God creativity and evils
1.What was God doing before He created the universe?
Our finite minds find it hard to comprehend that before the universe was created, God existed alone. We know from John 1:1 that Jesus also existed: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The reincarnate Christ was intimately united with the Father, so as to partake of His glory and to be appropriately called God. He has Himself explained it in John 17:5: "And now Father, glorify me with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was."
We also know that the Holy Spirit was present before we were created. Genesis 1:2 describes the Spirit "hovering over the face" of the dark and formless earth. So, before time even existed, God existed in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity existed in perfect harmony and flawlessness, having all they needed in one another. David said in Psalms 16:11 that "joy and pleasures forever more" are in the presence of God. That means to be in the presence of God carries with it an overwhelming sense of joy, fulfillment, and pleasure. Before creation, God felt complete joy and fulfillment as He perfectly beheld and communed with Himself. God has and always will experience complete joy because He has complete and perfect knowledge of Himself.
So before He created the universe, God experienced absolute satisfaction in Himself. God dwelt joyfully alone in eternity as the Trinity. These three were together in fellowship with one another from all eternity. They loved each other. We know at some point they discussed the redemption of mankind (Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 1:9; John 17:24), but everything else lies in mystery.
2. Why did God create such a vast universe and other planets if there is only life on Earth?
The question of whether God created life on other planets is certainly fascinating. Psalm 19:1 says that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork." Everything that God has made, be it you and me, or wildlife, or angels, or stars and planets, has been created for His glory. When we see a breathtaking view of the Milky Way or peer at Saturn through a telescope, we are amazed at the wonders of God!
David wrote in Psalm 8:3, "I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained." When we see the vast number of stars, then read that scientists have discovered thousands upon thousands of galaxies, each containing millions of stars, we should be standing in reverent fear of a God so immense to make all that and call it the work of His fingers! Furthermore, Psalm 147:4 tells us that "He counts the number of the stars, He calls them all by name." It is impossible for mankind to know how many stars there are, not to mention the "name" of every star! "Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together" (Isaiah 48:13).
Space and planets were created for God's glory. We know that stars and planets outside our solar system exist, and these, too, were created for the glory of God. A constantly expanding universe is yet another conjecture that has yet to be proven. The next star farther than the sun is over 4 light-years away, and that isn't even a measurable fraction of the size of the known universe, expanding or not.
As to whether there is life on other planets, we simply do not know. So far, no evidence of life on the other planets of our solar system has been found. Considering the nearness of the end times, it is unlikely that man will progress far enough to visit other galaxies before the Lord's return. Wherever life exists or doesn't exist, God is still the Creator and Controller of all things, and all things were made for His glory.
3 Did God create evil?
At first it might seem that if God created all things, then evil must have been created by God. However, evil is not a "thing" like a rock or electricity. You cannot have a jar of evil. Evil has no existence of its own; it is really the absence of good. For example, holes are real but they only exist in something else. We call the absence of dirt a hole, but it cannot be separated from the dirt. So when God created, it is true that all He created was good. One of the good things God made was creatures who had the freedom to choose well. In order to have a real choice, God had to allow there to be something besides good to choose. So, God allowed these free angels and humans to choose well or reject good (evil). When a bad relationship exists between two good things we call that evil, but it does not become a "thing" that required God to create it.
Perhaps a further illustration will help. If a person is asked, "Does cold exist?" the answer would likely be "yes." However, this is incorrect. Cold does not exist. Cold is the absence of heat. Similarly, darkness does not exist; it is the absence of light. Evil is the absence of good, or better, evil is the absence of God. God did not have to create evil, but rather only allow for the absence of good.
God did not create evil, but He does allow evil. If God had not allowed for the possibility of evil, both mankind and angels would be serving God out of obligation, not choice. He did not want "robots" that simply did what He wanted them to do because of their "programming." God allowed for the possibility of evil so that we could genuinely have a free will and choose whether or not we wanted to serve Him.
