Is God In Control?

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good afternoon, everyone. It is Tuesday, October fifteenth, twenty twenty four. It is currently four thirty four pm Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, for the next few minutes, I'm going to be giving you some statistics that's going to make all of us. You, me, anyone who listens to this episode have to face reality. And we may not like the reality that I'm about to make you and I face. I don't think we're going to like it in any way, shape or form. It's going to be depressing, it's going to be discouraging, it may bother you greatly. But sometimes we have to face reality, right.

1:03 I sometimes feel like those within Christianity that they sometimes live in a land of delusion, a land of denial, a land of fantasy, and they don't really want to deal with reality. And we've kind of been talking about that. I think a lot of times the way Christians talk about sin and you know, basically act like we don't sin anymore, Like there's sometimes there's just they're such a delusion sometimes, and I think there needs to be voices that makes those sitting in the pew, make those within Christianity face reality, even if they don't like it, even if they don't want to deny it, but face reality because I believe faith is not an escape from reality or a denial of reality. Faith must exist within reality, right at least I believe. So you may disagree, but.

2:03 I believe so. So for the next few minutes, I'm going to be giving you some very real statistics that's going to make you face reality and we may not like what we see. Are you ready? Here we go? As of twenty twenty four, let's start with statistic number one or each one of these may have more than one statistic, but they deal with one specific thing. So I'm gonna say statistic number one, but it may actually be you know, four or five statistics mixed in with it, but it's dealing with one specific thing, all right, So number one, I'll state it that way. As of twenty twenty four. This year, the death toll but from both the Israel Hamas conflict and the ongoing Russian Ukraine War has been significant. So while you've been living life in twenty twenty four, going about whatever you're dealing with, all the things you've been facing with, what has been happening while you're getting up, going to work, going to church, watching television, whatever you're doing, going out, doing something for fun. People have been dying on a regular and consistent basis in the ongoing Israel Hamas conflict and the ongoing Russian Ukraine War and the Israel Hamas conflict, the total number of deaths and Gaza alone has surpassed thirty five thousand people, with children making up a large

3:34 proportion of the fatalities. I want you to hear that again. In twenty twenty four and the Israel Hamas conflict, the total number of deaths and Gaza alone, not even talking in Israel and Gaza alone, has surpassed thirty five thousand people, with children making up a large proportion of the fatalities. There is considerable uncertain around these figures, with reports suggesting the actual number may be much higher due to unreported or indirect deaths from the conflict's effects on infrastructure and healthcare and the Russia Ukraine War. Estimates vary, but the total number of casualties since Russia's full scale invasion in February twenty twenty two exceeds five hundred thousand. This includes around seventy one thousand Russian soldiers killed and a similar number of Ukrainian military personnel, alongside tens of thousands of civilian deaths. These conflicts continue to cause immense human suffering with no immediate end in sight. Children are dying, Civilians are dying, people are suffering. As that source said, immense human suffering is occurring because of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Well, we're living our lives. People are dying, Their lives are

5:05 torn apart. People's lives are coming to an end. And many of them are children, as Evians, who they're just caught in the midst of all of it. They don't even necessarily are involved in any way, shape or form, but they are suffering and they are dying. And that's a reality. You can turn it into a political argument, you can turn it into whatever you want, but the reality is people are suffering and dying. Does that bother you? Do you think about it? Do you care? And I'm asking not only am I asking you, I'm asking myself and twenty so there's kind of statistic number one dealing with the subject of war, focusing on really two major conflicts Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas. But let's move to natural disasters. In twenty twenty four, natural disasters have caused a significant number of deaths globally, with varying estimates depending on the event and region. One of the deadliest events was the series of earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and February, which resulted and around fifty eight thousand fatalities.

6:17 So just those earthquakes and Turkey and Syria, fifty eight thousand people died. This event was the most destructive natural disaster of the year, both in terms of lives lost and financial damages all right. Additionally, there were typhoons which caused widespread destruction, though the death toll were lower compared to the earthquake and total. Natural disasters typically claim between forty thousand and fifty thousand lives every single year, So natural disasters between forty and fifty thousand people die every year, and twenty twenty four appears to be following a similar trend. Those specific figures for all disasters combined are still being compiled. As the year progresses, these events, driven by factors such as cl change, continue to increase in severity, leading to more frequent and intense storms, floods, and wildfires globally. For instant wildfire, for instance, wildfires in Canada destroyed over eighteen point five million acres of forests, though these did not result in significant loss of life. So we have war, we have natural disasters, and thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people are suffering and dying and their lives are turned upside down. These things are happening, So we go from war, we go to natural disasters. Now, this next one may be a little uncomfortable, but we have to discuss it. And twenty twenty four reports reveal

7:51 alarming statistics regarding sexual violence, particularly against women and children. According to our report, over three hundred and seventy million girls and women that would be one Are you ready for this? In eight? Worldwide? One in eight worldwide women and girls have experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of eighteen.

8:36 Where non contact forms of sexual violence such as online harassment are included, this number rises to while even far greater one and eight worldwide women and girls have suffered some form of sexual assault or rape. Just try to wrap your mind around that. Boys and men are also affected, with an estimated two hundred and forty to three hundred and ten million miles having experienced childhood sexual violence, with figures rising to four hundred and ten through five hundred and thirty million when including non contact forms. These figures highlight the global scale of sexual violence, which occurs across all regions and socioeconomic backgrounds. So we have war, we have natural disasters, and we have sexual assault and rape all happening in this world every single day.

9:37 Lives are being totally ripped apart and destroyed. So we've looked at we've looked at war, we've looked at natural disasters, and we look at sexual violence. How about terminal illnesses? And twenty twenty four million of children didn't even bother looking up statistics for adults. Millions of children are suffering from terminal illnesses, with cancer being a significant contributor. It is estimated that around one thousand and forty children in the United States alone are expected to die from cancer in twenty twenty four cancer remains the second leading cause of death in children age one to fourteen following accidents.

