DOES GOD REALLY EXIST?
WRITTEN BY JACO VAN AS FOR JESUS TO MY RESCUE MINISTRIES
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INDEX
Section A:
My perception about the existence of God and the truthiness of the Bible. I also give a few good verses from the Bible for you to look at. I further discuss the true meaning of trust.
These are topics I am covering in this e-book:
Do you ever ask yourself these questions?
1. Is the Bible a true story, especially since it is so old?
2. Does God really exist?
3. If He really exists, why is He punishing us so much and so hard?
4. If you do believe in God, do you always trust him?
Section B:
Articles written by other people regarding the existence of God and the trueness of the Bible.
Section A
Do you really believe in God? Do you ever ask yourself these questions? Is the Bible a true story, especially since it is so old? Does God really exist? If He really exists, why is He punishing us so much and so hard? If you do believe in God, do you always trust him?
All these questions are real and millions of people around the world ask themselves these questions on a daily basis. There are also millions of people who DON’T ask these questions and they are the ones who truly believe in God. Now you may ask if this means that if you do have these questions in your mind on a regular basis means that you don’t believe in Him. Lets look at the questions one by one and you will then get an answer to this questions.
Is the Bible a true story, especially since it is so old?
A few days ago a Christian told me that she got involved with a discussion on this topic and struggled to “proof” to the others that the Bible is real. She also mentioned that the others in the group said that they do believe in God but don’t really know if the events that took place as stipulated in the Bible is real. They claimed that the Bible is so old and were written by people and not by God Himself which could be proof that the Bible might not be as correct as we as Christians today think it is.
If you are having the same thoughts today then I would like to ask you a few questions:
1. Have you ever watched movies based on true events from the past? Were you touched by those stories? Do you truly believe that the events portrayed in those movies are real?
2. There is also lots of true stories which dates back hundreds and even more than a thousand years of which some portrays acts of heroism, such as Vasco De Gama, Wolraad Woltemade and Racheltjie de Beer. There are of cause many more of these stories from around the world! Do you believe that these are real?
3. How about stories of our planets history which also dates back hundreds and also thousands of years, such as the existence of dinosaurs, evolution of mankind, the ice age or more recent ones like Jan van Riebeeck who arrived in the Cape Town in 1652. Do you think these are real?
I can actually go on like this for hours giving you names and events that took place hundreds and thousands of years ago which most of us believe in and find very interesting and in most cased are even being taught about at school. Now I would like to ask you the following questions:
1. Do you believe in these stories and events?
2. Who wrote them?
3. Were you there when it happened?
4. Did the people who were directly involved in those events and stories wrote it themselves?
I am sure that in most cases people would say that they do believe in those stories and events and also that it was humans who wrote them. I am also sure that you would agree with me that most of those stories weren’t written by the people who were directly involved in the events. What makes the stories written about in the Bible any different from any other story we believe in? My friends, the difference is that the stories in the Bible is Holy and the others are not! The biggest difference is that fact that it cannot do any harm if you don’t believe in them but by not believing in the Bible can keep you away from eternal life with God!
Why would you believe in stories told by humans which has nothing to do with religion but once the discussion around the Bible comes up then you don’t believe in that as well and talk it down as being nonsense? Maybe it is because you do not want to face the truth, maybe your are so caught up in your own earthly life that you simply don’t want to accept the reality around it, maybe you have fallen so deeply into sin that you are to blind to see the reality or maybe you do believe in the Bible but don’t want to show your friends that you do.
Whatever the reason may be, it is time to face the truth my friends, it is time that you open your eyes and stop searching for reasons why it cannot be true. In business terms we say time is money but today I am telling you time is what could be the deciding factor between you and Heaven so stop wasting time and stop making excuses for not believing in the Bible. The stories in the Bible is true and if you truly believe in God then you would not question it either. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Does God really exist?
I want you to think about what I said regarding the trueness of the Bible as this will also help you deal with this question. I would however like to go a step further to help you deal with this issue.
Scientist, well most of them, don’t believe in God and have all kind of theories on how our planet and also the universe were formed. They also use a lot of different theories to try and proof the existence of mankind, animals, formation of clouds, thunder, the sun, moon, other planets, stars, water, volcano’s or any other thing that may exist. I must admit that I do believe in some of these theories but more so believe that even for those theories to be real, Someone had to make it happen!
