Some Bible readers are surprised when they encounter 1 John 5:19: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” They wonder how, if God is sovereign, the whole world can lie under the influence of Satan.

The same person who wrote about Satan’s influence in the world also recorded a vision of the End Times in the book of Revelation—the apostle John. In that vision, John saw a time when “the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to his servants the prophets.” While John doesn’t specifically describe the nature of the mystery, it surely has to do with the culmination of evil and catastrophe on the earth in the End Times and the coming of God’s Kingdom on earth—a day foreseen by the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:24).

Do not be anxious about the pervasiveness of evil in the world. The day is coming when it will be removed and righteousness will reign.

When the Bible speaks of God’s permission of evil, there is still no escape from his sovereignty.
D. A. Carson