Why Does God Allow Suffering?'/A VITAL ISSUE IS RAISED

To find out why God allows suffering, we need to think back to the time when suffering began.  When Satan led Adam and Even into disobeying Jehovah, and important questions was raised.  Satan did not call into questions Jehovah's power. Rather, Satan questioned Jehovah's  right to rule. By calling God a liar who withhold good from his subjects, Satan charged that Jehovah is a bad ruler. (Genesis 3:2-5)  Satan implied that mankind would be better off without God's rulership.  (Yeah, we see how that turned out, didn't we? Disastrous) This was an attack on Jehovah's sovereignty, his right to rule.  

Adam and Eve rebelled against Jehovah.   In effect, they said:  "We do not need Jehovah as our Ruler.  We can decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong." (apparently not) How could Jehovah settle that issue?  How could he teach all intelligent creatures that the rebels were wrong and that his way was truly best?  Someone might say that God should simply have destroyed the rebels and made a fresh start.  But Jehovah had stated his purpose to fill the earth with the offspring of Adam and Eve, and he wanted them to live in an earthly paradise.  (Genesis 1:28) Jehovah always fulfills his purposes.  (Isaiah 55:10, 11) Besides that, getting rid of the rebels in Eden would not have had answered the question that had been raised regarding Jehovah's right to rule.

Let us consider an illustration.  Imagine that a teacher is telling his students how to solve a difficult problem. A clever but rebellious student claims that the teacher's way of solving problems is wrong. Implying that the teacher is no capable, this rebel  insists that he knows a much better way to solve the problem.  Some students thing that he is right, and they also become rebellious.  What should the teacher do?  If he throws the rebels out of the class, what will be the effect on the other students?  Will they not believe  that their fellow student and those who joined him are right? All the other students in the class might lose respect for the teacher, thinking that he is afraid of being proved wrong.  But suppose that the teacher allows the rebel to show the class how he would solve the problem.

Jehovah has done something similar to what the teacher does.   Remember that the rebels in Eden were not the only ones involved. Millions of angels were watching.  (Job 38:7; Daniel 7:10) How Jehovah handled the rebellion  would greatly affect all those angels and eventually all intelligent creation. So, what has Jehovah done?  He has allowed Satan to show how he would rule mankind. God has allowed humans to govern themselves under Satan's guidance.  

Note: Well, the proof is in the pudding. There is not a snowball's chance in hell, excuse my language, that any humans can govern themselves. Plain and simple, unless everyone is wearing rose colored glasses or they just don't want to face the truth; and that my dear readers is part of the whole problem with this world. No one wants to see the Truth! 

The teacher in our illustration knows that the rebel and the students on his side are wrong. But he also knows that allowing them the opportunity to try to prove their point will benefit the whole class. When the rebels fall, all hones students will see that the teacher is the only one qualified to lead the class.   They will understand why the teacher thereafter removes any rebels from the class. Similarly, Jehovah knows that all honesthearted humans  and angels will benefit from seeing that Satan and his fellow rebels  have failed and that humans cannot govern themselves.  Like Jeremiah of old, they will learn this visual truth:  "I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step." -Jeremiah 10:23.

Next time: Why Does God Allow Suffering?/WHY SO LONG? 

From the book: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH?