The New Age movement. We all have heard the term somewhere or other. And we all have a vague sense that we as Christians ought to steer clear of anything having to do with it. But do we really know what it is that we are to be wary of, and why? The “New Age movement” is a term that encompasses a great many diverse elements called by many different names. Rarely are the words “New Age” overtly attached to these different elements. In this series of articles I shall try to give an overview of the New Age movement, its basic principles, some of its more prominent elements, ways it is pervading all aspects of our culture and society, and some of the scriptures that show us why we should steer clear of it. The following section has been extracted from the book by Douglas R. Groothuis, Unmasking the New Age (copyright 1986 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA; used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515).

Six Distinctives of New Age Thinking

1. All Is One

The idea that “all is one” is foundational for the New Age; it permeates the movement in all its various manifestations…. Another name for this idea is monism…. Ultimately there is no difference between God, a person, a carrot, or a rock…. Monism… is radically at odds with a Christian view of reality. A Christian world view affirms that God’s creation is not an undivided unity but rather a created diversity of objects, events, and persons. Genesis 1 records God creating particular things. God separated the light from the darkness,… the dry ground from the seas. He then created plants and animals according to their various kinds. Finally, He created humans in His image. Creation is thus not a homogeneous soup of undifferentiated unity but a created plurality…. Even God Himself, according to the Bible, is not an undifferentiated unity but a tri-unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Trinity.

2. All Is God

Once we admit that all is one, including god, then it is a short step to admitting that “all is god.” This is pantheism. All things—plants, snails, books, and so on— are said to partake of the one divine essence…. The idea of a personal God is abandoned in favor of an impersonal energy, force, or consciousness…. Yet the Bible affirms that all is not god. God the Creator stands transcendently distinct from His creation. While God is present in His creation,… He is not to be confused with the creation (see Eccl. 5:2; Rom. 1:25)….

3. Humanity Is God

This is one of the seductive claims of the New Age;… we are, in fact, gods.. .. Only ignorance keeps us from realizing our divine reality. Swami Muktananda … says: “Kneel to your own self. Honor and worship your own being. God dwells within you as You!” … Christianity affirms that though human beings are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), they are not in essence God. We reflect our Creator in that we, like Him, are personal—we think, feel, and act. But we are not infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, or everywhere present. We are finite and personal, whereas God is infinite and personal. We are creatures; He is the Creator. Divinity must not be confused with humanity. The Bible repeatedly condemns human pretenders to the divine throne (Isa. 14:13-15; Ezek. 28:1,10; Acts 12:21-23).

4. A Change in Consciousness

All is one; all is god; we are god. Simple enough? Then why don’t we know ourselves as gods? What is our problem? The answer is simple: ignorance…. We need to be enlightened. We have forgotten our true identity. But there is hope. This metaphysical amnesia can be reversed by techniques designed to alter ordinary consciousness…. This change in consciousness, whatever the means, leads to an awareness of oneness and spiritual power. There are many ways we can achieve this enlightenment. … Mass training sessions such as est (Erhard Seminars Training; recently revised and renamed Forum) have been a popular method of triggering this change of awareness. … But est is only one of numerous means of experiencing a revolution in consciousness. Scores of people are chanting, dancing, or tripping their way into altered states of awareness. . . . Christianity also affirms that we need a change in consciousness, though it differs in seeing what this entails. Biblically, the dilemma of humanity is not ignorance of our true divinity, but the reality of our sin; we have rebelled against a holy God and His moral law. The problem, not the answer, is within. Jesus said that out of our hearts proceeds all evil (Mark 7:22,23)…. The apostle Paul says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The New Age sees the answer to this dilemma in releasing human potential—the divine within. But Christianity claims that the only way out is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ….

5. All Religions Are One

New Age gurus frequently claim that all religions are one…. Consequently, the distinctiveness of Christianity must be denied…. Jesus of Nazareth, then,… is merely one of many appearances or manifestations of God throughout the millenia…. But the Christ of the Bible is not merely one of the many manifestations of God. In fact, Christ is the only manifestation of God in the flesh. He claimed to be “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” and that no one could know God’s favor apart from Him (John 14:6; see also Acts 4:12)….

