In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This is how the apostle John begins to tell us the story of the Light that he knew.  Yes, Jesus was there at the very beginning of creation, because Jesus is God and God is Jesus.  Jesus makes a point of telling us many times that He has been here since the very beginning of the worldcreation (See: 1 Peter 1:20, Luke 10:18, John 17:5, John 18:24, John 17:24, John 8:58, 1 John 1:1, Hebrews 1:2, Colossians 1:15-17, 2 Timothy 1:9).  And likewise, God tells us that it was actually Him they pierced on the cross that day on Calvary:

Zechariah 12:10

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (Zechariah 12:10)

God had a plan for Jesus from the very beginning.  He knew that He would use Him to defeat the same curse that He Himself had put upon mankind and planet Eearth.  God knows every second of every minute that has ever, or will ever transpire (omniscience).  He exists outside of time and could clearly see the result of the choice that Adam and Eve would ultimately make.  He was prepared for it, and still, he let it play out.  Because they could have chosen differently, and He knew how that would play out too.

Free will.  That was the game-changer then, and still is today.  He alwaysstill gives us the choice and doesn’t force Himself on us, because that would not be real love.  Love requires choice, and that is what He was after.  He had to give us choices in order to have the perfect world He created.  If choice did not exist, He would have simply been creating clones, and what would have been the point of that?  He gave the angels free will as well, and about a third of them decided to follow Lucifer.  Which again, He knew would happen and He could see how it would affect our world.

Your will is also the only sacrifice that God wants from you now. He came down and sacrificed Himself on a cross for us, and He asks for the offering of your free will in return. He wants you to trade your will for His and sacrifice your way for His Way. In fact, throughout the Old Testament, you will find that some of the Hebrew sacrifices to the Lord are referred to as sin offerings (Leviticus 5:12) and some are specifically called freewill offerings (see examples: Exodus 35:29, Leviticus 7:16, Numbers 29:39, Deuteronomy 12:6). Freewill offerings were considered to be in addition to any vow or tithe. They were not given out of duty or obligation, but out of love. Of course, as a Christian, you still have freedom of choice about what you do every day, but He wants that choice to be guided by His will, and what is pleasing to Him (applicable verse: Romans 12:1).

In order to have choices, you must have options, and options require distinctions.  Black or white, in or out, on or off; these are examples of opposites or counter-options.  This is where evil comes in.  In order to be good, you must be able to define what good is, and that’s why you need evil.   If everything was good, how would you definescribe good?  You couldn’t—, asnd there would be nothing to compare it to, and no choice. Just as if everything were cold, there would be nothing else to measure it againstcompare it to.  You must understand what hot is to understand cold. You must have knowledge of pain, to fully appreciate pleasure. You must understand hate, or emptiness, to experience love (It is the opposite of both). (See Romans 7:13)

This was God’s very first task. Before He created us, He established good and evil. Let’s review the opening verses in Genesis and examine them one by oneThis was God’s very first task. 

Genesis 1

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

Let’s look at this line by line, because there is a great deal to be discerned here:

In the beginning God created the heavenheavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)

. 

God created two worlds:

He created the heavenheavens (plural).  

1.      First Heaven - The visible sky

2.      Second Heaven- The vault of the sky (space)

3.      Third Heaven- The dwelling of God and his angels

He created the earth:

1.     The physical planet

Now the earth was formless and empty (Genesis 1:2).

 Taken in context, this would imply that the heavenheavens (or at least the third heavenHeaven) was structured and developed by contrast.  It was completed in its entirety, along with the angels, prior to Earth, which was still formless.

…dDarkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2).

.

We tend to think of darkness as what we see when we turn off the light, or what we get when the sun goes down.  But I believe God is speaking of evil here.  He is letting us know that there were two opposing forces at play here; darkness and the Spirit of God.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:3‒4). .

God created the light.  But this was not sunlight, as the sun, moon, and stars are not created until day four of creation week.  So, it appears that God created an alternative to the darkness, which already existed. This light is the manifested Spirit of God. God saw that the light was good… He says nothing about the darkness being good (because it wasn't).   …aAnd he separated the light from the darkness. Enmity. Opposition. Choice. Contrast and clarity.

But not just a choice, an equal and opposite choice.  Not equal to God, but equal in scope of its necessity to God’s plan.

 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” (Genesis 1:5).

