When evil strikes good people.
The world in which we are born, grow up, become adults, grow old and die is always a world with 2 faces. I can enjoy the unbelievably beautiful nature, the most beautiful sunset with all its colors, the most beautiful green meadow in spring and the whitest world of snow in winter. From the most beautiful music and from my dog. I can enjoy interacting with most people. I can enjoy my wife and my children. Here in the Netherlands it is arranged in such a way that I receive a benefit if I am out of work for a while. I can enjoy concerts and festivals, I have the space and the money to drive my diesel everywhere and enjoy other countries.
But at the same time, that same world is also the most cruelest world. Contacts dilute, turn into antipathy or even hatred. That same nature can also give storm, hail, intense cold and the most scorching heat. I sometimes do not like my wife and children because they don't always cooperate with what I want, and my wife sometimes does not like me because I don't always do what she wants me to do. If as a child you did not participate "normally" with the rest, you fell out of the boat. People are born disabled or are already killed in the womb. You have to be constantly on the lookout that things are not stolen from you, that you are not raped, that you do not fight with people around you, that you are not attacked if you say something wrong. That you won't be fired if you're not completely politically correct. It is precisely at this time that it is all a degree worse, I will come back to that. In addition, you only have limited freedom. The government as an authority can determine your life at certain times. The rules are strict and if you do not cooperate you will be fined. Those moments keep on coming.
You are born in this world. Beneath the beautiful lies a curse. You are surrounded by darkness. I am born in sin and on top of that I also sin myself. It is not fair and unjust. You grow up, some come to church and learn from norms and values, from boundaries and what is valuable. They learn rules of what to do and what not to do. What is good and what is evil.
Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were tempted to do so by the devil, the serpent. They suddenly knew very clearly what was right, and suddenly they knew very clearly what was evil. But the knowledge of this did not bring them any closer to God! On the contrary. Eating the fruit immediately separated them from God. Disobedience. Darkness intervened. And we see the consequences all around us. The darkness, the pain, the injustice. The lies of hundreds, thousands of years ago that affect my here and now. Think of the flat earth. But also doing good does not bring me closer to God!
Jesus was born into such a world. The land of Israel under the rule of the Romans. People died, people were paralyzed, people were blind. People were selfish (Matthew the tax collector). People were desperate and sought their salvation or a way out in many ways: There were whores and there were soldiers who treated you roughly.
God created man with a free choice. Not only the choice to do good or to do evil, but also the choice to acknowledge and obey God or not. And also the choice to love God or not. As a father, I want my children to love me for who I am, not for what I do or because I am their father and therefore their authority. God didn't make us like robots. Our choices reach to death. God has set a limit there.
Often the question now arises: If God exists, why does he not do anything about this situation? Why did my mother get cancer, why did my uncle have to die so young? Why is the elite allowed to carry on with lies, child sacrifice and child trafficking and abuse of power and self-enrichment. Why is life so often so unfair? Why doesn't he intervene?
He did intervene! Jesus consciously went to Jerusalem to give His life by means of the crucifixion. With His death he settles the debt that is built up by Adam and Eve, by everyone, including myself, with God. He takes care of the sin I was born with (and I could do nothing about) and the sin I regularly commit. With his shed blood, he seals everyone who from that moment opens the heart to receive this simple gift of love and come to eternal life with God in the presence of God. Not only after death, but also now, before. Mind you, the forgiveness of sin is activated by an active act of man. Accepting this gift is a choice and you will understand that you cannot live on as before. You lay down your old life with all its sinful choices and rise in the new life with the desire to follow Him in everything. And of course we fail. But our heart is willing because it is a new heart. The beauty is that we are born again and no longer do good because it is good, but because deep down we have the desire to do even more than good. To give while receiving nothing in return. The ever near God Himself, His Holy Love, is the most good source we can draw from every day.
The circumstances have not changed. But what has changed is the way I look at life. Now life, which used to come over me at random (sometimes) like a tidal wave, becomes at my service because it starts to shape me. What a grace that I may still live right through all the death and misery! Not to survive, but to live and give abundantly! I can be sure that when I die I can meet God up close and be in his presence. I know that whatever road I have to go with all its challenges, whatever "random" things happen to me, God is always there and it shapes my character until then. How nice to be able to live in that peace and knowledge! In addition, I have a task: As an ambassador of God's kingdom, of which I am already a part, I can point out this amazing beautiful truth together with my fellow believers: That life is not meaningless, that I may feel and experience that God is very close (Imanuell), that my sin is forgiven and my debt paid. How fantastic to share this to other people and see they embrace it too!
