Nathan Jones: Whew! We’ve gone through quite an election year, haven’t we? And, it’s not quite over yet, is it? I don’t know about you, but I’m quite exhausted by all of the mayhem and uncertainty. No matter how the results will finally turn out, a lot of people are wondering — did evil win?
Tim Moore: I think all of us are tired and dismayed by all of the pandemonium and exposed corruption. Frankly, not only are we tired, but we’re a bit concerned about what comes next. If you are looking ahead with some trepidation at a potential Biden-Harris administration, you naturally have to wonder what’s coming down the road. We’re already hearing about some of the anti-Christian policies they’ll be pushing. We’ve known that throughout this election season how many Americans, unfortunately, didn’t seem to care that our nation is taking a hard Left and abandoning its Judeo-Christian values in many cases. What’s coming will certainly not be good for America and for Christianity.
Nathan Jones: For over 200 years, America has rested on the Bible as its foundation, embraced the Judeo-Christian ethos for its values, and benefited from Capitalism powering its financial engine. Now we’re looking at a country that wants to proceed more into Secular Humanism, which is a rejection of God, and start to pursue Socialism, which has always failed as an economic model. This radical transition for our nation has got a lot of sober-minded people running scared. Quite frankly, they’re scared that evil has won and the nation is lost.
But, is this true? Does the Bible say that evil will always win?
Tim Moore: Well, obviously not in the end, say beyond just the immediacy of this election and its outcome. The problem of evil is an age-old question. Many Atheists claim that the presence of evil and suffering has been their stumbling block when it comes to embracing theism or the Christian faith in particular. We have all asked at one time or another, “How can an all-powerful God who supposedly knows all and is good and merciful, how can He allow evil to triumph in the world and allow people to suffer?” This may be a difficult question, but it is one that the Bible addresses.
Nathan Jones: It does indeed. The doctrine is called the Problem of Evil, and there have been whole volumes of books written addressing this dilemma.
It’s amazing to think that there are people who blame God as being the cause of evil and suffering, but that’s not true at all. The Bible tells us that God is holy and He’s perfect and He’s righteous. God never tempts people into committing evil deeds.
Where does this evil come from then? Some people attribute it to God, and falsely so. Rather, the source of evil and the resulting suffering rests on the fact that all people are sinners. Romans 3:23 reveals, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are sinners! We stand in rebellion against God’s perfect will and moral laws. We are the ones hurting ourselves and each other. So, there’s evil in the world because we are evil. We, not God, are to blame for all the suffering in the world because we commit evil deeds and those deeds affect other people who interact with us and beyond. Then, there are other people who commit their own evil deeds which cause suffering to befall us as well.
The question that naturally follows then is, “Why does God allow evil to continue, even flourish?” We know that because we are living in a fallen world that evil will flourish. But, why would God allow it to continue over these thousands of years? Why didn’t He just cut it off at the Fall?
Tim Moore: One of the reasons why God allows the “innocent” to suffer evil and be inflicted by the pain of evil is that there is no one who is truly innocent. As Romans 3:10 declares, “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.'” One may counter, “What about a baby or child?” True, a child has not reached the age of accountability, but they still exhibit the sin nature. It’s clear that for any adult, none of us are innocent. We are all worthy of condemnation. All of the world stands, as Romans 3:19 explains, “guilty before God.” Scripture makes this point very clear in John 3:36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son…” by accepting His free offer of salvation and by recognizing Christ as the only way, truth and life, “will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” And, rightfully so! We are all born deserving eternal death.
Remember, though, there’s a sense where humanity stands right in the middle of the story, so to speak. I love an analogy that was shared by Pastor Glenn Meredith of Brookhaven Church in McKinney, Texas. He asked his congregation to imagine that they had a teenage son. You go out and buy him a beautiful sports car and say, “Here, Son, here’s a sports car, but there are just a few rules that you must obey in order to enjoy this sports car and to keep it in pristine condition.” Well, boys being boys, he might rush out and drive that car in a manner that would cause it to be wrecked very quickly. What if you looked upon that wrecked car and thought, “Just what kind of parent would give their child a wrecked vehicle, and when are they gonna make it right?” Crazy thought, right?
Likewise, the Lord gave humanity a world and an existence that was perfect, but we collectively have wrecked it. We’re looking right now upon a wrecked world and wrecked lives, but are ironically asking, “Why did God allow this to happen?” Well, it’s because He gave us the keys to the car, so to speak, but we crashed it.
