Scripture references are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless stated otherwise.

If God is Love, and He is, then why does He allow so much evil and suffering in this world? This is the big question, which has plagued and challenged the minds of many theologians and philosophers for centuries. Volumes have been written under the general title, 'The Problem of Evil' in order to try to make sense of the painful reality of the existence of evil and suffering.

We first started writing God's Plan for All at the end of December 2004. This was the time when the devastating Tsunami occurred near Indonesia and struck the coastal regions of many countries in its path, including Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. The Tsunami ultimately claimed the lives of nearly 250,000 men, women and children. Many Christian pastors hopelessly tried to make sense of this devastating catastrophe, and urged their congregations to give support in prayers and finances to the suffering survivors, several millions of people in Southern Asia. This prayer and financial support though sincere is, however, strange and confusing when it is understood that the theology of most of these pastors has already condemned all of the victims who died (except for any true believers) to unimaginable endless torture in hell, at the hands of a loving and just God. How could all those children who lost their parents as a result of the Tsunami be consoled by Christian prayers and financial support if the doctrine of hell were true, and their parents are now in hell suffering torture, which never ends?

Let us now consider an example of strange Christian love for the victims of man's inhumanity to man. Christian Zionism, which supports Israel politically, is very much on the increase. Many Zionist Christians speak strongly against the atrocities committed by Hitler who tortured and murdered over six million Jews. Of course, what Hitler did against the Jews was unbelievably horrific. The point we are trying to get across is that the theology of many Christians has already condemned all of the victims of Hitler's holocaust to unimaginable endless torture in hell, trillions of times more painful than Hitler could ever devise, to be experienced immediately after their horrific death, at the hands of a loving and just God.

One thing is clear that any person who believes in the traditional Christian doctrine of hell has no credible answer to give as to why a loving and just God allows so much evil and suffering. There are three important biblical truths which we need to grasp before we can understand the reason for the existence of evil and suffering. Let us understand these biblical truths.
  1. God is responsible for the existence of ALL evil and suffering without being evil Himself.

  2. God uses evil and suffering for His holy purpose for the ultimate good of ALL.

  3. All evil and suffering will end permanently at the creation of the Eternal Kingdom of the New Heaven and the New Earth.
Without understanding and accepting all of these three truths, 'the problem of evil' remains a problem. We shall consider each truth in detail, but first we need to understand the biblical definition of evil.

The Bible Defines Evil as Sin

1 Kings 15:34
He (Baasha, the King of Israel) did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

This verse is speaking of Baasha, the King of Israel, who did evil in the sight of the Lord. Note that it was Baasha's sin that caused him to do evil. Sin is defined as the breaking of God's Law.

1 John 3:4 (NIV)
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

Sin is breaking God's Law. All of God's Law is summed up in one word, Love, love for God and love for fellowmen.

Romans 13:10
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Sin is breaking God's Law of Love. Sin or evil first entered the world through Satan and his followers, the fallen angels; this was during the Pre-Adamic Age. A third of the angels, led by Satan, sinned and were thrown down to earth resulting in cataclysmic consequences for the earth.

After God renewed the face of the earth, sin then spread from fallen angels to the human world. This happened in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, when tempted and deceived by Satan. As a result of man's original sin, every descendant of Adam and Eve, with the exception of Jesus Christ, is born with a sinful nature.

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world (human world), and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

When Adam and Eve first sinned, God pronounced a curse on them, on their children and on the land affecting both plant and animal life. The entire human race has been affected and is under God's judgement because sin and death has spread to all men because of Adam's original sin.

Let us now go on to discuss the three biblical truths listed above.

1. God is Responsible for the Existence of Evil

Colossians 1:16
For by Him (Jesus Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

God is the creator of all things, and He is responsible for everything, visible and invisible, that exists in the universe. Evil is a reality, therefore, God is responsible for the existence of evil. The Bible specifically says that God created evil.

Isaiah 45:7 (KJV)
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

God did not create evil directly, but indirectly, as He created angels and men who are capable of sinning and hence committing evil. Two beings, who represent the pinnacle of evil, are Satan and Hitler. One is a fallen angel and the other is a fallen man. God did not directly create Satan and Hitler. God created a holy angel called Lucifer who rebelled and became Satan. In a similar way, God created our first parents Adam and Eve, who were holy people before they sinned and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, under the temptation of Satan. All descendants of Adam and Eve are born with a sinful nature. Hitler was born with a sinful nature.

God has complete foreknowledge of everything that happens in His creation; therefore, the sins of fallen angels and of fallen men did not take Him by surprise.

Isaiah 46:10
Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure'.