10:24 While childhood cancer survival rates have improved significantly due to medical advancements, many children continue to face the challenges of terminal illnesses, including cancers and other diseases and other forms of infections. Globally, childhood mortality from various from various causes remains a major concern in twenty twenty to concern. In twenty twenty two, four point nine million children under the age of five died from conditions including pre term birth complications, infections, congenital anomalies. These statistics likely extending twenty twenty four, with the need for improved health care and vulnerable regions being a priority to reduce child deaths. Just think of four point two million children under the age of five died from certain conditions, terminal conditions. That's millions of children every year dying. So we have terminal illness and millions of children dying. We have sexual assault, millions of people being impacted.

11:33 We have natural disasters, millions of people, we have war, millions of people being impacted, death suffering all around us. But let's move from those. Let's go to starvation. The estimated number of deaths due to starvation and hunger related causes globally varies each year, but it is significant. According to data from the UN and organizations like the World Food Program, hunger related causes account for approximately nine million deaths annually. Nine million people die every year from starvation or hunger related deaths. Just try to wrap your mind around that. Every year people are starving, every year, people are dying from terminal illnesses, every year people are suffering from sexual assault, every year people are suffering from natural disasters, and every year in some part of the world, war is taking and claiming lives. All of that is happening twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, around the clock. Now I could bring up more statistics. I could bring up more statistics, but that gives you some sense.

12:55 That's reality. That's not fairytale land. That's reality, suffering and death, suffering and death, suffering and death. And this is why I get so absolutely ticked off at charismatic theology, which tries to claim no, no, no, if you just believe in Jesus, you will be held of this and go heal someone all the people suffering and dying. Go stop talking to me, go to a children's hospital and fix the problem. How about fix all the people dying from starvation. They continue to make their claims when people continue to suffer and die, don't even give me sorry. That's why I loathe charismatic theology with every ounce of my being.

13:38 But I don't want to deal with charismatic theology. I want to deal with this. On Thursday, October tenth, twenty twenty four, I received in my email box an article from the Christian Post. I sign up for the their newsletter whatever, and as soon as I saw the headline, I'm like, well, at some point I'm going to address this in a podcast episode. I just don't know when. Well, the win is now October fifteenth, so it's been five days. The headline of the story is in a question form is God really in control? Is God really in control? Now?

14:32 When I saw the headline, I was like, Okay, here's what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to read it in advance. I'm not going to read it first. What I'm going to do is I'm going to look up all these statistics, because when you look up all of those statistics is God really in control? I think is a reasonable question. Right when I put this question, is God really in control? And light of all those statistics, I think now it becomes maybe you may I know what we're supposed to say, right, I know what. Again, it's typically young Christian men. I'll be like, obviously God is in control and he doesn't have to explain anything because he's God and he's softign he can do whatever he wants. And we talk about and usually it's Christian men.

15:14 You can talk such a big game, but yeah, you go look at the women who've been raped, Go look at the children who've been molested for year after year after look them in the face and say, God can just do whatever he wants. Go look at the people who've lost loved ones because of starvation. Look at the people whose lives have been destroyed because of war. Look at the lives of people have been destroyed by natural disasters. You can talk a big game and a philological debate. You can talk a big game standing in the foeyer of your nice little air conditioned church where you're drinking your latte and talking about, well, God is in control, he can do whatever he wants. But when you say God is in control, and the face of all of this reality, you may want to kind of wisp a little bit more? Right? Is God really in control? Do I need to go back? Do I need to take that phrase and put it and next to those statistics all the people who have died and just two wars, the Israel Hamas conflict and the Russian and Ukrainian War.

16:20 Just just those numbers alone are staggering. Do I need to give those numbers again? About how many millions upon millions of women and children have been raped or sexually assaulted? I mean, do I do I need to go through? How many children are dying from terminal illnesses, how many are dying from starvation? How much suffering has occurred because of natural disasters? Do I really need to go in? I? Do I need some more statistics to really drive this point home? So? Is God really in control? Look? You have in your mind some kind of a thilological answer to that question. Is God really in control? I know you do, now, I don't know how you reconcile that answer with all of that suffering and pain and death.

17:06 I don't know how you reconcile it. You do, so somehow in your brain. I don't know. I think a lot of ways we reconcile it as we just like the theoretical idea, well, God is in control, that's what the Bible says, and we just kind of ignore all the suffering. But the suffering is real and it cannot be I guess you can ignore it again sitting in your nice little, nice little church, with your nice little building, with your nice little cushion seed, drinking your coffee, talking about the weather, you know, I guess I guess that's you know, it works for you. But this is real issue. So I don't know what this article is going to say, but we're gonna look at this article and lie of those that reality that we just had to face. I don't know how this is going. I don't know, I don't know what. I have no idea what's about to happen.

17:57 But we're gonna work through this together. Right here we go. There are forty five comments underneath this article. Now again, this article published on a Christian website, meaning a lot of the people underneath this article claim to obviously be Christians. So we will read some of the comments. That's probably what we'll get. So discouraged that we'll want to give up. All right, but let's at least look at this. Here's the first paragraph. When a well meaning Christian says God is in control, they typically mean that God makes things happen or stops them from happening at random. But the Bible teaches us that God's sovereignty is an essential aspect of who he is, and that he has absolute authority over all things. Now they quote Isaiah fourteen twenty four.

18:50 I'm going to look up Isaiah fourteen twenty four so that we can see the passage and hear it in two different translations the Bible that you hear me turning the King James version Isaiah fourteen twenty four, where we read this word Isaiah fourteen twenty four, the Lord of Host has sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass as I have purposed? So shall it stand? Now? I would warn everyone, because see the the way that sounds is God will do whatever he wants, and it's going to happen. But I think Isaiah fourteen the context there is the fall of Assyria.

19:32 So do we just extrapolate from that everything or do we place it in its historical context. And I'm assuming the article doesn't give it doesn't care at all, It doesn't give two cents worth of its attention. Most likely to the context. Maybe it will maybe a no, it will not, but we will see. All right, here we go. They quote it. The Lord of Host has sworn, saying, surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass. And as I have purposed, so shall it stand. A thing is random or comes by chance, especially not in the lives of believers. God will never say WHOA, I didn't see that. When coming, God has resolved to do what he will do, and nothing or no one stands in his way. I will make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is to come? I say, my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. That's from Isaiah forty six to ten. No, please note they quoted Isaiah fourteen twenty four. They provided no context. Now I'm not saying we can't extrapolate something from Isaiah fourteen twenty four, but I think the con I think the context there. You can correct me if I'm wrong. I think that's about the fall of Assyria.

