Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000043S
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00:01 - The problem of evil is possibly the biggest question
00:03 behind every philosophical pursuit. 00:05 How can God possibly be good, 00:07 But the world we live in happens to be evil? 00:11 That's the question we're going to visit today. 00:13 [upbeat ambient music] 00:34 Recently, we were talking about the problem of evil and how 00:39 philosophers have been wrestling with that 00:40 for a really, really long time. 00:42 And in particular, 00:43 we kind of zeroed in on Gottfried Leibniz, 00:46 the German philosopher who coined the word, theodicy. 00:49 And theodicy is a word we use to describe 00:53 an answer to the question of evil. 00:55 Well, to be more exact, theodicy refers to an explanation 00:59 of how God can be pure and good, 01:01 and the creator of all things, 01:04 and still not be responsible for evil and suffering. 01:07 To put the question simply, 01:09 how is it possible to have a good God 01:11 and a bad world at the same time? 01:14 Leibniz suggested the reason we have trouble explaining this 01:18 is because we simply don't know enough. 01:20 It's kind of like the dark mirror that Paul describes 01:24 in first Corinthians chapter 13, 01:26 which interestingly enough 01:28 happens to be known as the love chapter. 01:30 And to me, that seems appropriate because, 01:32 well, love just might be the concept 01:35 that solves the problem of evil. 01:38 [tranquil ambient music] The really big question 01:39 back in the 18th century was how to account for a good God 01:44 and natural disasters. 01:45 I mean, it was easy enough 01:47 to lay the blame for bad moral choices 01:49 at the feet of human free will because, 01:52 well, when somebody commits murder, 01:54 it's pretty clear that the murderer caused the suffering. 01:58 But what about natural disasters? 01:59 How in the world do you account for those? 02:02 People like the skeptic Voltaire said, that you can't, 02:07 in fact, in one of his most famous books, 02:10 a novel named "Candide", 02:12 he creates this story where a lot of really bad things 02:15 happen to one man, but this character keeps saying, 02:18 oh, it's all part of God's will. 02:20 Now, if I remember this correctly, 02:22 and it's been a long time since I read this, 02:24 the lead character 02:26 was supposed to represent Gottfried Leibniz 02:28 and all the people who thought like him. 02:30 From Voltaire's perspective, suggesting that bad things 02:34 might somehow be a part of God's bigger plan 02:37 isn't so much an act of faith, 02:39 like in the story of Jobe in the Bible, 02:42 but to Voltaire, it was an act so stupidity. 02:44 He was arguing that only a dimwit 02:47 could possibly accept the notion of a good God 02:49 who intervenes in the affairs of human beings, 02:52 especially after living in this world, 02:55 a place that is clearly full of problems. 02:58 Leibniz said, it is possible to see that God is good 03:02 if only we had more understanding. 03:05 Voltaire said, huh-uh, I don't believe that. 03:09 Voltaire said it's much more likely 03:12 that if God created this planet in the first place, 03:14 he left a really long time ago 03:17 and now it's up to us to mitigate the evil in this world. 03:20 Now, a modern atheist might agree with that, 03:25 except that a modern atheist 03:26 would probably add the idea that God doesn't exist at all. 03:31 Back in Voltaire's day, 03:33 a lot of the debates surrounding the goodness of God 03:36 was really anchored in the destruction 03:38 of Lisbon earthquake, 03:40 which devastated the capital of Portugal back in 1755. 03:46 Voltaire used that disaster to ask, 03:48 how could God allow something that bad to happen. 03:53 Today a similar debate 03:55 seems to be raging over the COVID-19 pandemic, 03:57 at least in some corners of the internet, 04:01 people are asking, where is God in all this? 04:04 For example, I recently came across an individual on Twitter 04:08 who was asking for prayer 04:09 because he was on his way to the hospital 04:12 with a severely damaged lung. 04:14 Another individual responded 04:16 and he took the time to type out the words 04:19 of a prayer for healing, 04:21 and that prompted this rather sarcastic response 04:24 from somebody else who tweeted, 04:25 "Sure, because this'll work, wake up, God have," 04:30 he probably should have said has, 04:31 "God have probably much more interesting things to do 04:34 than care about some bacteria, 04:35 because if he is truly that powerful, 04:38 we are no more than small something for him." 04:41 [chuckles] Now, of course, 04:42 COVID isn't a bacteria, but you kind of get the point. 04:46 This is another rehashed version of the same old argument. 04:50 Where is God when bad things happen? 