And yet, God has promised that in the fullness of time He will restore to perfection all of creation. Christ says in Revelation that He will make all things new. In the meantime, we exist in what C.S. Lewis called the Shadowlands. We are living in the time between the wrecking but before the restoration. Therefore, we cannot focus on the here and now and be disappointed, rather we have to look forward to that which is coming — the end of evil and suffering and the restoration of all things.
Nathan Jones: A second reason why God has not yet ended evil and suffering is because He has given us free will. God doesn’t want to populate Heaven for all of eternity with a bunch of robots. He allows us to choose to do good or evil, and often sadly, mankind chooses evil.
I look at humanity as one crop with every generation being a different harvest. The Lord is harvesting through time people who actually want to be with God forever. Eventually, the harvest-time will come to an end. All who accepted Jesus Christ and His salvation will dwell in Heaven with our loving Savior forever. Those who rejected Christ will be eternally separated from God; burned up like the chaff and weeds discarded during the harvest.
The Bible assures us that evil and suffering do indeed have an end. Job’s friends may have given him bad advice, but Zophar the Naamathite made a really good observation. He noted in Job 20:4-7 something comforting: “Do you not know this of old, since man was placed on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, and his head reaches to the clouds, yet he will perish forever.”
Once the harvest has come to an end, Jesus Christ is going to return in glory. He is going to defeat evil. He will then set up His kingdom. At the end of that kingdom, Jesus will hold the Great White Throne Judgment. And then, at last, eternity will be populated by a people who truly desire to live with Him. Evil will, at last, be gone when the sin nature is destroyed at the resurrection, and the harvest will, at last, be completed.
Tim Moore: Even if we have to endure a particular suffering for a period of months or years, in the grand scheme of things, that’s just a short amount of time.
Nathan Jones: So true! Our current sufferings might seem like they consume our lives, but when you start living thousands and even millions of years, the bad times start seeming shorter and shorter, till in perspective they all but disappear.
Tim Moore: Our lives right now are like only a blink of an eye compared to the scale of eternity. That’s why we were created — to spend eternity with our Lord God in perfect fellowship. God seeks to share an eternity with a purified people who live in communion with Him.
All of the sufferings of this present age fade and pale in comparison once you consider what awaits us — a glorious eternity with the Lord God. We can claim that only when we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (John 3:16).
So, our answer to the question “Does evil triumph?” is — no, it does not. It may seem to have the upper hand for just a little while, but we know that our Lord has defeated not only death and Satan but sin itself, and Jesus has and will triumph forevermore.
Great commentary. God wins. Amen
Excellent, well done — The first thing that came to mind was 1 Cor. 10:11: “Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall…”
Thanks
One of the first things that came to mind is 1 Cor. 10:11:
11Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.…
How can you tell if someone is Jewish?
In the Bible times, a Jew would be considered a Jew because of their father’s line. After the Jews were dispersed to the nations after 70 AD, because it was easier to prove who a child’s mother is, the proof now comes from the mother’s side of the family. Since Israel became a nation in 1948, Jews emigrating to Israel had to prove they were Jewish due to their mother. With today’s advances in genetic testing, though, a person can now be determined if they are truly Jewish or not without any proof of parentage.
In your article you said we will dwell in heaven with Jesus forever, this is not true. Fact is we may be in heaven for a very short time. We will return with Jesus to this earth and help establish his kingdom here upon this earth.
Right, Heaven will come down to the New Earth as the New Jerusalem. For more info on the New Jerusalem, check out http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_jews4.php and http://www.lamblion.us/2011/05/fhco-your-future-in-heaven-part-3.html.
Heaven is wherever Jesus is after the eternal separation of Good (Wheat) and Evil (Chaff). Hence, Christians will forever be with Jesus in Heaven. Nathan’s kind and correct answer is appreciated.
Wrong luther. You need to back up your statements with biblical proof from the Word of God.
If you are referring to Jesus and His Army, those people never died, those are the collective body of Christ currently alive.
If you’ll notice how God works through His people. In many instances, we are some of those metaphoric creatures talked about in revelation.
Another example is fire coming down from heaven, fundamentally that is modern day warfare, or should I say bombs.
Wonderful inspiring read. Thanks very much. My hope is in Jesus Christ
I want to know if it’s a sin to hate some family members who are gay? What about LGBT groups! I believe what the Bible says its sin. Because these people are in this world that will perish like Sodom and Gomorrah but in the meantime they are still family. I pray for them.
Please let me know if they can be helped!
Love the sinner, hate the sin, right? Remember that, fortunately, no matter who the sinner is or what they’ve done, we can be forgiven, saved and cleansed by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. For more information from the Bible on the sin of homosexuality, see http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_social8.php and http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_social18.php.
