Do you believe in evil and that it has an expiry date?

"Wolf Bounty" (cartoon by nakedpastor David Hayward) I don't support bounties on wolves. In fact, it is rarely done anymore. I just picked up Terry Eagleton's book, "On Evil". I'm looking forward to reading it. There are a lot of scriptures that talk about Satan, devils, and demons. There's a lot of talk about sheep that represent God's people and wolves that represent Satan's. There are verses that also promise the end of evil. Even though there aren't sufficient explanations for the presence of evil or the purpose of it, biblically it is clear it is here but just as clear it will end. Did evil entered into the world through sin? Or was it through the fall of the angel Lucifer? Or was it through the dark and mysterious purposes of God who is surrounded in darkness? Scripture suggests all of these and more. But also according to some scriptures evil has an expiry date. I no longer take these passages literally. I don't think we will literally put our heels on Satan's neck like a serpent, as Romans states. I think scripture is a rich metaphor created by human in an attempt to understand the presence of evil in the world, as well as to express their hope that it will end. In the mean time, working compassionately for justice and peace in the world is how we get there. Some believe evil is here to stay and there's nothing to do about it so why bother. Others believe we have a responsibility to eradicate it and work to that end. I suggest that there is a bounty on evil and that our collective hope is to wipe it out. I'm talking about compassion, peace and justice.

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