WHY BAD THINGS?

God gave all authority on earth to humanity (Genesis 1:28), granting us the right to rule and have dominion over it. To understand God's dealings with mankind throughout history-and in the present day-one must come to grips with the profound nature of authority and its ramifications.

God destroyed the earth once because, by the time of Noah, only one family remained who believed in and honored Him. Even after that, by the time Abraham and Sarah lived in Ur, mankind had used this God-given authority to establish the institution of human sacrifice. Servants and families of royalty were often put to death when a king died so they could accompany him into the afterlife. It was also common during times of famine, war, or other hardships for people to burn their firstborn children as sacrifices to gain the favor of their gods.

So God called Abraham out of Ur-out from under that corrupt authority-to a new place where Abraham would be the authority. Why? Because God needed Abraham (the one holding authority in this new land) to speak the words: "God will provide himself a lamb" on the way up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:8,KJV).

The words we speak carry the authority of the position we hold. This is why Jesus said to Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." (John 19:11, KJV). Did God personally put Pilate in power? No. But He had given humanity the authority to rule, and to override that would have violated His promise that we would have dominion here on earth.

This is why Scripture says: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." (Romans 13:1, KJV). Does this mean God personally selects every government? No. Quite the opposite. It is man who picks and establishes earthly governments. God has simply given us the authority to do so.

Was Hitler God's will? No-and yes. No, in that God would not have chosen Hitler. Yes, in that He gave humanity (including the Germans) the authority to make such choices if they so desired.

Jesus had a powerful encounter with a military man who deeply understood authority:

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." (Matthew 8:6-10, KJV)

Jesus equated the centurion's understanding of authority with "great faith." Understanding the profound principles of authority, along with God's promises to us, forms the foundation for comprehending God and His dealings with humanity.

So why does God allow traffic accidents? Because we do. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12, KJV). God never said building the automobile was a good idea, but He allowed us to create it because that is what we chose. This is why, every day as we go about our travels and duties, we should ask God to protect us, grant us safe journeys, tolerable weather, and success in our work. Not because we are somehow more "special" than others, but because we are special to Him-we hold authority in our families and spheres of influence because He gave it to us. Therefore, the words we speak carry real power.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue." (Proverbs 18:21, KJV)

Hitler was not God's will. He was man's will. God allowed it because of His promise to give humanity dominion on earth. Yet Hitler was eventually stopped when other nations, exercising their own God-given authority, rose up to oppose and defeat him. For some, the promise of Romans 8:28 was fulfilled: the persecution of Jews and others during the war ultimately contributed to the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland. Not for everyone, as this promise sometimes works itself out in a broader historical sense. We can hope that those who suffered and died are now at peace in a life free from such turmoil.

We do not have all the answers. However, the foundation for understanding God, His promises, His authority, and His dealings with humanity lies in grasping the principles of authority-and recognizing how our words and deeds shape reality in profound ways.

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