by Beth Snodderly (Author)
Chaos is not God's will. We see this in the opening verses of Genesis and in the First Epistle of John, where those causing confusion are ultimately labeled as "children of the devil" (1 John 3:10). We see examples of this theme throughout Israel's history, in the messages of the prophets, in Jesus' demonstrations of authority over the powers of darkness, in the Epistles where we find principles for living godly and non-chaotic lives, and finally in the Book of Revelation where, in the end, Jesus victoriously reigns over all. These images illustrate the origin of international development: setting right what is not right, something destroyed and desolate, something that is not compatible with life-tohu wabohu. "Creation ... constituted bringing order to the cosmos from an originally nonfunctional condition." There is a need in all societies for restoring order and relationships to reflect God's will for this world, overcoming evil with good.