6. Cosmic Evolutionary Optimism

As the New Age movement . . . gains ground and infiltrates all of life with the gospel of cosmic unity, it is predicted that humanity will be ready to take over the reins of evolution. Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit philosopher and paleontologist, prophesied a progressive evolutionary harmonization and unification of world consciousness eventually reaching “the Omega Point” where all consciousness is fused and all become one with the One. Teilhard … is just one of many sages, scientists, and others who predict massive transformation. The evolutionary juices are flowing.. .. Christians can be both more optimistic and more pessimistic about the future than is the New Age. The Bible views history as moving according to the sovereign will of the Creator and Governor of the universe “who works all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11). Hope for the future does not lie in realizing the potential of collective humanity but in the promises of God. God promises to bless nations that obey Him and curse nations that disobey Him (Deut. 8,28; Jer. 18:5-10). The culmination of history will not be a great planetary consciousness but the return of Jesus Christ to separate the sheep from the goats for all eternity. For some the future will be much better than we could ever imagine—for others, much worse.

 Let us now get a sampling of ways that the New Age movement is making incursions into our culture and society. The next section is extracted from Dark Secrets of the New Age by Texe Marrs (copyright 1987 by Texe Marrs; used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Westchester, IL 60153).

The New Age Movement in Today’s Society

We are experiencing outbreaks of spiritual hostilities in our schools, within the media and entertainment industries, and even within our churches. The business world is not immune from the New Age onslaught either. Incredible though it may seem, the New York Times reported on September 28,1986 that the previous July, “Representatives of some of the nation’s largest corporations, including IBM, AT&T, and General Motors, met in New Mexico to discuss how metaphysics, the occult, and Hindu mysticism might help executives compete in the world marketplace.” At Stanford University’s renowned Graduate School of Business, a seminar called “Creativity in Business” includes such topics as chanting, meditation, the use of tarot cards, and the “New Age Capitalist.” Meanwhile, a recent survey of five hundred corporate presidents and company owners revealed that half had sponsored some type of New Age “consciousness raising technique” for their employees….

The world has been sold a bill of goods regarding meditation. Some eight million people in America alone have gone through the initiation process required by the Transcendental Meditation group; another six million have graduated from Silva Mind Control System’s meditation program, and millions more regularly practice some form of yoga meditation. . . . The New Age believes that through meditation man can become a god ….

New Age . . . influences permeate all of society. It is imbedded in the curricula of our public schools, infesting kid’s library and comic books; it has reared its hideous head on Saturday morning TV cartoon shows and turned many popular cinema productions into celebrations of sorcery, violence, and sadism…. For example, in “He-Man, Master of the Universe,” He-Man is a supernatural man-god. Children are indoctrinated into such New Age occultic symbols and practices as pyramid and crystal power, serpents, the Satanic ram’s head, the skull, witches’ charms and spells. (Marrs also describes “Thundercats,” “The Smurfs,” “Rainbow Brite,” and “She-Ra, Princess of Power” as cartoons that incorporate New Age symbolism.)…

The New Age has transformed America’s largest toy companies into purveyors of demonic terror. . . . Read the instructions that come with Skeletor, a toy connected with He-Man: “When you put on your Skeletor helmet and armored belt you become transformed into an agent of evil. Use your power sword shield to combat good. With your mystical ram’s head scepter you will be able to call forth the denizens of darkness to help conquer the forces of good.”… Even a brief look at New Age literature reveals the importance given to the spiritual seduction of children. . . . New Age authors are seeking to persuade the young that the religion of their elders is of no value, and that instead they must worship the demon gods of the New Age….

Carl A. Raschke, professor of religious studies at the University of Denver, describes the New Age as “the most powerful social force in the country today.”

 In the next issue, Lord willing, we shall consider ways in which the New Age movement is making inroads in public education and in health practices and therapies. Readers who have had personal encounters with the New Age movement are encouraged to share their experiences with the editor of this publication.

In recent years the words “New Age” have captivated millions of people, from starry-eyed, mindless cult members to brilliant and influential statesmen. These words have come to represent a common vision of a New World of “peace and prosperity” in which men, free from political and religious biases, will finally unite in a universal brotherhood.