No, God is not the cause of my suffering, pain and death. He had warned Adam and Eve. Disobedience brought a new situation with all its consequences. And I believe with all my heart that we may pray for healing and that the dead may come back to life. But God has a way for everyone. And then it may also be that I suffer for a while in this life due to illness. Or that I can be deprived of all matter in this life. That you get job tidings. Then my loved ones may fail me: if I know that they have also accepted the gift, I look forward to the day when we will meet again. Then I have less trouble with setbacks. Then I no longer ask "why"? I ask, "How do you want me to deal with this, Father?
psalm 41 : 1 - 3
1 Blessed is he that considers the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
3 The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
I know that he can use all things for good for those who love him. The core of the book of Job is that in all his misfortunes Job encounters God himself. "I knew you only by hearsay, but now my eye has seen you" Job 42 : 5. That meeting changes everything: in 29 and 30 his live is rampant and Job is bitter.
At this time, when corruption and lovelessness are rampant, it is becoming more and more clear that the antichristian spirit is increasingly in control of this world. God gives him this space for 3 reasons:
In the first place because that space must be there for people who choose against him. There must be an alternative where people end up in this world because of their selfishness. Involving everyone in it. The hell on earth that keeps repeating and intensifying, and which also continues after their death.
In the second place, this is also an increasingly clear signal for people who have not yet chosen. Perhaps in their distress, when all the crutches fall away, when all the material and money they have trusted is gone, or when their bodies no longer cooperate and the fear exceeds their self-confidence, they cry out to God and still choose to to receive the gift of eternal life.
The 3rd reason is to plane and polish the character of those who have already chosen. Under the greatest irritation the oyster makes the most beautiful pearls, under the greatest pressure the purest gold is formed. A forest fire cuts down the unhealthy trees, the healthy trees are protected by their bark.
We were all created for eternal life. Where and with whom do you want to spend eternity? These two images of heaven and hell explain exactly what I mean: in both there is a dining table with a feast. In both, people can scoop the food up but not bring it to their own mouth. In hell all the people at the table are scrawny, deeply dissatisfied, and very unhappy. The delicious food, they can only look at that, but they do not wish the other person anything. In heaven the people are cheerful, happy and satisfied because they give each other what they need.
Regularly we may see something of that perfect world, of God's kingdom "breaking in" into this world. If sometimes people heal. When sometimes people or animals come back to life from the dead. When people come to understand the value of what Jesus did for them on the cross, when they come to faith. When they leave their old life behind and rise up in new life through water baptism. When spring comes after winter. His grace is real enough for anyone who expects it from him. If you want to see it, it's there. Testimonials abound on the internet of people who have had an encounter with God and whose lives have come to rest. Whose unrest has turned into peace and joy.
What about our ancestors?
If you've read the previous section, you'll probably have other questions.
“What happens to all those people who never heard this message and who died?”
I do have some ideas about that, but I admit right away that I am not God. In the first place, God indicates in His Word that no one, even the “gentiles” who have never heard the message, have an excuse. From nature they can see that an intelligent designer has been at work and the moment they really set their hearts on getting to know that designer I believe God somehow reveals Himself, for exampel: as Jesus in a dream.
Also, God the creator has countless other ways to communicate with His creatures if His children are unable to bring the message of grace to those who are in danger of being lost. But first of all, he wants to use you and me.
The world has been to a point before where everything was completely corrupt. That was in the days of Noah. The Bible tells us that fallen angels had sex with the women of the earth and that the nephilim sprang from it. Humans' DNA was tampered with and there were giants on the earth (from whom, for example, later Goliath and his brothers descended). God then had no choice but to start over with Noah and his 3 sons with their wives. These weren't perfect either. And the nephilim had lost their bodies (they drowned) because of the flood, but the spirits (immortal) continued to hover over the earth and we know them as demons. Jesus had power over these demons and the real children of God also have that power.
The Bible tells us in Peter's letter that after his death Jesus descended into the depths of the earth and there spoke to the multitude of people who had died after Noah until that time. He will have told them the gospel of grace. God is perfect and has everything under control. He knows exactly what he's doing. But he is not a Santa Claus who just puts things right. We too have our responsibilities. Recognizing the voice of the Good Shepherd in any situation is simply very important.
Again these fallen angels will bring hell to earth. They will come as “aliens” from “outer space”. The flat earth means we know where they really come from. Babies will be bred that are part human/part beast/part robots. Over the next 7 years, Satan will play every trump card he has to drag as many people as possible to hell.
