Good God, Bad World - Why?
If God is good, why do sin, suffering, sickness, pain, and death exist? Why does it seem that the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? How can we explain all of this? Are there any answers? How can we have hope amidst trial and suffering? These are all very honest questions – questions that need to be answered. In fact, the way you answer these questions shapes your view of life, death, and the present state of our world – to make it simple, these questions shape your worldview. That’s why this blog entry is dedicated to answering these questions.
Let me begin by saying that I’m not one of those people who say stuff without knowing what they are talking about – believe me; I’ve actually been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called vitiligo, which causes the skin to lose its pigmentation. If you look carefully at some of my videos, you’ll notice that quite a few areas of my skin have lost their pigmentation. Put on top of that is the fact that I’ve seen some of the best doctors in the United States and received some of the best treatments for vitiligo, yet the doctors have confessed that my case seems incurable. And that can be pretty discouraging, if it were not for the hope that I have in Christ. But yet some nights, I lie in bed wondering why God allowed this to happen. But as I have studied God’s Word, I have actually found answers that help me to see the big picture. Let me share them with you.
Revelation 12:7-9 tells us, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” The Bible tells us that there was a war in heaven. This war was between Michael, (which is actually Jesus, if you do some study on that), and Satan. The result of the war? Well, Satan was cast out of the realms of glory with all those who followed his in his rebellion against heaven. And where they cast out to? Exactly, Planet Earth. Now it gets really close to home. Notice the details given in Revelation 12:12: “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” The devil is intent on wreaking as much havoc as possible, because he knows he has a limited time to do his work. But there has got to be a better reason. Are we just affected by, you know, “stray bullets?” Or is there something more than that? As I have studied God’s Word, I have discovered something. Satan is purposefully attacking God’s children because he knows that
If you really want to hurt a parent, you hurt them by hurting their children. Satan knows that he can’t hurt God directly, he cannot make an open attack on God’s person, yet he can hurt God by hurting the ones He especially cares for – His people, His children. The Bible tells us in Revelation 12:13, that when Satan saw that He was cast out of heaven, that he could not prevail against God, he decided that he would persecute God’s people. So that is another reason, and possibly even the greatest reason why bad things happen to good people. But there is another reason, one that not only has to do with us humans here on earth, but it has to do with the universe at large. You see,
And from what portion of Scripture do I draw this conclusion? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:9, “For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” It is a Biblical principle that there are unfallen beings on other worlds who are viewing the events occurring here on Planet Earth. For instance, see Hebrews 1:2, which says that Christ made the worlds, plural. We also know that there are angels who surround God’s throne who are interested in the things that occur here on earth (1 Peter 1:12). These angelic beings are witnessing the results of Satan’s rebellion, there are realizing that disobeying God’s commands, or sin (1 John 3:4), brings death, but obedience brings blessing and life! This is an important reason why God allowed sin to run its course on earth. Once the whole universe has seen that, yes, God is fair, and yes, sin does bring suffering and sadness, and eventually death – once the whole universe acknowledges this fact, God will put an end to sin, pain, suffering, and death forever (Revelation 21:3, 4), and sin will never raise its ugly head again (Nahum 1:9). Isn’t that good news?
- Ilcias Vargas, Jr.
Let me begin by saying that I’m not one of those people who say stuff without knowing what they are talking about – believe me; I’ve actually been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called vitiligo, which causes the skin to lose its pigmentation. If you look carefully at some of my videos, you’ll notice that quite a few areas of my skin have lost their pigmentation. Put on top of that is the fact that I’ve seen some of the best doctors in the United States and received some of the best treatments for vitiligo, yet the doctors have confessed that my case seems incurable. And that can be pretty discouraging, if it were not for the hope that I have in Christ. But yet some nights, I lie in bed wondering why God allowed this to happen. But as I have studied God’s Word, I have actually found answers that help me to see the big picture. Let me share them with you.
- We are living in a war zone.
Revelation 12:7-9 tells us, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” The Bible tells us that there was a war in heaven. This war was between Michael, (which is actually Jesus, if you do some study on that), and Satan. The result of the war? Well, Satan was cast out of the realms of glory with all those who followed his in his rebellion against heaven. And where they cast out to? Exactly, Planet Earth. Now it gets really close to home. Notice the details given in Revelation 12:12: “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” The devil is intent on wreaking as much havoc as possible, because he knows he has a limited time to do his work. But there has got to be a better reason. Are we just affected by, you know, “stray bullets?” Or is there something more than that? As I have studied God’s Word, I have discovered something. Satan is purposefully attacking God’s children because he knows that
- We are the object of God’s care.
If you really want to hurt a parent, you hurt them by hurting their children. Satan knows that he can’t hurt God directly, he cannot make an open attack on God’s person, yet he can hurt God by hurting the ones He especially cares for – His people, His children. The Bible tells us in Revelation 12:13, that when Satan saw that He was cast out of heaven, that he could not prevail against God, he decided that he would persecute God’s people. So that is another reason, and possibly even the greatest reason why bad things happen to good people. But there is another reason, one that not only has to do with us humans here on earth, but it has to do with the universe at large. You see,
- Earth is the theater of the universe.
And from what portion of Scripture do I draw this conclusion? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:9, “For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” It is a Biblical principle that there are unfallen beings on other worlds who are viewing the events occurring here on Planet Earth. For instance, see Hebrews 1:2, which says that Christ made the worlds, plural. We also know that there are angels who surround God’s throne who are interested in the things that occur here on earth (1 Peter 1:12). These angelic beings are witnessing the results of Satan’s rebellion, there are realizing that disobeying God’s commands, or sin (1 John 3:4), brings death, but obedience brings blessing and life! This is an important reason why God allowed sin to run its course on earth. Once the whole universe has seen that, yes, God is fair, and yes, sin does bring suffering and sadness, and eventually death – once the whole universe acknowledges this fact, God will put an end to sin, pain, suffering, and death forever (Revelation 21:3, 4), and sin will never raise its ugly head again (Nahum 1:9). Isn’t that good news?
- Ilcias Vargas, Jr.
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