Theologians say that God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (present everywhere simultaneously). With these unequaled superlative qualities, there is absolutely no reason why we humans should ever suffer even a single accident, death, or calamity!
But when we look into our present world and consider the history of humanity, we find a litany of events well beyond human control such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, lightning strikes, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons — and even massive meteor strikes (believed to have caused the sudden annihilation of all plant and animal life before the creation of Adam and Eve).
Where is that good, loving, and powerful God in all these? Where is that God described by the theologians? Clearly, the preponderance of evidence clearly shows, to our dismay, that such type of God seems not to have manifested Himself thus far. All we see is a very disturbing and ironic contradiction.
So, what is the true and biblical answer to this sadly failed expectation?
Adding insult to injury
Some humans not only deny the existence of a good, loving, and powerful God, but when a great calamity strikes, they attribute it to an “act of God”!
An “act of God” is usually defined as a legal term for events outside human control, such as sudden floods or other natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible. In the law of contracts, an act of God may be interpreted as an implied defense (against liabilities) under the rule of impossibility or impracticability, being unforeseen and unavoidable.
Important logical questions:
- If God is loving, why is there a lack of love and much hate and crime?
- If God is merciful, why is there cruelty and little mercy on this earth?
- If God is just, why is there injustice and very little fairness and equity?
- If God is kind, why is there unkindness, bitterness and murders?
- If God is good, why is there so much evil in this world?
- If God is all-knowing, why does He not see calamities in advance?
- If God is everywhere, why is He somehow absent during calamities?
- If God is all-powerful, why can He not stop or change evil to good?
Bold articulation of some freethinkers
Considering the dogmatic statements of popular Christianity versus the evidences and reality of facts to the contrary, some philosophers have distanced themselves from popular dogmatic religions and declared themselves as “freethinkers.”
Among the noted ones and their writings were:
- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970, British philosopher)
- “Why I Am Not a Christian”
- “Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?”
- “Can Religion Cure Our Troubles?
- Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899, American lawyer)
- “Some Reasons Why I Am a Freethinker”
- “The Gods”
- D. M. Bennett (1818-1882, American publisher of “Truth Seeker”)
- “An Open Letter to Jesus Christ”
Among them are many other individuals who are agnostics and atheists.
Some fundamental questions:
- Why do humans blame the Creator God for such calamities and disasters?
- Are these calamities and tragedies really caused by the true Creator God?
- If there is a good, loving, and powerful God, why is there so much evil?
Who is the real present “God” of this world?
Most will be surprised to know that all this confusion and seemingly unanswerable questions lies on the simple fact of “mistaken identity.”
The Bible reveals that Satan is the “god” of this world!
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway [or control (NIV, NLT) or power (ESV, NAU)] of the wicked one.
~1 John 5:19[NOTE: That “wicked one” referred to here is Satan. The Bible says he controls this whole world.]
Notice also this next biblical passage.
When Christ was here on earth, prior to the start of His ministry, Satan tempted Him and offered Him the whole world in the third and last of his three attempts.
The very fact that Christ did not refute Satan’s claim to ownership clearly showed that Satan really has been given full control of this world.
The only condition Satan asked of Jesus Christ was for Him to bow down before him. Of course, Christ refused and rebuked and drove off Satan instead.
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
~Matthew 4:8-9 (see also Luke 4:5-7)[NOTE: These verses show that all the kingdoms of this world belong to Satan, and that he has the power to give it to whom he wants. Please read Luke 4:6.]
Notice also Christ’s surprising statement to Pilate:
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
~John 18:36[NOTE: Even when Jesus Christ (the very Son of God) was on this earth, He still said: “My kingdom is not of this world.”]
The Bible reveals that Satan deceives and controls this world
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels [the demons] were cast out with him.
~Revelation 12:9[NOTE: Satan is the great deceiver of this whole world.]
