Weekly Devotional 11-30-15 Why?
If there is a God and He is a God of love why is there so much evil in the world today? Why does He permit people to do what they do? Why does He not intervene and put a stop to man’s atrocities against man? These are the questions that are being asked by many, if not by most people today. It would be a great presumption to give a specific dogmatic answer to anyone of them, but God is a God of love. He does permit or allow people to do what they do to a certain extent. He is intervening and He will put a stop to man’s atrocities against man.
However, not being able to give specific dogmatic answers to the above questions does not limit us to no answer at all. The earth was created with no untoward conditions for man’s habitation and man was created in perfection. God himself, at the end of His creative acts, proclaimed that each act of His creation was very good (Genesis 1:31). But man, represented in Adam, chose to step out of his perfection into non-perfection by disobedience becoming subject to a nature void of God. This new nature (this different nature) became subject to wants and desires of self (the desires of the flesh), to Satan who wanted to forever tarnish what God had created, and to a world that came under Satan’s authority. The affirmation of his authority is found in Matthew 4:8-10. “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ‘And he (Satan) said to Him (Jesus), all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written’, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Satan, the maniacal hater of God, had been granted by God to have control and influence over the kingdoms of the earth in and over man themselves. The source of evil, therefore, is Satan.
Is God “pleased” with the suffering of man because of what Satan influences man to do? No! His anger boils against all ramifications of evil and someday (perhaps someday soon) He will move against Satan and the evil he fosters. We read from Revelation 20:10 (NKJV) “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” God will eventually cast Satan into eternal punishment, but His judgment against evil will not stop with him. We continue reading from Revelation 10. “11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Every person that has ever lived who has not turned to God for relief from indwelling evil and turned away from or repented of that evil will also be judged with eternal punishment.
In the interim, God is using the pain and suffering caused by Satan and unrepentant man to bring many unto Himself. As God used the suffering and death of the snake bite (Numbers 21:5-9) to cause the children of Israel to look to Him for relief and salvation. He is using the ramifications of evil during this age to cause man to look to Him for relief and salvation. Could there be any who would turn to God for relief and salvation if evil did not exist? Would you have, would I have? If the end result is salvation, which is God’s intention, we will find ourselves rejoicing with the Apostle Paul, who wrote,
“18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” (Romans 8:18-25 NKJV).
What a wonder!
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man