This New Age concept was first popularized by Hollywood celebrities Shirley MacLaine and John Denver. MacLaine, in her best-selling book, Out on a Limb (published in 1983), describes her contact (while in a state of deep meditation) with highly intelligent “spirit guides” who informed her that the world is on the verge of “the Age of Aquarius.” Denver, a concerned environmentalist and a proponent of yoga, transcendental meditation, and other forms of Eastern mysticism, speaks out freely through the media about the New World that is coming.

Now if these two New Age prophets were the sole representatives of the movement, we could easily write it off as one more religious craze and feel quite confident that in a short time we would witness its demise. But in the wake of their prophecies many notable personages have emerged on the world stage with the same cry on their lips. In 1986 Pope John Paul II was able to gather the leading figures of 12 world religions together in Assisi, Italy, to pray to whatever “God” each believed in, beseeching these deities to bring peace to the world. To justify honoring the prayers of witch doctors and fire worshipers, John Paul told participants that “the challenge of peace… transcends religious differences” (The Los Angeles Times, October 28, 1986). The Pope’s unprecedented ecumenical accomplishments have inspired many world leaders and have resulted in many new ecumenical movements, one of them being The Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival, made up of spiritual and legislative leaders from 52 countries. In 1987 they printed a brochure called “Shared Vision” in which some of their objectives were stated. Included in these were the following: “We have explored the nature of the relationship between political and religious life, and … have agreed that we both (political and religious leaders) need and desire to work together and shall promote at regional, national, and local levels all possible collaboration between spiritual leaders and parliamentarians. We are entering an ERA OF GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP (emphasis mine) …. This new consciousness transcends all barriers of race and religion, ideology and nationality…. We hold up the vision of a new community, where the long and tragic history of human violence gives way to an AGE OF MUTUALLY ASSURED WELFARE AND PEACE (emphasis mine).”

To these voices could be added that of the prestigious Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev who, in 1987, in his book Perestroika, wrote these words: “For all the contradictions of the present-day world, for all the diversity of social and political systems in it, and for all the different choices made by the nations in different times, this world is nevertheless one whole. We are all passengers aboard one ship, the Earth, and we must not allow it to be wrecked. There will be no second Noah’s Ark.” And again, “Today, in the face of a still worse danger, states belonging to different social systems can and must cooperate with one another in the name of peace.” And, “We see a BUDDING WORLD ORDER (emphasis mine) in which peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation based on goodwill will be universal norms.” In his historic address to the United Nations on December 7,1988, he declared, “Further global progress is now possible only through a quest for universal consensus in the movement towards a New World Order.”

Most recently, in September 1990, President George Bush began speaking openly of a “New World Order.” Just before leaving for Helsinki, Finland, to discuss the Persian Gulf crisis at his summit meeting with Soviet President Gorbachev, he expressed the hope that “the foundation for the New World Order would be laid in Helsinki.” Since the victory in the Gulf many more have embraced this vision. Now world attention is focused on seeking peace in the Middle East and many American and European diplomats are hoping this peace settlement will form the hub of the New World Order.

To the unbeliever, these voices of desperation and hope sound like a last-minute cure for the world’s ills, one last attempt for mankind to save itself from an inevitable nuclear holocaust, or from environmental destruction, or from one of many potential deathblows. But to the enlightened Christian, they are but the words of deceived false prophets who have given “heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). To the Bible scoffer, it may seem just and honorable to seek peace, harmony, and love between men. But to the Spirit-taught believer who knows there can be no true, lasting peace on earth without the Prince of Peace, these futile efforts are man’s last attempt to unite a godless world into a Utopia contrary to God’s will. I say “last attempt,” for it is surely not the first. It is similar to the confederacy we see in Gen. 11 :l-9. There men united on the plain of Shinar (just as New Age thinkers are uniting today). Their goal was to dwell there lest they be scattered across the earth, but this was contrary to God’s purpose (see Gen. 9:1). So too, the goals of New Agers run contrary to God’s will concerning the earth, for they leave out the One who is to rule over the earth, as well as His earthly people Israel. And then we see in verse 4 that they desired to build a tower reaching to heaven to make a name for themselves. Here we see SELF-worship, which is the ultimate goal of the New Age movement, for their New World Order would be the platform upon which man could boast of his progress and of all his fancied achievements. This tower of Babel is a foreshadowing of the future Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:5), a united religious system which will be joined to a united political system (the beast of Rev. 13:1). But just as God judged those in the plain of Shinar for their rebellion and pride, so He will make an end of Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:16,17) and the beast (19:19-21).

