Good vs. Evil

Isaiah 35:8-10; Jeremiah 29:4-14; Revelation 21:1-8

Jim Davis

I can only wonder about the potential of humanity if only the restraints of evil were removed? Looking at countries around the world reveals how evil retards the potential of our planet. Think of those nations on earth today that are unable to establish governments because terror reigns. Terror reigns as rulers force children to kill and mutilate entire villages. It all seems so distant until our children start shooting and clubbing one another to death in the most “civilized” country in the world.

Have you ever noticed the condition of neighborhoods where drug addicts and crime run rampant? The offices where I work are located in such a neighbor. I look out the window at God’s creatures pushing shopping carts loaded with all their earthly belongings. They are usually on their way to find enough money for the next bottle or another fix. (I am not being judgmental; I see them buying drugs from one another. I see prostitutes walking the streets trying to sell themselves to satisfy the demon on their backs.) There is something in me aspiring to help, but I know if I give them money it will only enable. I see the destructive forces of evil destroying the hearts and minds of innocent children as they are exposed to it all. I look at it all and think, if only we could fix it all. 

A world without the destructive restraints of evil is something of which we dream. The biblical writers foresee a time when evil will be abolished.

Isaiah 35:8-10
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it.   
9 No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there, 
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away. NIV

Throughout the biblical view of salvation history we witness the raging battle between good and evil. The battle began in Eden and ends with John’s revelation of a new heaven and new earth—the restoration of Eden. According to the biblical view there will be a new heaven and the new earth where evil does not exist. 

The biblical writers make no attempt to explain the origin of evil, but it leaves no doubt about its presence. The apostle Paul makes it clear that our struggle against evil is against dark evil forces which exist in the heavenly realms. 

Ephesians 6:10-12
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. NIV

The Bible reveals the struggle of angels and demons. It is apparent both evil and good existed before God created the world. 

I get the sense that when this world as we know it is gone, evil will be destroyed. This certainly doesn’t explain the existence of evil, but it does tell me something about the eternal purpose of God—the total annihilation of evil once and for all time. This is the theme of salvation history. As I look around in our world, I must ask myself, would any price be too high for the destruction of evil.

Hard to Believe in Heaven and Hell

Some question how God could send anyone to hell. We blame the ghetto on God, but it is actually a product of human choices. The removal of the good creates devastating consequences. Hell is the product of evil. Hell is the product of hell itself. Removal of all that is good creates hell. Isolating and confining all evil to one location would make it hell, but it would not be a creation of the one who confined it. Just imagine being confined to a place where Satan reigns as the Supreme Being.

Evil reminds me how reciprocal evil is. "Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their terrible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that went before--consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves.” (George Eliot)

I sometimes watch documentaries about maximum security prisons. It is amazing how mean prisoners can be. The guards spend their time trying to protect prisoners from one another. It is indicative how evil begets evil in spite of the efforts of those seeking to intercede. Imagine taking all the guards out and opening the doors to the cells while keeping the prisoners confined within the prison walls. Try to imagine the havoc. The amazing thing is that when prisoners are set free after serving their time, the majority end up going back to prison. 

It is a prologue of what hell will be when evil reigns totally unrestrained in the absence of all that is good—in the total absence of God. God will not be there controlling the thermostat. The forces of evil will be turning up the thermostat—it is the nature of evil. Unrestrained evil creates its own hell. The consequence of Eve’s one selfish act continues to be felt around the globe. It all brings us to the realization of the far reaching consequences of one single selfish decision

When God made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:15-16, he says, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." The Lord tells Abraham the “sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” History records the destructive paths evil has taken. There is no more Amorite nation. History reveals the fate of those who have fallen when evil reaches its full measure. Evil is progressive until it totally dominates, but its progression brings it own inevitable destruction. Sin at length reaches a culminating point where the evil doer will eventually reap punishment in this world as well as the next. 

Charles Dickens wrote, "I know nothing of philosophical philanthropy. But I know what I have seen, and what I have looked in the face in this world here, where I find myself. And I tell you this, my friend, that there are people (men and women both, unfortunately) who have no good in them--none. That there are people whom it is necessary to detest without compromise. That there are people who must be dealt with as enemies of the human race. That there are people who have no human heart, and who must be crushed like savage beasts and cleared out of the way."