20:41 I could be wrong, So do we extrapolate from that, or do we say all right? But then they quote Isaiah forty six. They quote Isaiah forty six, Isaiah forty six to ten, Isaiah forty six to ten. We read declaring the end, from the beginning and from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, I will do all my pleasure. Now, what exactly is he referencing here? What exactly is he what exactly is he referencing here? We would have to look for context. The article doesn't care about the context. It's just taking the general idea, basically their general idea that they're putting forth in this article. God will do what God will do. Nothing is going to stop him. Whatever God wants to happen will happen. He is in control.

21:36 That's basically the argument being made. They go on to quote this, This is our powerful, purposeful God who is in control of everything. They quote Psalm one point fifteen three. He says our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. A well known actor said recently, I don't know if there is a God, but if if there is, he's got a lot of explaining to do. Now that's a reasonable question. Hey, I don't know if there's a God, But there is a God, I think he has a lot of explaining to do. Because look at the world, and look at all those statistics that gave you at the beginning about how many people dying and those two military conflicts, how many people died in twenty twenty four from natural disasters, how many women have experienced rape, women and children have experienced rape or sexual assault, and twenty twenty four, how many people have died from starvation, how many people have suffered from natural disasters. You go through all of that, those numbers are staggering, they're frightening, they're discouraging, they're depressing, but they show you a reality. Well, when you see that reality, you may say, well, I know there is a God, but you still may feel like he has a lot of explaining to do. But how will a Christian article handle the fact that some people may think God has some explaining to do or are they're going to respond with this? No, God doesn't have to explain a single thing. God doesn't have to

23:08 explain a single thing. Now that's convenient, isn't it. Hey, God is in control. The world is out of control, pain, suffering, death everywhere. And God doesn't have to explain one thing. Isn't that con isn't that a great philological position to have? Hey, there is an all powerful, all knowing God who went ahead and created. In fact, he created this being named Satan, knowing that Satan was going to rebel, knowing what it was going to do. But when Satan rebelled, did he destroy him? Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no no no, We're not going to destroy him, even though God could have no, No, I'm going to allow him to come to this place where I've created a man and a woman, and I'm going to allow him to get into the garden and tempt them, knowing that they're going to sin, and even after they sin. Oh I could stop everything. No no, no, no, no, no, no, no no, no I could I could. I mean, he could have just forgiven Adam and Eve. He made a you know, we typically say that he played provided animal skin, so there was the first sacrifice. He could have found a way to save them and just let them live in the garden forever and there had been no more problems.

24:15 But no, no, no, he let he kicked him out of the garden, let them then produce children, knowing that sin now had entered it in the world, and there was going to be pain and suffering and death month after month, day after day, week after week, hour after hour for the rest of human history. He knew it was going to happen and did nothing to stop it. Nothing murder, rape, pain, suffering, disease, year after year, month after month after month after month, and and it's again, it's typically Christian men. I don't know if a man wrote this article. I'm going to guess that it was a man, but that's very much a man. He doesn't have to explain a single thing, and we say it with such bravado. Hey, how dare someone says God has a lot of explaining to do. Now, I understand theoretically, you could argue theologically God doesn't have to explain anything, but you can understand why some people may raise their hand and go like, I'm a little confused here. Your God is all powerful, right, yeah, so he wants all these people to suffer? Well, no, well, then why doesn't he do anything about it? And then we come up with some reason why God can or can't or don't or does it and then we have to try to answer all of these questions. But God knew all this was going to happen before he created, and he did not have to create, unless you're going to say there was something imperfect in God and he needed something. But

25:46 God is perfect, so he didn't need anything. And you say, well, God allows the world to continue because he loves people. Well, if he loved people, he would have stopped us from ever being created, So then nobody would have to go to Hell and there and forget the suffering on the plan in this life before we even go into eternity. I mean, there's a million yeay, no matter how you address this, there's issues. When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen. They're quoting Isaiah sixty twenty two. Again, they're doing just they're just ripping verses out of context from Isaiah. Just please note that this is not even an attempt to deal with this text in any kind of even meaningful way. A little one, okay, how did they quote that? Isaiah sixty twenty two? All right, a little one shall become a thousand and a small one, a strong nation. I the Lord will hasten it in his time, and they just quote it. When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happens. There's obviously a context to Isaiah sixty. They just ripping verses out of context here. They're not even a not only do they feel like God doesn't have to give an explanation, they don't have to give an explanation, and how they're using scripture as well, it appears. They go on to say, some say this versus a reminder that God will do what he needs to do even when people hell or once flesh think he shouldn't. Others say that this is a reminder to trust God's assurance that everything will fall

27:18 into place and is perfect timing. How about instead of speculating what people think the verse means, how about I don't know, looking at the actual context and trying to figure it out. But okay, maybe we'll do some work on Isaiah chapter sixty. Okay, maybe we'll do some work on Isaiah chapter sixty. We don't have time to get into it now, but we'll make that a priority. All right, So the next paragraph, but how much power does God actually have? God's complete sovereignty over the entire creation stands and start contrast to open theism, which holds that God is ignorant of the future, and he must continually alter his purpose and respond to the action of sinful creatures exercising their free will. However, believing that our assistance, cooperation, or exercise a free will is necessary for him to carry out his purpose places us in charge of him, making us gods. Now, I completely reject open theism, and I completely agree with this theologically. Look theologically, it sounds like I may be in great agreement with this author.

28:13 Where I disagree is this simple idea of Hey, God's in control and he doesn't have to explain one single thing and people, and who cares if people are suffering? It comes across very cold, right, and sometimes in theological discussion we can be cold and heartless with those who may have very real pain and suffering. Just imagine, just imagine you were a child. I'd say, starting at the age of eight, you were sexually assaulted and molested from the age of eight to the age of eighteen, horribly, over and over and over again. Now you're twenty four, twenty five, maybe you're in your thirties. You still suffer from the trauma of that. It's greatly impacted your entire life.