The title of this article poses the question concerning the New Age movement: “New or Old?” We have just seen from Genesis 11 that it is no new thing for man to unite and seek to bring about a New World Order apart from submission to God’s will. And we saw that the root of that movement was SELF. Their desire “to make a name for themselves” is a fatal ambition that is rooted in every human heart. This tendency in man dates back to the Garden of Eden where Satan whispered his lie to Eve, “Ye shall be as God” (Gen. 3:5 JND). We know that Eve fell for his bait and ever since then man has aspired to be his own God. The New Age movement is but the introduction to man’s final attempt to deify himself and the Bible clearly states that it will culminate in the Antichrist claiming to be God (2 Thess. 2:3,4). To the believer, this thinking is blasphemy, for we bow to the testimony of Scripture which says, “Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity” (Psa. 39:5). New Agers boldly preach of the need for more “self-esteem,” but the Christian takes up the language of the apostle Paul, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing” (Rom. 7:18).

In closing, let me assure the reader that there is truly a NEW AGE COMING, but it will not be brought about by the vain attempts of man. The Old Testament Scriptures teem with prophecies concerning this Age of true “peace and prosperity” (Isa. 2:1-4; 9:6,7; 11:1-13; 60:1-61:6; 65:17-25; Jer. 23:1-8; 31:1-37; Ezek. 34:20-31; 39:21-29; Dan. 2:31-45; 7:1-28; etc.). The Lord Jesus, in Matt. 19:28, referred to this time as the “regeneration” (literally, “re-creation,” thus a new state of things), for it will be God’s NEW WORLD ORDER, ushered in by His beloved Son when He personally returns to earth to judge the wicked and to save Israel from their enemies (Matt. 24:29-31; 25:31-46; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-21).

Until that blessed time, may it be the portion of every believer to serve the Lord humbly here below, watching and waiting for the time when He will return FOR US to take us to our heavenly home (John 14:1-3), and also longing for the time when He will return WITH US to set up His glorious kingdom here on earth and receive the universal homage that is due to Him who is the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.

In Part III of this series we considered some examples from the Scriptures of trials, testings, and temptations brought about by the people around us. These included trials by those who told lies, complained, criticized, or committed acts of aggression and hostility. We conclude this series with a few more examples of trials from the people around us.

4. Temptations or Trials from Acts of Slighting and Despising

In 1 Samuel 24 we find David displaying a most gracious attitude toward King Saul. While Saul was pursuing David with the purpose of killing him, David had a perfect opportunity to turn the tables and slay Saul himself. But instead he mercifully spared Saul out of respect for his being the “Lord’s anointed.”

However, the next thing we read about David is his readiness to put to death an entire household of innocent men. How did this come about? David and his men, while seeking to stay out of Saul’s clutches, happened to spend some time with the shepherds of a rich, but ill-tempered, man named Nabal (1 Samuel 25). David and his men provided help and protection for the shepherds and their flocks; but when David sent some of his men to Nabal to ask for some food, Nabal stubbornly refused to give them anything. Now Nabal had not made any previous agreement with David, and so did not have any obligation toward David. But David became furious when told of Nabal’s refusal to help, and vowed vengeance upon Nabal and his household. He who had recently been so gracious to the one who had forced him to be a fugitive, was now vowing vengeance upon one who merely slighted him by refusing to help him. What inconsistent beings we humans are! Thankful to say, David was spared the disgrace of mass murder through the intervention of Nabal’s wife, Abigail.

Now what about ourselves? How have we responded to the slightings of others? David gives us the justification for his fury: “Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he has requited me evil for good” (25:21). Have we ever helped or shown some kindness to another person, only to be ignored and never thanked, or never having the favor returned? In such instances, do we continue to show love and goodness to the person, or do we proclaim, self-righteously, “I am never going to do anything for that person again!” If we are to “love [our] enemies, bless those who curse [us], do good to those who hate [us], and pray for those who despitefully use [us] and persecute [us]” (Matt. 5:44), how much more are we to continue to love, bless, do good to, and pray for those who merely slight us or fail to return a favor.