Again, do not confuse this language with the physical night or day or night. There is no sun or moon at this point. It is a metaphor. There are twelve12 hours of each.  They are evenly divided. No advantage for either, but a binary choice. The period of time between day and night is called the evening (asa verb meaning to even).    God continuously and consistently uses this metaphor throughout the scriptures.  When he speaks of the day (or the light), He is referring to goodness and righteousness.  When He speaks of the night (or darkness), He refers to evil and sin.  Here are some well-known examples (also see Psalm 18:28, Job 12:22, 1 Thessalonians 5:5):

John 11:9

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light (John 11:9)

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

.

Job 12:22

He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.

Job 24:13

“There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).

1 Thessalonians 5:5

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

2 Corinthians 6:14

 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Psalm 18:28

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

And if we revisit the opening statement of John’s Gospel, he pretty much spells it out for us:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1‒5)

The apostle Paul also summed it up very well in his letter to the Colossians:

Colossians 1:12

…andAnd giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

(Colossians 1:12)

 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

These are just a few examples. There are way too many to list them all here. But we can clearly see that there is a Kingdom of Light, and a kingdom of darkness which oppose each other. Yes, Satan has a kingdom too, as Jesus Himself confirms:

If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? (Matthew 12:26)

So God has now created the first of many opposing choices, and the ones most necessary for his plan.  He also gave Lucifer the free will to choose the light or the darkness, but He ultimately used that choice to further distinguish (or contrast) between good and evil.   He was the original necessary evil.  God created Lucifer and gave him the freedom to choose.  He could have chosen to remain as the covering cherub, the most beautiful creature God had ever made. He was the revered worship leader of Hheaven, but his pride was his downfall. God had made him so beautiful and powerful, that his pride was too much to resist.  He wanted more. He wanted to be like the Most High:h…

Isaiah 14:11

11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,

    along with the noise of your harps;

maggots are spread out beneath you

    and worms cover you.

12 How you have fallen from heavenheaven,

      morning star, son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth,

      you who once laid low the nations!

13 You said in your heart,

      “I will ascend to the heavenheavens;

I will raise my throne

      above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,

      on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

      I will make myself like the Most High. (Isaiah 14:12‒14)

God specificallyactually uses Lucifer as an example to us.  We all want wealth, beauty, power, fame, and status.  These are actually the slippery slopes that lead us off the path of God.  They cause us to take our focus off of God and put it on ourselves. They are the fruits of pride, and will lead us to rebel against things unseen (which are permanent) and trade them for things of this world (which are temporary).  Satan was granted dominion over the earth; however God reminds us constantly throughout the scriptures that his world is temporary.

Isaiah 14 is also revealing because God refers to Lucifer as the morning star. Although the term morning star can be found in six separate passages (Job 3:9, Job 38:7, Isaiah 14:12, 2 Peter 1:19, Rev 2:28, Rev 22:16), only two people in the entire bibleBible are ever directly referred to referred to as the morning stars.  Jesus and Lucifer:.

Revelation 22:16

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16)

We also know that these two morning stars were distinguished and set apart from the other angels.  God makes this distinction in his famous admonishment of Job:…

Job 38:4

 4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

      Tell me, if you understand.

5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

      Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 On what were its footings set,

      or who laid its cornerstone—

7 while the morning stars sang together

     and all the angels shouted for joy?           

(Job 38:4‒7)

So now we find that Jesus and Lucifer actually got along and even sang together before the fall of man (Remember, Lucifer was good in the beginning).  This also tells us that the angels were made before the earth was created, because they were shouting for joy as He made it. Yes, God created two species of his children.  Angels are quite often referred to as sons of God, just as we are called the children of God. In reality, we are all brothers and sisters, and we will be united in the end as one family.  Angels are spirit beings and we are flesh (we are all persons).  Well, that is almost a true statement. Actually, we are both spirit beings.  We were just made of flesh originally. However, we are given the right to return to this heavenlyangelic state as Jesus teaches us below… (also see Matthew 22:30):

Luke 20:36 

...andAnd they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. (Luke 20:36)

Matthew 22:30

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

I think another item worth noting when we look at Lucifer’s fall to evil is the prevalence of symmetry here as well.  We know that God is a triune being, consisting of three distinct entities; The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  This would mean that Jesus, the Son, represents 1/3 of the Trinity.  Is it coincidence that Satan also takes 1/3 of the angels to the darkness?   Or that the number of the beast is 666, which is exactly 2/3 when displayed as a decimal?   Mathematics and symmetry play an important role in the universe and the Scriptures, particularly when based on thirds (or the number 3).. Just something to ponder. It makes you think there was some sort of master plan, huh?  We will dive deeper into this a little further on, but until then, here’s a little taste of God’s triune symmetry:

 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

(Matthew 1:17)

But that is another book entirely!

