Over the years, mankind has experienced continual difficulties, stresses and troubles. Families suffer through disease, disabilities or death. Often through no fault of their own, individuals face times of trauma resulting from both personal challenges such as mental illness and external problems such as effects from terrorism, war and economic downturns. Yet what is often overlooked in anguish is the larger picture, which is that there is an explanation as to why God allows terrible things to happen to people whether it be illness or the effects of war. The following notes have been designed to provide you with some thoughts when dealing with the vexing issue as to why God allows pain suffering and death and to consider some of the perplexing questions encountered in life.

People often ask the question, "Why does an all-powerful God allow natural and man-made disasters that kill a lot of people to occur?" The Bible states that "God is love", so why doesn't He intervene to stop these things happening? Many come to the conclusion that such events are an indication that there is no God, or if there is a God He is far removed from human affairs. The problem of suffering is particularly acute when innocent people, especially children, are the victims of war, famine and natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, fires, volcanos etc. Also, the proximity of the disaster is important. A report of thousands of deaths in an earthquake in a remote part of the world to where we are living does not have the same impact as a local disaster, except of course when people from our own country happen to be involved. A example of this is the Asian tsunami disaster on the 26th Dec 2004 where thousands of people were killed.

What would the Lord Jesus say about natural disasters today?
What does the Bible have to say on this issue? An interesting question is "What would the Lord Jesus say about natural disasters?" We do know a disaster occurred in the Lord Jesus' day which involved the death of 18 innocent men. The incident is recorded in Luke 13:1-5: "There were present at that season some who told him [Christ] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

The problem of suffering was clearly an issue in the time of the Lord Jesus. The people questioned the Lord Jesus about two particular disasters, as we have seen in the section of the Bible quoted above. The first disaster was caused by one of the leaders, Pontius Pilate, who killed innocent people. These people clearly did not deserve to be killed. The Lord Jesus told the people that they were no worse than any other person who lived in Galilee. The other disaster was more like a natural disaster in that there was no obvious cause "apart from the fact that the tower may have not been built properly. The Lord Jesus again points out that the men killed were no worse than anyone else living in Jerusalem at that time. The Lord Jesus was responding to the view which is prevalent today, that the reason why the Galileans and the eighteen men suffered was because they were exceptionally wicked and therefore God, or fate, would not let them live. The fact that it wasn't obvious that the people involved were especially wicked, no doubt led people to speculate on what they had done to deserve such a fate. The Lord Jesus' answer may appear to be a bit cold in the face of these two tragedies. The Lord Jesus would have been upset by the deaths of the people involved. He may well have told the people around him that he was very sorry to hear the sad news. However, the Lord Jesus' comment to his audience got to the core of the issue. If the Galileans had not been murdered by Pilate and the men in Jerusalem had not been killed by the fall of the Tower of Siloam, they still would have died at some point in their lives. In the end, everyone dies, some sooner rather than later. After the Lord Jesus responds to the news about the "Galilean murders", he speaks a parable to the people around him. A parable is a story based on the normal activities of life containing a spiritual or hidden meaning. The Lord Jesus tells the people about a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard, but who found no fruit on the tree after a period of three years. The man decided to give the fig tree one last chance, he would fertilise and leave it for another year to see what happened. If the fig tree grew figs, he would keep the fig tree, if not, he would cut it down. Why did the Lord Jesus choose to speak this parable in response to the news about the Galilean murders? Is there a connection? It appears that there was. The Lord Jesus was trying to warn his listeners about the impending destruction of the nation of Israel which we know from history occurred in the year AD70. The Lord Jesus' ministry lasted for about three and a half years. During this time he had been inspecting the nation of Israel looking for what we might call "spiritual fruit". Spiritual fruit is a way of life which pleases God (read Galatians 5:22-23). When we read through the Gospel records we come to the conclusion that in general the nation of Israel was not responsive to the teachings of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, as a nation, the people did not repent and as a result thousands upon thousands perished in the destruction of AD70. If we were to ask the Lord Jesus what he thought about the Asian tsunami disaster he would surely say the same thing that he said in relation to the Galilean murders and the Tower of Siloam disaster. He would tell us that those who were killed were no more wicked than anyone else in the world. He would tell us that unless we repent we will eventually suffer the same fate “one day we will die either by natural disaster, accident, disease or old age.

How did suffering enter the world?
To understand a little more about the subject of suffering, we need to go back to when it all began, to the first man and first woman. In the very beginning when God created man, He provided ideal conditions unmarred by the terrible incidents of disease, injury and disaster that plague society today. Adam and Eve were in an environment in which the evils of pollution and crime were unknown and where violence and death were not experienced. It was a paradise, called the "Garden of Eden" (Genesis 2:8), in which were found all the joys of an ideal habitat, the opportunity for personal enjoyment and the blessings of life free from concern or anxiety. The Bible says "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1:31 It was not long however before this idyllic scene changed. Eve was tempted by the suggestions of a vocal serpent (Genesis 3:1) to disobey the instructions of Almighty God and tasted the fruit of a forbidden tree. God had given a commandment concerning the tree in order to test the obedience and faithfulness of Adam and Eve. The failure to respect that law would result in death (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam and Eve failed to challenge and refute the suggestion of the serpent. They took the fruit, ate it and brought on themselves and all of their descendants, which is mankind, the consequences of their sin.

