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And God Cried
Chapter 8
Supposed Objections
Some say God was unjust to judge
and then condemn the whole human race in father Adam. What was the
alternative? Create each of the billions of humanity individually
and give each an individual trial? Recall the scenario of the baby
and hot stove. Lacking experience, Divine wisdom knew most, if not
all, of humankind would disobey Him—just as father Adam did.
Then there would be billions of individually condemned sinners,
not just one. To salvage that disaster, each sinner would require
a separate redeemer. What a mathematical challenge that would
pose! But God, in His infinite wisdom found a way to condemn all
in one man (Adam) so that He could redeem all in one man's death
(the perfect man Jesus). "For if by one man's offense death
reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ" (Rom.5:17).
Human History Horrendous
Some complain that the tragedies
of history have been horrendous—at times unbearable. If God is
loving, why hasn't He at least limited their severity?
Psalm 76:10 assures us that God
is limiting man's wrath (man's inhumanity to man) to only those
experiences that will praise Him—accomplish the purposes of His
plan for mankind. All human evil which is in excess of what is
necessary for humanity's schooling will be restrained. Actually,
civilization would have aborted or adversely mutated itself time
and again if it wasn't for this Divine restraining. But the
schooling of the permission of evil must of necessity be severe.
Man has to learn once—for all
time—not just the error of sin, but also its horrific
consequences. For the most part, the scenario of sin must be
played out in ghastly detail in order for this lesson to be
thoroughly learned. Further, these terrible details of sin's
consequences must become the facts of history to be studied for
the eternal welfare of all. The experiences of each have not been
the same. This is obviously true of those who died as babies or
children. Actually, the Scriptures reveal that man's total
experience with sin will be studied throughout eternity. Certainly
in the Kingdom, when the dead are raised, the total experience of
all mankind will be shared. What a motivation this composite
history of evil will be to inspire all to love the ways of
righteousness.
Future Creations
Isaiah 45:18 informs us
concerning the earth that God "created it not in vain, He
formed it to be inhabited." It is logical to conclude that
this is true for the myriads of other planets in the universe. In
future creations on these planets, intelligent beings will not
need a learning experience with sin. Sin and its sequel of evil
will no longer be mere theory. Sin and evil are now an actual fact
not only in the history of the earth but also the universe. A
vivid account of this history will be conveyed to all future
creations. This is another reason the scenario of sin must be
played out in such sordid detail on earth.
Spectacle to Angels
The angelic hosts of heaven are
intensely watching the drama of sin and evil as it unfolds on
earth. Angels are primarily learning the bitter consequences of
sin by observation. In order for this lesson by observation to be
effective, it must run its course in gruesome details.
Restraining the Severity of
Evil
But there are ways in which God
is limiting the severity of humankind's experience with evil. In
love, God has cut off nations and whole groupings of people before
their consciences became irrevocably scarred by experiencing evil.
Otherwise there would be no conscience left to which God could
appeal when they come forth from their graves in the Kingdom (John
5:29).
Both the Ten Commandments and
the preaching of the Gospel for a witness in all nations have had
a tremendous influence on the moral laws of the nations thereby,
limiting the practice of evil.
In his book OUT OF CONTROL,
Brzezinski reminded us that the insane evil of the 20th century
was due to the unprecedented knowledge of our day. God kindly
withheld this explosion of knowledge until the "Time of the
End" (Dan.12:1, 4). This explosion of knowledge is having its
God-intended effect-the destruction of our social order to make
way for God's Kingdom.
Why Will the Kingdom Succeed?
If Adam failed in his test of
obedience, what assurance is there that mankind will pass the test
for eternal life in the Kingdom? There are four fundamental
reasons. The first three are experience, experience and
experience. The fourth is that mankind will be in the hands of a
sympathetic Priesthood.
Experience
The factor of personal
experience is all important. Adam had no experience with the
consequences of sin. In the Kingdom each person will have a vivid
memory of every pain, sorrow and tragedy, and realize their
debilitating effect on mind and body. Every encounter with man's
inhumanity will be relived time and again as they interact with
these same individuals in the Kingdom. What a challenge each will
face, to ask forgiveness and to forgive. This is one of the many
practical ways they will learn to develop love one for another.
What a refreshing contrast life will be in the Kingdom when they
experience the rewards of health, peace and happiness for
righteous living. Also, Satan, the one who took Eve down the
"primrose path of deception," will be bound.
A Sympathetic Priesthood
Humanity will be in the hands of
Jesus and His Church (his faithful followers) who will be Kings
and Priests to the world. Think of being in the hands of King
Jesus—a King who was willing to die for his subjects that they
might have life. Think of the compassion he developed for sinners
by the sufferings he received at their hands. The more they
opposed him and harmed him, the more he learned to understand and
love them. Think also of humankind being ruled and helped by
members of the faithful Church, who will be associate rulers and
priests. They were once fellow sinners—representatives of every
type of humanity. They have experienced every sort of tragedy
which man has suffered. Oh, what an incentive it will be to
realize that members of the Church understand and can help them
out of every temptation to disobey!
Because man's past experience
with sin, and assistance from the sympathetic priesthood in the
Kingdom will be so effective, the Scriptures speak of those who
gain eternal life as the "sand of the sea" in number
(Gen. 22:17,18). Yes, the experience with evil will enable the
vast majority of mankind to share the joys of eternity.
When the testings of the
Millennial Kingdom are over, as mankind stands at the threshold of
eternity, they will look back on the permission of evil and thank
God for every tragedy and every sorrow. What an invaluable lesson!
Compared to eternity, it will seem but a moment. And when
"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there
shall be no more death neither sorrow, nor crying" (Rev.
21:4)—then God too will have stopped crying.
End Notes
The Council of Chalcedon (A.D.
451)
REPRINTS (Chicago, IL: Chicago
Bible Students) p. 1833
James Strong, STRONG'S
EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE #7043
Garrett P. Serviss,
CURIOSITIES OF THE SKY
Phillip L. Knox, WONDER WORLDS
(Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Assoc., 1964) p.61
Ibid.
Serviss.
Ibid.
Knox, p.60
Ibid.
REPRINTS (Chicago, Ill:
Chicago Bible Students) p. 1833
Walter Howey, THE FAITH OF
GREAT SCIENTISTS (New York: Hearst Publishing Co., 1950)
Ibid., p.33 |