29:19 It may have impacted you mentally, emotionally, it may have impacted you sexually. You just are dealing with you. You still have all the internal scars. But someone looks at you and says, God is in control. God was in control, and he doesn't have to explain a single thing to you. You see how utterly heartless that sounds. You see why that person may say, week, so God is in control. And I suffered week after week after week after week after week after week after week, month after month, year after year, year after year, and God couldn't do one singlely.

30:05 He couldn't even be bothered to lift a finger to stop it. While Christians running around saying, oh, God did this, and God did that, and God does this, and God does that, and God did this, and God told me this, and God, God, God and all and acting like God is basically doing something twenty four to seven. But it couldn't stop that child from being molested and raped year after year. You see where that could raise some questions? Don't you a cat? Have you ever been to a children's hospital? Have you see the children who have been suffering most of their lives from some more terminal illness.

30:50 Sometimes they'll get good news thinking it's got and then the disease will come back. Have you ever been there and seen that these children ten eleven years of age, their whole life has been surgery and medical procedures and suffering and suffering. And many of them know they're not even going to make it to sixteen or seventeen. They're not gonna have their first date, their first kisser. Their whole life is just gonna be years and years in hospitals, suffering. Yes, and you and you will. I start getting angry, and I get angry at Christians who seem heartless because sometimes in our want to we want to phil logical answer. Right, So what's it? God is in control, He doesn't have to explain anything. Next, Yeah, that's you talk a big game.

31:34 Look into the face of people suffering. It's not so easy to be all bravado. So it goes after open theism. And because it and they their argument, it kind of makes us like God. And it says, where have you heard that lie before? It is a repetition of the old delusion spread by Satan in the garden. Will be like God? Our freedom of choice extends only to the extent that God grants it to us. All the people of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as as pleases, as he pleases. With the power of Heaven and the people of earth, no one can hold back his hand or say to him, what have you done?

32:16 Daniel Chapter four, verse thirty five. I understand you can quote Daniel four thirty five say God can do whatever he wants and nobody can question it. I understand that from a thiological perspective, I am not denying God is sovereign. I'm not denying that. What I am saying is that may sound great in a seminary classroom, may even sound good in church, maybe, depending on you don't know who you're preaching to. There's major implications. No one's free will can override God's omnipotence. Some people find it interesting to believe that God is continuously changing his plan, his plans to account for Satan's tricks, and that Satan controls us certain amount of life. The Book of Job provides a crystal clear example of who is in charge and who is not. In essence, Satan approached God and said, Job serves you only because you protect him and God therefore permitted Satan to harm Job in certain ways but not in others, demonstrating that who's in charge, God is Satan capable of more than that. No Satans minions are under God's authority, and they make constant attempts to obstruct God's purposes.

33:24 Satan was aware of God's Old Testament plan for Jesus to come to earth, be betrayed, crucified, and rise again as the salvation of mankind. And there were and if there was any way to keep it from happening, Satan would have done it. According to Acts two, Jesus was delivered by the determined purposes, and foreknowledge of God. Nothing, no, nothing the Romans, Pharisees, Judas, Judas or anybody else did prevented God's plan from coming to pass precisely as He intended it. From the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth, which tells us that God had to be present to start the beginning. God was here before the beginning began. We were selected in Him before the world was created. According to Ephesians one, I'm agree agreement with all of this Philologically, Ultimately, knowing God is the only path to tranquility in his omnipotent rule, gain confidence in him.

34:20 Being aware of his qualities and past accomplishments. The people who know their God shall be strong to perform great exploits. Exploits according to Daniel eleven thirty two, imagine such power in the hands of a God who is unjust or evil, who genuinely has no concern for us. However, since our God's goodness, love and mercy, compassion, faithfulness, and holiness silver shadow it, we can rejoice in his sovereignty. Hey, you can rejoice in his sovereignty. Well, all of this pain and suffering and death occurs, you can rejoice in it. Yeah, you rejoice in it when it goes your way. You may not rejoice in it when I don't know. I can give you countless to examples, but yeah, so it never addresses all of these problems that basically just ends with this. We will then rejoice in it because we will know firsthand and be able to trust the only God who controls all things for his perfect purpose. So their ideas, God controls everything, and we're not going to even acknowledge all the pain suffering that's happening all around us. Basically, what we're going to say is God is in control and you have no right to question it. You have no right to even ask why God doesn't have to explain anything to you. Get over it. That's basically the tone of it. Not even a paragraph dedicated to Hey, there is a very great difficulty with this idea. God is in control. However, but no, it's not. It's just ignores all of that and then just rips Versus completely

35:51 out of context in Isaiah and doesn't even bother to provide any contextual understanding in any way, shape or form. Now, philologically, there as much here I would agree with. So this is me agreeing necessarily with the theology. It's disagreeing with the rehea that what do we do with this reality in the face of suffering? Now, what do you think the people in the comment section did? What do you think? All? Right? Here we go first content for our first comment. If you look at the bad stuff happening every day, I would say, no, it's like he threw up his hands and said whatever. Now, you can't blame someone for posting that.

36:38 You can't then come after them and say, how dare you? No? If you look at the world, that's why I started with all of this absolutely horrible statistics. You would be like, I don't know what to do with this next comment? Good thought provoking article? All right? Now, this is where I get frustrated. I don't know what's thought provoking or good about it because it ignored the problem, ignored reality. But okay, I believe he's in control, but at the same time has allowed us the privilege of free will to determine our own outcome. Even the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is full of mankind using our free will. Yes, there are consequences for our actions, good and bad. The Bible is loaded with those these as well, but we ultimately make our own choices. This, I believe, is one reason that bad things happen. God does not prevent bad things, but he is there for us when bad things happen.