Lets say you are sitting right next to me now and we are having a conversation and suddenly I ask you to look at something behind you. While you do this I place a bag with R1 million in front of you and then when you turn back facing me you ask where the bag of money came from. I then start to explain to you that there was some funny formation of dust and it just got bigger and bigger and the next moment the bag of money just appeared in front of me. I could also say that the bag of money just fell from the sky or maybe even that I just went out and picked the notes
from a tree standing outside. Would you believe my theory? Of cause you wont! You will tell me that I am talking nonsense and you would tell me that someone had to put it there, right?
My friends, there might have been a big bang, a huge explosion which caused the universe to be created but don’t you think that Someone had to make that big bang happen? Well that Someone my friends is God, He created this universe, He is the one who created man kind, got the clouds to gather and pour water out of it, got the clouds to create a chemical and electric reaction so that thunder and lightning can come from it, created the sea and mountains. You are correct to believe that something had to happen to create these things but you also need to believe that
Someone had to make those things happen in order for it to be created. God is the Creator of all things! If you would make the time to read the Bible you will understand our existence and creation so much better and you will then truly believe in God which in turn will get you to never ask such questions again. I can promise you today that if you read the Bible and open yourself up to receive the Word, then you will believe! All the proof is in the Bible!
If He really exists, why is He punishing us so much and so hard?
A lot of people say that they do believe in God but do not practice the Christian religion because they feel that God is unfair and don’t care about humanity. They base their decision on the suffering of human kind here on earth and feel that they do not want to pray to a such a God. I have seen well known singers and actors who base their believes on this theory. May I say that this is exactly what it is, a theory. Everyone thinking this way would have their own reasons, maybe it is due to loosing a wife, husband or child, maybe the reasons are financially driven or maybe they once again just want to deny that God is the King of the universe!
I do understand that people go through lots of challenges in life, people close to them die, nature disasters happen all over the world claiming thousands of lives and some loose their jobs, others loose everything but my question to you today is can we blame God for everything that happens? Do things not sometimes happen based on our own decisions me take and the choices we make? Our God is a fare God my friend and if you do things in your life, take risks and act in a manner God does not want us to act then we cannot blame him for our problems! God does punish us, yes indeed, he sometimes do this to an individual and sometimes a whole nation. This has happened since the beginning of time and all over the Bible you will read how God has warned the people on this earth about the wrong they do and that nations will be punished for their sins. How many times in our lives today have we been warned? Do we live a true life the way He wants us or do we simply ignore it and continue to sin?
How can you blame God if He has warned you time and time again but yet you simply don’t care. How many people and nations asked God for things but then end up “leaving” him once they got what they wanted? Then these same people want to say that God is unfair, no my friends God is fair, he is always fair! How many people have been shown the way of eternal life but just ignore it and continue to sin and when God puts challenges on your path and punish them, then they end up blaming God and say He is cruel? Another factor to keep in mind is that God has put us on this earth on a temporary basis and He did this so that we can work for Him. How many of us do this? God also told us that we will die and then enjoy eternal life with Him if we follow him. This my friends means that we cannot live forever, not on earth that is. Can you even imagine what this earth would look like if nobody had to die, all the people that has been around since the beginning of time?
Then also, why would I want to live here on earth for ever if I can be in Heaven enjoying the company of my Lord and others whom have also passed on to eternal life. God also sometimes do things we don’t understand, well not right away. If you are having problems or had problems in the past which is not maybe related to you being punished, please don’t be mad with God. He has a plan and His plan is always one that will be best for you and sometimes we have to grow into that plan and the growing process can be painful. Please understand that you cannot fight against this as this is what God wants for you and He can see into the future which you cant. He will always do what is best for you.
How many times in your life have you gone trough difficult times and once when you back on your feet again then you realise that it actually was for the best and you then suddenly understand why it had to happen. Be patient my friend, be patient as God is helping you to grow! If you fight this process God has put in place then YOU are the one who decided to do it and if things gets worst then you cannot turn around and blame Him for it! My friends, whether you been punished, in a growing stage or have lost someone close to you, please understand that God do this because He knows what is best for you and he does it because he LOVES you! If you are being punished then wake up and change your life! It only takes one prayer to be forgiven and then for your life to be changed around and be changed for the good.
