God and Pain

A Study Prepared for Rachel Hyman

September 3, 2006

The purpose of this paper is to address some serious concerns of Sister Rachel Hyman regarding the providences of
God. There are four specific questions that she raised in a private conversation with me on Sunday, September 03,
2006.

First, Why would God create human life (or angels, for that matter) in view of the fact that so much misery and
suffering would be the lot of some of them. Or, more particularly, why did God create those to whom it would fall to
suffer a great deal and then to rise in the wrong resurrection?

Second, How, or why, does God allow certain atrocities? How, or why, does He permit certain unprovoked affliction
and disaster?

Third, How can I be confident in God (in prayer, or in life) in view of the occurrences of these things, or in view of
certain conditions-met-yet-non-granted prayers?

Fourth, What is the boundary between chance and Providence? How can I know, for example, whether a misfortune in
my life is for my good or is against my good?

The Answers

It is tempting to start answering these questions with philosophy and human reasoning. Good answers exist even in
these barren and typically unproductive fields.

But let us begin with the Word of God and a review of some major principles.

1. Not everything that can be known has been revealed to us. The things that are revealed have a purpose—
to motivate and inform our obedience.

The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us
and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. De 29:29

2. God is love. His thoughts toward us are love. His gift to us reveals self-sacrificing love. His love toward
even his enemies sets him apart from human love-my-own standards.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one
another. . . . And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 Jo 4:9-16

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your
Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain
on the just and on the unjust. Matt 5:44-45.

If we come to the question, "why did God create?", we are given a Biblical answer. We were created to reveal God's
glorious character and to provide Him pleasure. Is 43:7; Re 4:11.

Putting these thoughts together we have "God's character will be revealed through the results of His creation. He loves
us and sacrifices for us and delights in fellowshipping with His creatures."

To answer the problem of sin was, interestingly enough, the purpose of the writing of the book "The Great
Controversy."

To unfold the scenes of the great controversy between truth and error; to reveal the wiles of Satan, and
the means by which he may be successfully resisted; to present a satisfactory solution of the great
problem of evil, shedding such a light upon the origin and the final disposition of sin as to fully make
manifest the justice and benevolence of God in all his dealings with his creatures; and to show the holy,
unchanging nature of his law, is the object of this book. That through its influence souls may be
 delivered from the power of darkness, and become "partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,"
to the praise of Him who loved us, and gave himself for us, is the earnest prayer of the writer. GC88 h.3

So, if I were to suggest a comprehensive answer, it would be to read the book.

But a shorter, and thus less "satisfactory" solution I will attempt here. But first, an observation of the most direct
passage found in that book on the topic.

To many minds, the origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a source of great perplexity.
They see the work of evil, with its terrible results of woe and desolation, and they question how all this
can exist under the sovereignty of One who is infinite in wisdom, in power, and in love. Here is a
mystery, of which they find no explanation. And in their uncertainty and doubt, they are blinded to
truths plainly revealed in God's Word, and essential to salvation. There are those who, in their
inquiries concerning the existence of sin, endeavor to search into that which God has never revealed;
hence they find no solution of their difficulties; and such as are actuated by a disposition to doubt and
cavil, seize upon this as an excuse for rejecting the words of Holy Writ. Others, however, fail of a
satisfactory understanding of the great problem of evil, from the fact that tradition and
misinterpretation have obscured the teaching of the Bible concerning the character of God, the nature
of his government, and the principles of his dealing with sin. {GC88 492.1}
It is impossible to so explain the origin of sin as to give a reason for its existence. Yet enough may be
understood concerning both the origin and the final disposition of sin, to fully make manifest the
justice and benevolence of God in all his dealings with evil. Nothing is more plainly taught in Scripture
than that God was in nowise responsible for the entrance of sin; that there was no arbitrary
withdrawal of divine grace, no deficiency in the divine government, that gave occasion for the uprising
of rebellion. Sin is an intruder, for whose presence no reason can be given. It is mysterious,
unaccountable; to excuse it, is to defend it. Could excuse for it be found, or cause be shown for its
existence, it would cease to be sin. Our only definition of sin is that given in the Word of God; it is "the
transgression of the law;" it is the outworking of a principle at war with the great law of love which is
the foundation of the divine government. {GC88 492.2}

In short, God created the universe as a law-abiding habitation. It was happy that way. All was beautiful. And it will be
happy again that way—all wonderful and beautiful.

Yet the existence of sin today and the prosperity of wicked men and the suffering of good men has perplexed even
prophets—namely, Asaph, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk.

Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments:
Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very
treacherously? Jeremiah 12:1

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the
foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. . . . They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning
oppression: they speak loftily. . . And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the
most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Ps 73:2-12

Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast
ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. Thou art
of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them
that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more
righteous than he? Hab 1:12-13.

