“NO ONE WILL DENY ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES OF LIFE IS THE PRESENCE OF EVIL IN OUR WORLD. THE QUESTION IS WHERE DID IT COME FROM; WHY IS IT HERE, AND IF GOD IS GOOD AND OMNIPOTENT, WHY HASN’T HE STOPPED IT?”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment, we’ll talk about the mystery of evil…

…Some time ago one of my sons-in-law called me about a passage of Scripture that troubled him. I’m thankful, he thought me wise enough to be able to help him sort it out. Well, when he gave me the location in the Word of God, I immediately turned there and listened to his quandary. Indeed, what the passage said astounded me. I had never thought about it and frankly, my teachings simply had not crossed that little passage hidden within the ancient Book of Isaiah. Yet, this began a process for me to study it and the question it raised. The results of that study are the body of this message today for your edification and knowledge. I’ve entitled it: THE MYSTERY OF EVIL. But first, we’ll pause again for another musical moment after which I’ll share with you what I found as an answer to this dilemma. Don’t go away, I’ll be right back to explain this biblical mystery and question…

…Have you ever asked yourself: “Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?” If you have, I’m sure you’ve not found an answer that totally satisfies you! Yet, it’s a valid question. Many people have discovered that in searching for an answer, there is little written about it, even from a solid Biblical perspective. However, what has arrested the thought of many, is a little verse of Scripture that seems to answer this, and yet the answer is shocking and causes unbelief. What verse of Scripture is it? Well, it’s found in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, and I read it for you now. Mind you, this is God Himself speaking,

Isa 45:7 (KJV)  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Did you hear that? The King James translation plainly says - God is the “CREATOR OF EVIL!” Well, I tell you that took my breath away. Can it be? Is God really the one who is responsible for all the moral evil and resultant suffering that has plagued our world from the beginning of time? Have we found the culprit responsible? Indeed, such a conclusion is hard to swallow, but there it is in the Bible in clear written words. Well to find out the truth in this matter, we need to examine this translated verse before we make any judgments on the origin and source of evil. First we must remember, any Bible written in English or any other language other than the language of the original writings, comes to us by translation. The verse I quoted for you is found in the respected and beloved KING JAMES VERSION of Scripture. In studying this verse in the original languages and other reliable translations, I’ve come to know that what it seems to say in the KJV,  is not what it means by the mere reading of it. How’s that you say? Well, remember even though I speak English as my mother tongue, the English we speak today has surely changed over time and words in our language, well frankly, some have changed meaning dramatically.

So, let’s talk about what Isaiah wrote there in that little passage of Isaiah 45:7, in its context first.

Now, Isaiah chapter 45 as a whole speaks of an ancient King called Cyrus of the great Persian Empire , and tells us God in His sovereignty over all things, anointed this heathen king to do His bidding. God called him by name over a century before he was even a twinkle in his parent’s eye. King Cyrus became a conqueror whose very victories were permitted and even orchestrated by God Himself. Thus, God raised up King Cyrus of Persia to do His specific will. We read of this in,

Isa 45:13 (NASB)  “I have aroused him in righteousness, And I will make all his ways smooth; He will build My city, and will let My exiles go free, Without any payment or reward,” says the LORD of hosts.

Now within that context, God speaks about using even heathen Kings to do His will. However, the reality is that in the process, God will not violate Cyrus’ free will, which touches moral and spiritual realities.  This is the “context” of Isa. 45:7 that seems to say, God is the “creator of evil.” Now in breaking down the passage and its original Hebrew words, we discover the King James translators chose a word that has a multitude of meanings. The word “evil” in the Hebrews is “ra.” It can stand for moral, spiritual wrongdoing, as well as the “effects” of it. The latter is the true meaning and usage within the context of the passage, which other modern translations correctly render. For instance, we read in,

Isa 45:7 (NASB)  The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

 This gives us a better grasp on what God was actually saying about Himself. Moreover, we read again in,

Isa 45:7 (NLT)  I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.