David showed a far better, quite Christ-like, attitude on a much later occasion when, dethroned by his son Absalom and fleeing Jerusalem, he encountered the mocking, cursing, stone-throwing Shimei. David restrained his bodyguard from taking off Shimei’s head. Note the wonderful contrast of David’s attitude here compared to that with Nabal: “Let him curse; for the Lord has bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day” (2 Sam. 16:11,12). May the Lord by His grace enable us to respond to insults, offences, slightings, and despisings as David did to Shimei, and not as David did to Nabal.

Earlier in this series we considered the severe trials that Job endured. In the course of a single day he experienced the loss of his oxen, asses, sheep, and camels (numbering in the thousands), nearly all of his servants, and worst of all, all ten of his children (Job 1). On top of that, he was afflicted with “sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown” (Job 2:7). And what was his response to all of this? “In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (2:10).

But then Job faced a trial of quite a different character. Let us listen to the story: “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place … to mourn with him and to comfort him…. They sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived….” (2:11-3:26). What was it that caused Job finally to break down and curse his existence? I believe we learn from subsequent “words of comfort” of Job’s three “friends” that their seven-day silence was a silence of condemnation, assuming that he must have committed a terrible sin to warrant such trouble from God. There are two lessons for us to consider here. First, even the silence of another can prove to be a severe trial to us, and we need to be seeking the grace of God in this as much as in a trial of open hostility. Second, the imputation of evil to us by another, when we know we are not guilty, can be most trying to us. There is a tendency, in the flesh, to defend and justify ourselves and to retaliate to such a degree that if we were not guilty as originally charged we soon become guilty of sins that exceed the original charge. How we need to cast ourselves upon our blessed Lord Jesus Christ “who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet. 2:23), and who prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

5. Trials Induced by the Pride of Others

As noted in Part II of our series, Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, resisted temptations that appealed to the lust of the flesh (the attempted seduction by Potiphar’s wife) as well as to the pride of life (the opportunity to avenge his brothers’ cruelty to him). Many positive qualities are found in Joseph and we are hard put to find any deficiencies in his character. But there is one rather negative quality that we find in Joseph as a teenager—cockiness and pride. It all seems to stem from Jacob favoring Joseph over his older sons “because he was the son of his old age” (Gen. 37:3). His ten older brothers probably considered Joseph to be a spoiled brat, and “they hated him.” It seems that Joseph played up this situation whenever he had opportunity. So when he had a dream that seemed to symbolize his brothers bowing down to him, he had no hesitancy to tell the dream to his brothers. And of course they hated him all the more for it (37:5-8). Insensitive to the effect he was having on his brothers. Joseph proceeded to tell them of a second dream in which “the sun and the moon and the eleven stars” bowed down to him (37:9). The cocky, prideful attitude of Joseph was a real trial to his brothers, more than they could bear. And his brothers responded by selling him to some foreign merchants and telling their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (37:12-34). No doubt most of our readers have been tested by the proud, self-confident boastings of another, and perhaps have often yielded to the temptation to put the boaster in his place. May we learn to be more like the Lord Jesus who, when Peter was boasting, “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison and to death” (Luke 22:33), was praying for Peter that his faith would not fail (22:32).

6. Temptations to Seek Personal Pleasure

In Part II of this series we considered temptations by the attractions of the world. What we have before us now is something similar, but where other individuals are actively encouraging us to seek our personal pleasure. Naomi seems to have been guilty of such a thing with her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. When the husbands of all three of them died while they sojourned in Moab, Naomi decided to return to her home in the land of Judah. “And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother’s house…. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband” (Ruth 1:8,9). Both Ruth and Orpah responded, “Surely we will return with you unto your people” (1:10), upon which Naomi earnestly tried to persuade them that they would have a better chance of finding husbands among their own people. What a test! Ruth and Orpah were being encouraged to choose that course most likely to bring them personal pleasure, rather than that which would bring them into the land where Jehovah, the one true God, was in the midst. Orpah yielded to the temptation and remained in Moab. However, Ruth chose the better path, saying, “Entreat me not to leave you . . . for where you go I will go … your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (1:16). And the rest of the book of Ruth shows us how Jehovah richly rewarded Ruth for her faithful choice, allowing her to be the great-grandmother of David and thence in the line of ancestry of the Messiah. Likewise does the Lord reward us for following, not the path of least resistance or of greatest human comfort, but of greatest faithfulness to the Lord and His Word.

