“I Make Peace And Create Evil”

We are 8 months into the pandemic. It’s not easy for everyone with business shutting down, travel coming to a halt, and more people losing their jobs each day. So with such terrible event and repercussions happening, we will always be brought to a burning question, i.e. Is God involved in bringing about these events? Now, it’s easy for us to give thanks during peace and prosperity and attribute them to God’s doing, but not so during chaos and conflicts, or when calamities and sufferings are involved.

Now, I would say the church as a whole, or at least in this part of the world has been through a few prosperous decades. And what arises out of that is that unknowingly believers have gotten used to accept things that are pleasing to the heart as doings of God. We see people praising God for having good jobs, having their investments grow, or for having healthy bodies and likewise. But with things that are not pleasing to our hearts, we tend to attribute that to Satan or to some evil people. And that’s why nowadays, we have an erroneous doctrine in the church where pastors and teachers of the word deny that God will actually inflict pain and illness. They deny that God can actually send calamity and disasters. To them, everything that seems negative just cannot be from God, for that would mean God is evil. They would only claim health and wealth, and the seemingly good things in life to be from God. And as a result of that, believers taught by these people begin to think erroneously that the favor of God means having good things happen to them only.

Now, I would say this is disastrous if a whole generation of believers who are made to believe that kind of Christianity. We will end up having a generation of believers always claiming their rights to good health, longevity and prosperity, but constantly praying against the work of Satan when diseases and calamity struck. And the result of that is we will not have a generation of people coming to God in true repentance and get their act right when unfortunate events happen. Rather, they will keep telling themselves to believe the false promise of peace and prosperity, just like in the days of Jeremiah, when the false prophets continue to preach peace even when the people of God engaged in injustice and idolatry.

Now my brethren, when we’re 8 months into the pandemic, with churches closed and many believers not being fed spiritually, we have to confront the crux of this matter, i.e. we have to ask what is God doing through this pandemic? What is God asking of us in this reality?

Is it to keep praying about not losing our job? Or is it to keep praying against the danger of the virus? Or is it about time to restore an unadulterated gospel in the church, so that believers can be brought to the true knowledge of God?

Now honestly, I don’t have a doubt that God is actively involved in this pandemic. The doctrine of God’s providence tells us clearly that God is actively involved in everything that happened in this universe, including the work of evil and calamities. Now, God doesn’t bring about evil, but HE is definitely involved in allowing these evils to work, and sometimes even actively causing disasters and calamities. But why? Simply to bring about true repentance and healing to His people, I would say. Now, let us not be surprised when I say that. Because that is exactly what the providence of God tells us. Now, maybe let’s turn to a part of the scripture to have a clearer idea of this truth. Let’s turn to

<Isaiah 45:5-7> I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster (You may be surprised to know KJV says: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil); I, the Lord, do all these things.

Now, I supposed this is one of the verses that is the hardest to explain.

First, the main message that God is emphasizing here is that there is one God who determines everything and puts everything in place. He is definitely not a passive spectator who sees how human performs and only intervene when HE needs to? Neither is HE a God who leaves certain things to chance or fate? No. He is totally involved. So an authentic Christian belief should not see anything apart from God’s doing. In fact, God is the author of everything, we should go to Him to seek solace and strength in these times.

But that may prompt a critical question now. Some may ask: “So if God is the author of everything, is He the author of sin? Is He the one who actively caused good angels and Adam to sin?” Now, the straightforward answer to that question is NO! Because God, being all good and benevolent, has never created any creature to be evil and malevolent. He has never put a prideful inclination in angels. He has never created rebellious, lustful or murderous tendencies in human beings. Yet, when angels and men choose to separate themselves from the good and benevolent God, evilness come into being. So with that, God, being good and righteous will have to exercise judgment in the face of evil. So there comes this verse which is very contentious. i.e. <v7>: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil. Now, we’ve no issue when God created light and make peace. But we’re puzzled when God said: I created darkness and evil.

Now, listen my brethren, what we must understand about this verse is God did not create the original darkness and evil. God did not put a dark and evil intent in Lucifer or Adam which cause them to sin. But after sin enter into this world where every inclination of man’s thoughts is evil, God created darkness and evil in the form of disasters, calamities, plagues, viruses, and including what we’re having now in this pandemic, to bring judgment to the sins of men.

Now, some pastors will say: “Oh, these are meant for the unbelievers. It shouldn’t happen to Christians, for our sins are forgiven”. No my brethren, that’s neither the right doctrine nor application about redemption. Disasters, calamities and plagues can befall anyone on this sinful planet, but for Christians (if we’re asking about Christians who die of Covid_19 or any sickness, or disasters), let me say they DO NOT die because of condemnation of judgment. Their lives are taken away for a good cause, where God ended their suffering, or brought them to a better place, or caused a greater good to happen because of their demise. Whatever it is, it is never because of judgment, but for the greater good. As I’ve always share, Covid_19 struck our church, but we emerge stronger after that. In fact, more than 90% of our members come back to church now through multiple services. And we even have God seekers who called to ask if they could join our services. In elsewhere, some other countries which we’ve been in touched, I’ve heard true believers coming together to pray and encourage one another despite restrictions. They saw the value of gathering, and magnify faith that transcend the world. Now, how I hope believers in Christ really share that sentiments.  

But coming back, when God says he created darkness and evil. Let us not be surprised. That’s because we’ve a good and righteous God, who uses darkness and evil in the form of disasters, calamities, plagues, virus, even the hands of evil men to bring judgment upon this world. He could even use that to chasten His people. So, as His church, let us be all the more humble during this pandemic. Let us go to God to seek mercy for ourselves and our brethren. Let us rid ourselves of all idolatrous worship of God. Let us rid ourselves of all sins that entangles and live in obedience to Him. If the Church, which is the priest of the nations, knows how to repent, God will surely relent and quickly bring about restoration.