04:52 But in this case, this guy's suggesting 04:54 that God is simply busy doing more important things 04:57 than to care about us. 04:59 And again, an atheist might be prone to suggest 05:03 it's far more likely that God isn't even real. 05:07 So I guess the question we need to wrestle with is this, 05:11 what does the Bible say? 05:13 The way some skeptics talk about the problem of evil, 05:16 you'd think the Bible ignores the question, 05:19 but I'm telling you, 05:20 nothing could be further from the truth. 05:21 The Bible does underline Leibniz's assertion 05:25 that our human knowledge is too incomplete 05:27 to be able to fully grasp the mind of God, 05:30 which we looked at a little bit 05:32 last time we talked about this. 05:34 But here's where the Bible does not harmonize with Leibniz. 05:38 He believed that scientific discovery in human logic 05:42 we're going to progress enough 05:43 to make it possible for you and I 05:45 to understand the problem of suffering 05:47 from a scientific point of view. 05:50 And then we would finally see 05:52 how the ledger of the universe tilts toward the good, 05:56 what Leibniz argued 05:57 is that God is a pure and perfect creator, 06:00 just the way that most of us have been taught. 06:03 God created matter in the first place, Leibniz said, 06:05 but then he was somehow restricted by the laws of existence 06:09 when that matter was put together 06:10 in order to create forms or various objects. 06:14 So Leibniz argued that God did create 06:16 the best possible world based on that restriction. 06:21 And it simply wasn't possible to make the world any better. 06:24 Of course, that seems like a really simple solution 06:28 to the problem of suffering, 06:29 he was arguing that life has to be like this 06:32 because there's no better way to do it, 06:35 but that kind of leaves us 06:36 with something less than an all powerful God. 06:40 I mean, what kind of God is always, always, always bound 06:44 by the physical laws of the universe that he created? 06:49 So the critics were really quick 06:51 to pounce on Leibniz for saying that, 06:53 and I'll admit, it's got all kinds of problems. 06:55 I mean, why in the world 06:57 would God be smaller than his own universe? 07:01 [tranquil ambient music] But then, 07:03 how should we understand the fact 07:05 that we have a good God and a bad world? 07:07 How do we account 07:09 for the existence of natural disasters or pandemics? 07:12 How do we explain suffering? 07:15 What about something like a terrible earthquake, 07:17 or even the black plague? 07:19 How do you account for that stuff? 07:22 Now, I really doubt I'm gonna be able to answer this 07:25 to anybody's satisfaction with just half an hour, 07:27 but let me take a stab at this anyway. 07:30 And I think today I'm going to move away 07:32 from the musings of human philosophers 07:34 and just have a quick look at what the Bible actually says, 07:38 because after all, according to Christians, 07:40 this book is the revealed will of God. 07:44 And if God is real, 07:45 then he should be able to explain himself. 07:48 The first thing I think I wanna point out 07:50 is how Leibniz was right by suggesting 07:53 that our human capacity for understanding is rather limited. 07:57 Even though he believed that we would eventually develop 08:00 a sort of science of the mind that would give us 08:03 the philosophical language we need to solve the problem, 08:06 as if it was a math equation. 08:08 After all, he was coming from a time 08:11 when we were exploring the idea 08:13 that the universe could be measured or quantified 08:16 and ultimately understood. 08:19 And it eventually, 08:20 maybe we could just use numbers to understand everything 08:23 and not just the hard sciences. 08:26 Now, when Leibniz said that, 08:28 you and I don't really have the ability 08:31 to understand God completely, but that's true. 08:34 Although we do find a bit of a double edged sword 08:37 when it comes to understanding the mind of God. 08:41 But now it's time to take a quick break. 08:42 So hang tough, because in a moment, 08:45 I'll come back and show you 08:46 what I mean by this double edge sword. 08:52 [intense ambient music] - Dragons, beasts, 08:54 cryptic statues, 08:56 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 09:01 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation 09:03 and come away scratching your head, you are not alone. 09:06 Our free focus on prophecy guides 09:09 are designed to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 09:11 and deepen your understanding of God's plan 09:14 for you and our world. 09:15 Study online or request them by mail 09:18 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 09:22 - The English poet, Alexander Pope 09:24 believed that we would eventually discover 09:27 that the universe really is a good place 09:29 and that our faith in God has never, ever been misplaced. 