This speech was broadcast by legendary ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey on  April 3, 1965:

If I were the Devil . . .

I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness.

I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States.

I would begin with a campaign of whispers.

With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” “Do as you please.”  

To the young, I would whisper, “The Bible is a myth.”

I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around.

I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square”. 

In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you.

I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to pray.

I would teach them to say after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington” . . .

If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull an uninteresting.

I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa.

And then, if I were the devil, I’d get organized.

I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me.

I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could.

I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction.

And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions . . . let those run wild.

I would designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say “she’s right.”

With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle.

If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

And then, my police state would force everybody back to work.

Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps.

In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing.

Paul Harvey, Good Day.

From Brent:
“How prophetic that 51 years ago, as the Supreme Court was taking God out of our schools, and had rationalized the slaughter of babies in the womb, that this dear Saint of God would describe our current day in such a exact way, wherein only a few more evil deeds need to yet be fulfilled . . . and no doubt they will.

What is so amazing is how much more evil has abounded in the last seven years, wherein:

‘Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!’  (Isaiah 5:20 – KJV)

Some believers, with good intentions have suggested that our current president may be the Antichrist, which Scripture does not currently support (But who knows, perhaps in future the UN, who is always looking for a good man…). 

Yet, I have thought a bumper sticker which be so very correct, that I would caution believers not to create, which would state:

‘If you love Obama, you’re going to think the Antichrist is fantastic.'”  

Yet dear saints, we should not end on such a negative note.

We must keep in mind that our Lord Jesus and the Father are in the Father’s throne and have complete control of this sinful world, wherein God’s Word has prophesied everything that is happening and will yet happen, wherein we know the end of the book is fulfilled in our destiny wherein God will annihilate evil and establish holiness throughout eternity.  

Why such evil – Love

I have been asked why would a good God allow such an evil world, the answer is very simple.

For love.  

Because for God to wipe out all the evil would necessitate Him destroying His own children who are sinful as well as those who are at the beck and call of the evil one himself.  

There was a man whose children were grown up, and his wife had died, who had a drug abusing brother, who was a terrible father and a criminal, who had died leaving a 12-year-old boy behind who was a thief and a drug abuser.  

The man in his love allowed the boy to live with him and suffered through the boys sinful behavior while living in his house.  The man attempted to train the boy, — who would receive his punishment when wrong — but kept on sinning, stealing, lying and getting into trouble. 

Those in this church were appalled and ask why this man would allow this evil little boy to live in this house.  

His answer was love as Jesus had shown sinners in this world.  

Years later, it was the love this boy experienced from his Uncle, and through this the witnessed love of Christ that led the boy to become saved and a great evangelist to great sinners, as he was; leading multitudes to the Lord.

Who understood more than almost anyone else, the love, mercy, and grace of God as seen in his Uncle who chose him, while suffering with the boys sin in his household.  

Brent