However, a larger question remains.  [GP1] If God did not create evil, but intentionally separated it from good, how do we know that evil is not just as powerful, if not more so, than good?  How do we even know that God has control over it?  Thankfully, the Scriptures clearly reveal this truth.

First things first.  We know that God did not create evil, not only because we see it already in existence before He created the heavenheavens and the earth, andbut God actually tells us in Genesis 1:31 that everything He created was good.  Here, God is looking back on the entire week of creation, at the end of the sixth day, and unequivocally stating that every single thing He made is not only good, but very good:…

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

The mere fact that God separated evil from good, shows us that he has power and dominion over it. But it goes much further than that.  God goes on to show us time and time again, throughout the scriptures, that He actually uses evil for His plan and Glory.  Let’s look at a few examples:

One of the original purveyors of evil in the scriptures is Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler and demi-god.  Pharaoh had enslaved and mistreated the Hebrew people for many years, and God chose Moses to confront Pharaoh and deliver the message that he must now let them all go.  Pharaoh famously resists every plague that Moses unleashes on Egypt, until God has determined that enough is enough.  God gives PharaohMoses one final message of warning to delive and reveals something else in the process:r…

Exodus 9:13-16

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.  16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. (Exodus 9:15‒16)

God makes it clear to Pharaoh (and us), that his stubborn mistreatment, enslavery, abuse, and general evil, was actually part of God’s plan.  He raised him up (promoted him to ruler) for this very purpose.  What purpose?  So that the power and the name of the Lord might be proclaimed in all the earth!. Pharaoh was supposed to enslave and mistreat the Hebrew people. God clearly revealed this to Abraham many years before it happened (Genesis 15:13). It was fFor His Glory!

But if we really look at this series of events in the scriptures, we may see that God is giving us a glimpse into our own reality. Did you notice how many chances God gave Pharaoh to receive His warning and repent? Do you think God could have just wiped him from the face of the Earth with the very first plague if He wanted to? And what finally brought Egypt’s stubborn disobedience to a halt? Yes, the sacrifice of their firstborn sons. With God, there is no such thing as coincidence—but He is pretty big on irony.

Another revealing aspect of God’s sovereignty over evil is in the book of Job.  You probably know the story of the wealthiest and most righteous man on earth, and how God allowed everything to be taken away from him to show Satan that he would still worship God after losing all his worldly possessions, his health, and his family.

God is actually showing off Job to Satan, saying look at how loyal he is to me. He will not be tempted by you. Satan retorts back that Job is only so righteous because you have given him so much wealth and prosperity.  If he lost all of your blessings and protection, he wouldn’t praise you any longer, but curse you to your face.

Job 1:8-12

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (Job 1:11‒12)

Don’t miss the fact that it is God, not Satan who authorizes the testing of Job.  It is God that lifts His hedge of protection. Satan could do nothing to Job unless God allowed it. Why would God consider such a thing?  For our benefit, that’s why.  God knew that He would use Job’s suffering as an example in the Scriptures for billions of people to come. For the rest of us, our time of testing will pale in comparison to what Job suffered.  This is God’s point. You can get through it.   In the end, Job receives a double payback as a reward for his perseverance! This is representative of the reward that waits for all of us believers who suffer the thorns of this cursed planet. In fact, if you read Luke 5:5‒7 (the call of Peter), you will find that the Lord not only filled Peter’s boat with fish, but an additional boat as well. It can also be viewed from a larger perspective as a summation of the fall and reconciliation of man. Do you see the man who was walking with God and having everything he could possibly need being tested by the serpent. Although his testing is quite horrific, his ultimate reward is greater than he can imagine.

But during his horrific trial, Job has the audacity to question God’s actions, and receives the admonition that was due to him.  At the end of this famous and lengthy scolding by God (chapters 38‒-41), Job makes it clear that he now understands his place in the will of the Lord:d…

Then Job replied to the Lord:

2 “I know that you can do all things;

      no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

      Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,

      things too wonderful for me to know. (Job 42:2‒3)

We can’t begin to know or understand the wonderful wisdom behind why God does what he does.  We don’t need to.  We only need to understand that He is God, and that his purposes are righteous, and for our benefit, although they may not appear to be at the time. Occasionally, He does have to teach us a lesson, which we may not enjoy, but His plans for us are always good (applicable verse: Matthew 7:9‒11).