37:44 All right. At the same time I believe he's so, he is also in control. He has made that control clear in the past, and the Bible tells us he will do it again at a time of his choosing. I don't even know how you even reconcile that in any logical way. Hey, God is in control, but in reality he's letting us do our own thing. So he's he's in control, and this is how he used his control. Everyone has free will, and I'm not gonna get involved. But hey, when bad things happen, I'll be there for you. How is he going to be there for me? So let me get this right. So let's go back to my illustration of a child being sexually molested and raped from the age of eight to eighteen. Hey, I'm not gonna stop it from happening, because you know, people are using their free will. I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm there for you. How is he gonna be there for me? Well, what is he going to do?

38:34 Is he gonna take away all of those years of suffer? Oh okay, he's not gonna do that. What is he gonna do? He's gonna just pat me on the head and say it's all okay, all things work together for good. You're gonna give me some little church cliche, some bumper sticker theology. See, everybody thinks free will is the answer. See free will. God is a control. But free will, I don't know why everyone thinks that somehow resolves the right? Who gave the free will? God? Who knew well man was going to do with free will. God, So God obviously knew what was going to happen and is allowing it to happen, and it's doing nothing to prevent it. And if God is completely allowing free will to run its course, then God cannot intervene in any way, shape or form, because any intervention is probably somewhere, somehow going to mess up someone's free will. And then what are we praying for? Because God can't intervene unless he has everyone's free will, accepting and allowing it. That just it becomes philosophically nonsensical. Hey, free will, free will answers it?

39:39 How does that free will answer it? The God who knew what men would do with free will gave them free will, knowing exactly what was going to happen, and has said back year after year after year after year after year, thousands of years watching pain, suffering and death all for what. And people say, well, because he's given people a chance to repent, it would have been better not to let people be born than to give people a chance to repent, especially if it's up to their free will, knowing that the majority will not repent. So therefore the more is going to go to hell. It makes absolutely no sense. So I don't even know how that's an answer. That's a nonsensical God is in control, but yet man has free will and God may not intervene, but he's there for you when the bad things happen.

40:22 How is he going to be there? What is he going to do for you? I've often been baffled by Christians and sometimes in this, Hey, we need to pray about this situation. I'm like, Okay, I always want to raise my hand. So we're going to pray to the God who knew it was going to happen, did nothing to prevent it from happening. But now we're going to pray to that God after it happened to do what did he not want it to happen? And if he wanted it to happen, are we now going to pray for him to intervene in the midst of it happening so that he'll stop it from happening? Up? Okay, Now it just becomes And we talked about this and the different theological systems and how they understand prayer and what they think prayer does or doesn't do. The next comment is this. The old God is all powerful and we don't understand, and he does not need to explain while maintaining the Bible possesses all relevant knowledge for us, and pastor get up regularly to tell us exactly why God acts or does not act. I don't know exactly what this person is trying to say. Basically, God, God is all powerful, and he doesn't have to tell us why. Okay, I don't know exactly where this person is going. Next person,

41:54 he brings good and evil. He controls Satan. Did you know that job? The New Testament? The evidence is all over. The seven spirits of God and the four living creatures before the throne are sent by God to reveal himself to those who seek him those who reject him. He turns over to strong delusion of his kingdom and government. There is no end. The elder sitting on thrones have judgment given to them. We are a little short right now on those who want to judge, as Jesus Christ delegates. I don't even have a clue what that's even talking about. This is what frightens me. It's Christian websites where I hear Christians say things that I'm just like what has happened? Like? These people are like, I do you just say the most Like, what does even any of that mean? It just sounds like words. It's like blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. It has no what does it even mean? Another person in put I've had experiences where it was clear Satan was on a short leash. God might let you be in a trial with Satan, but Satan has strict rules to follow as what he can and can't do. He can mainly only tempt but if you fall into temptation, you can you can be hurt.

43:09 I don't really know what that does. Nybody know what that means. I guess God, God has put Satan on a leish. Aren't you glad that God has put Satan on a leish? And of course Satan doesn't even need to exist because he could just gotten rid of him, right, But okay, but he's on a leash. I guess that should make me feel better. Then someone else said, but I thought you said Satan had dominion over the earth, so the earth does belong to God after all, And then the next person says, why would God want the earth? He doesn't care about the earth. He cares about us. Satan is the prince of the power of the air.

43:50 I have no idea what any of that he is even talking about. I don't even know. Next person says Joseph King's comment that God is not in control because people have free will is partially correct. God's sovereignty means that God has ultimate control. However, the fact that God can grant us free will is based on him having prerogative. I consider free will as simply a choice of good or evil, obeying God or not obey. Within God's sovereign will is God's desired will and God's permissive will. Kamala Harris popularize the use of then diagrams. So picture a large circle which represents God's sovereign will. Think of it as meaning of everything that happens in the world is because God allows it to happen, or nothing happens that God doesn't permit to happen. Within the large circle is a smaller circle that represents God's desire will. His desire will is that God wants or wishes as ideal. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. You know, and I know that not everyone will be saved, although that would be the ideal. The ideal doesn't happen because God gives us free will. Many people choose evil or choose to sin. Yeah, so only some choose to sin.

45:02 I guess others don't choose to sin? All right? Oh man, The other small circle consists of God's permissive will. Both small circles are within the larger circle of God's sovereign will. But God's desire will will not overlap his permissive will because he permits or allows to choose sin or to do evil, because that is free will. I don't even know what, idiot, what does idy of that even mean? And again it breaks down that you can just choose to sin or not sin. So this is basically a This is basically coming at it from a strongly Pelagious viewpoint, all right. And again, if you come at it from a Pelagian standpoint or Pelagia standpoint, Pelagius Pelagian isn't okay, You get the idea it's coming from a Pelagian standpoint.

45:44 If it comes from a Pelagian standpoint, the people can be perfect and they don't even need God. So is this going with libertarian free will? From a Pelagian standpoint? It's like, you see Christians just making these comments and I don't even know if they even have the philological edged even making clues, but they just say these claims as if they've got it all figured out. Someone else then jumps in, when the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen Isaiah's sixty twenty two. Yes, God's perfect will is in perfect time. Again, nobody wants to actually deal with what Isaiah sixty twenty two is even about. I guess. I guess the way Christians deal with things, you just run to a verse and just rip it out of context. I guess that's the way Christians want to deal with something. Would someone actually provide some meaningful context. It's a reminder to trust in God's assurance that everything will fall in place in perfect timing.