And at one time young Ellen Harmon herself almost lost confidence in God over suffering that He allowed.

Catholic pictures of persecution and burning should be kept out of our publications. It is enough to
read of these wicked deeds without trying to bring them, in all their terrible details, before the eyes.
When I was a child, Fox's Book of Martyrs was given me to read. I saw the pictures representing
various horrible acts of cruelty. I could scarcely eat or sleep. Day and night I was passing through the
horrors, identifying myself with the suffering ones. I almost lost confidence in God because He allowed
such things. It was a long time before I could overcome the impression made on my mind. Whenever
the Book of Martyrs, or any other book of like illustrations, finds its way into my library, I hide it, that
no child may be caused to suffer as I did. Such pictures do not increase faith.--Lt 18, 1897. {PM 217.1}
Before we get to God's answers (for God answered each of those men), let us make a few more observations.

We have some insight into the comparative nature of temporal pain and eternal reward from the perspective of those
that have experienced both.

We all went under the tree and sat down to look at the glory of the place, when Brethren Fitch and
Stockman, [SEE APPENDIX.] who had preached the gospel of the kingdom, and whom God had laid
in the grave to save them, came up to us and asked us what we had passed through while they were
sleeping. We tried to call up our greatest trials, but they looked so small compared with the far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory that surrounded us that we could not speak them out, and we all
cried out, "Alleluia, heaven is cheap enough!" and we touched our glorious harps and made heaven's
arches ring. EW 17.2

Heaven will be cheap enough if we obtain it through suffering. . . . As I saw what we must be in order to
inherit glory, and then saw how much Jesus had suffered to obtain for us so rich an inheritance, I
prayed that we might be baptized into Christ's sufferings, that we might not shrink at trials, but bear
them with patience and joy, knowing what Jesus had suffered that we through His poverty and
sufferings might be made rich. CG 567.1

These statements were made by a princess of suffering. Life-long dizzy spells and inability to concentrate, repeated
prostrations, deaths of young children and then of dearest husband leaving her to 39 years of widowhood; called as a
shy girl to spend her life confronting strong argumentative men that hated her; called to endure decades of malicious
lies that turned even scores of her dearest friends to be her enemy; spending many years in constant "agony"—this was
Ellen White who wrote after it all that her trials "looked so small" when compared with glory.

Antiabortion activists have an ally in the form of a botched abortion. A certain lady, the ally, was dismembered in the
womb as per usual abortion techniques. She did not, however, perish with the dismembering. She was born without the
compliment of a complete set of arms and legs.

Her testimony is that she is so glad for the chance to live. She is thankful that her mother's wishes and reasoning in
regard to her birth were not the final say-so on her earthly existence.

Another observation: The issue of evil and sin and "why" is dark enough, mysterious enough, troubling enough, deep
enough, that one third of loving perfect twice-bright angels couldn't wade through it. They chose to rebel. Now, 6000
years later, those that chose to remain loyal to God are happy they have remained loyal. They delight in His judgments.
They exalt his ways.

And those that turned against Him have become regular nincompoops. They take delight in the sinister. They joy in
causing me pain. Something in their thinking process has resulted in seriously corrupting them. From the state of the
angels I can see where the two ideas "God is just" and "God is unjust" lead, even before I can make out which is true.

And now a final observation before we get to the Bible answer given to the three prophets:

God's choices were limited. He could create or not create. As one of the redeemed ones, I am SO glad that He did
create. When He created, He could create intelligent moral agents or very warm and complimentary fleshy computers.
We say He had this choice. But when we look at His object in creation from Isaiah and Revelation, it really rules out
the latter option.

Some people can see these things but stumble over the question, "Why did God create the beings that He knew would
fall and be lost?" (i.e., why not just neglect to create Lucifer?)

While this question is too heady for us (we can't begin to calculate "what-if's" of this magnitude and must trust One that
can see the future and that can calculate them), we can get further than we have with the simple thought that God is
honest.

If God said "all of you angels are free either to obey or to rebel and begin dying" after looking into the future and
punishing one-third of them with pre-creation abortion, He would never get caught. But He would be dishonest. It
would be the same business precisely as if He had caused all evil angels to vaporize the moment they rebelled and then
had simultaneously erased a memory of their existence from the minds of all loyal angels. It would be dishonest
handling of sin—a handling that might never be detected, but that would also never cultivate trust or promote love or
protect from another fall. We can't even say if it would, in the final analysis, leave any beings in the universe.
But all of this reasoning is almost non-sense when compared with scripture. I only bring it up to show that reasoning
can plant a man on the right side of the coin as well as you have already learned that other reasoning plants men on the
wrong side.