09:33 I mean, sure, the world might seem evil, 09:36 but that's because we don't have the right perspective. 09:39 Not yet. 09:41 But in time Pope argued, our discoveries are going to prove 09:44 that everything really is good 09:46 and that God has always had a plan. 09:48 Here's the way he put it in his famous "Essay on Man". 09:51 he writes, "All nature is bud art, unknown to thee, 09:56 all chance, direction, which thou canst not see; 10:00 All discord, harmony not understood; 10:03 All partial evil, universal good; 10:06 And spite of pride in erring reason's spite, 10:09 one truth is clear, 'Whatever is, is right'." 10:14 It was another way of saying 10:15 that whatever seems wrong this world 10:16 is just really a product of our inability 10:19 to comprehend the universe. 10:21 But eventually he said, 10:22 we're going to discover that everything is in fact 10:25 very, very good, 10:26 because it all started with God in the first place. 10:30 Now just before the break, 10:31 I mentioned the idea 10:32 of really understanding the mind of God. 10:35 Well, it's a bit of a double edged sword. 10:38 On the one hand, the Bible tells us 10:40 that we can't understand the mind of God like, 10:42 well, in this chapter, from Isaiah chapter 55, 10:47 where the Bible says, 10:48 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth", God says, 10:51 "So my ways are higher than your ways 10:54 and my thoughts than your thoughts." 10:58 What it's really telling us 10:59 is that God's perspective on the universe 11:02 and our perspective are miles apart. 11:05 And we are never going to have 11:06 the same level of understanding that God has. 11:10 To put it another way, 11:12 we are always going to have to live by faith 11:14 because we will never be God. 11:17 But then at the same time, 11:19 the Bible suggests that we can know God, 11:22 and we can know him in a really meaningful way. 11:25 Here's what it says over in Jeremiah chapter nine, 11:28 which happens to be one of my favorite parts of the Bible. 11:31 This passage begins in verse 23, where it says, 11:35 "Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man in his wisdom, 11:39 let not the mighty man glory in his might, 11:41 nor let the rich man glory in his riches, 11:44 but let him who glory's glory in this 11:46 that he understands and knows me, 11:49 that I am the Lord exercising loving kindness, 11:51 judgment, and righteousness in the earth 11:54 for in these things I delight." says the Lord. 11:58 So on the one hand, the Bible tells us 12:00 that God is incomprehensible to the human mind, 12:04 but then on the other, it invites us to understand him. 12:07 The book of Psalms tells us 12:09 that God has made darkness his secret place. 12:12 First King's eight verse 12, 12:13 it says, "The Lord said he would dwell in the dark cloud." 12:18 It's just another way of saying 12:19 that the nature of God is too big of a mystery 12:22 for our human brains to fully grasp. 12:25 You and I are like ants exploring a house, 12:29 trying to understand what human experience is all about. 12:32 There are things about God the Bible says 12:35 that we will never understand, 12:38 but then on the other hand, 12:39 God invites us to know him, at least in part. 12:41 And he says that we're going to discover 12:43 that he exercises loving kindness, 12:46 judgment, and righteousness. 12:48 His key character traits 12:51 and the very things that most skeptics doubt. 12:55 So according to the Bible, 12:56 it is possible to see that God is good 12:59 and to understand the world is bad at the very same time. 13:03 And I suspect that part of the problem for our generation 13:07 is that we want an easy answer. 13:09 We want a preacher to explain this in 10 words or less 13:12 so we can just get on our day. 13:15 But the process of knowing an eternal God 13:17 is the work of a lifetime. 13:19 And it means that you're gonna have to read this whole book, 13:24 and not just once. 13:26 So, I really doubt I'm gonna satisfy anybody's curiosity 13:30 with a few short minutes, and if I'm really honest, 13:33 I'd have to admit, 13:34 I'm still working on the problem for myself, 13:37 but let me show you just a few things I've discovered, 13:39 and maybe it can start you 13:41 on a path to meaningful discovery. 13:44 First of all, 13:45 the Bible really does insist that God is good 13:48 and that is creation was perfect, 13:50 at least in the beginning. 13:52 On the sixth day of creation, after God made the human race, 13:56 he stepped back and said, this is very good. 14:00 So the problem of evil did not exist in the very beginning. 14:04 But then the Bible suggests that somehow our actions, 14:08 our choices compromised that original goodness 14:11 and plunged the world into chaos. 