THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

As stated previously, the Judeo-Christian view of God is of the Creator of the Universe, an entity who is all knowing, all-powerful and all good. Such an entity would have made a world that was perfect and everything in it would also have been made perfect and in harmony with all other things. Well, the world was originally created perfect. This seems to be a ridiculous statement when one looks at the world around us today. "The world is full of misery, pain, natural disaster and human evil. And worst of all, God’s special creatures, human beings, must one and all face death."(1). This is very true, but it was not always so. "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31, (2). If this is true, then what happened? Sin, that which is contrary to the will of God, came into this perfect world and began to corrupt it. "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3: 17-19, (2). Just how did this sin enter into the world? Who would want to corrupt such a perfect creation? He is known by many names. The devil, Satan and Lucifer are the best known in the Judeo-Christian tradition. God created him. His power was second only to God. He was called Lucifer and he guarded the throne of Heaven. He was an Angel, an entity that was created just a little higher than human beings, with a free will like humans but which preceded humans. Lucifer, once described as the Angel of Light because of his power and beauty, had quite a following made up of other Angels and it went to his head. "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! 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" Isaiah 14:12-17, (2). When Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, he and his followers were sent to a place that had been prepared for them called Hell. As a very powerful spirit entity, he was able to influence the happenings of the physical world, our world. He felt that since he was not able to rule in Heaven, he would have rule over this world and all that is in it. But God gave this world to mankind. "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." Genesis 1:28, (2). So you see, the world that God created was perfect but God has rules that all must obey or face the consequences. God is Holy and can not look on sin. Sin is what separates us from God. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23, (2).

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