When the Bible talks about “the god of this age,” it is not saying Satan is equal to God. He is not. God is still Lord over everything. God is still in control. God still has the final word.
What the Bible is showing us is that Satan has temporary influence in this present world. His influence shows up through lies, confusion, pride, division, and anything that keeps people from seeing Jesus clearly.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers” so they cannot see the light of the gospel of Christ. In plain words, the enemy wants people to miss the truth about Jesus. If he cannot remove the gospel from the world, he will try to cloud people’s minds so they reject it, misunderstand it, or turn against it.
This blindness is not about physical eyesight. It is spiritual blindness. A person can be smart, successful, educated, talented, and still be blind to the things of God. They may know a lot about the world but still not understand the gospel. That is why the Bible calls the gospel light. Light shows us what darkness tries to hide.
And if we are honest, we can see this blindness all around us. Politics can blind us when we become more loyal to a party than to truth. Race can blind us when pain, fear, pride, or prejudice keeps us from seeing others as people made in the image of God. Religion can blind us when we know church words but do not carry the heart of Christ.
Politics can teach us to excuse wrong on our side while condemning the same wrong on the other side. Race can make us look at people through suspicion instead of love. Religion can become more about control, tradition, appearance, and argument than about the good news of Jesus Christ.
So we have to ask a serious question: whatever happened to the gospel?
The gospel is not just a religious phrase. It is the good news that Jesus came to save, forgive, heal, deliver, and bring people back to God. The gospel does not flatter our pride. It exposes sin and offers grace. It does not make us better than others. It makes us thankful that mercy found us.
Jesus is called the image of God because He shows us what God is like. If we want to know the heart of God, we look at Jesus. We look at His compassion, His truth, His holiness, His mercy, His forgiveness, and His willingness to suffer for people who did not even understand what they were doing.
That is why the enemy works so hard to keep people from seeing Christ clearly. He does not mind people being religious if their religion keeps them angry, proud, divided, and blind. He does not mind people talking about God if they never surrender to God. He does not mind people quoting Scripture if they refuse to live the spirit of what Christ taught.
But here is the good news: Satan’s influence is temporary. Darkness may be loud, but it is not eternal. Deception may be strong, but it is not stronger than truth. The gospel still has power to open blind eyes, soften hard hearts, and bring people out of darkness into light.
John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” That means darkness does not get the final victory. Jesus does. The light of Christ still shines, even in a confused world.
So we must be careful. We cannot let politics become our god. We cannot let race become our idol. We cannot let religion become a mask. We cannot let culture tell us what truth is while ignoring the voice of Christ. If we want to see clearly, we need the light of the gospel shining in our hearts.
The real question is not only whether the world is blind. The real question is whether we are willing to let God open our eyes. Because once we see Jesus clearly, we cannot keep living the same way. We cannot keep hating, lying, dividing, excusing sin, and calling it faith.
This is a call to repentance. Let us turn away from every idol that has taken the place of Christ. Let us repent for allowing politics to shape us more than the gospel. Let us repent for allowing race and division to harden our hearts. Let us repent for allowing religion to become a mask instead of a life surrendered to God.
Lord, open our eyes to Your truth. Forgive us for the times we have followed the spirit of this age instead of the Spirit of Christ. Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, and bring us back to the light of the gospel. Help us see Jesus clearly, live humbly, love sincerely, and stand boldly for what is true. Let our lives point people away from darkness and toward You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Minister A Francine Green July 2026