Daniel and his three friends were among a number of bright young Jewish captives in Babylon who were appointed a daily provision of the king’s meat and wine while they were being taught in all of the wisdom and knowledge and skills of the Babylonians. No doubt the diet itself sounded very tempting, and it would have been easy to rationalize that, after all, the King himself appointed it. However, Daniel and his three friends remained faithful to a higher authority, Jehovah of Israel, who had prohibited the eating of some of the meats appointed by the King of Babylon. They did this even at substantial risk to their own well-being, but Jehovah was with them and made it possible for them to receive a diet that was in accordance with the dietary laws given to Israel. And at the end of the training period the King “found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm” (Dan. 1:20).

The Lord Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan to minister to His own personal pleasure—first to obtain bread from stones and feed Himself, second to gain a reputation for Himself by throwing Himself down from the roof of the temple (and having the angels catch Him at the last moment), and third to gain all the kingdoms of the world and their glory for Himself (instead of waiting to inherit them as a result of His death and resurrection). Satan sometimes tempts us in similar ways. May we have such love for and nearness to our Lord that we will respond to such temptations as vehemently and definitely as He did.

7. Temptations to Turn Away from God

Back in the book of Daniel, we read that Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were not only tempted but commanded to fall down and worship a golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up (Daniel 3). Later on, Daniel Himself, who then occupied a very high position in the kingdom, was confronted with a decree (designed by men who were jealous of his high position) that prohibited prayer to any God or man other than the MedoPersian King (Daniel 6). Still later, coming to New Testament times, Peter and others of the apostles were commanded by the authorities in Jerusalem not to teach in the name of Christ (Acts 5:28). In each case the ones thus tested remained staunchly faithful to the Lord. Note the response of Peter and the other apostles: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (5:29). May the Lord help us likewise to be staunchly faithful to Himself.

This completes our study of biblical examples of trials, testings, and temptations: first, those that come directly from God; second, those that issue from the world and appeal to the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; and third, those produced by the sinful people all around us. May we learn to recognize these trials and temptations for what they are, and may we learn to look always to the Lord for the needed strength to resist the temptations and to respond to the trials in a positive, Christ-honoring manner.

FRAGMENT There is a God above all adverse circumstances and undesirable influences. And our path of power is in letting patience have its perfect work…. Trust Him. He has power to work where we least expect it.      J. N. Darby

Hurricane Hugo. The crash of Pan Am flight 103. The wanton shootings at a Texas restaurant. The killer typhoons in Bangladesh. The Black Plague. The Holocaust…. The list could go on and on. And the question is, “Why?” Why does God allow such seemingly senseless pain and suffering and devastation to occur with such regularity throughout the world? Why?

Some go so far as to question or even reject the very existence of God because of all of the evil and suffering present in the world. How are we to answer those who raise such questions?

There is a very simple, straightforward answer that we could give from Scripture: “O man, who are you who replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?” (Rom. 9:20). In one sense this should suffice. Nevertheless, I believe Scripture affords us additional insights into the question of why God allows evil and suffering. In Part I of this article, we considered this question as it applies to believers in Christ. We noted that God allows the Christians to experience trials of pain, suffering, sinful offenses by fellow humans, etc. for our growth in patience and faith and dependence on the Lord. Now we shall consider a few points with regard to the evil and suffering found in the world at large.