The world in which we are born, grow up, become adults, grow old and die is always a world with 2 faces. I can enjoy the unbelievably beautiful nature, the most beautiful sunset with all its colors, the most beautiful green meadow in spring and the whitest world of snow in winter. From the most beautiful music and from my dog. I can enjoy interacting with most people. I can enjoy my wife and my children. Here in the Netherlands it is arranged in such a way that I receive a benefit if I am out of work for a while. I can enjoy concerts and festivals, I have the space and the money to drive my diesel everywhere and enjoy other countries.
But at the same time, that same world is also the most cruelest world. Contacts dilute, turn into antipathy or even hatred. That same nature can also give storm, hail, intense cold and the most scorching heat. I sometimes do not like my wife and children because they don't always cooperate with what I want, and my wife sometimes does not like me because I don't always do what she wants me to do. If as a child you did not participate "normally" with the rest, you fell out of the boat. People are born disabled or are already killed in the womb. You have to be constantly on the lookout that things are not stolen from you, that you are not raped, that you do not fight with people around you, that you are not attacked if you say something wrong. That you won't be fired if you're not completely politically correct. It is precisely at this time that it is all a degree worse, I will come back to that. In addition, you only have limited freedom. The government as an authority can determine your life at certain times. The rules are strict and if you do not cooperate you will be fined. Those moments keep on coming.
You are born in this world. Beneath the beautiful lies a curse. You are surrounded by darkness. I am born in sin and on top of that I also sin myself. It is not fair and unjust. You grow up, some come to church and learn from norms and values, from boundaries and what is valuable. They learn rules of what to do and what not to do. What is good and what is evil.
Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were tempted to do so by the devil, the serpent. They suddenly knew very clearly what was right, and suddenly they knew very clearly what was evil. But the knowledge of this did not bring them any closer to God! On the contrary. Eating the fruit immediately separated them from God. Disobedience. Darkness intervened. And we see the consequences all around us. The darkness, the pain, the injustice. The lies of hundreds, thousands of years ago that affect my here and now. Think of the flat earth. But also doing good does not bring me closer to God!
Jesus was born into such a world. The land of Israel under the rule of the Romans. People died, people were paralyzed, people were blind. People were selfish (Matthew the tax collector). People were desperate and sought their salvation or a way out in many ways: There were whores and there were soldiers who treated you roughly.
God created man with a free choice. Not only the choice to do good or to do evil, but also the choice to acknowledge and obey God or not. And also the choice to love God or not. As a father, I want my children to love me for who I am, not for what I do or because I am their father and therefore their authority. God didn't make us like robots. Our choices reach to death. God has set a limit there.
Often the question now arises: If God exists, why does he not do anything about this situation? Why did my mother get cancer, why did my uncle have to die so young? Why is the elite allowed to carry on with lies, child sacrifice and child trafficking and abuse of power and self-enrichment. Why is life so often so unfair? Why doesn't he intervene?
He did intervene! Jesus consciously went to Jerusalem to give His life by means of the crucifixion. With His death he settles the debt that is built up by Adam and Eve, by everyone, including myself, with God. He takes care of the sin I was born with (and I could do nothing about) and the sin I regularly commit. With his shed blood, he seals everyone who from that moment opens the heart to receive this simple gift of love and come to eternal life with God in the presence of God. Not only after death, but also now, before. Mind you, the forgiveness of sin is activated by an active act of man. Accepting this gift is a choice and you will understand that you cannot live on as before. You lay down your old life with all its sinful choices and rise in the new life with the desire to follow Him in everything. And of course we fail. But our heart is willing because it is a new heart. The beauty is that we are born again and no longer do good because it is good, but because deep down we have the desire to do even more than good. To give while receiving nothing in return. The ever near God Himself, His Holy Love, is the most good source we can draw from every day.
The circumstances have not changed. But what has changed is the way I look at life. Now life, which used to come over me at random (sometimes) like a tidal wave, becomes at my service because it starts to shape me. What a grace that I may still live right through all the death and misery! Not to survive, but to live and give abundantly! I can be sure that when I die I can meet God up close and be in his presence. I know that whatever road I have to go with all its challenges, whatever "random" things happen to me, God is always there and it shapes my character until then. How nice to be able to live in that peace and knowledge! In addition, I have a task: As an ambassador of God's kingdom, of which I am already a part, I can point out this amazing beautiful truth together with my fellow believers: That life is not meaningless, that I may feel and experience that God is very close (Imanuell), that my sin is forgiven and my debt paid. How fantastic to share this to other people and see they embrace it too!