Now we are getting closer and down to the contextual and theological truth about God’s control of the universe. We know first of all, God says all things that exist are created by Him. So John writes in the New Testament in,

John 1:1-3 (NIV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He [Jesus Christ] was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

In the days of the heathen King Cyrus of Persia , the true Creator God, Yahweh, was not acknowledged. Rather pagan deities were ascribed as the creators and rulers of the universe. Zoroastrianism, which began in Persia , taught that one of the creator gods named “Mazda” was the god of light. So Yahweh, the true God corrects this thinking in the words of Isaiah, for He says “I formed the light, and create darkness..” Furthermore, to correct the false understandings of people in that day, God reminded Isaiah to tell the people that God, the one true sovereign, Omnipotent Creator of all was just that – in charge of and director of the universe. Nothing occurred that did not have His permission. Thus God could further state, “I make peace and create evil.”(KJV) Now that last part is hard to swallow. Is God the “creator of evil” and responsible for all of it with us to this day? The answer of course is no. God is not the author of, or creator of sin and evil (Hab 1:13; 2 Tim 2:13; Titus 1:2; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5). The Hebrew word translated evil “ra,” does not mean moral wickedness, but rather sorrow, difficulties, tragedies and even disasters. In other words, God says the effects of sin and true moral evil, God permits the results to happen and fall upon the perpetrators and unfortunately the victims of such evil. So, what is God saying? Well, frankly God is saying what Paul writes in about in the New Testament,

Rom 6:23 (NASB)  “For the wages of sin is death…”

God has warned us throughout the Bible that if we follow our own sinful and “evil” ways, we can expect it pays a full wage of havoc and destruction all about us. This is what God actually said to Isaiah; so let me translate the verse freely for you in its rightful contextual meaning. God is saying this,

Isa 45:7 (Free Translation)  “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and permit the calamitous results of sin; I, the LORD, do all these things.

Now know that and finding out the true meaning of that passage, gives us comfort to know God is now the cause of evil in this world. But then who is? Now the mystery will be examined and unfolded.

First, we must acknowledge that before there was anything created, that is our space – time - continuum, there was in existence an eternal, everlasting Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God who existed and continues to exist in three distinct Persons, known as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He has revealed Himself in varying names from Yahweh, to Jesus. This God is the Creator and Sustainer of everything! Now we must ask, how then is it that evil exists and continues to plague and injure God’s creation? The answer is found in what and how God created it. In the beginning following the creation of the universe and all that is in it, we discover God made in His image, two beings likened unto Himself. First, God created angels (Heb. 12:22 ) and then mankind (Gen 1). Scripture reveals that one particular angel was created to be the head of the entire angelic kingdom. His name was “the Shining One,” or as the King James translation alone calls him, “LUCIFER.”

However, one aspect of being created in God’s “image” was than angels and mankind were created as free spirits, fully capable of exercising their “own” will, if they chose to do so. We are told plainly in Scripture that the “head” angel, Lucifer, chose to exercise his “own” will, first in his thinking about himself, and secondly to act upon it. Although he was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty,”(Ezek. 28:14) Lucifer chose to begin the process of thinking and willing his own desires. We read of this in,

Isa 14:13-14 (NLT)  For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’

Since there was no “evil” in the universe God originally created, and because God has no evil in Him, evil appears to have begun in the heart, mind and thinking of this created creature we shall call “Lucifer.” God tells us the moment he chose to exercise His own will, contrary to God’s sovereign holy, pure and perfect and sinless will, the embryo sins of unbelief and pride took root in him. You see the root of all sin and evil today is, simply and forthright “the refusal to submit to God’s perfect will as revealed in our self-assertion and sufficiency to live without God.” What would be the results? Well let’s extrapolate. If God is perfect and He is in everything; Then, any thinking and or corresponding actions will be not only inferior but also harmful. One cannot improve upon perfection. Thus, any “will” exercised apart from God’s “will” in His universe will bring disastrous and deadly results. “Sin” then is any disobedience to God’s will, and “evil” is the result of it. The moment Lucifer allowed the spirit of personal pride and corresponding resentment to God’s right to rule him, sin was born in the angelic world. Friend, we must believe God who tells us that from this very first sin, in the very first of created beings, “evil,” or wickedness was born! We are told what happened when this occurred too. Listen now to God’s Word,

Ezek 28:15-16 (NLT)  “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. 16 Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of God . I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.