1. Those who argue against the existence of God, or the active interference of God in the universe He created, usually begin with the assumption that if there were a God, He would be good, and therefore would not allow all of the evil and suffering to exist. Goodness is certainly one of God’s prominent attributes (Exod. 34:6; Psa. 107:8,15,21,31), but by no means His sole attribute. God is also holy (Isa. 6:1-5) and righteous (Rom. 1:17,18), and an avenger of evil (Psa. 89:32; Amos 3:2; Rom. 12:19). Therefore, we could equally ask the opposite question, “If God is holy and hates sin, why has He allowed so many millions of sinners to live such long and prosperous and pleasure-filled lives?” Indeed, one of the psalmists was puzzled by this observation: “I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men…. They have more than heart could wish” (Psa. 73:1-19). Could it be that the wrong question is being asked? Instead of asking why God allows so many so-called innocent people to suffer, we might rather ask why He allows so many guilty, sinful people to live long lives and seemingly prosper.

2. God allows evil to exist in the world because of, not in spite of, his goodness and longsuffering. “The Lord … is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). If God were to begin today to get rid of all of the evil and the sin in the world, where would it all end? Indeed, who of us would be spared? But could not God restrain the really bad evildoers—the Hitlers, the Stalins, the Saddam Husseins, the terrorists, the mass murderers and rapists, and spare the rest of us who are only small-time sinners? Yes He could, but again, where should he draw the line? Those responsible for the murder of ten but not nine? those who have raped 20 but not 19? Or how about everyone guilty of those offenses stated in the Bible as being punishable by death? Okay, that includes murder (Gen. 9:6), rape (Deut. 22:25), adultery (Deut. 22:22), hitting one’s father or mother (Exod. 21:15), cursing one’s father or mother (Exod. 21:17), allowing one’s domestic animal to get loose and kill a man or woman (Exod. 21:29), practicing idolatry or witchcraft (Exod. 22:18,20), deceiving and being hypocritical (Acts 5:1-11). Would drawing the line there make everyone happy?

3. What does the Bible say about evil? Why, that it has invaded all mankind, every part of man from head to foot. It is found in our thoughts (Gen. 6:5; Ezek. 38:10; Mark 7:21), eyes (Prov. 23:6; Matt. 6:23), mouths (Psa. 50:19), lips (Prov. 16:30), tongues (Psa. 34:13; Jas. 3:8; 1 Pet. 3:10), hearts (Gen. 8:21; Jer. 11:8; Luke 6:45), and feet (Prov. 1:16; 4:27). With our evil tongues “bless we God, even the Father, and therewith curse we men” (Jas. 3:9). In our evil hearts we find “unbelief in departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12). In our evil thoughts we are puffed up in “pride and arrogancy” (Prov. 8:13). In our evil imaginations we are deceitful (Prov. 12:20). With our evil eyes we hasten “to be rich” (Prov. 28:22; see also Eccl. 5:13). To carry out our evil deeds we love “darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). We may be tempted to condemn those men and women who have committed gross acts of evil leading to pain, suffering, and death for large numbers of people. But let us be mindful of the evil that lurks in our own hearts, and that at times pops out (usually through our tongues) and results in hurt and alienation. If one is reading this who has “an evil heart of unbelief,” who has rejected God’s provision for your soul’s eternal salvation, you are not only going to bring unspeakable suffering and anguish upon yourself for all eternity, but you may also bear some responsibility for failing to warn and deliver those in your sphere of influence (such as spouse and children) from the same judgment. The atrocities that Hitler and Stalin are commonly blamed for affected man’s present life on earth. But there are millions of tiny Hitlers and Stalins out in the world who, not content with their own unbelief and rejection of Christ and of the Word of God, are actively or passively leading others down the same path that will affect man’s welfare for all eternity. Should God eliminate the few big “Hitlers” while tolerating the millions of tiny ones?