As finite human beings, we can never fully understand an infinite God (Romans 11:33-34). Sometimes we think we understand why God is doing something, only to find out later that it was for a different purpose than we originally thought. God looks at things from a holy, eternal perspective. We look at things from a sinful, earthly, and temporal perspective. Why did God put man on earth knowing that Adam and Eve would sin and therefore bring evil, death, and suffering on all mankind? Why didn't He just create us all and leave us in heaven where we would be perfect and without suffering? These questions cannot be adequately answered this side of eternity. What we can know is whatever God does is holy and perfect and ultimately will glorify Him. God allowed for the possibility of evil in order to give us a true choice in regards to whether we worship Him. God did not create evil, but He allowed it. If He had not allowed evil, we would be worshiping Him out of obligation, not by a choice of our own will.
4. Why does God allow evil?
The Bible describes God as holy (Isaiah 6:3), righteous (Psalm 7:11), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and sovereign (Daniel 4:17-25). These attributes tell us the following about God: (1) God is capable of preventing evil, and (2) God desires to rid the universe of evil. So, if both of these are true, why does God allow evil? If God has the power to prevent evil and desires to prevent evil, why does He still allow evil? Perhaps a practical way to look at this question would be to consider some alternative ways people might have God run the world:
God could change everyone's personality so that they cannot sin. This would also mean that we would not have a free will. We would not be able to choose right or wrong because we would be "programmed" to only do right. Had God chosen to do this, there would be no meaningful relationships between Him and His creation.
Instead, God made Adam and Eve innocent but with the ability to choose good or evil. Because of this, they could respond to His love and trust Him or choose to disobey. They chose to disobey. Because we live in a real world where we can choose our actions but not their consequences, their sin affected those who came after them (us). Similarly, our decisions to sin have an impact on us and those around us and those who will come after us.
God could compensate for peoples evil actions through supernatural intervention 100 percent of the time. God would stop a drunk driver from causing an automobile accident. God would stop a lazy construction worker from doing a substandard job on a house that would later cause grief to the homeowners. God would stop a father who is addicted to drugs or alcohol from doing any harm to his wife, children, or extended family. God would stop gunmen from robbing convenience stores. God would stop high school bullies from tormenting the brainy kids. God would stop thieves from shoplifting. And, yes, God would stop terrorists from flying airplanes into buildings.
While this solution sounds attractive, it would lose its attractiveness as soon as Gods intervention infringed on something we wanted to do. We want God to prevent horribly evil actions, but we are willing to let "lesser-evil" actions slide not realizing that those "lesser-evil" actions are what usually lead to the "greater-evil" actions. Should God only stop actual sexual affairs, or should He also block our access to pornography or end any inappropriate, but not yet sexual, relationships? Should God stop "true" thieves, or should He also stop us from cheating on our taxes? Should God only stop murder, or should He also stop the "lesser-evil" actions done to people that lead them to commit murder? Should God only stop acts of terrorism, or should He also stop the indoctrination that transformed a person into a terrorist?
Another choice would be for God to judge and remove those who choose to commit evil acts. The problem with this possibility is that there would be no one left, for God would have to remove us all. We all sin and commit evil acts (Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8). While some people are more evil than others, where would God draw the line? Ultimately, all evil causes harm to others.
Instead of these options, God has chosen to create a "real" world in which real choices have real consequences. In this real world of ours, our actions affect others. Because of Adam's choice to sin, the world now lives under the curse, and we are all born with a sin nature (Romans 5:12). There will one day come a time when God will judge the sin in this world and make all things new, but He is purposely "delaying" in order to allow more time for people to repent so that He will not need to condemn them (2 Peter 3:9). Until then, He IS concerned about evil. When He created the Old Testament laws, the goal was to discourage and punish evil. He judges nations and rulers who disregard justice and pursue evil. Likewise, in the New Testament, God states that it is the government's responsibility to provide justice in order to protect the innocent from evil (Romans 13). He also promises severe consequences for those who commit evil acts, especially against the "innocent" (Mark 9:36-42).
In summary, we live in a real world where our good and evil actions have direct consequences and indirect consequences upon us and those around us. Gods desire is that for all of our sakes we would obey Him that it might be well with us (Deuteronomy 5:29). Instead, what happens is that we choose our own way, and then we blame God for not doing anything about it. Such is the heart of sinful man. But Jesus came to change men's hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, and He does this for those who will turn from evil and call on Him to save them from their sin and its consequences (2 Corinthians 5:17). God does prevent and restrain some acts of evil. This world would be MUCH WORSE were God not restraining evil. At the same time, God has given us the ability to choose good and evil, and when we choose evil, He allows us, and those around us, to suffer the consequences of evil. Rather than blaming God and questioning God on why He does not prevent all evil, we should be about the business of proclaiming the cure for evil and its consequences Jesus Christ!