Satan still suggests wicked and dark answers and questions. We must realize, when approaching the topic of evaluating
God, that we are on holy ground. If we are not to accept an accusation against an elder except in the presence of two or
three witnesses, what should we require before accepting an accusing thought against our Creator? Satan's whispers
into my mind are not justification enough for doubting.

Now to the Biblical answers:

While God gave Asaph and Habakkuk a somewhat involved answer that will help us much, His answer to Jeremiah was
quite different and equally helpful.

If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with
horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in
the swelling of Jordan? Jer 12:5

As I understand the verse, Jehovah said "Jeremiah, you have serious trials coming in your life. If you are perplexed by
dark questions that you can't understand, what are you going to do when serious trials like death-for-faithfulness
threaten you?"

This is a good point. It is not really so that we are victims of our uncontrollable thoughts and doubts. We decide, to a
great extent, those ideas that we allow to bother us and those questions that we relegate, for lack of an answer today, to
some more-informed tomorrow. We can say with Job "I don't get it, but I trust Him anyway." And until the judgment we
might have no clue how important this was to the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan.

And now to the other two answers:

Habakkuk 1-2:4

The message of the prophet Habakkuk has engaged Adventists for more than 150 years. The very introduction to his
book challenges God on the basis of his neglect of executive judgment. Why, he asks, do you not hear my prayers for
justice? Why do you show me wickedness and oppression while you neglect to curb it? (v. 1-3) Your refusal to stop the
wicked men results in their unjust sentences against the faithful. (v. 4).

In verses 5-11 God answers. In short, He promises that judgments on the wicked are forthcoming through the vicious
attacks of the rising Babylonians.

But Habakkuk does not rest his case. While he is certain that the Babylonians themselves were ordained to chastise, not
obliterate, the chosen nation (v. 12) he still has questions.

How can God look on the ongoing evil without putting an end to it? (v. 13) Doesn’t God see that men are being treated
like beasts, to be taken, destroyed, discarded, and others to be taken besides them (v. 14-17)?

In this sequence of thoughts Habakkuk parallels the prophet Asaph in Psalm 73.

“For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. . . .Their eyes stand out with fatness: they
have more than heart could wish. . . . And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most
High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. [In contrast] Verily I have
cleansed my heart in vain . . . For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If [I talk
about this problem to other believers] behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. When I
thought to know this, it was too painful for me. [That is,] Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood
I their end.” Verses 3-17 selected.

Habakkuk and Asaph questioned God regarding the same problem. To Asaph God answered with a message from the
sanctuary that revealed truth about the end of time. Adventists should recognize Asaph’s allusion to the judgment of the
Day of Atonement. That is the message visible in ‘the sanctuary of God’ that would show coming justice in ‘their end.’

Habakkuk asking God virtually the same question might be expected to receive a similar answer. Like Asaph he felt
uncomfortable with his questions. After making his case he took the position of a listener open for reproof. In doing this
he modeled what Jesus expected of us when he asked us to ‘watch’.
Said the prophet “I will stand upon my watch and set me in the [watch] tower and will wait to see what the Lord will
say to me and what I shall answer when I am reproved.” Hab. 2:1.

God’s answer was for the benefit of visual learners. “Write the vision and make it plain upon tables.” What vision?
Where is there a vision that lends itself to ‘tables’ and provides an answer to Habakkuk’s question?

Asaph, paralleling Habakkuk, made inquiry into the sanctuary. Daniel 8 and 7 are the visions that lend themselves to
charts and that answer the questions. They highlight the sanctuary-based judgment as a motive for sinners to lay off
their sinning before their probationary time is revoked. God's answer is, said simply, "Why does God permit sin to
continue? See the judgment in the sanctuary."

That means, Rachel, that we have our work cut out for us. Before we are competent to address the question of suffering,
we must needs understand Daniel 7 and 8 and their relation.

--

Where God rules Providence directs all and chance never has free course. This is the kingdom of God. Outside men and
demons rule to the best of their ability. But their limitations leave much room for chance to guide affairs.

God is active outside of His kingdom. He works there, foremost, to bring men willingly into His kingdom. Allowing
suffering and sin there is part of being honest about what the outside is like. Even with all God allows men are far too
comfortable with it.

And not all that looks tragic is so. The judgment-laden deaths of Jonathan and a certain wicked-parented baby both
appear to have been ways of saving a soul through "tragic" death. See 1 Ki 14:12-13 and the book Education.

Oh, the Bible has many reasons, or benefits, to suffering. 2 Co 1:4-6 is an example. The opportunity to stand faithful
through suffering qualifies us to comfort persons outside of Christ's kingdom—and thus to bring them in.