These brief interviews using question and answer method to deal with theological and moral issues, etc are very practical and helpful. I’m so glad you stay with God’s word, for then we have the truth, and the truth sets us free from self and a world full of lies. The devil sows lies. By the power of the Spirit through good biblical teaching, such as in this article, we can discern and reject those lies, and find hope and encouragement. The presence of sin and suffering will not go away, and continue to trouble us. That is, until Jesus comes and takes us out of this world into his heavenly kingdom. The Church will be saved to sin no more. But when he returns ‘with the saints,’ he will even make the earth a paradise and bring an end to all wickedness. So we must be patient and rejoice in his promise, ‘for yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.’ Keep up all your good teaching, and do not grow weary in doing good. Doug
Thank you Nathan for Biblically describing what is now vs. what will be after restoration.
I can attest to years of physical pain, which I ask for prayer over.
Yet I endure it until healing or The Lord comes, because I know why these things come upon us, and I must say, as Paul did, I have been chief of sinners at times.
I’m praying for yours and Dr Reagan’s ministry, Lamb and Lion.
Thanks again,
Robert
Robert, we here at Lamb & Lion Ministries are praying for the Lord’s health and provision in your life. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” – James 1:2-3
Thank you for being encouraging. I needed that and I know others that need it also, so I’ll send it along to them. I think we must keep busy sharing the gospel and what a great time to learn the prophecies of the Bible. God bless you and your ministry!
Sir,
Do you know what the Babylonian Talmud is? Or the Zohar? Do you know what Lurian Kabbalah is?
If you would look into these Satanic books you would know why there is so much evil in the world today.
You don’t need any books but One (Bible) to know there’s evil in the world. “ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Eph 2:8,9
Yes, you and I do evil too…. hopefully we repent when we do.
I appreciate you, Brother, but I respectfully disagree. I don’t agree that American is going towards the hard left. I reject that all Democrats are evil and all Republicans righteous. We have conservative senators and a Supreme Court that will balance this out. I remain positive that character is more important at the moment than policy. We have a God in heaven who hears the prayers of His people. Peoples hearts need to be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. One party or another cannot restore righteousness. Thank you.
Well said. I think we give too much credence to politics in this country. All Democrats are not Godless commies, and all Republicans are not God-fearing saints. Both parties have good and bad aspects. Neither is anywhere close to ideal. Democrats are often very compassionate and righteous living. Republicans (which I am) are frequently self-righteous and arrogant. We need to concern ourselves more with the will of God for ourselves and less with the behavior of everyone else.
I enjoyed reading the comments offered by Tim and Nathan. Very good description of what are going through now as a country that has rejected the Almighty God! Very well written guys. Appreciate you both and my God Bless your service to Him.
THERE IS VICTORY IN JESUS.
Why is God plural in Tim’s answer about the innocent? ( 0ne of the reasons Gods allow)
Because it’s a typo, obviously. But, it’s now fixed (refresh your page). Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
One thing the gets me a little upset is that we as Christians deserve the evil that is come upon us. It almost seems that some are saying we should accept the evil and not fight it, because even though we are Christians we are still sinful and get what we deserve.
Actually commenting regarding the Poll – What would you like to accomplish before the Rapture? Personally, None of the choices resonate with me. However, I would have definitely checked this option – Reach more family and friends for Christ.
Huh.people are suffering.now.losing everything.unsure of what is happening. And you tell them their suffering doesn’t matter.smile.it’ll all be good in next age.as if that helps them to deal..now.bit ashamed of you in this one.you missed the mark.
Alot of people have grown spiritually in this time. We are all facing Tribulation just as Christ predicted. One thing we can do is make Godly choices, resist evil. Choose what is good, acceptable, and perfect, and you will find yourselves in the center of God’s will.
Romans:12:2. Stand for good, honesty, and truth, don’t fall for the schemes of the devil. Adversity purifies our motives, and makes us see what means the most to us.
I apply Matthew 12:33 to many events and people going on today. Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. We will always see the true fruit of good and evil and in the things that they produce. All you have to do is look at what kind of fruit they bear and you know if they are from God or from Satan. Do you see good coming from them or destruction?
Paul addresses our responsibility not to live like the world Phillipians 4:14-15, don’t be conformed to this world’s actions, stand for truth in the dark culture of today’s world, try helping others. Phillipians 4:8. Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…if anything is praiseworthy– think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the Peace of God be with you.
God verses evil is a very good topic to discuss.
What would you accomplish before the Rapture? Make sure you have accepted, believe in, Christ the Savior, and repented of all your sins. Freedom is a Gift from God, he alone can change any situation and the door must be open when he knocks to bring him into your heart.