WHY?

 It's a big question, that is asked frequently. If God is good, WHY is there evil in this world? (partially addressed this here: https://iodtiger.blogspot.com/2024/06/does-god-exist.html )The answer is both complicated and yet simple, it's two words, free will. Let's begin with the origin of evil:  https://thegreatcontroversy.org/read/132.2227 "The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all created beings depended upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love—homage that springs from an intelligent appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced allegiance, and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service." I could record my voice in a Teddy bear to make it say, "I love you", but would that mean that the Teddy bear actually loves me? NO. " Ezekiel 28 beginning in verse 12 tells us a part of the story about the origin of sin, 12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/EZK.28.KJVObviously the phrase. "king of Tyre" is not referring to a literal king but to the angel who used to be called lucifer, but is now called satan. A literal king would not have been in Eden, or heaven, or been called a cherub.  Isaiah helps us to understand a little more of what satan's problem was. Isaiah 14:12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ISA.14.KJV Satan wanted and still wants to be like God. He wants the worship that is due only to God. Satan was creating discord in heaven and Revelation says in Revelation 12:7 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 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. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Yes, I put verses 3 and 4 after verse 10 to make a point, verse 9 tells us who the dragon is and the "third part of the stars" is the angels that chose to follow satan rather than God. Now if God had just destroyed one third of the angels in an instant, how do you think that the other two thirds would have reacted? They would have been afraid to step out of line. So one might ask, well how come lucifer was even created in the first place, if God knows everything? This issue of God's fairness actually had to come up so that everyone would understand that true love must have free will. My father once told a story about a woman who married a man. The day after their wedding he handed her a list of how she was to spend each and every minute of every day. It listed when she was to get up, how long she could spend getting herself ready for the day, when she was to serve him each meal, clean the house, do the laundry, etc. Every minute of her day was accounted for and she HATED him for it. In the process of time the man died and eventually she remarried.  On the day after the wedding she asked her new husband for his list of how she was to spend her day.  He replied that he had no list, that she was free to spend her days however she chose.  Every day she loved this man more and more.  One day as she was doing some cleaning she found the old list in her dresser drawer.  As she sat on the edge of the bed to read it tears welled up in her eyes. she realized that she was doing the very things on the list, but not because she was being forced to, but because she loved the man to whom she was married. God is like that, He never forces anyone to chose him. Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.14.KJV

 Notice the -if/then statements in this and the other promises that are listed here.  A lot of people want the blessings without the obedience, but that is not usually how God operates.  Some will make bargains with God like, "if you heal me from this, then I will do that." God holds each accountable for the promises that they make. It is better not to make a promise to God than to make one and not keep it. Ecclesiastes 5:2 "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?"  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ECC.5.KJV  So let's look at a few health-related promises of God: James 5:13 "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JAS.5.KJV Notice the conditions of each promise. Exodus 15:26 "and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/EXO.15.KJV With so many promises in God's Word, why is it that when some people seem to have great faith and are praying for healing that they don't get healed? There is no easy answer to this, and the answers may seem unsatisfactory.  And I know that there are people who wonder why God allows some to die even though they have a great faith, while others live. The only example that I can give someone comes from the life of a king in the Bible, king Hezekiah. The story is told in Isaiah 38:1 "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3 and said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, 5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ISA.38.KJV King Hezekiah was listed as being a good, God-fearing king, who was told that he was going to die. He prayed and God healed him. The story continues that the Babylonians came and 2 Chronicles records in verse 25 "But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/2CH.32.KJV  Isaiah 39 continues the story in verse 3, "Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. 4 Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. 5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ISA.39.KJV None of that would have happened had Hezekiah set his house in order as he had been instructed to do in the first place. God knows the end from the beginning and He knows what is for our BEST interest. He is trying to save as many people as possible and His instructions in His Word, and His providence are working toward that goal. 

Another example is Job: which makes this even more plain, beginning in Job 2:3 "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JOB.2.KJV When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, Satan became the temporary ruler of this earth.  Adam had been the ruler of this earth as is noted in Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. https://www.bible.com/bible/1/GEN.1.KJV   In Job when Satan comes to present himself before the Lord, he is in effect saying that he is the representative of this world. Job 2:1 "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JOB.2.KJV Notice how Satan had to get permission to touch Job.  Everything that happens to us has to first passed through God's hands, and for whatever reason He has allowed it. The reasons may never be apparent to us in this life. Romans 8 gives us this promise in verses 26-28: 26 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ROM.8.KJV 

One day very soon God WILL put an end to all pain, sickness, sin and death.  He has promised in His word. Revelation 21:4 says, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/REV.21.KJV Until then, know that God loves you very much. Whatever you are going through, He WILL help you through it. His promises are sure and they are for everyone.  (Previous blog on Jesus Knows Our Suffering  https://iodtiger.blogspot.com/2024/09/jesus-knows-our-suffering.html)