Satan’s sin began exponentially dividing and multiplying. Soon, he was able to convince a third of the innumerable angelic kingdom to exercise their own wills too. Sin was born in their hearts and more and varying evil came forth as a result (Rev. 12:4).  The truth to note here is, God made no plans for the redemption of the fallen angelic kingdom. When sin entered their hearts, they became evil, morally and spiritually, and were fused in that state forever and ever. Lucifer became Satan, or the devil and the fallen angels became “demons.” To this day, their sinful will and desires wrecks disastrous and havoc results wherever they go finding others to follow them.

Yes, our world is filled with terrible evil, and as Isaiah wrote, God permits the results to happen for He gave free will to angels and man, which He will not violate.

Nowadays, we are seeing the “effects” of evil more than ever. Lust-filled, sinful men stalk woman and children, only to use them for perverted pleasures, and after such to just kill them. Crime, theft, murders, muggings, graft and greed are surfacing as never before from the corporate world of business, to the streets of our towns and cities. Is God the author of evil? NO! However, He is allowing it to run its course, for one important and marvelous reason.

If God were to stop evil now, He can only justly do that “if” He calls everything to a halt and judges sin and evil everywhere. That means every creature, angelic and human, will have to be judged and pay the price of his or her sins, which is eternal banishment from the presence of God in a holding place called Hell. God doesn’t want that!

In fact, the Bible tells us God loves mankind so much, that He delays judgment of the world for sin, so that some of us might be saved. I thank God He delayed judgment, for it gave me time in the almost thirty years of my early life to be saved. God is still delaying judgment of sin and evil, so perhaps you my friend might be saved too. God grieves over sin. God grieves over the effects of sin, all the evil in the world. But God delays judgment for the greater purpose of good, that is to rescue mankind from the terrible punishment for sin coming, an everlasting Hell for everlasting creatures!

Friend, have you received forgiveness of your sins? God planned a rescue for you. You see, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to take your place and die for your sins, so you could be forgiven and spared the judgment for them. All God expects in return for this, is for you to receive this forgiveness by turning your “fallen sinful will” over to His control. This begins by confessing your sinfulness, and asking God to replace the rulership of the throne of your heart, with His. We do this by “believing in Jesus Christ,” and calling upon Him to save us first from ourselves, and the mess we’ve made of life, and asking Him to come live in our souls and spirit guiding us, and keeping us from sin and evil that self rule always brings. Remember, God is waiting for anyone to acknowledge their sinfulness, accept God’s forgiveness through Christ’s death payment for us, and for us to begin a new life in Christ.

Friend right now I urge you to pray a simple prayer such as this,

“Father God, I now realize the terrible effects of sin and evil that surround me and are in me, is result of my disobedience and exercise of my will. I want your forgiveness. I want to be saved from the penalty of sin coming for me. I understand Jesus Christ, my Creator God died on a cross to pay for my sins. Forgive me, O God, and grant me your power to live for You through Jesus Christ taking control of my life. I now believe in Jesus Christ, and seek to know and follow Him as You reveal more to me. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.”

Friend, if you prayed that prayer or something similar, acknowledging God’s right to rule your life through Jesus Christ, God saves you here and now! That my is what true Christianity is all about. It is not getting religion, it “is” getting Jesus Christ to live in your heart, guiding and directing you in His perfect will. How does He do it? Once saved, God immediately sends His Spirit to live in us and direct us in His perfect will. Oh, we still have a choice to follow it or reject it, but I tell you every time you reject God’s will for your own, there will be “evil” that results and God will permit it and the consequences until the time of judgment.

So, where did evil originate? Is God the author and creator of evil? The answer is no, but evil exists and will until God comes in justice and judgment, and that “Day” is coming. Now let me ask you – “will you be ready and prepared?” Do you have Christ living in your heart and soul? Are you “born again” by faith in His Person and work? Are you yielding daily your life to His will as revealed in the wonderful Word of God? These surely are things to think and act upon in these days of growing evil. May God give you the light of Scripture to know these things and act appropriately…

…Friend, salvation and eternal life is the issue to solve the problem of evil in our world today. Indeed, God is holding back His wrath against the sin and evil wrought in this world and universe, and although sin reigns often, and its disastrous results, God has permits them, but one day, it will be eradicated from God’s presence. Will you be eradicated with it? You will my friend unless Christ has cleansed your heart. No amount of personal morality, goodness, or religious asceticism will save you from God’s wrath and judgment. Only the death of Christ for sins applied to your heart and existence can. Take Christ today, before it’s too late. Judgment day is coming and it may just be around the corner.