46:42 Ephesians three twenty Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask, according to the power that works within us. Genusis one to one, it says in the beginning God created the heavens of the earth, which tells us that God has to be present to start the beginning. God has has has before the beginning began. Good point ultimately, knowing God is the only path to tranquility, is his omnipotent rule. Knowing God in obeying him a relationship. So I don't know what any of that even means. I know that people posting these things probably think that they're sounding very profound, but I mean, none of it. Does any of this help you with any of the things that I've already established, Just the reality versus this concept we've got reality versus theology.

47:30 Theology says God is perfectly in control, he's sovereign, he's omnipotent, he's omnipresent, he's omniscient. But the reality is pain, suffering death, pain, suffering death, pain, suffering death, pain, suffering death, pain, suffering death, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, through the entire existence of human history. Now this person says, excellent piece of writing. How is it an excellent piece of writing? I don't even know how this can even be classified as an excellent piece of writing. It came across not even okay, all right. The whole process of God's plan of salvation is under his control, and He will reveal himself to those whom he chooses on a spiritual level through his son. At the time, our creator alone has determined this plan and tells humans having to learn lessons under the most extreme or difficult circumstances due to our failure to listen to Him or the prophets that have been sent to help us realize the folly of not heeding Yahweh. God is in control even when it seems he is not. Satan is only alive to serve as an instrument for his purpose to help people understand our need to exercise faith and accordance to God's will and not give into the temptation that Yahweh allows for one to experience. God knows our hearts better than we do, as he searches our innermost being with the utmost care and concern for our welfare on a spiritual level.

48:47 Trusting in Him through faith and through obedience has been a humanity's problem as a whole, and again, experiencing the results of rebellion, whether willfully or not, has been quite an undertaking for mankind. Once God's kingdom is established on earth. Upon the return of Jesus, there will no longer be confusion. Once the world he represents is made known to every tribe to the Once the word he represents as made known to every tribe, nation, and tongue. We look forward to that appointed time in order for all to be saved and none to perish. The Second Peter, Chapter three. Again, it's just words, there's no look, what does any of that even mean? Hey, God, God is allowing this for our own good. God's allowing a child to be molested for his own good. God will allow God's allowing a woman to be rape for his own good. God is allowing someone's child to be murdered for their own good.

49:37 Like I don't what does even any of that even mean? None of it wants to address the real reality here someone else again, I'm just going through these. God is not in control because people have free will. He can only control us if we let him, and if we let him be in control. He can also control situations so that we are protected, like he did in Trump's assassination attempt. And God is ultimately in control of one important thing, and that is where you go when you die. So God is not in control because you have free will.

50:21 But if you allow God, God will be in control. And then if God is in control, then he will protect you like he did Trump, because I guess Trump is allowing God to be in control, even though Trump has said he's never asked God for forgiveness, and every time he even talks about anything related to God he sounds utterly, completely insane. I am so confused. This is the Christian world, Ladies and gentlemen. Someone else says, you do not fully understand the ramifications of review. If God is not in control and things occur beyond his control without his knowledge, God is not omnipotent or omniscient. God would cease to be God. God's will will be done with or without human participation. Next, God does not control the lives of we humans. He has given us control of our own lives as well as our destiny beyond this life. He set up the game, but we don't have to play by the rules. Even though He wants all to be saved, he will not stop us from choosing Hell and that he respects, and he in that respect he relinquished control. God has no input in our lives unless we are one of his. And even then it's not really control, but really he feeds our desire for him to guide us on a daily basis. So God is not in control. I I don't know. I guess The one thing I do know by all of this is everyone's attempting to try to process it. Everyone tries to process all of this in some way, shape or form another person. Paul actively rejected Jesus and persecuted

51:54 his followers. Would that not open him to manipulation by Satan or the other gods? Can they give visions and dreams and to see people who have turned from Jesus? Someone said, prior to Damascus Road Conversion, even Paul was a servant of Satan, which he later acknowledged openly. Homework, tell me where he did as a servant of Satan? Could Satan give him long detailed vision dreams and visit him, deceiving him into believing he was Jesus? Homework, Tell me where he did acknowledge he'd been a servant of Satan prior to Christ interrupting his life abruptly saving him. Where did he acknowledge it? Or for he it? For he did do so? The other Apostles considered him the Antichrist.

52:37 Then they quote First John two eighteen, which I have no idea what that's referring to, because First John two eighteen is referring to Gnostics, so I don't even know. So once again, you just there's these Christians engaging in this back and forth and I don't know what any of them are talking about. Like it's just it's just nonsensical. What does any of that have to do, ladies, angel Is this is from a Christian website. I all right, So someone else comes in. If God knows the future, the future is already set and there is no way for you to surprise God and no way for God to alter the future. Sorry, no free will either. This even goes this even goes together with science, the block universe.

53:33 So then someone comes in. Of course, you know, good Christians, you know we always are so nice and loving to one another. Lame atheist argument twenty nine or twenty nine nine and thirty nine. Do you have free will? You can choose to go to hell, which choice you are using at the moment. You can choose to rebel against God your whole life. You can choose to murder, hate, follow other gods commit crimes. All that comes under free will. God gives you the only input God has into your choices, or that he has watched a video of your life far into the future and knows everything you choose to do. You're now choosing to rebel against God and are doing exactly whatever you want to do. No one forced you to do that. You could have chosen to be a follower of Christ, but you were one who chose to remain arrogant. Some respond to the Gospel and are saved from Hell, and some don't. It was all there and your choice to reject God and go to Hell or choose Christ and be saved from it. God only knows your choices because he can look back from the future at your life movie. He had absolutely no input in your choices. They were entirely your decisions for your entire life.

