I didn’t see the last thread referred to. Here are my thoughts though.
God is good, full stop.
Satan is evil, full stop.
God could have wiped out Adam and Eve when they sinned but God is also love. Full stop.
He also cannot deny Himself or just cause havic by going against His own laws because He
is also just.
God created Adam and Eve to have choices, He wanted people who were willing to walk
in fellowship with Him. Not robots or slaves.
As a result of the fall the whole created universe as we know it (and those parts we don’t
know) has become corrupted, spoilt etc. Like when you bake a cake and it sinks in the
middle. It’s not want you intended but you can discard the entire cake or make something
of what you have left. A very very bad picture I know but if we are capable of trying to
make good of a bad situation, how much more is God willing and able out of love for us
mere humans, to continue to contend with us.
This word contend is very important, here are a few other verses with the similar
meaning.
Isaiah 49:25 NKJV
[25] But thus says the LORD: "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends
with you, And I will save your children.
Genesis 6:3 NKJV
[3] And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for
he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
Revelation 6:9-11 NKJV
[9] When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they
held. [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord,
holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell
on the earth?" [11] Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it
was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the
number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as
they were, was completed.
This is how I see it, God contends with us, puts up with us. He puts up with a
fallen sinful world out of love for His creation and we are at the pinnicle of
creation.
If God stooped all evil then He would in effect be bringing the world to an end.
It’s out of His grace and love that He doesn’t say. “Right that’s it I’ve had enough
with you all.”
Instead a way to reconcile mankind was formed, through the death and
resurrection of Jesus. But even despite that God still hasn’t brought an end to
the world and to evil. Why? Well because there are many more still to be saved.
So in one sense God’s hands are tied until just the right time. He cannot bring an
end to evil or the world will end. Satan is the one who is hell bent on taking as
many as he can. Satan seeks to destroy he goes around like a roaring lion.
I’ve seen that in a dream and it’s scary stuff, very scary. Satan it utter evil more
than we can ever comprehend.
For the time being evil seems to prevail, but even though God cannot yet bring evil
to an end. God does reign it in to some degree, to prevent utter destruction.
I bet there are lots of things we have all been kept from, or kept away from us and we have
no idea. Maybe some of you have some examples you can think of. I know I can!
Like when I was a teen and use to do a lot of cycling, I’ve had a few near misses.
Was that just a coincidence, or was that God’s restraining hand preventing my
destruction?
At just the right time when Jesus returns there will be an end to evil. But not just yet
as there are more sheep to add to the flock. Some maybe not yet born!
So in the meantime God must allow the wheat and tares to live together in the
same field. He must let us live our our lives on planet earth with all its chaos, sin
and corruption, sickness and death.
We can do our part too, by praying, believing, sowing that seed, learning.
Understanding that God is good. But the enemy seeks to destroy.
We are to be in this world but not of it. Being in it means we get the horrible
stuff too.
I use to wonder why God didnt just take all Christians to be with Him once they
were born again. Then I realised that there would be no light in this world, none
to seek the lost, none to spread the gospel.
God reigns in evil and puts certain limits on it - Satan etc. But He cannot stop it
entirely until Jesus returns. For our sake He cannot stop it just yet. Just like for
Adam and Eves sake, God didnt toss the universe into the bin and start over.
Anyway thats my two pennies worth. Lol
(I think Americans call it two cents worth).
