Imagine you are married with children. One day, your spouse asks of you something that is impossible for you to accommodate, because it goes against your moral principles. It could be something like she (or he) wants to start doing cocaine as a family, or she wants to have an “open relationship,” inviting a variety of strange lovers to share your bed.
You politely decline the request, which seems to anger her.
Ultimately, unable to come to a compromise resolution, she files for divorce.
The Lies Of The Enemy
Imagine, now, your ex is no longer nice to you and begins to tell lies about you to your children. They are too young to understand the search for and determination of truth. Mommy’s and Daddy’s words to them are truth. You deny her lies and continue to show love to your children and your ex, but the lies plant seeds of doubt in your children that sprout into fear.
“Daddy won’t let me have what I want, and he won’t let you have what you want.”
“He doesn’t want us to be happy!”
“He will kill you if you don’t do what he says!”
Eventually, the children are too scared to be comfortable around you, and, finally, reject you completely.
What has happened?
You absolutely adore your children, and you continue to plead with your ex to come to her senses and return to you. You are loving through the whole ordeal, but you have seemingly lost your family. You know you are not really this terrible person your ex has made you out to be, but your children no longer believe in the Daddy they once thought they knew.
And that’s the point and perspective of this article: there are two parties vying for the allegiance of humankind, and one of them resorts to lies and coercion. The other exhibits genuine love at all times.
How God Fights The War
How would you combat the lies being told about you?
Imagine that you kill your ex. She can no longer fill your children with fear of you with horrible lies about you. However, you have not solved anything. You have actually made the problem worse! Your children see that you do not tolerate dissension, and you will kill those who step out of line… just like Mommy said!
“Mommy was right! Daddy will kill you if you disobey him!”
Your children are still afraid of you.
It is the same circumstance with God. Instead of battling an ex-spouse, He is dealing with a disgruntled employee. According to the Bible, this disgruntled employee is the first creature to ever lie in the universe.
He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)
The devil’s rage has gotten so bad, that he is committed to causing pain and suffering of God’s children on planet earth (see Revelation 12:12).
The devil is the sole cause of all the suffering on planet earth. Every evil act of every rapist, every thief, every murderer, was caused by Satan.
“Acts of God” are the exact opposite of what God is about.
They are actually acts of the devil. (The Book of Job contains proof that Satan can cause natural disasters, though I would hesitate to say he causes all of them. Some of them happen because of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and an unstable earthly environment.)
When Jesus was here, His disciples asked about the pain and death on earth. Jesus told them,
“An enemy has done this” (Matthew 13:28).
So, why doesn’t God intervene? This is one of the great, deep questions of humanity.
God Wins In The End
If God is good, why is there so much suffering?
I address this issue in other places on this web site, but let me just briefly say this:
There are some limits to God’s interactions with planet earth. He is involved in a great controversy, and His ability to act is limited according to some heavenly rules of engagement.
God is dealing with the issue of selfishness (as opposed to selflessness, or “love”), and it is not as easy as just killing the enemy. It is also a matter of proving that God can be trusted, that He is love in the deepest and truest sense, and that love is necessary for a peaceful and joyful life.
God must respect the free will choices of those He loves, because that is what love is. Love cannot exist without liberty.
If God were to intervene every time some evil act were to be performed, we would no longer be free will beings. It would dull our senses to the consequences of evil. It would facilitate a warped character and would help sear our consciences against good. We would no longer be able to choose to love.
God’s method of winning you to Him is to reveal the truth in the love, then leave you free to decide.
Things are getting worse on planet earth. You can see it in the headlines every day. God has promised to return before things get completely out of hand. That day is fast approaching, and He is coming for you.
He wants you to live peacefully and joyfully forever in paradise with all of your friends and family. The only way to do that is to get to know Him. Once you get to know Him, you will learn to trust Him. When you trust Him, you will open your heart to Him and let Him heal your selfish character.
In time, love will become as natural to you as breathing.