In whom the god of this world [or “age” (NKJ)] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
~2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV[NOTE: Satan is indeed the present god of this world who spiritually blinds people from understanding the true gospel message.]
… Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.
~Revelation 12:12[NOTE: Satan intensifies his evil activities against humanity as we come closer to the end time.]
Notice that Satan also has power and control of the air
… in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.
~Ephesians 2:2
Satan can also control wind turbulence: hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons. The next verse shows Satan exercising that same power in the Book of Job.
On that eventful day, one of Job’s servants who escaped death in one of the calamities came to him and said:
…Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead…
~Job 1:18-19[NOTE: This is one biblical proof that Satan has power to produce and control wind power to destroy and kill.]
On 2 occasions, when Christ was on earth, He showed He had greater power over Satan’s control of the wind and sea
Since Christ had greater power and authority than Satan, He was able to command both wind and waves to be still, and Satan obeyed (Mark 4:39-41).
[NOTE: While some would argue that weather is purely the interplay of scientific variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure, there is also a hidden spiritual dimension in certain specific cases.]
A second incident is when Christ walked on water, despite the howling wind and big waves. When Peter asked to do likewise, Christ encouraged him. When Christ and Peter got into the boat, the wind ceased and the sea became still (Matthew 14:22-33)!
The contrast between Christ and Satan
[Christ said:] “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
~John 10:10-11[NOTE: Satan’s objectives as the thief are to steal, kill, and destroy.]
Satan’s rule on Earth started when Adam and Eve obeyed him
- Most humans don’t know what happened at the start of human civilization.
- This is the story of Adam and Eve’s encounter with Satan (Genesis 3:1-6).
- The symbolic meaning of the “Tree of Life” means obedience to God alone.
- The symbolic meaning of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” means mankind has taken upon themselves the prerogative to decide what is “good and evil” for them.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
~Genesis 3:1-6
The biblical description of Satan’s rule on this earth
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age [of Satan’s rule], according to the will of our God and Father…
~Galatians 1:3-4
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway [power and control] of the wicked one [Satan].
~1 John 5:19
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
~John 8:44
The SOLUTION to the PROBLEMS of this world
- Replacing Satan as ruler of this present world
- Removing the spiritual blindness Satan has cast upon humanity worldwide
Satan will be replaced as the present ruler of this world
… and that He [the Father] may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
~Acts 3:20-21
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
~Revelation 11:15
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished…
~Revelation 20:1-3
Man’s spiritual blindness caused by Satan will be removed
And He [God] will destroy on this mountain [government] the surface of the covering [spiritual blindness] cast over all people, and the veil [deception] that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke [curse] of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.
~Isaiah 25:7-8
Calamities and sufferings of mankind will come to an end!
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. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle [dwelling place] 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. 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.”
~Revelation 21:1-4[NOTE: There shall be no more tragedies nor calamities.]
Summary and conclusion
- The present “god of this world” is Satan himself!
- The calamities and destruction in this world are actually caused by Satan!
- Such calamities and destruction are not the “acts of [the true] God.”
- Attributing Satan’s evil deeds to the true God is another satanic deception!
- Satan will eventually be bound, and will have no more access to humans.
The spiritual blindness foisted by Satan upon all humanity will be removed. Christ will be sent back by God the Father to intervene and rule over all mankind. Then, all calamities, tragedies, and sufferings will come to an end!
May God speed that day!
Additionally, as what I have learned from WCG under HWA’s explanations and I believe it was God’s revelation to him, tha God allowed sufferings from the calamities and from all Satan’s deceptions is because God want every human beings to experience the consequencies when man disobeys His righteous way of life—-His government. For there is no other way that could bring peace and order, perfect harmony, unity & prosperity, other than God’s divine LAWS. And not only man that God teaches a lesson through the sufferings of man, but also all angels in heaven, as well as the fallen angels who became demons!
And the Almighty God the Father wants all His creations to tremble at Him. For He is a “CONSUMING FIRE” to anyone who disobey Him!