Similarly, at the last supper, Jesus reveals to Peter (Simon) that he and the other disciples are about to be tested by Satan.  He also lets us know that Satan had to ask permission to do so:…

Luke 22:31

               “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. (Luke 22:31)

 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

[In life, we are actually the ones who give Satan the permission to test us. We open the door to him by failing to follow God’s path. When we sin and do not ask forgiveness, we extend an open invitation to the enemy to come on in and join the party. We will cover this more extensively in a later chapter.]

Arguably, the most reverent timeday of the year for the Hebrew people is Passover, the remembrance of a time when God’s hand protected their families, while reigning down death on every firstborn male child and animal in Egypt.  God sent the Destroyer, an evil, murderous spirit of death to kill thousands in one night.  He gave His people specific instructions on how to save themselves from this monster.r…

Exodus 12:23

When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. (Exodus 12:23)

God takes ownership of this terrible event saying, “When the Lord goes through the land…”  Although it is not the Lord that does the killing, He is accepting and claiming responsibility for it. God has total control over the destroyer because God specifically created him for this purpose.

Isaiah 54:16

“See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; (Isaiah 54:16)

A sceptic might think that this destroyer is actually one of God’s heavenlyheavenly angels, and just sent to do a terrible deed.  God also dispels this line of thinking and not only lets us know that this spirit is evil in nature, but will be destroyed by God when He is finishedthrough using him.

Isaiah 33:1

Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed;

(Isaiah 33:1)

 when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.

God does not shy away from the fact that He uses death, disaster, disease, and other various forms of evil to affect his master plan. In fact, He tells us time and time again throughout the Scriptures that He alone determines these thingss… (also see: Psalm 105:16, Amos 3:6):

Exodus 4:11 

 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? (Exodus 4:11)

Deuteronomy 32:39 

 “See now that I myself am he!

    There is no god besides me.

I put to death and I bring to life,

    I have wounded and I will heal,

    and no one can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39)

Psalm 105:16 

 He called down famine on the land

    and destroyed all their supplies of food;

Amos 3:6 

6 When a trumpet sounds in a city,

    do not the people tremble?

When disaster comes to a city,

    has not the Lord caused it?

In the time of Daniel and Ezekiel, when God’s people turned their backs on him, worshiping pagan idols and ignoring His commandments, He gave them over to the Babylonians as prisoners.  He empowered their evil kiking Nebuchadnezzar , to complete this task on his behalf (and taught him a lesson along the way –see Daniel 4:33).

2 Chronicles 36:17

He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. (2 Chronicles 36:17)

And when Nebuchadnezzar had fulfilled God’s role for him, He later used another pagan king of Persia to conquer Babylon, and bring His people out of captivity again.  God shows us that Cyrus could not have prevailed unless our Lord intervened to secure his victory and open doors for him.  

Isaiah 45:1-4

 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,

      to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of

to subdue nations before him

      and to strip kings of their armor,

to open doors before him

      so that gates will not be shut:

2 I will go before you

      and will level the mountains;

I will break down gates of bronze

      and cut through bars of iron.

3

 I will give you hidden treasures,

      riches stored in secret places, (Isaiah 45:1‒3)

so that you may know that I am the Lord,

    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,

    of Israel my chosen,

I summon you by name

    and bestow on you a title of honor,

    though you do not acknowledge me.

Did you ever wonder why a bloodthirsty pagan king would so easily allow the freedom of so many slaves to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple of a God that he originally refused to acknowledge?  Amazingly enough, he even returned all the gold and silver religious articles (over 5400 pieces) that Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple when he originally destroyed Jerusalem (Ezra 1:7). I challenge you to find another king anywhere in history that just decided to let all of his slaves go home along with all of their silver and gold that was taken from them. Not only that, Cyrus specifically sent them home to rebuild their temple to the Lord of Heaven that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed (2 Chronicles 36:23). And ironically, he told all of their neighbors to provide them with gold, silver, livestock, and gifts (also see Exodus 12:35‒36) for the journey home. Just like the Hebrews leaving Egypt, they were not only freed from slavery, but heading to the promised land wealthier than when they became slaves. When Cyrus refers to neighbors, he is obviously speaking to the Babylonian people, as their fellow Hebrew slaves would not have owned silver and gold.Do you detect any symbolism here?

…

Ezra 1:7

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.

