Satan, the god of this world, blinds the minds of those who do not believe so they cannot see the light of the gospel.
Paul says the gospel is hid to them that are lost, and the cause is that Satan has blinded the minds of them which believe not. Les Feldick repeatedly points to this satanically inspired blindness as the reason lost people see nothing to be gained and continue on in darkness.
2 Corinthians 4:3 — Shows that the hidden gospel is specifically hidden to those who are lost.
2 Corinthians 4:4 — Directly identifies the god of this world as the one who blinds the minds of unbelievers.
The Apostle Paul writes, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." He then explains who hides it: "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." The Bible clearly states that the god of this world actively blinds the minds of those who do not believe, preventing the light of the gospel from reaching them.
Les Feldick emphasizes 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 as a central explanation for why people cannot see the gospel. He says Satan, the god of this world, has totally blinded the eyes of those who believe not to the truth of the Word of God. This is why the lost cannot believe: their minds are so blinded by Satan that they see nothing to be gained in the gospel. Les also clarifies that the blinding applies specifically to those who will not believe — not to people who merely haven't joined the church or don't read their Bibles. He teaches that believers must pray for God to remove this satanically inspired blindness, because there is nothing a believer can do to open blinded eyes until God acts. Lost people, he observes, go up and down in their busy lifestyle, see nothing to be gained, and go their way in total darkness.
Paul states that the god of this world has blinded the minds of "them which believe not." Les stresses this specific condition: Satan's blinding is tied to unbelief, not to church membership, Bible reading habits, or any other external factor. Those who will not believe are the ones whose minds are blinded.
Les identifies "the God of this world" in 2 Corinthians 4:4 as Satan himself. He describes this as a dilemma the human race constantly labors under: Satan has blinded their eyes to the truth of the Word of God, and this is the spiritual conflict believers face when trying to reach the lost.
Les says sharing the gospel with blinded people is like throwing water on a duck's back; it simply rolls off. They see absolutely nothing to be gained, and so they go on their way in total darkness. He also describes the lost as going up and down in their busy lifestyle while the gospel remains hidden to them.
Les teaches that believers must understand and pray to this end: there is not a thing they can do to remove the blindness until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness. Prayer is the believer's only effective response to this spiritual dilemma.
Les points out that when Christ died, He took on Himself the sin of every human being, so even lost people's sins are already forgiven. But just as Congress may appropriate billions for a program and the money sits until someone draws on it, so the work of the cross does not benefit those who refuse to draw on it by believing. The forgiveness is available, but the blinded person does not believe it.
Forgiveness and Drawing on the Cross
Les uses the analogy of Congress appropriating money that must be drawn on to explain how Christ's payment for everyone's sins does not benefit those who refuse to believe it.
Satan Blinds Eyes to Truth
Les quotes 2 Corinthians 4:4 and explains that Satan has blinded people's eyes to the truth, requiring prayer for God to remove this satanically inspired blindness.
Gospel Hid to the Lost
Les points out that the gospel is hid to those who are lost and that Satan has so totally blinded them that they cannot believe the Word.
God Hides vs. Satan Blinds
Les contrasts how God hid things from the twelve disciples with Satan blinding the lost, showing the other side of hidden truth.
The God of This World Is Satan
Les plainly identifies the God of this world in 2 Corinthians 4:4 as Satan.
Human Race in a Dilemma
Les says the human race is in a dilemma because the God of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of those who believe not.
Blinding Applies to Unbelief
Les clarifies that Satan blinds the minds of those who will not believe, not those who merely haven't joined a church or read the Bible, and he mentions their busy lifestyle.
Blinded People See Nothing to Gain
Les describes how blinded people see nothing to be gained in the gospel and go their way in total darkness, which believers face when trying to share the gospel.
2 Corinthians 4:3: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
This verse establishes that the hiding of the gospel relates specifically to those who are lost.
2 Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
This is the key verse showing that the god of this world blinds the minds of unbelievers to the light of the gospel.
Les Feldick distinguishes two ways in Scripture. God hid things from the twelve disciples in Luke 18, but in 2 Corinthians 4 Paul shows the other side: Satan, the god of this world, blinds the minds of those who believe not. The gospel is hid to them that are lost.
No. The verse specifically says Satan blinds the minds of them which believe not. Les says it is not about people who haven't joined the church or don't read their Bibles; it is about those who will not believe.
Les says there is not a thing a believer can do until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness. This is why believers must pray for God to work in the lives of those who are blinded.
According to Les, blinded lost people see absolutely nothing to be gained in the gospel. They go on their way in total darkness, often caught up in their busy lifestyle, and the gospel is hid to them.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Gospel Is Hidden From Some People — 2 Corinthians 4:1-4