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Saturday 22 June 2013

Why do bad things happen to "good" people?


Let's face it - Satan is free to roam on the earth at present and he has the freedom to meddle in people's lives (a good example of this was Job where YHUH gave Satan permission to test him with his earthly goods, flesh, etc). Read Job 1: 12-19. 

Previous to these verses YHUH describes Job in the following way :

“Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears YHUH and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8) 

Suffering is not always brought about by YHUH’s judgment, so we must be careful not to fall into simplistic thinking.

Although Job was a righteous man, he suffered the loss of family, finances and health. Job himself linked his suffering to fear, which perhaps indicates Satan's root of access. “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25) His friends were convinced that he was guilty of secret sin and was, therefore, responsible for the suffering that came upon him. Job denied this, and YHUH eventually vindicated him. Job’s suffering actually came about because he was righteous. YHUH blessed him because of that righteousness, and Satan targeted his blessings thinking that they were the very reasons Job served YHUH. But even with everything stripped away from him, he still served YHUH and thus was vindicated at the end.

Sometimes the reasons behind a person's suffering are surprising.

In John 9, Yahushua (Jesus) came upon a man who had been blind since birth, and his disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2)

Yahushua said that neither were the cause. The man’s blindness was not due to anyone’s sin. The purpose of the blindness was to reveal the splendor of YHUH through healing by Messiah!

“This happened so that the work of YHUH might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)

If we jump to conclusions about the source of someone’s suffering, we risk losing an opportunity to pray for that person and to see the splendor of YHUH manifested before our very eyes.

Satan can cause catastrophes and illness often by manipulating people through their lusts to achieve a terrible outcomes. Even whilst people today are aware of population extremes causing climate change on the planet evil people will keep pushing for their lusts and will do nothing to save the planet - they're suicidal as Satan has blinded them. Time and chance may happen to all but the only difference between "good" and bad people is the following - YHUH's people are protected until such a time that it is their time to die according to YHUH's will. If it is your time you may go quickly in a car accident or you may die peacefully in bed - only YHUH knows this. People that are not YHUH's people can die at any time in any way with no protection from anything and they are completely in Satan's hands, his toys, if you will.  In a catastrophe then you cannot say it is YHUH's punishment for a certain country, group of people, etc. Some of YHUH's people and heathens may have been killed at the same time. As Eccl. 9:11 states "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

Just as an aside, these catastrophes are always classified as "Acts of God" - what if they are "Acts of Satan"? Not only that, often people are heard shouting - why doesn't YHUH do something? YHUH has given every man free will and He never goes back on His own word - if He were to intervene directly it would skew things and the question would then be asked whether everybody then does have free will after all? Only to a point? Rather YHUH's people are encouraged to guide and help other people to make the correct righteous choices in life as YHUH wills us to do :

Deut 30:19  I call shamayim (heaven) and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

It's up to people to listen and truly follow if they want to be saved from this evil world to live eternally in YHUH's presence in the new world to come.

Read the following:

First article:

www.churches-of-christ.net/tracts/job115u.htm

There is another angle altogether as well:

carm.org/questions/other-questions/why-do-bad-things-happen-good-people

Further Biblical readings are as follows: 

James 1:13-15 and James 4:1-4 (man's complicity through friendship with the world).

Yahushua himself puts it this way in Luke 13: 1-5:

1There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Yahushua answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Here is another verse of interest:

Proverbs 11:8-9 The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead. With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbours, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

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