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Who Is God? Why Does He Allow Suffering? Will It Ever End?

joshuaverum

By joshuaverum,
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joshuaverum

joshuaverum

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1. Does God have a name?

Although God has many titles, he has only one name. In each language, it is pronounced differently. In English it is usually pronounced “Jehovah.” But some people pronounce it “Yahweh.” (Psalm 83:18)

God’s name has been taken out of many Bibles and replaced with the titles Lord or God. But when the Bible was written, it contained God’s name some 7,000 times. Jesus made God’s name known when he taught people about God. (John 17:26)

2. What is God like?

Jehovah is love. He cares about us all deeply and wishes that not one of us take the path of destruction. (Peter 3:9) We can discern God’s personality from the things he has created and the emotions we possess. For instance, the variety of fruits, flowers and animals, the beautiful landscapes and the warm sun that accompanies them. Joyful tears, love, kindness, compassion etc etc tells us of his love and wisdom. The size of the universe tells us of his power. (Romans 1:20) Jehovah knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows exactly how many hairs we have on our head. (Luke 12:7)

Jehovah creates rules not for his own benefit, but for ours. If we follow the rules outlined in the Bible. It helps to prevent us from experiencing pain and darkness.

He allowed his most beloved son Jesus Christ to die for us.. That should tell us how much Jehovah loves us.

3. How can we draw closer to God?

In-order to draw close to the creator of the universe. We need to try and show Love, Honour, Dignity, Loyalty, Humility, Integrity, and most importantly help out your fellow humans.

Jehovah invites us to draw close to him by speaking to him in prayer. He is interested in us individually. (Psalm 65:2; 145:18) He is willing to forgive. He recognizes our efforts to please him, even if we sometimes fail. So despite our imperfection, we really can enjoy a close relationship with God. (Psalm 103:12-14, James 4:8)

4. Why does Earth suffer from so much corruption?

All of Jehovah’s works are perfect; he is not the author of unrighteousness; so he did not create anyone wicked. (Deut. 32:4, Ps. 5:4) The one who became Satan was originally a perfect spirit son of God. When saying that the Devil “did not stand fast in the truth,” Jesus indicated that at one time that one was “in the truth.” (John 8:44) But, as is true of all of God’s intelligent creatures, this spirit son was endowed with free will. He abused his freedom of choice, allowed feelings of self-importance to develop in his heart, began to crave worship that belonged only to God, and so enticed Adam and Eve to listen to him rather than obey God. Thus by his course of action he made himself Satan, which means “adversary.” (Jas. 1:14, 15)

Why did not God destroy Satan promptly after he rebelled?

Serious issues were raised by Satan: (1) The righteousness and rightfulness of Jehovah’s sovereignty. Was Jehovah withholding from mankind freedom that would contribute to their happiness? Were mankind’s ability to govern their affairs successfully and their continued life truly dependent on their obedience to God? Had Jehovah been dishonest in giving a law that stated that disobedience would lead to their death? (Gen. 2:16, 17, 3:3-5) So, did Jehovah really have the right to rule? (2) The integrity of intelligent creatures toward Jehovah. By the deflection of Adam and Eve the question was raised: Did Jehovah’s servants really obey him out of love or might all of them abandon God and follow the lead being given by Satan? This latter issue was further developed by Satan in the days of Job. (Gen. 3:6, Job 1:8-11, 2:3-5 see also Luke 22:31) These issues could not be settled by merely executing the rebels.

So although it may seem horrible that Jehovah couldn't just destroy his enemies on the spot and prevent all this evil from befalling the planet. Jehovah had to allow it in-order to prevent any future questioning of his right to rule, and thus create a perfect paradise free from opposition or doubt. This 6000 year time period has proven without question that any attempt for humans to be peaceful and live in harmony with one another is impossible to achieve without Jehovah's loving rules to guide us.

6000 years of pain > 100,000,000,000,000 years x Infinity of awesomeness.

5. Is the end of the world really near?

THE BIBLE’S ANSWER: “When you see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near.” (LUKE 21:31)

The Bible prophets were inspired by God to describe conditions that would indicate an imminent end of the world. Consider some of those prophecies and decide for yourself whether they are being fulfilled in our time.

* Wars, famines, earthquakes, and epidemics of deadly disease. (Matthew 24:7, Luke 21:11)

* Significant increase in crime. (Matthew 24:12)

* The ruining of the earth by mankind. (Revelation 11:18)

* People who love themselves, money, and pleasures but do not love God. (2 Timothy 3:2, 4)

* The breakdown of the family. (2 Timothy 3:2, 3)

* General apathy toward the evidence of the approaching end. (Matthew 24:37-39)

* The preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom worldwide. (Matthew 24:14)

As Jesus said, seeing “all these things” lets us know that the end of the world is near. (Matthew 24:33) Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the evidence is convincing, and they share their faith with others by preaching in 236 lands.

6. What happens at the end of the world?

THE BIBLE’S ANSWER: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17)

“The world” that is to pass away is, not the earth, but the world of mankind whose lives are not in harmony with God’s will. Just as a surgeon might remove a cancerous tumor to save a patient’s life, God will “cut off” the wicked so that good people can truly enjoy life on earth. (Psalm 37:9) In that sense, “the end of the world” is a good thing.

Jesus called that future period “the renewal of all things.” At that time, he will restore humanity to the conditions that God originally intended. (Matthew 19:28) We will then enjoy:

* He will swallow up death forever, And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will wipe away the tears from all faces. (Isaiah 25:8)

* A paradise earth with security and prosperity for all. (Isaiah 35:1 Micah 4:4)

* Work that is meaningful and satisfying. (Isaiah 65:21-23)

* The curing of all disease. (Isaiah 33:24)

* The reversal of aging. (Job 33:25)

* The resurrection of the dead. (John 5:28, 29)

* Find exquisite delight in Jehovah, And he will grant you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4)

Basically we will be invited to spend eternity in the coolest place imaginable free from pain, death and ageing. We’ll be granted immortality to spend having fun and relaxing under Jehovah’s loving protection.

And to all those who say living forever would be boring. Perhaps you’re right when you use this current world as a reference. But in Jehovah’s new world there will be everlasting content to enjoy. Jehovah’s creative abilities are infinite.

If we do “the will of God,” what he asks of us, we need not fear the end of the world. Instead, we can look forward to it.

7. Conclusion

We must try our best to help out our fellow humans and to love God as Jesus commanded.

We need to try and avoid harmful practices such as:

sexual immorality, greed, arrogance, hatred, selfishness, anger etc etc

We must try and promote values of righteousness including:

Love, Honour, Dignity, Loyalty, Humility, Integrity, and most importantly help out your fellow humans.

Religion, skin colour, wealth, beauty, power etc are irrelevant. Your heart is all that matters

The Jehovah's Witnesses are currently the only organization on earth who are preaching the coming of Jehovah's Perfect Kingdom as Jesus instructed. They contain many key truths about life. I suggest you visit their page and have a peruse of the Bible Teachings / Answers section. It's very enlightening.. I don't want to break any rules by posting links so please Google 'JW bible answers' if you would like to find out more.

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