Hi ,
It seems to me that when God first created man, He didn't "rule" him, which implies constant oversight. He simply gave Adam some general instructions. Later on, there were more instructions and laws, but it seems that God allows man to make choices and then live with the consequences. He doesn't force His hand, in general, and "rule". He allows the devil to have a high degree of
influence, though, but it seems to me that throughout most of history, men have "ruled" other men.
That changes in the Millennium, though. The Bible says that God will rule with a rod of iron. Why would He need to do that? Let's leave that thought for a moment...
I'm always fascinated by the fact the nation of Israel, in spite of the fact that God Himself was obviously right there with them (a smoking mountain, a booming voice, many miraculous events, a pillar of fire and a cloud to lead them, etc.), they still rebelled! How in the world could that happen?! Could it be perhaps because the presence of God among them became "common-place", and no
longer a marvel? When the absolute AWE of God began to wear thin, their selfish humanity began to stick out everywhere.
Maybe the same thing happens in the Millennium? The Bible states that even during the terrible events of the Great Tribulation, mankind shakes their fists at God. This directly implies that no longer are there ANY atheists! Mankind will KNOW that there's a God!
So, as the Millennium begins, there are still a lot of humans who survived. I can imagine that many of them, if not most, are initially completely awestruck by God's physical presence on Earth. BUT, could it possibly be that man's awe of God will soon give way to His presence being "common-place"? As such, they will be repeating history, acting just like the Jews. If that happens, they will return to
their self-centered life, and God will have to rule with a "rod of iron". It seems to me no wonder, then, as the devil is released from his 1,000-year bondage, that he will be able to lead people astray - they'll probably be primed for it!
My personal prayer, from the lesson I take away from this, is that I will always try to maintain a stance of the awe of God. One way to do this is to maintain a degree of interest in His marvelous creation! The things He put on Earth, in the sea, and out in space are astounding, and they point directly to Him! Evolution robs God of His rightful glory in creation, and causes man to take further steps away from the
reality of God's existence and involvement!