Those who have borne the greatest sorrows are frequently the ones who carry the greatest comfort to
others, bringing sunshine wherever they go. Such ones have been chastened and sweetened by their
afflictions; they did not lose confidence in God when trouble assailed them, but clung closer to His
protecting love. Such ones are living proof of the tender care of God, who makes the darkness as well as
the light and chastens us for our good. Christ is the light of the world; in Him is no darkness. Precious
light! Let us live in that light! Bid adieu to sadness and repining. Rejoice in the Lord always. {AG
122.3}

Ok, this is all I can write before our meeting this afternoon. Will, God willing, write more later. – Eugene, September 4,
2006
So, in short, from the previous material, we have answered the first question this way: God
created intelligent and free moral agents knowing that some of them would sin and be lost.
Though not in anyway responsible for their decisions (and therefore not responsible for the
results of their decisions—sufferings and pain), God did weigh the future badness against the
eternal glory and chose to have both rather than neither.

This we can see. We make the same judgment, though with much less surety of a good result,
whenever we bring a child into the world. A man makes the same judgment whenever he is glad
that he exists. But more than these, and closer to a parallel, we make the same judgment
whenever we get a cavity filled. We know that it will hurt for a few minutes. But we look forward
to a long and better life as a result of the filling. We weigh a couple minutes of pain (which
minutes may include, perhaps, a couple seconds of very bad pain) against years of pleasantness.
If we had a third option, to be painlessly and surprisingly dead, we would still choose the filling
over the painless alternative.

We have already made a stab at the second question. Why does God permit the evil that His
creation made possible? In short, that was the only way to have ten trillion years of absolute bliss
and total joy and fulfillment. None of those things were possible without creation. The Godhead
waited for the creation with anticipation. See Pro. 8.

Why was it the only way? We are not wise enough nor foreseeing enough to be sure that we have
the right answer. God's prophetic picture assures us that he is both wise enough and foreseeing
enough to be sure that he has the right answer. In view of this, the wisest thing we can do is trust
Him.

But we can also see a possible answer. The 100,000,000 angelic witnesses to the judgment
(Daniel 7) indicate that the judgment is not for the benefit of God's knowledge. Rather, there are
issues plaguing those angels that are resolved in the judgment. Two things are proven here on
earth and proven in the judgment by an indepth look at what has happened on earth: First, Satan's
lies are false and he is a rotten leader. Second, God is loving and truthful, merciful and just, and
can safely bring ex-sinners to heaven without endangering the peace of that place.

But God has never said "why" he allowed sin. It may be that the answers are too complex for us.
It may be that giving the answer would be begging the question—that it would inspire distrust
until life demonstrated the wisdom of it.

The third question, "How can I be confident in a God that allows such things?", can be better
answered. The answer is: By looking sensibly at all the evidence. You have evidence of His
character in the taste of a ripe peach and in the sweetness of a Christian family. You have
evidence of his wisdom in the miracle of DNA and the miracle of predictive prophecy. You have
evidence of his selflessness and love in the story of Calvary (which we need to spend more time
studying; angels study the story. There is more information there than meets the mind at first
glance.

Or, to say it shorter: The things that we do understand show that God can certainly be trusted. The
things that we can't understand show who-knows-what: we can't understand them. To reject what
you can understand for the purpose of holding on to data that you can't understand, this isn't
sensible.
But the third question included a reference to non-answered prayer. Why, for example, can I be
prayed for and not receive what I pray for (such as an alleviation of suffering when claiming the
promise connected with anointing)?

There is a science to prayer that can not be well summarized. But here are some facts:

Paul prayed for relief from troubling ("messenger of Satan" level) problems and was refused. He
prayed for it three times and was refused every time. Why?

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to
buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord
thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, "My grace is sufficient
for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore
I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Cor 12:7-10.

The answer, in Paul's case, was twofold. His suffering prevented pride and united him to Divine
strength. These benefits were great enough, in his view, to make distresses cherished.

The promise "And the Lord will raise Him Up" seems to point to the final end of the forgiven
man. He will be raised up "at the last day" if not today. His sins will be forgiven him. That is the
ultimate end desired.

Oh, there are other reasons. But these are enough to illustrate. Elisha himself died of a slow and
painful disease. Yet he had twice the Spirit of Elijah. Yet he is one of only a very few men in
scripture of whom we have no record of him sinning. Yet he was instrumental in raising a man to
life after his own death.

And Jesus suffered. It seems there was more to this than atonement. "He learned obedience by the
things that he suffered." Heb.5:8.

The fourth question is answered above. But before these answers are full and round, we need to:
Study the Great Controversy; Study the Cross; Study the Judgment of Daniel 7 and 8 and the
Sanctuary. Currently, they are rough.