Why doesn't the Lord stop evil?

A_Thinker

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If the Lord somethings takes the righteous away to heaven to spare them from evil - why doesn't the Lord stop evil?

I don't think that I would say that the Lord takes away believers to heaven to spare them from evil ... for we certainly experience a lot f evil in our current day to day lives.

On second, thought, however, ... I can see that you are referring to the ULTIMATE separation between the good and the evil (where God is saving us from the very PRESENCE of evil).

Regarding our lives here, however, I think that to some extent, we all need to be convinced of the seriousness of evil, ... and that God wishes to recruit us into His work to resist evil.
 
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elliott95

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There is no answer I could give to that question that would be absolutely satisfactory. The reason for evil in a world created by an all-knowing all powerful, and benevolent God is a enigma wrapped up in a mystery.
Any answer I might give in the end would sound like a rationalization at some level.
So, given that evil and the resultant suffering are our phenomenological realities that we experience each and every day of our earthly existence, the only thing I can offer is that I personally would prefer to experience that kind of world with an all powerful all knowing and omnibenevolent God leading me through it, than without him. Placing our trust in such a God gives us the possibility of ultimately prevailing over evil. Otherwise there is no hope of us ever doing so.
Because evil exists, we ought to fight it to the last ounce of our strength. God is our means to do so.
 
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Soyeong

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If the Lord somethings takes the righteous away to heaven to spare them from evil - why doesn't the Lord stop evil?

There are many attributes of God that we can't learn to reflect without being overcomers. For example, we can't learn to reflect God's righteousness without overcoming sin, we can't learn to reflect God's holiness without without overcoming unholiness, we can't learn to reflect God's goodness without overcoming evil, we can't learn to reflect God's justice without overcoming injustice, we can't learn to reflect God's mercy without overcoming unforgiveness, we can't learn to reflect God's faithfulness without overcoming doubt, we can't learn to reflect God's love without overcoming hate, we can't learn to reflect God's joy without overcoming sorrow, we can't learn to reflect God's peace without overcoming greed, we can't learn to reflect God's patience without overcoming anxiety, we can't learn to reflect God's kindness without overcoming selfishness, we can't learn to reflect God's gentleness without overcoming cruelty, and we can't learn to reflect God's self-control without overcoming temptation.
 
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1watchman

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God is holy and no sin can enter into His presence; and we are born in sin by the malady from Genesis 2. God is allowing man to choose Him, since man chose to sin in the beginning. We have a free will to choose God, for He is not looking for more Angel types who always obey and serve God. He wants children who will return love to their Father (as any parent would want). If we choose to continue to indulge self and ignore our Creator-God, we will surely perish. There is life eternal in the Lord Jesus, God's "...beloved Son" (see John 14). Choose life in Christ or choose eternal condemnation in self-will.
 
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Tolworth John

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If the Lord somethings takes the righteous away to heaven to spare them from evil - why doesn't the Lord stop evil?
For them same reason that God doesn't just make us all Christian.

God wants us to freely worship and serve him. He does not want robots.

The downside is that people are free to reject all that is good and to do evil things.

Please realise the greatest evil deed is not harming children or mass murder or rape, but rejecting Jesus.

All evil deeds follow from this.
 
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DreamerOfTheHeart

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If the Lord somethings takes the righteous away to heaven to spare them from evil - why doesn't the Lord stop evil?

Heaven comes to earth.

Revelation well describes that detail, and the details surrounding the change over the earth.

Across the testaments, there are many details on these matters. It is in code, but you can find it. As for the concept of God's graciousness, this is deeply covered in Jonah, from beginning to end.

God is the parent of everyone. Good and bad. Light and dark. God lives in a place where there is no dark and no light. We see these polarities so strongly... way, way long ago to where God is, far, far away in the Heavenlies.

So, as God is the parent of everyone, be they heavenly or earthly, God will certainly have each and every one of them know a better tomorrow.

By how much should be the question.
 
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Liza B.

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If the Lord somethings takes the righteous away to heaven to spare them from evil - why doesn't the Lord stop evil?

I can't say it any better than C.S. Lewis did in "Mere Christianity", when he was writing about why God doesn't "invade"--that is, interfere more directly to stop evil. Lewis was himself a "devout" atheist before he met the Lord. I would recommend Mere Christianity to you highly.

“God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else - something it never entered your head to conceive - comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.”
 
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ViaCrucis

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If the Lord somethings takes the righteous away to heaven to spare them from evil - why doesn't the Lord stop evil?

Well, fundamentally speaking, the Lord has and will. That's why we confess Jesus Christ crucified, risen, ascended into the heavens and seated at the right hand of God the Father, and coming again.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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KiteRider

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The lord stands back in merciful respect of evildoers as the perfect judges not
The creator son is loving of all his creation in this universe and will plea mercy for his erring sons
You must have faith in the fairness of our universe
There needs to be sufficient time lag of adjudication of justice for possibility of repentance and rehabilitation
When any judgement is finally passed by the heaven's judges you can rest assure that it will be in so fair as to be wholeheartedly accepted by the sinner him/her self
 
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