No, God is not the cause of my suffering, pain and death. He had warned Adam and Eve. Disobedience brought a new situation with all its consequences. And I believe with all my heart that we may pray for healing and that the dead may come back to life. But God has a way for everyone. And then it may also be that I suffer for a while in this life due to illness. Or that I can be deprived of all matter in this life. That you get job tidings. Then my loved ones may fail me: if I know that they have also accepted the gift, I look forward to the day when we will meet again. Then I have less trouble with setbacks. Then I no longer ask "why"? I ask, "How do you want me to deal with this, Father?
psalm 41 : 1 - 3
1 Blessed is he that considers the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
3 The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
I know that he can use all things for good for those who love him. The core of the book of Job is that in all his misfortunes Job encounters God himself. "I knew you only by hearsay, but now my eye has seen you" Job 42 : 5. That meeting changes everything: in 29 and 30 his live is rampant and Job is bitter.
At this time, when corruption and lovelessness are rampant, it is becoming more and more clear that the antichristian spirit is increasingly in control of this world. God gives him this space for 3 reasons:
In the first place because that space must be there for people who choose against him. There must be an alternative where people end up in this world because of their selfishness. Involving everyone in it. The hell on earth that keeps repeating and intensifying, and which also continues after their death.
In the second place, this is also an increasingly clear signal for people who have not yet chosen. Perhaps in their distress, when all the crutches fall away, when all the material and money they have trusted is gone, or when their bodies no longer cooperate and the fear exceeds their self-confidence, they cry out to God and still choose to to receive the gift of eternal life.
The 3rd reason is to plane and polish the character of those who have already chosen. Under the greatest irritation the oyster makes the most beautiful pearls, under the greatest pressure the purest gold is formed. A forest fire cuts down the unhealthy trees, the healthy trees are protected by their bark.
We were all created for eternal life. Where and with whom do you want to spend eternity? These two images of heaven and hell explain exactly what I mean: in both there is a dining table with a feast. In both, people can scoop the food up but not bring it to their own mouth. In hell all the people at the table are scrawny, deeply dissatisfied, and very unhappy. The delicious food, they can only look at that, but they do not wish the other person anything. In heaven the people are cheerful, happy and satisfied because they give each other what they need.
Regularly we may see something of that perfect world, of God's kingdom "breaking in" into this world. If sometimes people heal. When sometimes people or animals come back to life from the dead. When people come to understand the value of what Jesus did for them on the cross, when they come to faith. When they leave their old life behind and rise up in new life through water baptism. When spring comes after winter. His grace is real enough for anyone who expects it from him. If you want to see it, it's there. Testimonials abound on the internet of people who have had an encounter with God and whose lives have come to rest. Whose unrest has turned into peace and joy.
What about our ancestors?
If you've read the previous section, you'll probably have other questions.
“What happens to all those people who never heard this message and who died?”
I do have some ideas about that, but I admit right away that I am not God. In the first place, God indicates in His Word that no one, even the “gentiles” who have never heard the message, have an excuse. From nature they can see that an intelligent designer has been at work and the moment they really set their hearts on getting to know that designer I believe God somehow reveals Himself, for exampel: as Jesus in a dream.
Also, God the creator has countless other ways to communicate with His creatures if His children are unable to bring the message of grace to those who are in danger of being lost. But first of all, he wants to use you and me.
The world has been to a point before where everything was completely corrupt. That was in the days of Noah. The Bible tells us that fallen angels had sex with the women of the earth and that the nephilim sprang from it. Humans' DNA was tampered with and there were giants on the earth (from whom, for example, later Goliath and his brothers descended). God then had no choice but to start over with Noah and his 3 sons with their wives. These weren't perfect either. And the nephilim had lost their bodies (they drowned) because of the flood, but the spirits (immortal) continued to hover over the earth and we know them as demons. Jesus had power over these demons and the real children of God also have that power.
The Bible tells us in Peter's letter that after his death Jesus descended into the depths of the earth and there spoke to the multitude of people who had died after Noah until that time. He will have told them the gospel of grace. God is perfect and has everything under control. He knows exactly what he's doing. But he is not a Santa Claus who just puts things right. We too have our responsibilities. Recognizing the voice of the Good Shepherd in any situation is simply very important.
Again these fallen angels will bring hell to earth. They will come as “aliens” from “outer space”. The flat earth means we know where they really come from. Babies will be bred that are part human/part beast/part robots. Over the next 7 years, Satan will play every trump card he has to drag as many people as possible to hell.