54:34 He just knows the outcome of your choices when you will end up because of your own choices. I don't know what any of that has to do with anything but okay, but the point is to that individual. If then everyone has completely free will, then everyone can perfectly choose to obey God, so there can be perfect people. That was and Pelagius at least acknowledged that. But I don't know if this person even knows who Pelagias was. I don't know. And why would you just go after someone as lame atheist argument? They're simply making an argument. If God knows all things and his knowledge precedes my existence, then how can I ever do something contrary to the knowledge which he already possesses. Then everything I do will be what he already knows, and that knowledge is before I get Okay, we get into a major philosophical issue there, all right. So then someone replied he had absolutely no input on your choices. Hmmm. Our freedom of choice extends only to extent that God grants it to us. And then someone responds, and he grants us total freedom to make any choice that we choose. God has relinquished his control so that we can live our lives as we want and make our own choices. However, once we relinquish our control of our own lives and choose to follow Jesus, he still does not control us. But we'll discipline us as well as bless us so that we learn to make the right decisions. But we don't make the right decisions because of the carrot or the stick. Either we can learn or what a perfect parent he is and respects his guidance and love. I don't know what this

56:05 person's even talking about. None of this makes literally any sense. But this is how an article about his God is in control. And then Christians just once again, what if they've done They're ignoring the reality of life. They just are start trying to just throw out scriptures or throw out some kind of philological narrative without really dealing with the bigger issues here. Someone else responded, and he grants us total freedom to make any choice that we choose. He didn't grant that to Satan in the Book of Job. Nobody has the freedom to harmss unless God allows that choice. We come to learn of what a perfect parent he is and respect his goidance a love true. I don't know he's a perfect parent. God's a perfect parent. Again, he's a perfect parent. And there's someone being raped and murdered, suffering dying disease. Again, the point is, I understand what you're saying theologically, but nobody's dealing with the reality here.

57:12 Then this one person just keeps arguing with everybody, and and so then someone says, ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you try to put God in a box. And then someone responded, no, this is what happens when you think logically. And guess what the person who says no, this is what happens when you think logically. Everyone gave it a thumbs down, because see, you can't bring logic into a discussion with Christians because Christians do not like logic. They do not like it in any way, shape or form. They hate it. They don't want They just want their pilological narrative, and they don't want to ever be forced to deal with reality. That's one of my major issues.

57:56 Someone says, I will tell you what happens when people begin to think logically. They fall miserably to be spiritually discerning and fail to apply biblical standards because they think they're ever so clever for some proud focus. Impossible for them to apply Proverbs three five. So as the cap fits, you work it out if you can. Now. I love how they say you're being arrogant. Well, they come across as so arrogant because they quoted a verse. Oh my goodness, they quoted Proverbs three five. They've got it all figured out. And while they condemn anyone. See, you're not allowed to bring questions, you're allowed to bring logic. You're not allowed to bring anything to Christianity because Christians will be condescending jerks, just throwing scripture in your face and you're never supposed to ever ask a question. Man, it ticks me off so much. You want to just go to these people and say, hey, hey, look these are Christians on this website. Leave.

58:56 Don't talk to Christians. Go talk to Satan. I'll treat you better and will be more understanding than stinking Christians who will just be arrogant, condescending jerks. Well, they accuse you of being an arrogant, condescending jerk because you dared, you dared ask a question, you dared to try to figure this out logically. No, no, no, you're not allowed to do that. You just have to shut up and color with whatever they tell you to color with and the lines that they give you to color in. And then someone else quotes One Corinthians three nineteen for the wisdom of the world is foolish, foolishness before God, for it is written. And see again, they just quote a scripture they don't bother, They don't bother to explain anything.

59:44 And then that basically is Then the last thing is, so did God force you to be a rebel against him? Who? Is? That? Entirely your decision? So then it says down here, how would you rate the quality of this conversation? I would be I'm gonna put toxic all right. Oh, there's a couple of more here. There's a couple of more here. And none of this offers any Nobody has even a clue. Nobody even attempts to even come close to answering this. No nobody, nobody, of course, not, of course, not because Christians don't know what to do with this. Now there are Christians, but I'm saying, this is just your general probably everyday Christian reading the Christian Post and then just this post, the greatest amount of nonsense that you've ever heard in your life. And they all are coming across it like they think they've got it all figured out.

1:00:36 How about we all just acknowledge this? Hmm. The Bible seems to attribute certain attributes to God. One would be omniscience meaning all knowing, and omnipotence, which is all powerful. And these are attributes attributed to God, so he's all knowing and all powerful. Even though he's all knowing, and even though he's all powerful, he created Satan, and when Satan rebelled, he did not destroy him. So he created him knowing he was going to be there, but didn't destroy him after he fell. He created Adam and Eve knowing that they were going to sin, and knowing exactly what was going to be the very thing that tempted them to sin, which would be Satan, whom God created. Now, God could have stopped Satan from even entering into the garden, or he could have just never allowed him to be created, or could have destroyed him after his rebellion, but he chooses to do none of that and he lets them in, knowing Adam and Eve is going to sin. Now, what's Adam and eve sins? God could have prevented all of this, stopped all of this, and he knew it was all going to happen. He did absolutely nothing to stop it or in any way shape or war, and created it and allowed it all to happen. Then, when Adam and Eve leaves the garden, he could have then, well, he could have destroyed them once they said, but he didn't.

1:01:49 He could have kept him in the garden and said, Okay, now here's where you're going to live forever, in the garden, and I've forgiven you, and you can be in perfect fellowship with me because I have I will forgive you, because I mean can forgive, right, I mean Kenny, forgive Kenny, not forgive okay. Well, God is the only one he can forgive sens okay. But he lets them out of the garden. Now, he knows immediately when he let them out of the garden, they're gonna have children. He knows those children are going to sin. He knows that there's gonna be murder, and he knows there's gonna be murder, and there's gonna be rape, and there's gonna be incess and there's gonna be all these horrible things that happened through the Book of Genesis. He could stop it at any point, but he does not. At one point, he gets so upset he wipes everything, everyone off the face of the earth. But he allows people onto an arc, knowing that the people on the ark are just like the people that he destroyed because they're sinners. And they got out of the ark and they sin and he couldn't.

