Freedom from the Wicked World is according to the author, Apostle Joshua Adesheye Olateru-Olagbegi, “a book commanded by God to enable people to free themselves from the hands of the wicked…” The book was published in 2017 and also, according to the author, he was given the mandate to write the book about 21 years ago.
Freedom from the Wicked World is a Christian book that sheds light on the truth of the gospel and unapologetically condemns the various modern versions of the gospel that preach against the old laws and turns a blind eye to the abnormalities of modern day Christianity.
It consists of 12 chapters. The first three chapters speak of The Holy Trinity, God Almighty, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. Each chapter is dedicated to each of the Godheads respectively.
The author begins in chapter one by talking basically about God Almighty, acknowledging that there are other gods; or valueless gods as the Psalmist says it. “As a matter of fact, anything that is worshipped can be termed a god, in as much as the worshipper attributes to its might greater than his own and venerated it…”
Affirming the existence of God, he says “the fact of the existence of God is proved by the order, power and complexity of creation, macroscopic and microscopic through his dealing with his people throughput history.”
In the next chapter, he focuses on Jesus Christ, acknowledging Him as the true son of God. Jesus is the spokesperson through whom the purpose of God is fulfilled.
He also brings to light one of the predominant qualities of Jesus which is love. Love is the driving force of his missions and teachings and miracles. His death and resurrection confirmed Him as the worthy one and the one who was promised.
In chapter three he describes the Holy Spirit as the “active force of God” and the custodian of the gifts of God who distributes different gifts to different people according to the will of God.
The Holy Spirit is likened to many things including: wind, fire, dove, oil. etc.
In chapter four, five and six, he brings it down to earth, talking about the creation of the first man – Adam, Satan the great deceiver and the fall of man.
Adam was “the crown of all of God’s creative works made to be the custodian and administrator of the earth.” God created Eve to be Adam to curb his loneliness.
After the first sin, both of them were cast out of God’s garden and had to work extra hard for anything.
Talking about Satan in the fifth chapter, the author described Satan as a spirit creation of God who forsook the truth and sought to create his own.
Satan’s numerous attempts to overthrow God and compete with His sovereign power till today and only rained war and violence and destruction upon the earth introducing foreign powers from demons, witches, etc.
Next he covers the fall of man; the infamous story of the temptation of Eve by Satan in form of a snake. But God in His infinite mercy, instead of killing Adam and Eve instantly reached out as a loving father and clothed them before sending them on their way.
The second half of the book, seem to be its core.
Chapter seven titled: “The True Ways of Salvation”, began with the Ten Commandments, linking the need to obey God’s command to receive great salvation/rewards,
Here the author dismisses the popular notion that the Old Testament is an old book and should be regarded as such.
He also made references to Matt 5: 17-19 “Think not that I come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
Here we see Jesus saying that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. The laws in the Old Testament laid the foundation for the new ones and remain as sacred as they were in the days of Moses.
According to the author, true believers must be “reborn, saved and sanctified”, holy, meek in spirit, compassionate, believe in Jesus Christ, obedient to God and Maintain good works. Only by doing these would a believer truly be saved.
Chapter eight is titled: “Cheer up! I have defeated the world which begins with God and His promise of Jesus that was kept. The author uses the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ to re-emphasise the fact that Jesus is indeed the savior of the world. According to him, Christ is “God’s greatest instrument to counter Satan and all his evil vices.”
The name of Jesus is powerful enough to free every man from the wicked grip of Satan; witch craft, diabolic attacks, familiar sprits, depression, failure, barrenness, untimely death, etc.
All that is needed is that you trust and have faith in Jesus. Nothing is too big or too small for Jesus to do for those who trust in him.
The author went on to list some miracles as performed by Jesus while He was here on earth.
The next chapter titled: “Freedom of Believers” focuses on the freedom offered to believer through Christ. Though we were born sinners, because of Jesus, that status can change.
The truth of the gospel sets believers free. Under the old law, the punishment of sin is death but the freedom Jesus brings also brings with it the grace to be reborn and resurrected in Christ.
The author also gives a few warnings especially in the misuse of such freedom and liberty and the existence of false prophets who speak what they know nothing about and others who only seek to fault the gospel in order to render it null thereby turning unsuspecting believers away from the truth which is Christ.
The 10th chapter centres on the grace of God and begins with scriptures speaking of the abundant grace of God. The grace that was available to Jesus has now been made available to us. By His grace we are called to be His sons, by His grace we are saved, justified, forgiven, comforted and given faith.
As ”heirs to the grace of life”, we are to grow in grace, speak with grace, worship with grace and pray for grace. However, grace, although freely given, is not given to everyone. Some are given more grace than others.
The penultimate chapter speaks of the ways in which true believers having been offered grace and victory in Christ should live and act. He makes mention first of the most important commandment according to Christ which is, ”…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…”
Loving God also means living for God. As new creatures who are born again in Christ, there are certain characters or behaviors a believer should possess such as: holiness, meek heart, mercy, pure heart, righteousness, steadfastness in faith, walking in the spirit, fear of God, holiness, etc.
He also lists out Bible passages to help believers’ live victorious lives and find comfort in time of distress.
The believer is an overcomer who overcomes all through faith.
The last chapter focuses on the kingdom of God; where the end meets the beginning. The kingdom of God is Heaven which houses the throne of God. It is a place of holiness, glory, light joy, peace and is free from all forms of negativity and darkness. A believers place in heaven is dependent on his faith and works on earth; his every action, thoughts, words, decisions, etc, but most importantly, it is dependent on God’s grace.
The author does a fantastic job covering Genesis through revelation in twelve chapters. From the Sovereignty and Supreme power of God, to creation and the first sin to its consequences and the woeful attempts of Satan till now, to derail the people of is not of God, to how God in His infinite wisdom rescues his greatest creation from the grip of Satan by sending His son Jesus who lived a blameless life and gave His life in exchange for our sins to achieve victory over death that we may share with Him a new and peaceful life in His kingdom.
The author acknowledges the existence of evil powers through the manipulation of Satan but also assures readers/believers that there are ways to defeat Satan and live in victory. In all, the book is a must read for all believers who face many adversaries and are unsure of how to come out of it. Grace is available and victory is ensured in Christ; all the believer needs to do is to have faith!
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