Blaming God or others for the evil in my heart misses the point. Our Modern day philosophy excuses misbehavior by blaming others. We believe when a person is mistreated, that person is programmed to mistreat others. The golden rule of the Bible is to treat others as you would like to be treated. We are not to treat others inconsiderately because we have been mistreated. To treat others as we would like to be treated has a redeeming effect on our world. It helps salvage the world from evil. It is the only way to retard the growth of evil. Mistreating others because of our mistreatment has the potential of creating hell on earth. This is the battle raging on earth before our very eyes.

Sometimes we look at good and evil and think God created both. Yet, biblical history reveals that both coexisted independently of each other before creation. To coexist doesn’t mean cooperation. Nations coexist with enemy nations while each is diametrically opposed to the other. The Bible opens with the sovereignty of God as God creates the world. Creation takes a wrong turn as Eve sins in Eden. From there we can trace evils destructive path to Noah. Every imagination of humanities heart is evil continually. I certainly can’t explain all of what God is doing. But I do know the first six chapters of the Bible clearly reveal the destructive forces of evil. Those chapters tell me evil will not survive eternally.

Ancient civilizations have risen and fallen because of the evil forces driving them to self-destruction. Their fossil remains testify to their self-chosen destructive paths. I witness its effects everyday all around the world. I see its potential for total annihilation of all that is good. That would be hell. 

The first six chapters of the Bible give us a snapshot of the destructive forces of evil. The Bible opens with the sovereignty of God over creation. God gives man dominion over the earth. Then all of a sudden creation takes a wrong turn. We can trace the destructive consequences of Eve’s selfish decision to Noah as God destroys the world. As I view all of this in the first six chapters of the Bible, I learn a very important fact. Evil is bent on total destruction.

It seems cruel that God would destroy the world by a flood. Which is more righteous—to allow evil to totally annihilate everything good thing—or for good to totally annihilate evil? The dilemma is how you destroy evil without becoming evil—this is the challenge for a good God. God offered all those evil people a chance to turn from evil and get on the ark. They were determined to continue on their self-destructive course to use and abuse one another to the very end. Their self-directed course confined them to a self-destructive end. Will hell be any different? God protected those who called upon his name from the birth of Seth to Noah. He couldn’t save those who refused his protection. 

The battle of two eternities is raging before our very eyes. It is the battle between the eternity of the past and the eternity of the future. Time is a place between two eternities. Somehow God has paused eternity and confined the final battle between good and evil to our time zone. The battle is taking place on earth which has a beginning and a final end when time will be no more. When the end of time comes we will be ushered into the eternity of the future. We are caught up in the battle with a promise of a new heaven and a new earth without sin.

Revelation 21:1-8
21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 

5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 

6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." NIV

Good vs. Evil 

Old Testament history is about good vs. evil. Through it all we witness God protecting those who call upon his name. When Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army was about to destroy Jerusalem, God moves the righteous into foreign unfriendly cities of their enemies as he disciplines Israel for her sins. Yet in the same stroke of judgment he protects Israel’s refugees. As refugees in a world caught up by evil forces they are promised God’s protection and blessings. He gives them something to hold onto. 

Jeremiah 29:4-14
4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." 8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the LORD. 

10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." NIV

The biblical stories of Esther, Daniel and Nehemiah are portrayed against the backdrop of the times foreseen by Jeremiah. They are carried into Babylonian captivity. Their stories tell of God’s personal blessings upon each of them as he overruled the pagan god’s seeking their destruction. It was through these refugees that God revealed his glory to the wicked kings of the world. Through it all he was offering salvation to the wicked nations as he revealed himself in their lives. God’s people moved into the cities of captivity seeking the peace and prosperity of those cities. The cities realized God’s blessing through their efforts. The prophets and diviners of Babylon’s foreign gods sought their destruction continually, but God’s blessings defeated the evil forces.  

Listen to Nebuchadnezzar after God enabled Daniel to interpret his dream. 

Daniel 2:46-47
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel , "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery." NIV

Listen to Nebuchadnezzar praise the God of heaven because of what God was doing through Daniel.

Daniel 4:34-35
34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. 

