1Jn 3:12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
I recently shared some thoughts on the religion of Cain and its followers’ hatred of Abel’s brethren. Here are some more insights on the same subject.
Cain and all like him crave to be little gods. This is in keeping with who they are – children of the devil. Satan always works to “be like the Most High,” and his followers are of the same twisted DNA. Therefore, when they see the Lord’s blessing upon Christ’s true people, that murderous jealousy of Cain begins to simmer within them.
Over the years in pastoral ministry, and particularly in these past 13 years during which the Lord has opened my eyes to the nature and tactics of evil more clearly than I saw it before, I realize that every one of the attacks against this ministry have been fueled by Cain’s jealous, envious, hatred. When these creeps who creep in among us see the Lord blessing His work through Christ’s true servants, their greed for self-worship eventually boils over and they go to work trying to destroy.
I am sure that this same evil spirit is at work in RASNs when they abuse and oppress their godly spouse, or any other person who they deem to be interfering with their quest for glory. Why would any professing Christian work to criticize, hinder, and stop a ministry that the Lord obviously raised up and is blessing? I have seen these kind more than once over the years stand right up in a church meeting and call for the Lord’s ministry to be stopped. Of course they don’t word it that way – to do so would expose their evil motives. Never mind that many, many people are being blessed and helped by the Lord’s work – the only thing that matters is that it is a work which is not bringing glory and praise to them. So it must be stopped.
The wicked are so often fools. Anyone thinking rightly will rejoice when the Lord blesses His work. But Cain lacks that wisdom and works to saw off the very branch he or she is sitting on! He sets fire to that which he claims to be his house. This is also why domestic abusers so often do all they can to sabotage the successes of their victim. They don’t rejoice if their victim gets a job promotion and salary increase, for example. Nope. Can’t have it.
So Cain can’t tolerate the Lord’s blessing of Abel, even though he could have that same blessing if he repented and walked by faith. But of course, that he will never do. Even if it means being cast out as a wanderer and vagabond on the earth.
From the post:
“But Cain lacks that wisdom and works to saw off the very branch he or she is sitting on! He sets fire to that which he claims to be his house.”
The Worthless One (Satan) is the original and classic/typical example of this. There is no way he can win and everything he does actually destroys him eternally. Every single moment of his existence will be paid for in hell. He, above all others, should know how STUPID he is and what the consequences of his actions are because he knew God! But it’s obvious that he has ZERO ability to learn this most basic truth. He’s almost comical in his arrogance.
If he is that stupid, how can we expect his spiritual children to be any smarter? They are willingly as dumb as he is. I don’t mean intelligence-wise; but a high IQ has zero/nada/nothing to do with spiritual intelligence.
I always go back to the holocaust.
Isn’t it curious that we think we’ve learned what caused the holocaust and have fixed it? Have we? Have we identified the evil that was allowed to creep in and gain control or did we just tamp it out of that generation? Did we fix the entire world after that ended? Have we educated the masses as to the nature/brain-functioning of those with no conscience and ensured there were safety nets in place to protect and educate those with the ability to love others?
On and on I could go, but here is the truth. The evil humans of this world want to win, control, manipulate, and have power over everything and everyone. This has been true since creation began and since the Evil One was brought into being. The bible has been clear and consistent in stating this. The evil people in every generation have also tapped into the other realm….the evil portion, in order to gain even more power. Those who play with evil will pay the penalty in hell just like Satan, but they too want power NOW deceiving themselves as to the eternal consequences of their sin. “… they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,” This is/was a CHOICE these evil ones have made.
We know from the bible that this earth will be ravaged (and then restored by God for those who belong to Him). It isn’t a surprise to those of us who know the truth about these worthless ones. They would rather kill everyone including the planet as long as they have the power and control for the present time. The Devil hates humans and enjoys using the worthless ones of each generation to do his dirty work. Cain kills Abel every generation, everyday.
Cain and Abel are the human prototypes of the battle between good and evil, and how God chooses those who are His. Thank you for giving us this example to understand the nature of it more deeply Pastor Crippen!
Thankyou!!
I agree with everything, except the point that Satan is stupid. He is an evil genius who has made war amid the saints and has overcome them. 64% of the men in the church are bound and shackled by the sin of pornography. According to Hebrews 10, they are trampling the blood of Christ. We are ignorant of his wiles.
Yes, agreed – Satan is incredibly deceitful and crafty and in that sense smart (I hesitate to use “wise” because wisdom would not rebel against God). But Satan is stupid in the sense of being a fool. In spite of know that his own sin and rebellion will land him in the Lake of Fire, he nevertheless forsook the Lord and wars against Christ anyway. He cuts off the limb he is sitting on.
Thank you Martha and Pastor Crippen for giving me a chance to clarify.
I should have put this part…”I don’t mean intelligence-wise; but a high IQ has zero/nada/nothing to do with spiritual intelligence…” right after I said Satan was stupid regarding his inability to realize he will have to pay for his sins.
Of course he’s intelligent. He’s probably the smartest being next to God because he was created to be top dog and he’s been around for a long time. I never discount his intelligence (IQ) but I also know that God knows every one of his tricks and it’s God who is in control. (A person with the lowest IQ alive who belonged to Jesus could “win” against the most evil thing the devil threw at him.) Not one human can outsmart him. Only through Christ can we overcome and thrive, even walking through the “…valley of the shadow of death…”
Porn, alcohol, drugs, war, etc. are just some of the tools used by Satan. Each generation has something that is destructive and surely Satan is behind it. But humans in themselves have the tools to destroy themselves. Galatians 5:19-21 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Pastor Crippen points out over and over in his podcasts that many of the men who attend church actually belong to the evil one. Yes, they are bound by porn, but they are also evil and actually revel in it! (They don’t feel shame, guilt, or fear….it’s not part of their emotional skill set. They love dark and dirty things so porn feels “good” to them. It’s their “right.”) It’s really sad though when a true Christian is enslaved to this. It’s devasting!!!
I used to live in fear of even saying the word Satan or talking about evil. God had to show me that I was not trusting in Him with this fear. Even with so many working on the evil ones team, they are all thwarted by God and His power. That’s what I mean by saying he is stupid. He’s been around from the very beginning of the earths creation as well as the creation of man, yet he STILL refuses to learn that God ALWAYS wins and that God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He should REALLY have woken up when Jesus rose from the dead, thus starting the clock ticking on his (Satan’s) upcoming demise. A spiritually intelligent (discerning) being would BEG God for mercy and forgiveness when he could see the writing on the wall. Not the Worthless One. He will never smarten up.
Thank you again! Such a great post and I love your thoughts on Cain and Abel Pastor Crippen. Very insightful and thought-provoking.
Great reply and so full of truth.
This explains the subversive sabotage I consistently experienced in my 34 year marriage. I thank God for His rescue.