Thanks for your comment, Manuel. That’s a unique and an intuitive observation stated many decades ago.
This message gives us hope, the eventuality of this world’s suffering will soon come to end and so we must be steadfast with our calling and by our faith to the Living God we must endure and until the end…
The message is well explained, may the readers be blessed with knowledge and understanding of these Biblical Truths.
Yes, that is the glorious and happy hope for all of mankind, Myra.
WITH THIS KIND OF PLAIN,SHORT,SIMPLE,AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND BIBLICAL TRUTH AND EXPOSITION,SURELY IT WILL DRAW MANY READERS AND DISCIPLES.I AM PRAYING THATGOD TRULY BLESS THIS WORK AND CALL MANY PEOPLE TO SALVATION AS THE FIRST FRUITS OF SPRING HARVEST AND MAY DAWN SPEEDILY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GOD’S KINGDOM ON THIS EARTH SOON.MAY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST COME SOON FOR HIS BRIDE IS READY.COME OUR LORD COME!
Thanks for your positive comments, Larry.
Your understanding of who is causing these weather calamities is dead wrong. Yahweh controls the weather and not Satan. Yahweh only allowed Satan to use the power of the weather upon Job and no one else.
Yes, Satan is the power of the air, but not the power of the wind. Below are some scriptures that prove the point.
Psa 35:5 Let them be as chaff before the wind, and the Messenger of YAHWEH driving them away.
Psa 107:25 For He speaks, and He raises stormy wind, and makes its waves high;
Eze 13:13 So Adonai YAHWEH says this: I will even break in My fury with a hurricane type wind. And there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and hailstones in fury, to consume it.
John, if you carefully and fully read the stated article, one of the important issues being specifically addressed is to CORRECT the commonly accepted (but false) belief that all calamities and tragedies are the “ACTS OF GOD.” In fact, in most legal documents, that is a commonly accepted and stated “fact.” In that CONTEXT, it is improper, unjust, and untrue to simply attribute all wanton human sufferings, calamities, destructions, tragedies, and deaths upon the One Who said, “I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” and He also added saying, “I am the GOOD shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep” (John 10:10,11). This is to be understood in CONTRAST with His description concerning the thief (Satan) who comes [only] to steal, KILL, and to DESTROY (John 10:10a).
It is easy to simply find fault with an article, be critical about it, and to possibly misinterpret it, IF one does not see the MAIN PURPOSE why the article has been written to begin with. But it is time someone boldly spoke up and declared the truth about the commonly accepted false belief that all calamities are “Acts of God.”
I believe God set laws in this physical planet earth that all humanity must have to observe and obey. —That is the environmental laws. Should humanity break those laws, it’s consequences are automatic, whether breaking it unknowingly or deliberately. As the saying says: “ignorance of the law excuses no one.”
Modern science now discovered that the causes of all these calamities around the world is caused by man destroying the ecosystem that GOD created in this planet. The deforestation for example; the rainforest is the lungs of the earth— it is responsible to giving oxygen on the air to make everything/everybody healthy. But it is now terribly abused by man. And the Industrialised Revolutions emits deadly carbon monoxides on the air causing many people too many diseases! The pollutions on the air, oceans, rivers and farm lands destroys the ecological balance that causes the natural disasters: namely— tornadoes, cyclones, volcano eruptions, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc… According to scientific research, all of these are caused of imbalanced ecosystem in the whole world!
Who is to blame? — Man disobeying the natural laws settled by God in this planet. — That’s the very main reasons WHY God said in the Bible; “If u obey My instructions, keep my commandments, statutes and laws, you will enjoy My blessings, you will have rains in due seasons, you will ride on the heavenly places in your life. But if you disobey My instructions, then, CURSED is the land for you, and you will suffer…”
That’s the automatic consequences man is bringing upon himself!
And the WARS and fightings around the world among men is explained also in the Bible. (James 4:1-3).