4.1 believe it is appropriate to say that all suffering in this world relates in one way or another to the fact of man’s Fall—of sin being in the world. There is no evidence of pain or suffering on the part of either man or beast prior to the Fall. But notice the immediate effects of the Fall: fear (Gen. 3:8,10), blaming others (3:12,13), pain in childbirth (3:16), husband-wife tensions (3:16), and difficulties, obstacles, and hard labor in everyday work (3:16,17). Often our suffering stems directly from our own sins, bad habits, bad attitudes, unbridled tongue, etc. Obvious examples include AIDS as a result of illicit sexual activity, lung cancer as a result of a lifetime of smoking two packs a day, loneliness as a result of losing all of our friends (and maybe even our spouse) through constant complaining, criticizing, or foul language. Often our suffering stems directly from the sins of others, for example, acts of murder, rape, theft, slander, gossip, or caustic criticism against ourselves or our loved ones. Or on a larger scale, many people may suffer from the sins of others when those sins lead to wars, acts of terrorism, pogroms of persecution, pollution of the environment, heedless wasting of natural resources, etc. Further, we find many examples in Scripture of God bringing down judgment upon cities, nations, and on one occasion, the entire world because of gross and persistent sin. For example, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of widespread sexual immorality (Gen. 18:20-19:29); the Canaanite nations were purposed by God for destruction (although Israel failed fully to carry out God’s purpose) because of their wicked idolatry (Deut. 7:5); and God sent a flood upon the earth which destroyed every human (except the eight in the ark) because “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:1-7; 7:21-23). So we can see that much of the pain and suffering experienced in this world is directly a result of sin. Even though an individual may be suffering directly as a result of the sins of others, yet in it all God is constantly trying to remind mankind that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), so that all might be led to “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). This is brought out in Luke 13:1-3: “There were present at that season some who told Him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them. Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you. Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

5. What about the calamities that are not caused by man’s sin—the killer hurricanes, typhoons, floods, volcanoes, earthquakes, disease epidemics, etc. As we see throughout the book of Revelation, even these so-called “natural” disasters may be used by God to bring judgment upon the earth ; or to awaken mankind to their need of turning to God. It has been said that pain and suffering are God’s megaphone to sinful men and women to deliver them from something far worse. The Lord gives us an example of a natural disaster intended to awaken the hearts of those not directly affected by the disaster: “Those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think you that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:4,5). This passage helps us to see that when people suffer it is not necessarily God’s punishment of them personally for particular sins. But at the same time the suffering is a consequence of the fact that sin is in the world at large. So the question that we need to ask in the face of natural disasters is not “Why did they die?” but “Why are you and I still alive?”

6. What about the little children, too young to understand anything about God, who suffer tragic deaths? Or what about the teenager or the man or woman in the prime of life who suffers an untimely death or debilitating injury? “It is so senseless,” people say. “Where is God when all these things are taking place?” Yes, these are indeed real tragedies and real sorrows for the loved ones. And yes, if this present life of 70 or 80 years (Psa. 90:10) is all there is, then it is senseless. But if this life is a drop in a bucket compared to eternity, then maybe it is not so senseless; maybe it doesn’t make so much difference in the ultimate scheme of things whether one lives 10 years, 30 years, or 105 years on earth. This present life is a sort of rehearsal for the real “play” that will go on for eternity. We know from Scripture that the infants who die will be taken to heaven and enjoy an eternity of bliss (2 Sam. 12:23; Matt. 18:10,11). And for those who are older, the important thing is not how and when we die, but that we are ready to die.

7. Whenever one is tempted to ask, “Why is God allowing me to suffer so much?” it is well to remember that any suffering we are called upon to experience is miniscule in comparison to what incarnate God Himself suffered on the cross of Calvary. If we think, “It isn’t fair that I should have to suffer so much more than other people,” we should also consider the fairness of Christ’s suffering on the cross for our sins, when He Himself was holy, pure, and sinless. Again this brings us back to the point that God allows pain and suffering in people’s lives to help them to think about the far greater pain and suffering that His Son endured for their sakes—that thereby they might find salvation.

In the next issue, if the Lord be not come, we will consider another related question: “How can God create man with the capability of sinning and then turn around and punish the sinner for eternity?”

FRAGMENT In this war-ravaged world . . . where ghastly atrocities declare “man’s inhumanity to man,” the faith of many people has been shaken!… Why does God remain silent?…

For almost 20 centuries the heavens have been silent. … On behalf of His own praying people, God has, at times, shown His hand in power for the benefit of individuals. But from a national and international point of view, the silence of 20 centuries has never been broken. …

It is the most fortunate thing for us that He is silent. If He were not, we would hear Him in His wrath and His sore displeasure…. God is silent in order to give men the opportunity to repent and come to Him….

It is the goodness of God that enables Him to look patiently, silently upon a sorely distressed world in rebellion against Him… in order to give more people the opportunity to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and to bow in adoration and worship before Him. (From “Why Is God Silent”.)