14:13 And it wasn't just our moral choices that were compromised, 14:17 the entire creation was somehow affected by what we did. 14:23 That would mean that philosophers like Leibniz 14:26 were quite correct. 14:27 There is some kind of correlation between our moral choices 14:31 and the natural evils that take place in this world 14:34 independent of our actions. 14:36 You'll notice that after Adam fell from grace, 14:39 God told him the world was gonna become, 14:41 well, a much tougher place. 14:43 This is what God says to Adam in Genesis 3:17, he says, 14:49 "Cursed is the ground for your sake; 14:51 in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 14:55 Both thorns and thistles that shall bring forth for you, 14:57 and you shall eat the herb of the field. 15:00 In the sweat of your face, 15:02 you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, 15:04 for out of it, you were taken, for dust you are, 15:07 and to dust, you shall return." 15:11 Somehow the original act of disobedience 15:13 changed the nature of the whole planet, 15:16 which was originally designed 15:18 as a home for perfect human beings 15:20 who reflected the glory and purity of God. 15:23 In fact, the Bible says, 15:24 we were given dominion over the earth, 15:27 but then we sold that dominion 15:28 to a fallen angel for a bunch of empty promises, 15:32 which means the world is now radically different 15:34 than it used to be 15:36 because we compromised the original design, 15:39 that design where human beings served as managers 15:42 or stewards of God's creation. 15:45 And that's the question 15:47 that some of the enlightenment philosophers 15:49 were struggling with, 15:51 is there a connection between moral evil, 15:54 which happens because of our choices and natural evil, 15:57 or the way the planet treats us? 16:00 The biblical answer is yes. 16:03 In fact, in the book of Colossians 16:05 where Paul is describing Jesus as the creator of this world, 16:09 he makes an interesting statement 16:11 that we really shouldn't overlook, he says, 16:14 "For it pleased the father that in him", 16:17 that's Christ, "all the fullness should dwell, 16:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to himself, by Him, 16:24 whether things on earth or things in heaven, 16:28 having made peace through the blood of His cross." 16:32 Now what you need to notice in this passage 16:34 is that Christ was redeeming the human race, 16:37 a concept that most people can grasp because, 16:40 well, human beings have deep seated moral issues. 16:43 And we know that we cause a lot of pain, 16:47 but then it also says 16:49 that he was reconciling the things in heaven too. 16:52 In other other words, 16:53 the effect of our rebellion against God 16:55 has had very far reaching consequences 16:58 and God's entire universe has been effected. 17:03 We saw the same thing 17:04 in a passage we looked at the last time, we talked about, 17:07 this from Romans chapter eight, 17:09 where it tells us that the entire creation 17:11 is groaning as we wait on God's solution. 17:14 And when he implements that solution, 17:16 when he reestablishes the kingdom of God, 17:18 then all the problems get solved for good. 17:21 So the connection between moral evil 17:24 and natural evil is absolutely there in the Bible. 17:28 But the big question is, why would God allow that? 17:32 And here's why we have to be really, really careful. 17:35 Last time we talked about this, 17:36 I shared a quote from a 19th century writer 17:38 I thought made a really important point, 17:41 and I think we should look at it again, 17:43 just to set the table for the rest of today's show. 17:46 This comes from the Christian classic, 17:48 "The Great Controversy" where it says, 17:51 "It is impossible to so explain the origin of sin 17:54 as to give a reason for its existence. 17:57 Yet enough may be understood concerning both the origin 18:00 and the final disposition of sin, 18:03 to fully make manifest the justice and benevolence of God 18:06 in all his dealings with evil. 18:08 Nothing is more plainly taught in scripture 18:11 than that God was in no wise responsible 18:14 for the entrance of sin; 18:16 that there was no arbitrary withdrawal of divine grace, 18:20 no deficiency in the divine government, 18:22 that gave occasion for the uprising of rebellion. 18:25 Sin is an intruder, 18:27 for whose presence no reason can be given. 18:30 It is mysterious, unaccountable; 18:32 to excuse it is to defend it. 18:35 Could excuse for it be found 18:37 or cause be shown for its existence, 18:39 it would cease to be sin." 18:42 So let me just underline that for a minute, 18:43 because that makes really good sense. 18:46 The Bible defines sin 18:47 as a transgression against God's moral law, 18:51 but if you can find a good excuse for doing that, 18:54 then sin might not be wrong 18:56 because, well, you found a good reason. 