And when the ultimate evil deed needed to be accomplished, God authorized that event too:…

Luke 22:1

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.  3 Then Satan entered Judas, (Luke 22:1 NIV)

 called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

And why did the Lord allowwas Judas, one of His disciples, to be chosen for this horrible task?  Because Judas himself had opened the door to Satan by disobeying God’s commandments.

…

John 12:4-6

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,  5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”  6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor butbecausehe was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:4‒6)

Ironically, it is Judas’ love of money (thirty pieces of silver) that lures him into Satan’s web. It is certainly not absurd to say that God had planted Judas among the twelve for this very purpose, as Jesus knew when He originally selected them that there was a traitor among them from the very beginning.  It’s almost like God planned the whole thing. Judas was bait.g…

John 6:70

Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 

(John 6:70)71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

Jesus undoubtedly knew he was a devil, and chose him anyway? Was there purpose here? It is clear that Judas was destined and doomed for this very task.

None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:12)

These passages clearly show us that it is God who is in control, not Satan.  Even though it may seem to us that evil has its way and God doesn’t seem to notice or care sometimes.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God has sovereignty over every atom and entity in the universe.  His will is good and cannot be turned away by any power or prince.

Isaiah 46:8-11

“Remember this, keep it in mind,

    take it to heart, you rebels.

9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;

    I am God, and there is no other;

    I am God, and there is none like me.

10 I make known the end from the beginning,

      from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say, ‘My purpose will stand,

      and I will do all that I please.’ (Isaiah 46:10)

11 From the east I summon a bird of prey;

    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.

What I have said, that I will bring about;

    what I have planned, that I will do.

This passage in Isaiah clearly demonstrates that God has a purpose and a plan for the world. Does this mean that God is behind every form of evil and calamity?  No.  Every single bad thing that happens isn’t  not necessarily a part of God’s plan.  He uses both good and evil when he needs to, but there are also times when bad things happen to good people.  Even the most righteous among us may be subject to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  We live on a cursed planet and bad things are bound to happen, as Jesus describes in Luke 4:13 (Also see Ecclesiastes 9:11).

Here, Jesus refers to a couple of events that would have been well known to his disciples at the time. Pilate had murdered a group of pilgrims who came to make sacrifices to the Lord in Jerusalem.  It was a horrific scene and permanently etched in the minds of those living in the area.  He also points out an unfortunate day when a large tower unexpectedly fell, killing eighteen innocent people.e…

Luke 4:13

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:1‒5)

Think about it.  Randomness must play its part in our world.  If nothing bad ever happened to the righteous, and calamity was reserved only for those who were living in the darkness, it would be really easy for everyone to believe in the goodness of God.  That would require no thought or effort at all.  You may as well have a contest to see who could throw a ball into the ocean to win a million dollars! And because randomness does exist, we must always be prepared to meet our maker.

Matthew 5:45

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.God must test us because the reward is so great and of such tremendous importance to Him. God is constantly putting little tests in front of us, sort of like a pop quiz in elementary school. Some tests are harder than others, but He also gives us little rewards for passing the easy ones, and big rewards for passing the tough ones. These tests are referred to constantly throughout the scriptures (applicable verses: Genesis 22:1, Genesis 42:15, Exodus 15:25, Exodus 20:20, Deuteronomy 4:34, Deuteronomy 8:2, Deuteronomy 13:3, Judges 2:22, 1 Chronicles 29:17, Job 23:10, Psalm 17:3, Psalm 66:10, Isaiah 48:10, Jeremiah 11:20, Luke 8:13, John 6:6, Acts 20:19, Romans 16:10, 1 Corinthians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 2:9, 2 Corinthians 13:7, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, James 1:3, James 1:12, 1 Peter 4:12).

 We were banished from His presence because we did not trust him.  We chose to trust Satan instead.  Now our trust is required for re-entry into eternal paradise. We need to show Him our faith and trust, but it remains our choice to do so. And we must choose—there is no fence to sit on.…

Deuteronomy 30:19

 This day I call the heavenheavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19‒20).

20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

There are opposing forces in this world, and God is sovereign over both. Satan is no match for God, as God is infinitely more powerful. However, the battle is not in the universe, but in the hearts of men. The Kingdom of God exists within us, and He has given us all the power we need to defeat sin. Satan’s power is only equal to the amount that you apportion to him. The truth is that we must banish sin from our own garden—just as God did. If you allow God’s Holy Spirit to live in you, and guide you, Satan is no match for you either. Two paths lie in front of you every day—but you must choose, or your path will be chosen for you. One path is called life...

 [GP1]New Chapter?