Why did sin lead to suffering?
God's righteousness required that now that Adam and Eve had disobeyed Him, they needed to be punished. God needed to instill in them that no one can reject the clear teaching of God. Adam and Eve had to learn that God requires obedience; that only when His ways are followed, joy and happiness can be enjoyed. The pleasure they experienced from eating the fruit from the forbidden tree was only momentary. The vocal serpent, whose advice had provoked the sin, was told: "Because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle, and more that every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life." Genesis 3:14

The woman was told: "I will great multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children" Genesis 3:16

Finally the man was told: "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." Genesis 3:17-19 A change occurred in the condition of creation. No longer was it the "very good" protected state that God enjoyed with all creatures living in this harmony with God's laws. Now creation was marred by the effects of sin. Affliction, anguish, hurt and decay was to be the experience of mankind. So who caused this change of condition? It was the decision of God to allow the change to occur, but He didn't cause it. He had warned Adam that if he were to disobey the instructions he had been given by God, Adam and Eve would suffer. Therefore, Adam and Eve brought pain and suffering, disease and death into existence. There was no one else whom they could rightly blame for the difficult situation in which they were now found. However it wasn't only Adam and Eve who were now to suffer, but also all of their descendents.

Where does this lead?
Today, the result of six thousand years of wilful rebellion against God is clearly evident. Instead of improving his condition by the careful observance of God's instructions, mankind has wantonly continued in the sinful path of his forefather. This is seen in our dysfunctional society, the increase in global pollution, the decline in the number of animal species and the list continues. The story of suffering continues to mar the pages of history. Ignoring the advice of God, the nations persist in war, driven largely by the lust for power, inflicting bloodshed, injury and death. Then there is the incident of disease: terrible blights can move through the cities and towns of nations. The Black Death swept through Europe from AD1347 to 1349 ravaging families with a combination of bubonic and pneumonic plague which was followed over the next fifty years or so by repeated outbreaks, making recovery almost impossible and further exhausting a population already on the verge of starvation.

Did God create evil and calamity?
Isaiah 45:7 says this; "I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things."

It may come as a shock to realise that God actually creates calamity. It is important to distinguish between "calamity" and "sin". "Sin" is the breaking of one of the commandments or laws of God. "Calamity", often used synonymously with "evil", is something bad that occurs which often involves suffering. For example, a poor harvest may result in a famine which is calamitous; but no sin is involved. Don't forget, all calamity or evil would not occur if it had not been for the original sin of Adam and Eve. An example of the creation of evil by God is seen in the history of the nation of Israel. At the time when Israel entered the Promised Land, God gave Israel a choice. If they served Him they would be blessed: "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:" Deuteronomy 28:1-2

But if they did not serve God they would be cursed: "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:" Deuteronomy 28:15

We are given specific details about what would happen to the Jews if they did not serve God: "Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known ”wood and stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life." Deuteronomy 28:64-66

The Jews have suffered terribly down through history. They were destroyed as a nation in AD70 and dispersed throughout the world. The words of Deuteronomy are a very good description of what happened in the holocaust when 6 million Jews died at the hands of the Nazis. Did God cause the Jewish race to suffer? Yes He did. But as we have seen, the Jews have suffered because they chose to go their own way rather than follow God's way. God takes very seriously the issue that people are responsible for their actions.

Does God care about people suffering?
Does Gods care about the suffering that occurs on the earth? Yes! The prophet Ezekiel tells us that God is not happy when anyone dies. "Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live?" Ezekiel 18:23

God would much rather that the wicked would change direction in life and do the right thing and live rather than die. However, at this point in time it is part of God's plan to allow the suffering to continue. "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 Therefore... the subject of pain and suffering is one that is especially personal. Often we feel nobody else understands or cares about what we are going through. We must remind ourselves everyday that God does. God uses pain and suffering to help us and to develop in us a trust and confidence in Him. When we are at our wits end, when we have nowhere to turn, we will turn to Him and God tells us, He will be there for us.

You may have found some of the information on this webpage difficult to accept. Part of the reason is that it has been attempted to present the topic from God's perspective rather than man'. God does care about suffering, but at present suffering is allowed to exist because it is part of God's plan. When we look at the problem of pain, suffering and death from a distance, we see that God is not responsible at all. God didn't bring sin into the world. Rather God is responsible for actually removing the effects of sin through the provision of His Son as a sacrifice for sin. The root cause of suffering is the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden which has resulted in all their descendants inheriting mortality.