You do not need to live like this! ONCE AGAIN, YOU HAVE A CHOICE, MAKE IT AND THEN LIVE IT BUT ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF! You have the choice to walk with
Jesus or continue your life and face the risk of punishment. But if you decide not to walk with Jesus then don’t blame God when things doesn’t go your way! If you living with Jesus in your live you will still go through challenges and change because God has a plan for you as I mentioned before. He will take you through a growing process so that you can be better off at the end. The difference here is that if you have Jesus in your life then you will go through these challenges so much easier, understand them and not end up giving up on live! Trust me when I say this, as there are millions of people around the world who can testify this.
There is a song called “I did it my way” and I must say I don’t really like it that much as this is exactly the reason so many people and nations go through so many pain, because they want to do it their way. Individuals say they want to do what they want and nobody is going to stop them, leaders of nations say they will do and lead the way they want, but when their plans end up failing then they are first to blame God. If you want to do it your way then you must take the responsibilities of your choices and face the consequences it may bring. Whatever you do, don’t do it your way only, make sure that God is included in your plan and you will be certain not to fail and if things do go wrong then God will protect you and help you grow into something even bigger and better!
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Do you really trust God?
When this question is asked to Christians, most will say they do really trust God but then I ask again; do you REALLY trust Him. It is so easy for us to say that we trust in the Lord when we are not challenged but what happens if God takes us out of our comfort zone and we loose our job, house, a close relative or just experiencing lots of challenges in our lives? Many people loose faith in God in these times and end up blaming Him instead of talking to Him and asking Him to help. It is in these times that you are tested and where God can see if you REALLY trust Him. How do you respond; do you get aggressive, take it out on your wife, husband or child, stop going to church, sit and sulk each day or maybe you even thinking about taking your own life?
Let me give you another scenario. What if you get a clear message from God to sell everything you have and then work for Him and that He will then take care of you. Would you believe that, would you trust God completely in such a why that he will provide financially and put food on your table? My friends, if you say you believe in God then you must do so unconditionally and be able to be happy each day of your life, no matter what challenges you may have. You need to be grateful and happy and not end up blaming everyone else or even God for your problems, nor should you take it out on them!
Trust means nothing if it is not put into action. My final message to you in this e-book is to trust God unconditionally! He knows you better than anyone else and he will NEVER leave you alone or let you deal with challenges you cannot overcome. Don’t turn your back on Him, rather talk to Him and ask him to help you, then believe that you already overcame your challenges and praise the Lord for the solutions he provided. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11: 23 – 24
Section B
Other Interesting Articles on the existence of the Bible and God
IS THE BIBLE TRUE? (by Matthew Elton)
It is a common misconception that the Bible was “twisted” over the years because of errors in copying and translation. But ask any archaeologist and he’ll tell you this is wrong. The Bible has not been twisted at all. It’s the same today as it was when it was first written. Archaeological evidence proves the Bible’s historical accuracy. In fact, no archaeological discoveries have ever contradicted the Bible. More than 14,000 ancient Old Testament manuscripts have been found, and they all match with 99.5% accuracy. More than 5,300 ancient copies of the New Testament have been discovered, 800 of which date back to before 1000 A.D. The earliest existing New Testament manuscripts were copied from the originals just sixty years after Christ.
This archaeological evidence proves that the Bible is far more reliable then even the writings of ancient Greek and Roman historians on which we base our understanding of the history of that era.
Consider how William Shakespeare wrote many plays in the 1600s, yet only 37 remain, and of those 37, every one has gaps in the text that have been filled in by scholars, or disputed lines of text between manuscripts. 643 ancient copies of Homer’s “Iliad” have been discovered, yet these copies contain 764 lines of disputed text. Now consider that Julius Caesar, Pliny the Younger, Thucydides, Herodotus all made records of historical events, yet only a few copies of their original writings remain, and they date centuries after the original manuscripts were written. On the other hand, 5300 ancient copies of the New Testament remain, they contain less than fifty lines of disputed text, and the earliest copy dates just sixty years after the original manuscripts were written.
