Hmm, Royal Priest, I think that's good, what you have shared, and with scripture I did not think of. I am more intellectual in how I see that, but you use scripture with more personal things, of what actually has happened with people, and how ones are personally praising God.
Oh, by the way, we have how things worked out for Joseph > Genesis 37-50 > how such evil was done to Joseph, yet God not only delivered Joseph from that evil, but many people were helped because of how God blessed and used Joseph . . . including rescuing his own brothers who betrayed him and their father, and then getting into family loving with them (Genesis 50:15-21). So, God in His sovereign control is bringing His children to good and being able to love any and all people while growing in family caring and sharing love . . . in spite of whatever evil is done to them > like how Paul and Timothy and Silvanus went through such hard things but stayed with being so loving > for example > 1 Thessalonians 2:6-12.
God works in and through every aspect of human activity.
Our Apostle Paul says >
"For whom he foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29)
So, predestination is mainly about having
"many brethren" for Jesus. And this includes how we will
"be conformed to His image". So, Biblical predestination is not mainly about if God decides and controls who He saves and who He doesn't. Plus, certainly predestination is not concerned with how much a human in one's own ego has free will to make choices. What matters is how our Father is so pleased with His Son Jesus, that He desires to have
"many brethren" who are pleasing to Him like Jesus is so delighting.
And Jesus is
"gentle and lowly in heart", He says in Matthew 11:28-30, and He guarantees how we
"will find rest for your souls", if we learn from Jesus. Jesus is
"gentle and lowly in heart", and part of our basic calling as children of God is how we become gentle and humble in love >
"with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2)
In such loving we are being conformed to the image of Jesus, by loving the way He loves any and all people (see also 1 John 4:17). And as we become so sacrificed to loving, we become sweetly pleasing to our Father, like Jesus >
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)
This, I understand, then, is the main focus of predestination. So, protecting Paris would not be a priority, if God is mainly about having children who are being conformed to the image of His Son Jesus. Evil, "of course", can't stop God from doing this, nor can accusing and blaming God!! So, it is not a priority, now, for God to stop evil or prove Himself to people who are just trying to judge God.
And if people are not living for God, then, it is not a number one priority to keep them from evil and how evil can effect worldly people emotionally. If we are strong in God's love, though, His almighty power of His love keeps us from fear > 1 John 4:18 > and from being hurt emotionally and spiritually > 1 Peter 3:13.
So, instead of blaming God for not preventing the Paris thing, get into Jesus and how His love makes us strong so evil can not decide how we are and what we do.
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)