18:58 So with that limitation in mind, 19:01 let's take another quick break 19:02 and then come back to ask one last important question, 19:05 how can a loving God permit the existence of evil 19:10 in the first place? 19:14 [upbeat ambient music] - Here 19:14 at the Voice of Prophecy, 19:16 we're committed to creating top quality programming 19:18 for the whole family, 19:19 like our audio adventure series, Discovery Mountain. 19:22 Discovery Mountain is a Bible based program 19:25 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 19:27 Your family will enjoy the faith building stories 19:30 from this small mountain summer camp and town. 19:33 With 24 seasonal episodes every year 19:35 and fresh content every week, 19:37 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 19:44 - Right before the break, we asked this big question, 19:46 how can a God whose very character is defined as love 19:50 permit the existence of evil in this world? 19:54 And the answer to the question 19:55 might be found in the concept of love. 19:59 [upbeat ambient music] Love is another 20:00 one of those things that we really struggle to explain. 20:03 In fact, I think we struggle with the question of love 20:06 just as much as we struggle with the question of evil, 20:09 because it's really hard to create a good definition 20:12 of what love actually is. 20:15 And judging by the number of heartbreak songs 20:17 there on Spotify, the problem of pain and suffering 20:21 also appears to be tied in very intimately 20:24 to the question of love. 20:26 I mean, just try to define what love is simply. 20:29 We know it's something more than affection, 20:32 we know it more than the warm fuzzies. 20:35 The very best writers in history 20:37 have struggled to adequately describe what love is, 20:41 and yet the Bible describes this 20:43 as God's most essential characteristic. 20:46 First John four verse eight says, " 20:48 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 20:54 Now just because we struggle to understand what love is, 20:57 that doesn't mean that we don't know love is real. 21:00 It's just complicated. 21:02 And some small part of us understands 21:04 that love couldn't possibly 21:06 just be an accident of the universe, 21:08 an accident of physics, 21:10 something that happened when cosmic particles 21:12 smashed into each other in the primordial universe. 21:16 There is absolutely no reason for the existence of love 21:21 if the universe was an accident, and yet there it is. 21:25 And it's obviously a very real thing. 21:29 So now we've gotta ask ourselves, what does love require? 21:32 Well, it requires freedom, it requires choice. 21:36 If I can't love you of my own free will, 21:39 then it's not really love. 21:41 And if I don't have the choice to not love you, 21:44 then love doesn't really mean anything. 21:47 And that's the crux of the problem. 21:50 The human race was created to reflect the glory 21:53 and the character of a loving God. 21:56 That means we had to be able to love 21:58 because that's what God is. 22:02 We were created for relationships, 22:04 which is obvious to anybody 22:06 who observes people just doing what people do. 22:10 So unless the human race was going to be something 22:13 other than a reflection of God, 22:15 something that wasn't made in his image, 22:18 there had to be such a thing as a meaningful choice. 22:22 The story of the Garden of Eden describes a choice. 22:26 The way some people tell the story, 22:28 that tree of knowledge in the garden was poisonous, 22:30 that's why it kills. 22:32 But that's not at all what the Bible says. 22:35 That tree represented choice 22:39 and the ability to love God freely because we wanted to. 22:45 But of course, that does create a new conundrum 22:46 because you've got to wonder 22:48 why would ever take the risk of giving us choice, 22:52 yet again though, this is not that hard to solve, 22:55 ask any parent, or for that matter, any pet owner, 22:58 why they take that risk. 23:01 And then you start to see it. 23:03 Go ask a five year old 23:04 if you'd rather have a wind up puppy 23:06 or a battery operated puppy than a real one, 23:09 you know what the answer's gonna be. 23:11 They want the real puppy, 23:13 yet that real puppy might pee on the carpet 23:15 or scratch the door or annoy the neighbors 23:18 by barking at two o'clock in the morning, 23:20 but people still think that's worth the risk 23:23 because there's a reciprocal relationship. 23:26 A real dog can love you back. 23:29 A real baby is going to grow up 23:31 and a real baby is gonna refuse to do his chores, 23:34 or they're gonna argue with you 23:36 or crack up the family car or worse. 23:39 And you know that in advance 23:41 because you were once a child yourself, 23:43 but yet you still want a baby because a baby can love you. 23:48 And we all know that love is worth the risk. 23:53 Okay, it is time for one last break, 23:55 and then one last question, why in the world 23:57 didn't God just stomp evil out of existence 24:00 the moment it began? 