I do not believe the verse is speaking about Satan being the God of this world.
Fair enough, but it is.
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.
To not see the contrast drawn by Paul regarding God ~ YHWH of course ~ and "the god of this world" in 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 is astounding, ewq. Observe:
"Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God."
If one is to suppose that YHWH is referred to exclusively in this passage, one has to ask himself/herself why God would be referred to properly as God Himself four times ~ four, in that short passage...
- "mercy of God"
- "God's Word,"
- "sight of God,"
- "Christ, Who is the image of God"
...but as a dissociated object/person in only one...
So verse four alone shows irrefutably that sharp contrast. So "the god of this world," as used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4, in his context there,
is clearly referring to Satan.
Second, can one really, with any credibility, possibly think that Christ is the image of God
and also the image of the god of this world? Well, if "God" and "the god of this world" were referring to the same person, yes, but obviously the correct answer is no, of course not, precisely because they are not referring to the same person. So again, "the god of this world," as used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4, in his context there,
is clearly referring to Satan.
Finally, another key is to understand what/who Paul means by "world" in verse four. Paul talks about the world and worldliness in various places in all his letters in the context of being sinful, filled with sin, and of the devil. And this does not include those He has called unto Himself, His elect, the ones who He has chosen to be conformed to the image of His And here in 2 Corinthians 4:4 it is the same. YHWH can have nothing to do with sin, much less be the cause of it or the author of it or ~ GASP ~ the god of sin. So, again, "the god of this world," as used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4, in his context there,
is clearly referring to Satan.
Now.
In other contexts ~ like Exodus 33, where Moses quotes God Himself) and Romans 9 (where Paul quotes Moses quoting God) ~ does God Himself, with regard to His salvation and specifically His mercy and compassion, which are the catalysts of such,
"(have) mercy on whomever He wills, and harden(s) whomever He wills"...? Yes. As God says in Isaiah 53,
"My word... shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." But these are in a very different context than the 2 Corinthians 4 passage above. Here, God is the one true God.
Grace and peace to you.