5.Why does God allow evil men like Hitler and Saddam to come into power?
The Bible says that God is sovereign. This means that He is ultimately in control of everything, not just some things. He is in control of the weather (Psalm 148:8), life and death (Psalm 104:29-30), and even seemingly inconsequential happenings (Proverbs 16:33). Gods sovereignty extends to the rulers of nations. "Wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them" (Daniel 2:20-21). One hundred, fifty years before the birth of Cyrus the Great, God was already calling him by name and promising to set him on the throne of Persia: "I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness" (Isaiah 45:13). Gods sovereign plan allows for the pagan Cyrus, the proud Nebuchadnezzar, and, yes, the Hitler's and Hussein's of the world.
Romans 13:1 tells us, "There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." This is a startling statement, given that the book of Romans was probably written in A.D. 56-57. The emperor at the time was Nero, a decidedly evil ruler. Nero led one of the severest persecutions of Christians in the history of the church. When Paul wrote this portion of Scripture, he was aware of Nero's wickedness, yet he does not question why God put him in power. In fact, Paul never mentions Nero specifically; the general truth that authorities are "established by God" applies to all rulers everywhere.
In Acts 8, we see that governing authorities led a persecution against the early church. It was a hard time, and there were probably believers who began to doubt Gods sovereignty or question His care. Yet, the persecution had the effect that the church in Jerusalem was "scattered throughout Judea and Samaria" (verse 1). Thus, in part because of evil men in places of authority, the Great Commission was put into action, the gospel spread, and the church grew.
God does not explicitly say why He allows evil men to rule. At times, God has used evil rulers to bring judgment on His people and bring them back to righteousness. It is worth noting that all rulers are accountable to God for their actions. For example, God raised up Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in order to punish Judah for their repeated idolatry (2 Kings 20:17-18). Later, after Babylon had fulfilled its purpose, it was judged for its own wickedness (Isaiah 13:19; 14:4). Their king, Nebuchadnezzar, suffered an individual judgment (Daniel 4). God did the same with Assyria, allowing its rise for a purpose, and then judging that nation's pride and cruelty (Isaiah 10:5-19).
God sometimes allows an evil Kaiser, czar, fuehrer, sultan, or despot to rule, and the reasons for His choice are not readily apparent. But we know this: God always sets boundaries for the potentates (see Psalm 74:12-17). Human rulers are not omnipotent, they are not eternal, and they are not immune from punishment. There will be a day of reckoning. Rulers who die in their sins will face the ultimate punishment, eternity in hell. Hitler, Lenin, and others who have rejected Christ and abused the people of God have been serving their sentence in hell for a long time.
6. Why Isaiah 45:7 does say that God created evil?
Isaiah 45:7 in the King James Version reads, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." How Isaiah 45:7 does agree with the view that God did not create evil? There are two key facts that need to be considered. (1) The word translated "evil" is from a Hebrew word that means "adversity, affliction, calamity, distress, misery." Notice how the other major English Bible translations render the word: "disaster" (NIV, HCSB), "calamity" (NKJV, NAS, ESV), and "woe" (NRSV). The Hebrew word can refer to moral evil, and often does have this meaning in the Hebrew Scriptures. However, due to the diversity of possible definitions, it is unwise to assume that "I create evil" in Isaiah 45:7 refers to God bringing moral evil into existence.
(2) The context of Isaiah 45:7 makes it clear that something other than "bringing moral evil into existence" is in mind. The context of Isaiah 45:7 is God rewarding Israel for obedience and punishing Israel for disobedience. God pours out salvation and blessings on those whom He favors. God brings judgment on those who continue to rebel against Him. "Woe to him who quarrels with his Master" (Isaiah 45:9). That is the person to whom God brings "evil" and "disaster." So, rather than saying that God created "moral evil," Isaiah 45:7 is presenting a common theme of Scripture "that God brings disaster on those who continue in hard-hearted rebellion against Him.