You might want to ask why the devil (and not God) is the ruler of this earth. The answer is that God entrusted the rulership of the earth to humans for a time and He cannot take it back before the set time. «May you be blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men» (Psalm, 115:15-16).
The majority of tragedies and disasters on earth that daily destroy great many people are a result of lawlessness of the people living on earth.
«So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel» (Numbers, 35:33-34).
Righteousness exalts a person and his people.
When a nation turns away from his evil ways and the violence of their hands, then the new times come; joy comes instead of joy and triumph comes instead of tragedy. An entire nation can fall under the judgment of God because of the sins of its people. Sodom and Gomorrah is a clear example of how sin brings a destruction and tragedy into the life of a whole nation.
Every one of us has been given free choice. By our lawlessness and sins we can fill our lives and the lives of our loved ones, thus defiling the earth. But through repentance and godly living we can establish the rule of life by God’s grace, affecting not just our life but the whole world.
We see that the sin of one man negatively affects not only him or her, but also others. In the same way we see that obedience and righteous living positively affects other people and the whole world.
How much suffering there is in the world because of the irresponsibility of fathers and mothers! How many children suffer today because of some addiction of their parents who because of their own satisfaction abandon their families and their children! Sin is the main cause of sufferings, tragedies and illnesses on earth.
«“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.». (Matthew 5:43-45).
If only all people lived according to the commandments of love there would be much less pain and tragedies on Earth. There would be much less tears on Earth if people took care for each other instead of seeking their own benefits.
«He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil.» (1st John 3:8).
The devil inflicts pain, steals, murder and annihilate people, but God comes in Christ and manifests His power and mercy. In Christ God heals the sick, forgives sins, restores people lives, frees from curse and obsession by demons. A little later we will discuss the details about devil as a source of distress and sufferings people may have. Today I would like you to note that sins of other people also represent a source of pain and suffering.
«Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the fulfilment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.» (Romans 10:1-4).
Today may people are saying they love God and believe in Him, while staying ignorant to His righteousness and living according to their own righteousness. Therefore, they blame God for being unjust to them when facing problems and distress in their life.
If a person does not fulfil this duty, he won’t have enough light to see evil and hide from it. Besides, this verse tells us that such a person (he or she is called „simple”) goes ahead and is punished – not by God, but by his own ignorance. Ignorance separates a person from the life of God, because he knows nothing about God’s provision. «..having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart» (Ephesians, 4:18).
Because of ignorance human mind is darkened, heart is hardened and he himself is alienated from the life of God.
In order to live right and to make right decisions we need to obtain knowledge and understanding. When a person’s life is filled with knowledge it is like the sun shining in the darkness.
Ignorance gives birth to lust, and lust causes suffering.