The Bible is by far the most historically accurate ancient book in existence. Our modern English versions of the Bible are not translations of copies of copies of copies. They are translations directly from the earliest manuscripts. The only errors they would contain are translation errors. But the fact that we have many different English translations and they all say the same thing shows that translation errors are a very rare occurrence. And if you’re really paranoid about translation errors you can always learn the Hebrew and Greek and purchase a Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. Because these are the languages that the Old Testament and New Testament were originally written in, they will be free from all translation errors. I know several people at my church who are fluent in both Hebrew and Greek and study the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible diligently.
Finally, the Bible contains thousands of prophecies that were fulfilled exactly as the prophecies predicted. For instance, the prophet Isaiah predicted the coming of Cyrus the Great (founder of the Persian Empire) two centuries in advanced, and even predicted that his name would be Cyrus. The book of Ezekiel predicted the destruction of Tyre centuries in advance. The book of Ezekiel also predicted that the Jews would leave Israel and disperse across the globe, which happened when the Roman Empire conquered Israel shortly in the first century A.D. It was also prophesied that the Jews would return to Israel, which happened in 1948 when Israel was reformed. Perhaps the most amazing prophecies of the Old Testament are those regarding the life of Jesus.
Just in Isaiah 53, there are twenty-five different prophecies regarding the messiah that were all fulfilled by Jesus. For instance, Old Testament prophecy accurately predicted that Jesus would be born a virgin, crucified, and raised from the dead three days later. The fulfilment of these prophecies is proven not only by the New Testament but by many other writings of that time period, including the records of Roman historians. What’s really amazing is that five hundred years before the birth of Christ, Daniel accurately predicted the exact year that Jesus would be crucified. Lastly, the sixty six books of the Bible were written by forty different people who lived in completely different cultures, places, and time periods. Yet the Bible never contradicts itself. Never. If you think you’ve found a contradiction in the Bible, just let me know and I’ll be happy to disprove it for you. Clearly, the Bible was written by many writers but one author. God.
Does God exist? Here are six straight-forward reasons to believe that God is really there. (By Marilyn Adamson)
Just once wouldn’t you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for God’s existence? No arm-twisting. No statements of, “You just have to believe.” Well, here is an attempt to candidly offer some of the reasons which suggest that God exists. But first consider this. If a person opposes even the possibility of there being a God, then any evidence can be rationalized or explained away. It is like if someone refuses to believe that people have walked on the moon, then no amount of information is going to change their thinking. Photographs of astronauts walking on the moon, interviews with the astronauts, moon rocks…all the evidence would be worthless, because the person has already concluded that people cannot go to the moon.
When it comes to the possibility of God’s existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God.On the other hand, for those who want to know God if he is there, he says, “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you.” Before you look at the facts surrounding God’s existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know him? Here then, are some reasons to consider…
Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today. Many examples showing God’s design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few: The Earth…its size is perfect. The Earth’s size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.3
Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.
The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth’s position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.
And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.
Water…colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You’ll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life: It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating
temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees. Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be
carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.
Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees. Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter. Ninety-seven percent of the Earth’s water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.
The human brain…simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands. The human brain processes more than a million messages a second.
Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people. The eye…can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages — simultaneously. Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain — the start of living organisms from non living matter.
Does God exist? The universe had a start – what caused it? Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists: the beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself. Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, “The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into
being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion…The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen.”
Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this explosion, “the universe was about a hundred thousands million degrees Centigrade…and the universe was filled with light.” The universe has not always existed. It had a start…what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter. Does God exist? The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it? Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn’t change — on earth or in galaxies far from us.
How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable? “The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn’t have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence.”
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, “Why nature is mathematical is a mystery…The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle.” Does God exist? The DNA code informs, programs a cell’s behavior. All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this:
110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It’s made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billions of these letters in every human cell!!
Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billionlettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual. Why is this so amazing? One has to ask….how did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are chemicals that instruct, that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person’s body should develop. Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.
Does God exist? We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him. I was an atheist at one time. And like most atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don’t believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people…to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive.