1:02:31 But he doesn't do anything, and he allows it to happen, and there's pain and they're suffering and their death, and at no point does he do anything to stop any of it. Oh well, certain times in the Bible he steps in, but other times he just lets utter complete chaos reigns. Right, he steps in to stop anything from happening to Sarah. Right, he stopped anything from happening to her. But you know, hey, too bad, too bad. If you were a certain husband of a wife who was you know, you know, well having an affair, well was having a sexual relationship with the king, and the king decided he wanted you dead. God didn't step in to save that husband, did he? No, No, didn't. We go on and on and on and on and on and on. It's just so many. I mean, we go through scripture after scripture after scripture, and so what do you conclude? Then, all knowing, all powerful God knew exactly what was going to happen, and he allowed it to happen, and he did nothing to stop it from happening, which somehow concludes or somehow means it's a part of this plan. Now, I don't know how. I don't know how you reconcile that it had to be a part of his plan, and He's allowed it to continue year after year after year after year after year after year, with all this pain, with all this suffering, with all this death, and I don't understand it. I don't understand the things that happened to me my life. I don't know that. I don't understand

1:04:02 the things that happen in the lives of other people, whether it was murder, sexual assault, horrible abuse, abandonment, torture. I can't explain it, but it's a reality we cannot ignoree Is God in control? Well? If God isn't in control, well, if you remove him too far from the picture, then does he stop being God? If God is in control, then how do you reconcile God be in control with all of these things? This is the reality of theology and the reality of faith that people just don't like. But that article about God is in control? Okay, fine, you can establish God is in control? Great, Now, how do we understand this in light of reality? You've got the theology, how does it work with reality? And Christians just think you if you just throw the word free will, it fixes everything. It doesn't fix a stinking thing. If you take away free will, it doesn't fix a stinking thing.

1:05:03 You're still left with these very problematic issues that somehow Christians just want to pretend la la la la la la la la. It's and just think and do you become arrogant and you just we want to shut up any questions, any struggle. We just immediately attack the person because we don't know what to do. It makes us uncomfortable. You shouldn't be uncomfortable. You should welcome the struggle, and you should put your arm around them and go. You know what, I'm right there with you. This stuff makes no stinking sense. And I'm with you and all powerful, all knowing God. And yet this is the world we have.

1:05:44 On one hand, we claim God is always intervening. On the other hand, we try to say, well, well, well, man's free will. But God is the one who gave man free will, knowing exactly what may we're going to do. And how come we have sometimes where God seems to intervene and not worry about people's free will? And why do we pray? If if God has to protect everyone's free will, then how can he interfare. I mean, there's just no matter which direction you go, it's one problem after another problem after another problem. There is no easy answer. There's only the philological reality that we claim. The Bible teaches there is a God, He is all knowing and he is all powerful. Yet here is the reality of the world in which you and I live. How do we reconcile it? Can it be reconciled? I don't know.

1:06:31 Our hope is that there will come a time that all things will be made right wonderful. Great, that's great that the end of the story says we're going to all live happily ever after. But in the meantime, I don't know how you process it. And if you go depending on your theilological circle. If you go for say the London Baptist Confession Westminster Confession, God decrees everything that comes to pass, Okay, that has massive implications. If you have God not decreeing everything comes to pass, then to God just create it and then just step back and letting everything just spiral out of control, Well then then you can't then have God intervening here or like then it makes no sense. Is God in control? Well, we can say the philologically, we would make an affirmative answer, and light of reality and the world, I think we can all say, hmm, I don't understand and I need some answers. You know what, That's perfectly okay to struggle with that. And you should be able to struggle with that, you should be able to question with that, you should be able to be uncomfortable with that, you should be very bothered by it. And you know where you should be able to do all of that inside the church.

1:07:53 But no, no, no, no, no no, don't do that because you'll get thrown out at church because you're not supposed to bring any questions because Christians will just be again condescending jerks and basically condemn you. So what did we get from all of that. I don't know if we got anything from it. I know this, we got to work on isaiahs Chapter sixty because I don't know what in the world they're doing with Isaiah sixty and all of those scriptures. They just riped them so far out of context. Nobody was providing any context. Every even in the comments. It was just throw out a scripture, throw out a scripture, throw out a scripture, and nobody like you can't. That's that's the one of the biggest issues I have with arguing with Christians. They think you can just grab a verse, just throw it out there, and you're like, well what about this verse? And then this pers like, well what about this verse? And then it's death by cross reference. You can't just play, you know, grab a shotgun andh and just send out all of the different verses and then I don't know, you supposedly when verses require context and context and context, and then you got to try to understand what it's saying, and then you gotta understand how that connects with this. It requires hours and hours and months and years of work.

1:09:11 Christians just think you just open the ball and go look at the verse, look at her I win, Like, what did you win? What did you win? I don't know. Do you need a medal? Do you need an award? Because you just ripped a verse out of context and quoted it like it Isn't it much more complicated than that, especially in a subject as difficult as this one. I've said it a million times. The most complicated verse in the entire Bible starts with the very first verse of the Bible. In the beginning God. Now, if it just stop right there, I could be okay. But it's the next part in the beginning. God created, And as soon as I start reading the word create, I want to stop and go no, no, no, don't do it, don't do it. Don't it's a bad idea. I know what happens after you say created the heavens and the earth.

1:10:01 I know what happens after, and it's just pain, suffering, death. Oh it. And it seems to end with the majority of people burning for all eternity. Yeah, it seems really confusing that God knowing exactly that the most of his creation will spend eternity burning forever. Yeah. That raises some serious questions. And again everybody said, free will. That fixes it. I feel so much better. Yeah. So the God who created gave free will, knowing exactly what would happen with free will, and still you know that's and if it's free will, then you can't have God intervene in any way that would violate free will, which then almost stops God from being able to intervene almost in any way, shape or form. Yeah, the whole thing just all right.

1:11:06 Another wonderful, uplifting episode of the Theology Central Podcast, where we are left with, well, you know what, We're left with facing a reality. And if our faith cannot handle reality, then our faith is useless because we can either have a faith where we play pretend or we can have a faith that faces reality. God bless