His dominion is an eternal dominion; 
his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 
35 All the peoples of the earth 
are regarded as nothing. 
He does as he pleases 
with the powers of heaven 
and the peoples of the earth. 
No one can hold back his hand 
or say to him: "What have you done?" NIV

Listen to what Darius said about Daniel’s God after Daniel survived the lions den.

Daniel 6:25-28
25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: 

"May you prosper greatly! 

26 "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel . 

"For he is the living God 
and he endures forever; 
his kingdom will not be destroyed, 
his dominion will never end. 
27 He rescues and he saves; 
he performs signs and wonders 
in the heavens and on the earth. 
He has rescued Daniel 
from the power of the lions." 

28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. NIV

God infiltrated those cities at the highest levels with Hebrew refugees to reveal himself in a very personal way to heathen nations. Nebuchadnezzar exalted Daniel as he realized the wisdom of God through Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams and speak the wisdom of God. This is the story of salvation. God was seeking to turn those cities from their evil ways as he revealed his blessing through his faithful ones.

This is a depiction of salvation in its purest form. This is also the purest form of evangelism. God salvaging sinners’ lives in the midst of evil. It is about victory over evil while living in the midst of evil’s turbulent forces. The stories of the Bible reveal the ongoing struggle between good and evil—between God and Satan. The story of Job tells me I can’t understand it all. There are evil forces seeking to destroy everything good. But I can trust God. Ultimately God will bring us through it all totally victorious. These stories reveal God’s wisdom and power. They reveal my personal salvation.

The victorious battle to destroy evil in heaven and on earth is taking place right before our eyes. I can’t understand it all, but I know when the battle is over God’s creation will be eternally free of evil’s forces through the salvation God offers. Would any price be too much to pay for such a victory? My suffering seems like such a small price to pay for the annihilation of evil once and for all.

Refracted View of God

Most only see God after the light of his presence passes through a religious prism. We see the different aspects of God’s light as his light is defused into the many colors. We chase a defused ray of light to which we seem to be drawn. We get so caught up in chasing a single ray of light that we never see the true light Source. Instead of seeing God we chase religious teaching that only promotes one aspect of God. We promote religious activities around religious teaching that we think is important. The church begins to be made up of those chasing a single ray of light. We may begin seeing salvation only from the back drop of church membership and religious activities promoting our favorite ray of light. We never come to know the Source of life. We are plugged in—but not to God.

Too often religion persuades us to wrap God around some pet theology and forget everything else about God. We may begin to see the refracted rays of God’s presence in opposition to every other refracted ray of light. We may choose to believe God is so good that he couldn’t possibly punish evil people. We see God’s grace. We see God’s judgment. We see his commands. We see God’s justice. We see God’s vengeance. But we see each of them opposed to each other. We fail to trace each beam of light to its source. We never see the big picture. It all leaves us blind as a bat until we are able to back off and see the bigger picture.

There are evil forces in our world seeking our destruction. We can excuse evil by saying, if I had not been treated badly, I wouldn’t be treating others badly. Or I can blame God for all the evil. It will only make a hell on earth. Or we can join the battle with God in fighting evil with good as we seek to treat others as we would like to be treated. We can choose to bless the cities in which we live as we work to make them prosper. 

Somehow, in God’s infinite wisdom, he has chosen to fight the final battle against evil on planet earth. We are caught up into this battle as heaven makes its stand against Satan. When this battle is over evil will be no more evil for those who choose to follow God. 

Conclusion:

Today God has provided a place of safety in Jesus Christ as the battle rages around us. He promises us ultimate protection through Christ. 

Romans 8:37-39
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV

This battle seems so distant until I realize the conflict of good and evil in my own heart. 

Sir Arthur Conan explains our plight as he wrote, “What can we know? What are we all? Poor silly half-brained things peering out at the infinite, with the aspirations of angels and the instincts of beasts.”

The battle of the two eternities is raging in my heart. Too often I am resolved to live a half-hearted life. C.S. Lewis in his book, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, writes, “We are half-hearted creatures fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Death to evil is our only hope. It begins with my choice to die to sin. We have a choice about the life we live and the kind of world we choose to develop. 

Listen to Paul describe the curse of evil in the following verses.

Romans 1:24-32
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. 

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 

28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. NIV

Now I want you to listen to the choice we have as Paul reminded Christians of their responsibility in an evil world.

Romans 6:1-14
6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 

5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. NIV

The choice is mine?