The Prince of Planet Earth – by Hal Lindsey
When a person or a nation runs from God, that person or nation may think they are running toward atheism. But it doesn’t work out that way. Human beings are religious by nature. Pascal spoke of a God-shaped void within every person. In fact, a person without Christ is his own God-shaped void. We are made in God’s image. Nothing less than God can fulfill us.
But people try anyway. They attempt to fill the void with everything else. The emptiness within reaches out to money, drugs, relationships… you name it. The world today is running from God but starving for deity. Those two things make a dangerous mix.
Karl Marx envisioned a communist nation as being utterly free of religion. In Russia, the Bolsheviks tried to put that into practice. They basically outlawed the worship of God and the preaching of His word. In doing so, they made the state their religion. Look at the life of Lenin. Look at the eternal life they tried to give him in the mausoleum on Red Square. The Soviet Union became one of the most “religious” nations in history. Stalin saw to it that everyone worshipped Lenin, the state, and himself.
For some, science becomes the religion. An article in Quartz magazine by Jamie Holmes, said, “A small group of contemporary psychologists have published a series of provocative experiments showing that faith in science can serve the same mentally-stabilizing function as religious beliefs.” But science is not meant to be stable. It changes with every new discovery.
Despite the inherent variability of scientific thought, many of today’s scientists have formed a priesthood and formulated a creed. If you do not strictly adhere to the creed of scientism, you are shut out from academic success in certain fields. Older climate scientists often question the creed of global warming. But younger scientists can’t afford to question the creed if they ever intend to enter that field of study at a high level.
I hear evolutionists brag that only a few esteemed biologists disagree with Darwinian evolution. But that’s like bragging that all Tibetan monks believe in the benefits of meditation. If you don’t believe the basic tenants of the religion, you’ll never be invited to a high-ranking position in that religion.
One of the best ways to see that these things have turned into religion is to look at the rage of adherents when you disagree with them. Recently, French intellectual Renaud Camus was given a 2-month suspended sentence for pointing out the danger that mass immigration poses for France. He said present-day French immigration policies will cause, “The replacement of the population.” Camus said, “The ethnic substitution, the great replacement, is the most important event in the history of our nation since it has existed; as with other people, if the story continues, it will not be that of France.”
You would expect his alarming, yet logical statement to be debated. But instead, they convicted of a crime. Present attitudes on Muslim immigration in Europe do not allow for discussion. And enforced silence is a hallmark of religion.
Turning away from God does not equal a turn from religion. And a turn toward religion is not the same as turning toward God. He is interested in personal relationships. Yes, He wants us to be part of a larger fellowship of like-minded people. But the core relationship must be One-to-one.
In John 12:31 and elsewhere, Jesus called Satan, “the prince of this world.” On “Hal Lindsey Presents,” we’ve been studying the Book of Revelation. If you’ve joined me for that study, you know that Satan’s future is a bleak one. But for now, he’s still “the prince of this world.” That means a turn away from God amounts to a turn toward the devil. And a turn toward the devil means pain, heartbreak, despair, and, eventually, death.
Jesus is all about life. In John 6:35, He said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” In Revelation 3:20, He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
That invitation remains open.