As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life. I didn’t realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn’t escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God’s existence, my prayer began with, “Ok, you win…” It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.
I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, “I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued.” C.S. Lewis said he remembered, “…night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England.”
Lewis went on to write a book titled, “Surprised by Joy” as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God’s existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me. 6. Does God exist? Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God revealing himself to us. Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you’ll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did.
That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you’re looking at him. Though he talked about his Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in him, believed in the Father. He said, “I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give
people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not say, “follow my words and you will find truth.” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.”
What proof did Jesus give for claiming to be divine? He did what people can’t do. Jesus performed miracles. He healed people…blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead. He had power over objects…created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people. He performed miracles over nature…walked on top of a lake, commanding a raging storm to stop for some friends. People everywhere followed Jesus, because he constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous. He said if you do not want to believe what I’m telling you, you should at least believe in me based on the miracles you’re seeing.
Jesus Christ showed God to be gentle, loving, aware of our self-centeredness and shortcomings, yet deeply wanting a relationship with us. Jesus revealed that although God views us as sinners, worthy of his punishment, his love for us ruled and God came up with a different plan. God himself took on the form of man and accepted the punishment for our sin on our behalf. Sounds ludicrous? Perhaps, but many loving fathers would gladly trade places with their child in a cancer ward if they could. The Bible says that the reason we would love God is because he first loved us. Jesus died in our place so we could be forgiven. Of all the religions known to humanity, only through Jesus will you see God reaching toward humanity, providing a way for us to have a relationship with him. Jesus proves a divine heart of love, meeting our needs, drawing us to himself. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, he offers us a new life today.
We can be forgiven, fully accepted by God and genuinely loved by God. He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”18 This is God, in action. Does God exist? If you want to know, investigate Jesus Christ. We’re told that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God does not force us to believe in him, though he could. Instead, he has provided sufficient proof of his existence for us to willingly respond to him. The earth’s perfect distance from the sun, the unique chemical properties of water, the human brain, DNA, the number of people who attest to knowing God, the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there, the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ.
If you want to begin a relationship with God now, you can. This is your decision, no coercion here. But if you want to be forgiven by God and come into a relationship with him, you can do so right now by asking him to forgive you and come into your life. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him [or her].” If you want to do this, but aren’t sure how to put it into words, this may help: “Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. You know my life and that I need to be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me right now and come into my life. I want to know you in a real way. Come into my life now. Thank you that you wanted a relationship with me. Amen.”
God views your relationship with him as permanent. Referring to all those who believe in him, Jesus Christ said of us, “I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.” Why so much suffering?
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There is a biblical explanation to this long-asked question. It involves Satan’s implied challenge to God’s right to rule humanity when he tempted Eve in Genesis. He intimated that God was unrightfully withholding something from the woman and also implied that God was a liar when he said that she would die if she ate the forbidden fruit. Satan also made her believe she would be free and independent from God, becoming like God herself. Satan in effect raised himself higher than God in Eve’s eyes, and by accepting his offer, both Adam and Eve showed that they did not want God’s guidance in matters of right and wrong. Instead of responding to this challenge by beating Satan to death, God decided to give him and humanity a chance to prove that they does not need God to guide them. As we see in chapter 6 of Genesis, Satan’s angels came to the earth and filled it with violence and wickedness, only to return to spirit form when the floodwaters came.
Understandably, God did not allow them to occupy their former positions as his servants in heaven, but he did let them exist in the heavenly realm for several thousand years. At the other end of the bible, in Revelation we read that Satan and his angels were eventually kicked out of heaven by Jesus and his angels. Chapter 12 and verse 12 says: “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
So basically Satan is maneuvering things, doing what he can to turn mankind away from God and prove him a liar before he is abyssed and eventually destroyed, and in the meantime God is letting him carry on and show himself up as a liar himself because, as we can see, humankind has made a bit of mess of the earth thus far. “But why not just destroy Satan in the first place?” you may ask. God could have done this and avoided all the chaos and misery we know today, but it wouldn’t really have proved anything. Anyone could rise up afterward and say “hey, you didn’t give that guy a chance to prove he might be right after all,” and so God would look a bit silly and nobody would like him.
In summary, God exists, and he isn’t evil or powerless – he’s just waiting.