24:02 I'll be right back after this. 24:08 [tranquil ambient music] - Life can throw a lot at us. 24:10 Sometimes we don't have all the answers, 24:13 but that's where the Bible comes in. 24:16 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 24:18 Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 24:20 we've created the discover Bible guides 24:22 to be your guide to the Bible, 24:24 they're designed to be simple, easy to use 24:26 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions. 24:29 And they're absolutely free. 24:31 So jump online now, 24:33 or give us a call and start your journey of discovery. 24:37 - Let's say I'm still a little kid. 24:39 One day, my brother approaches me and says, listen, 24:41 I think there's something really wrong with dad 24:43 and I don't think we can trust him. 24:46 In essence that's what the Bible describes 24:48 when it talks about what happened with Lucifer, 24:50 he was trying to convince the universe 24:52 that something was wrong with God 24:54 and that he should be running the show. 24:56 The Bible says in Isaiah 14, 24:58 "For you have said in your heart, I will ascended to heaven, 25:01 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; 25:04 I will also sit on the Mount of the congregation 25:06 on the farthest sides of the north; 25:08 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 25:10 I will be like the most high." 25:13 It was a breakdown of trust. 25:15 So let's suppose my brother does the same thing with dad, 25:18 and he says, look, something's wrong with dad? 25:20 I don't think we can trust him. 25:22 And the next thing you know, my brother goes missing 25:24 because dad has taken him out back, shot him, 25:27 buried him in the garden to get rid of the problem. 25:29 Now the evil influence is gone, 25:31 but what does that method of dealing with it suggest to me, 25:35 the one who was listening to my brother's lies? 25:37 It's going to suggest maybe my brother was right, 25:39 maybe there is something wrong with that 25:41 and maybe I can't trust him. 25:43 Now from that point forward, I will obey my father, 25:46 but I'm probably not gonna love him, in fact, 25:48 I'm probably gonna look to get out of there. 25:51 So here's the situation with God, 25:53 according to the scriptures, 25:54 you and I are not alone in this universe. 25:56 And there were other beings suggesting 25:58 that God is some kind of tyrant, 26:00 a creator who can't be trusted. 26:02 And what's fascinating to me is 26:04 when I hear that same kind of reasoning 26:06 emerge in the arguments of skeptics, because, 26:10 well, it's just another version of a very old story. 26:12 If God had simply decimated the beings 26:15 who were questioning his character, 26:17 what would it say about their claims? 26:19 It would probably make the problem worse. 26:21 So what God has chosen to do is allow evil to run its course 26:24 so that everybody can see the result for themselves. 26:28 And when we have finally had enough, 26:30 when we finally recognize evil for what it is, 26:34 God will blow the whistle and reset the entire planet. 26:38 That way we will finally understand, 26:40 and we will never choose this life again. 26:44 And we can go on loving God 26:46 without God ever having to take away our freedom of choice. 26:50 I guess it's kind of like learning not to touch a hot stove. 26:53 You could tie a child up so they never experience harm, 26:57 but that would deny them the ability to grow up 27:00 and fend for themselves. 27:01 They would never become autonomous human beings. 27:04 So sometimes the only way to prevent long term harm 27:08 is to actually touch the stove 27:10 and learn that stoves are dangerous. 27:12 So right now, according to the Bible, 27:15 we are experiencing exactly what we chose 27:18 and it's affected absolutely 27:20 every facet of our existence for now. 27:24 This tragically is how we learn to love and to trust 27:28 and to maintain our freedom to choose forever. 27:33 And at some point in the near future, the Bible says, 27:35 God will stop the experiment 27:38 and allow us back into his presence. 27:40 The Bible ends by saying, 27:41 "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, 27:43 for the first heaven 27:45 and the first earth had passed away 27:46 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, 27:49 there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, 27:52 there shall be no more pain, 27:54 for the former things have passed away." 27:57 Here's the deal, the Bible does offer solid explanations, 28:02 but you're gonna have to read the whole book to find them. 28:05 Thanks for joining me, I'm Shawn Boonstra. 28:07 This has been Authentic. 28:10 [upbeat ambient music] |
Revised 2022-03-09