After all, Whose fault is it of all the evil in the world? If God is not responsible for suffering, how can we explain hunger, poverty, wars, diseases, and natural disasters? God's Word, the Bible, reveals the three main causes of human suffering: selfishness, greed and hatred.
"Man subdues man to his misfortune" (Ecclesiastes 8:9). Often people suffer because they are victims of imperfect, selfish, or cruel humans.
Unforeseen times and events. Many suffer "because hard and unforeseen times come upon them" (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Some are in the wrong place at the wrong time, there are accidents, people act recklessly or make mistakes.
Whose fault is it?
The evil ruler of the world: The Bible clearly reveals what is the primary cause of suffering. It states, "The whole world is in the power of the wicked" (John 5:19). This "villain" is Satan the Devil, a powerful spirit creature who was originally an angel of God; but he "did not stand fast in the truth" (Jn. 8:44).
Other angels joined him and rebelled against God to satisfy their selfish desires; thus they became demons (Genesis 6:1-5). Since his rebellion, Satan and his demons have exercised a powerful and cruel influence in world affairs. This is especially true in our time.
Today, the Devil is in great wrath and "deceives the whole world," causing pain to the earth (Revelation 12:9, 12). Satan is a cruel dictator, an evil being who enjoys seeing humans suffer. Therefore, it is Satan, and not God, who causes suffering.
Only a cruel and evil being can cause suffering to innocent people. The Bible says that "God is love" (John 4:8). Love characterizing that, "it is unthinkable that the true God should act wickedly, that the Almighty should do something bad!" (Job 34:10).
However, you may be wondering how long Almighty God will tolerate Satan's abominable domination. As we have seen, God hates wickedness, and our sufferings cause Him immense pain.
Furthermore, his Word invites us to "Cast all your worries on him, for he cares for you" (Peter 5:7). God loves us and has the power to end suffering and injustice . This will be explained in the following article.
God will soon put an end to suffering
"How long, O Jehovah, must I cry for help without you hearing? How long must I cry for help without you intervening against violence?" (Habakkuk 1:2, 3). These are the words of Habakkuk, a good man, who had God's favor. Does his plea reveal a lack of faith? Not at all!
Moreover, God reassured him by telling him that he had appointed a time to end the suffering (Habakkuk 2:2, 3).
When one suffers or sees a loved one suffer, one soon concludes that God is slow to act and should have intervened by now. However, the Bible states: "Jehovah does not delay in fulfilling his promise, as some think, but is patient with you, for he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to come to repentance" (Peter 3:9).
When will God act?
Very soon ! Jesus revealed that a particular generation would witness an exceptional combination of events that would mark the last days of a "world" (Matthew 24:3-42). The fulfillment of his prophecy in our time shows that God's intervention in human affairs is imminent.
But how will God put an end to all suffering? When Jesus was on earth, he provided insight into the power that God possesses to alleviate human suffering. Let's look at some examples.
Natural disasters: While Jesus and his apostles were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a violent storm threatened to capsize their boat. But Jesus showed that he and his Father have dominion over the forces of nature (Colossians 1:15, 16). He simply said, "Silence! Be quiet! And "the wind died down and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:35-39).
Diseases: Jesus was known for his ability to heal the blind and sick, as well as epileptics, lepers - in fact, all kinds of sick people. He healed "all the sick" (Matthew 4:23, 24; 8:16; 11:2-5).
Food Shortage: Through powers granted by His Father, Jesus multiplied scarce amounts of food. According to the Bible, twice during his ministry, he fed thousands of people in this way (Matthew 14:14-21; 15:32-38).
Death: Jehovah has the power to undo the effects of death: this is clear from the three resurrection accounts operated by Jesus. One even concerns a man who had been dead for four days (Mark 5:35-42; Luke 7:11-16; John 11:3-44).
My name is Maria. I am passionate about theology and I have been writing about the religious world for 5 years. I am curious and research everything about the religions around the world. I love researching the curiosities that guide the most varied doctrines in different countries and languages. Today, I am an editor and love to share my knowledge on the portal Prayer and Faith.