It was God's purpose that sin would enter His created universe through Satan and Adam. This is all within His Plan, which includes both separation and reconciliation, separation because of the sins of angels and people, and then reconciliation because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

It is important to understand that God is fully responsible for the existence of all evil. If evil existed outside of the will of God, then Satan would exist outside of the will of God. This would make Satan and evil more powerful than God. We can all thank God that Satan can do no more than what God permits. Ultimately, God will overcome all evil with good through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

2. God uses Evil and Suffering for His Holy Purpose for the Ultimate Good of All

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ represents the greatest evil carried out by men under the inspiration of Satan. The suffering, which Jesus Christ endured on the cross because of the evil deeds of men, is the supreme example of how God uses evil and suffering for His holy purpose for the ultimate good of all. Without the work of the cross, there would be no forgiveness of sins, no reconciliation, and no Saviour. The Bible is very clear that God planned, from the foundation of the world, for Jesus Christ to suffer death on the cross for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:2 (NIV)
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.

1 Peter 1:18-21
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

God actually pre-determined and pre-planned that Jesus Christ would become the Saviour of the world through His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection.

1 John 4:14 (NIV)
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Acts 2:22-24
22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

Please note that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ serves God's holy purpose, as God Himself planned it and determined it beforehand, before He created anything else. Without evil in this fallen world, there would be no need for the crucifixion of Christ, and without His crucifixion there would be no Saviour of this world.

God is Responsible but Angels and Men are Accountable

God takes full and complete responsibility for the existence of sin and evil. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that any man or any angel is responsible for his sins. However, God makes angels and men accountable for their sins and their accountability brings God's corrective judgement, for the purpose of bringing universal salvation and reconciliation through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

If God is responsible for the existence of evil by creating angels and men who are capable of sinning, then why does He still make them accountable for their sins? If Jesus Christ has died for the sins of the whole world, then why does God still need to harshly judge the sins of men and angels?

Matthew 12:36
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment

Romans 14:12
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

When God first decided to create angels and men with freewill, He knew that sin would enter His created universe. This is because only God is perfect, righteous and sinless, and it is impossible for One God to reproduce Himself because God is One. So, how can One God who is holy, righteous and perfect have a relationship with His created beings who are less perfect than Himself and thus capable of sinning? One thing is certain, Righteous God can not co-exist in relationship with sinful fallen angels or sinful fallen people.

God solved the problem of sin and evil, right from the start, before He created angels and men. The solution to the problem of sin and evil is the gift of God's covering of His Righteousness to His created beings through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, in God's time and His order, everything in heaven and everything on earth will be reconciled to God Himself, and made Righteous because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. Yes, the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross has infinite power to refine and cleanse the whole of God's creation including all fallen angels and all fallen people.

The gift of God's Righteousness through faith cannot be appreciated without us first understanding the seriousness and consequence of sin. This is why God makes men and angels accountable for their sins and judges sins harshly. This is why the gift of God's Righteousness is always through repentance and faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Everybody must first repent and acknowledge his sinful nature, before he is in a position to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and accept the free gift of God's Righteousness.

Everybody must understand that the gateway to new Life in Christ is through the death of his sinful old man in Adam. When this happens then his righteous new man in Christ is born.

Our Unrighteousness Demonstrates the Righteousness of God

Romans 3:5-8
5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? 7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"?--as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

This is an important scripture to help us understand how and why the existence of evil serves God's holy purpose. There are three important points covered in this scripture.

The first point is that it is only through our unrighteousness that God can demonstrate His own Righteousness. This is simple logic. Light needs darkness in order to shine. Without sin, there is no forgiveness of sin, and there can be no Saviour. God's mercy, His grace, His kindness and His love are all demonstrated because of our unrighteousness. God has defined what is good and what is evil, and He has the knowledge of both good and evil. In His wisdom, God has ruled that all those who are in Adam (Adam and Eve and all of their descendants) will experience evil and suffering before they can all embrace God's goodness through Jesus Christ.

The second point is that God is a Judge and He judges the world. Our unrighteousness unleashes the wrath of God. God is not soft on sin, and He does not condone sin. There is no contradiction that God Himself is responsible for the existence of sin yet He judges sinful acts. Everyone must give account and answer for his sin.

The third point is that man does not have any excuse or permission to sin more because God's Righteousness comes into greater focus because of man's unrighteousness. Some accused Apostle Paul that he was preaching 'Let us do evil that good may come'. Apostle Paul warns that this is faulty reasoning and it will result in greater judgement and condemnation from God. God requires that we hate sin, and do everything to avoid it.

The grace of God through the power of the cross is such that there is no sin, no matter how great or how vast, which can suffocate or defeat the grace of God. As the Bible says, where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.

Romans 5:20-21
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The sin of Satan, or the sin of Hitler or the sin of the Jews and Romans who crucified Jesus Christ on the cross, cannot stifle or defeat the grace of God. The cross of Jesus Christ has infinite power to forgive and to reconcile everything in the universe. This is why Jesus Christ was able to forgive those who crucified Him. However, it is important to understand that the truth, ‘where sin abounds, grace abounds much more’ does not give anyone license to sin more.

Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not!...

In His wisdom, God allows the ugliness of sin to have its full expression over thousands of years through the sins of Satan and the fallen angels, and through the sins of Adam and Eve and all of their descendants, before God brings universal reconciliation through Jesus Christ.

God's Righteous Judgements

Sin brings God's judgement for the greater purpose of receiving His salvation through Jesus Christ. All of God's judgements are corrective, no matter how horrific or unfair they may appear from man's perspective. The truth that sin brings the curse, suffering, death, destruction, and spiritual separation from God has been amply demonstrated in man's experience since Adam and Eve. 2 Peter 2:4-6 is an account of three important historical judgements of God.

2 Peter 2:4-6
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell (tartaroo) and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgement;

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.

Sin has consequences and it brings judgement from God in the form of death and destruction. God did not spare the angels who sinned, and He did not spare the world of Noah or the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible is also very clear that God also will not spare this present world. This world will go through a time of Great Tribulation before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The Great Tribulation of three and a half years duration will be a time of God's judgement when the whole world will be plunged into great distress, as prophesied in both the Old and the New Testaments. This Great Tribulation will be so absolutely horrific and unprecedented that no such tribulation of its like will have ever happened before or will happen again after it has passed. Immediately following the Great Tribulation, there will be worldwide cataclysmic events when the powers of the heavens will be shaken at the actual return of Jesus Christ to this earth. We have described the future judgement of God, which will mark the end of this present age in Chapter 10 'The Second Coming of Jesus Christ'.

There is one more very important final judgement of people prophesied in the Bible, which will take place in the Lake of Fire, in the Great White Throne Judgement Age.

The Lake of Fire Judgement

The Lake of Fire judgement is the important final judgement of people, which all resurrected unbelievers will face during the Great White Throne Judgement Age. No one will escape God's justice, but this is not a judgement to cast people into a hell of eternal torture as falsely believed by traditional Christianity. We have already discussed this subject in Chapter 12 'The Great White Throne Judgement'.

I will have Mercy on Whomever I will have Mercy

Romans 9:15, 18
15 '...I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.'

18 Therefore, He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

It is God's prerogative as to how He is working out His Plan of Salvation for all people. He is the Potter and we are the clay. He is merciful to some (His Elect) to reveal to them the truth of salvation before they die, but He has hardened and blinded most people and let them die as unbelievers to be judged in the Lake of Fire, during the Great White Throne Judgement Age.

The Suffering of this Present Time

Nobody can escape the evil and suffering of this present time. Since we are all born into this fallen sinful world we all experience evil and suffering to one degree or another before we die. Some people go through horrific and very distressing suffering. It is not easy for us to understand why some people's share of suffering is many more times greater than others. However, the Bible says that, whatever the extent of your suffering, it is not worthy to be compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18-22
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

Please note that the creation is subject to futility, which is another way of saying that it is subject to sin, and sin brings suffering. However, the wonderful truth of the Bible is that the whole of creation will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

The Bible compares the suffering of this present time with birth pangs. A mother knows the intense labour pains while giving birth, but she also knows the intense joy of embracing her beautiful newborn baby on her bosom. Once the child is delivered, all of the mother's pains are immediately forgotten. Notice that the scripture says that the whole creation groans with birth pangs. We believe that God Himself suffers with His creation, and He is looking forward with great joy to the fulfillment of His Plan for All, when He welcomes His whole family, multiple billions of His children born into the Eternal Kingdom of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Jesus Endured the Cross because of the Joy that was set before Him

Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We need to look to Jesus. He endured the horrendous evil, pain and suffering of the cross because He was focusing on the joy set before Him. This joy is the Universal Salvation and Reconciliation of all His created beings, men and angels, multiple billions of them who will be part of the Glorious Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

3. All Evil and Suffering will End Permanently

God is working out His Plan of universal salvation in seven biblical Ages. Jesus Christ is the Beginning and the End. Christ began the Ages when He created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. Christ will end the Ages at the creation of the New Heaven and the New Earth with the glorious shout, 'IT IS DONE'.

Revelation 21:1-6
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away". 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new". And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." 6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End".

God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, there will be no more curse, no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. All suffering and pain will end when God will establish His Eternal Kingdom of the New Heaven and the New Earth on this renewed earth, and there will be joy for ALL for evermore. Everybody is included and no one is excluded from the eternal joy and peace of the glorious Eternal Kingdom of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Praise be to God.

We are sure that God inspired us to write God’s Plan for All, and we ourselves are amazed to read its contents. There are many wonderful, powerful and eye-opening truths revealed in this book. Truths, clearly explained with plain biblical texts. There has been no such book written in the history of Christianity.

Click here to order your free paperback hard copy of God’s Plan for All.

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GOD'S PLAN FOR ALL