there is evidence of real spiritual life—God's life:

16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 7:16-18).

True Christianity involves receiving the gift of God—eternal life—into the core of your being. The result of this impartation is that your life becomes "a good tree" and bears "good fruit." What does good fruit mean? The fruit of the Spirit encompasses love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). You are bearing good fruit if these qualities are present in your life. Jesus contrasts the two kingdoms at war; Satan is depicted as a thief whose plan is to steal what God wants to freely give you—the gift of eternal life in Christ. The enemy seeks to kill and destroy you, preventing you from being a threat to his power structure and kingdom, while Jesus came to offer you the gift of God’s life, eternal life, and a life lived to the fullest.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).

Have you received this gift of eternal life? There is nothing you can do to earn it. It is not something you have to work hard at to be good enough; it is a gift received from the hand of God. Here’s a prayer you can use:

Prayer: Lord of Heaven and Earth, I come to You today to acknowledge and believe that You are the true God who has sent Jesus into the world as my substitute for sin. I turn from my sin today. Please come into my life and make me new. I receive Your gift of eternal life through Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for all that You have done for me at the cross. Amen!

If you genuinely prayed that prayer to God, welcome to the family of believers around the world! Keith Thomas