In Depth Analysis — Full Article

Why Are Innocent People Suffering?

THIS IS A QUESTION THAT DEMANDS AN ANSWER

The Lord Jesus Christ celebrated seven festivals every year that many Christians today can not name, yet He is at the core of all of them. He is the reason for each of them and they have great meaning. These are not an obligatory Christian practice but were merely a teaching tool among many others that God gave Israel under the Old Covenant. They were signs and symbols , school masters to bring us to Christ, as the Apostle Paul taught. But what did all of the religious practices including the sacrificial system that accompanied these festivals prove or suggest.

The scripture says that the Lords way is in the sanctuary and the festivals or yearly calendar feasts where linked to the sanctuary, it was all part of a bigger system that was fulfilled in Christ, so that His Law (HIs moral Character) could be written in our heart under the New Covenant. The New Covenant is designed to change a persons nature - to form Christ in a person , their hope of glory.

This now brings us back to our heading that asks the question "why do the innocent suffer"? for which I might add why do some lust for power and desire to control and dominate others. The answer is because of the state of the earth they are born into. The bible calls this sin. And this was also the reason for the sanctuary service and the various religious practices under the Old Testament. They were designed to teach that we are in a fallen (sinful) world that is at enmity with God and that because of this there is tremendous suffering but its not Gods will for this condition to prevail for ever and therefor He allows us to choose to be reconciled to Him and receive a new heart thus having the mind of Christ formed in us. Enabling us to enter a narrow path that leads to life. And ultimately to return to a paradise with no more suffering. Where there will be no more death, no more sorrow, and no more weeping. All things made new as the scripture says.

Truly, from a biblical perspective suffering the way we suffer in this world is not natural, but today we have become so used to death that we take it for granted that death is a natural, normal, essential part of our existence. But scripture reveals that it was not always so. The fact is, death is an enemy, an intrusion, that need not be. Dr Linus C. Pauling, world renowned chemist and winner of two Nobel prizes provides an insight into the reality:

Death he says is unnatural, Theoretically, man is quite immortal. His body tissues replace themselves. He is a self repairing machine. And yet he gets old and dies, and the reasons for this are still a mystery. Yes, life should have continued joyously, on and on. But sin creates another dynamic. There can not be perfection absent from God. And sin separated man from God. So now, separated from the Life-Giver, the natural consequence would be death and this involves suffering.

Scripture reveals that this intrusion into Gods creation was initiated by Gods adversary Satan who used deceit to convince our first parents to become their own Gods rather than maintain fellowship with the the Almighty. Satan, through his subtilties had won the first round and Mankind was now in his grasp, alienated from his Creator. However , the Almighty was not content to leave the battle and give up on His creation. Due to our Creator's great love He would intervene in 2 ways.

1\) Life on Earth would be subjected to death and a shortened lifespan.

2\) God would implement a program that would offer salvation from the sinful condition. This would be worked out over time and culminate in a restitution of what was lost. The ultimate escape from the suffering associated with sin and death.

Some may ask how could a good God institute such a penalty and subject His creation to the curse of death. An obvious answer would be to limit pain and despite the fact that people are still suffering, its is not as bad as it could potentially be. Yes, He knew what He was doing. With so much evil from men and women with brief life spans ruining the world, If we were to live forever in a sinful condition this world might well have been destroyed by us long ago and the suffering on a larger scale.

It was an act of mercy for the Creator to implement mortality. If He had not done so, there would be no possibility of any release from their suffering. Death, then, became an act of mercy on the part of Almighty God. It placed a limitation on suffering . And the pain resulting from mankind's choice to sever himself from God. And even now if we are honest we would have to agree with scripture that there is none righteous no not one, we have all gone our own way and none of us is blameless. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Despite the fact that we all like to justify our selves from time to time.

Yes, each of us has gone his own way. I can remember protesting, "But I'm a good person I haven't don this or haven't done that etc. And yes some of that may be true but I would be lying if I said i had never wished someone harm or had thoughts of revenge? and what about lying and impatience, jealousy or covetousness. Oh the list goes on from this self justifying good person. These are all spiritual laws that define character and demonstrate my sinful nature. It is good to recognize we have a sin problem. Then we can seek help. Suppose a person with cancer never recognizes his or her condition, or seeks help? Let's face it. If I say I have no sin I am deceiving myself.

Yes, by violating Gods laws we have severed ourselves from our only source of all life; cutting ourselves off means death and suffering in a world of suffering. What a predicament we are in and we cannot extricate ourselves from this. We are trapped. We sure need help. But its not just sin working in us as individuals to create an unholy self centred world of suffering and death. We need to be aware of what the bibles says of our adversary and his schemes and machinations if we are to truly get a better understanding of this vast subject.

The bible reveals that there are the evil rulers of the unseen world, mighty satanic beings of darkness and deception who rule this world. (Ephesians 6:12) and these in conjunction with mans fallen nature perpetuate the suffering and death. These spiritual enemies of God and man are diabolical and powerful. They are malicious and in open rebellion against the Almighty. And they've brought their rebellion to this planet. They have a program too and its at odds with Gods and they will do all they can to disable the Almighty's strategy to rescue mankind from his dire position.

Unseen and operating behind the scenes they are beyond the light spectrum, so that we are not able to see them. Nevertheless, they are, by "condensation," on occasions capable of visibility. They do this for a variety of reasons to maintain their deception in one form or another the goal being to keep you and me separate from the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation plan He offers. They have been busy since the fall of man in a move and counter move war against God and man on Earth since the beginning. This battle is fought out in a variety of fields using a variety of tools / weapons. All deliberate and calculated to take our minds away from the Almighty and His generous offer that will restore us. Yes, the Bible reveals that this war has been a long running affair covering the complete history of Earth. Satan and his hosts ultimate goal is control and subjection directly or indirectly, The Lords is freedom from sin and death, suffering and all sins woes in a new heaven and new earth a home of righteousness as the scriptures define it.

For an almost exhaustive analysis of this warfare that has effected so many aspects of life whether it be Religion, Education, Media ( News or Entertainment) Commerce and Science etc. Get a copy of the Forbidden Secret- its a library on this topic.

Forbidden Secret

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