2lazy2P
nothing unreal exists
The Fall of Satan: Rebels in the Garden
Amazon.com: The Fall of Satan: Rebels in the Garden (9780890516065): Bodie Hodge: Books
Take this as you will - thought it was a pretty interesting perspective on an old question though.
Amazon.com: The Fall of Satan: Rebels in the Garden (9780890516065): Bodie Hodge: Books
Why would God, who is not evil, allow evil to continue to exist?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
<o></o>
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while man slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it haves tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn" ' " (Matthew 13:24-30)<o></o>
<o></o>
So, for a short time, evil is permitted until the final "harvest." If one uproots the "tares" (non-Christians) then you may damage the "wheat" that is growing (Christians). Consider for a moment that there are Christians who come out of non-Christian families. If the non-Christians were uprooted, then so would those Christians before they would have ever been born. Those who have received the gift of eternal life look forward to the time when we join God in heaven (wheat in my barn) - a place where there will be no evil (Revelation 21:27). <o></o>
<o></o>
This six-thousand-year-old cursed world (so far) is only a blip compared to eternity. So from the big picture, this relatively brief time that evil is permitted is not much at all.<o></o>
Take this as you will - thought it was a pretty interesting perspective on an old question though.