#5
Why So Much Suffering?
How Can a God of Love Allow It?

At 9:30 PM, on August 12, 1986, Lake Nyos in Cameroon burped. Now, that may sound funny at first – we laugh at the thought of a lake burping. How can a lake burp? It is not a baby that you hold up on your shoulder after it has eaten and pat on its back until it produces the necessary sound and quits crying.

Most lakes don’t burp. But Lake Nyos burped that night. With disastrous results. You may remember hearing about it. It was a terrible tragedy, leading to horrible loss of life! 1,700 people died – most of them in their sleep. Some of them as far as 23 km. away from the lake! Whole villages were almost wiped out. Thousands of cattle and other animals succumbed as well. Birds dropped down from trees, dying like flies that had been sprayed with poison.

And the local people living around the area wondered what had happened. What had caused such a great tragedy. Some said that a spirit woman who lived in the lake must have been angry.

Scientists also wondered what in the world happened, and as they researched the matter, they discovered that the lake has a very high level of Carbon Dioxide gas dissolved in the water – sort of like a bottle of soda pop. And all of a sudden, that night, the CO2 gas just erupted out of the lake and flowed down the valleys, killing every living, breathing thing in its path.

In Cameroon, the people called it the wrath of a spirit woman. In America, our insurance companies call a tragedy like that an “Act of God.” It’s just a term they use to describe something that is not the fault of any human being – like a lightning strike, or a tree falling on someone.

One man was so angry after one of these “acts of God” accidents that he decided to file suit against God and Company. He went on to name 55 Christian churches in his city! Believe it or not, it went to trial. Until finally on the witness stand, one minister testified: “Your Honor, listen! I believe the expression, ‘an Act of God,’ is a misnomer. It’s wrongly used.

God isn’t responsible for these accidents. They should be called an ‘Act of the Devil.’ He’s responsible for all the accidents and problems that confront mankind.” The clergyman was correct. This was not an Act of God. But God still gets the blame. Tornadoes. Hurricanes. Floods. Fires. Volcanoes. They’re called “Acts of God.”

When Mt. Nyiragongo erupted in the Congo on January 17, last year, lava flowed down through the city of Goma, destroying hundreds of homes. Insurance companies called it an “Act of God.” But don’t for a moment believe that God hurls hot lava at people.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude there’s an “evil force” in this old world. Everywhere you look, you see evidence of terrible tragedies taking place every day!

Who’s responsible for these things? Who brings sorrow and suffering? Many people complain, “Why did God do this to me?” Where was God September 11 in New York City? Where is God when so many children are forced into relationships that lead to death from AIDS at an early age?

Tonight we’re going to uncover a big “cover up” in the Bible. An expose of the most puzzling mystery of all time. Where did evil originate? Why the great controversy battle headlines every day between the forces of good and evil, right and wrong? Who’s responsible?

As we begin, the Bible pulls no punches. It puts the finger on the guilty party! One day Jesus told a story about a farmer who planted good seed in his garden, but when the plants sprang up, there were noxious weeds in the field. Growing up on the farm, I know the frustration: “Hey! I didn’t plant weeds! I planted wheat!” So the disciples asked, “Lord, if the farmer planted good seed, where did the weeds come from?”

<Matthew 13:37-39>
“He answered and said to them, ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil...’”

God is loving and good to everyone! But there’s an enemy in the camp! Another power bringing disaster, tragedy, death.

The last book of Bible prophecy, Revelation, Chapter 12, unveils how it all started. The mystery of iniquity. Fasten your seatbelt, because the greatest conflict of all time, with subversive supernatural forces fighting to the death actually began in heaven! Then spread to Earth. And THIS is precisely what’s causing so much trouble on our Planet. Tonight, we’re going to pull back the curtain and look behind-the-scenes at this REAL “Civil War” in heaven. Verses 7-9:

“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon, that serpent of old, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Now, notice how this dragon-devil is introduced in Revelation 12:3, 4:

“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.”

Can you imagine? One-third of the angels of heaven followed this deceiver in his rebellion against God. But there’s more. This fallen angel (called Lucifer in the Old Testament) is described with a nickname as the King of Tyre. It says this about him:

<Ezekiel 28:12-14>
“...Thus says the Lord God: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering...You were the anointed cherub who covers...You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.”

Lucifer, originally a perfect angel in heaven. Beautiful in every way. The angel who stood next to God’s throne as “covering cherub.” He held the top position in heaven.

On either side of God’s throne: two angels – one on the right and one on the left. One of these was Lucifer.

But something happened to this beautiful being, so richly blessed by God. He began to harbor some rather strange feelings about himself. “I’m good! I am invincible! Maybe I’m as good as...God!”

And he allowed these questions to grow until they affected his close relationship with God.

<Ezekiel 28:15, 17>
“You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you...Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor...”

Somehow incredibly, this glorious, exalted angel became lost on an ego trip. He coveted the splendor and majesty and prestige and homage due God alone. He became power hungry. To the point this creat-ed angelic being had the audacity to challenge his Creat-or for the rulership of the universe! Listen carefully to this “I” trouble – I, I, I, I, I...:

<Isaiah 14:12-14>
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground...For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God...I will be like the most High.’”

Arrogant thoughts! Until one day those thoughts began to spill from Lucifer’s lips! Quietly. Innocently. Sharing with other angels. “Pssst! Wanna talk?” Doubts and questions about God. Not openly. But subtly, in a way that didn’t seem bad at all – at first.

Like a rotten mango in a box, his rebellion spread to more angels. Shattering the perfect love and harmony of heaven into a million selfish pieces. Discontent, like cancer, slowly infecting the other angels. Undermining God’s love and justice.

But you say, “It’s so hard to believe anyone created perfect, with the power of choice, would deliberately choose evil. How could sin begin?” It is difficult to get our minds around the origin of evil. Because all sin is selfishness. Abnormally self-directed love. The origin of sin is: we make it. Satan made it. Not God.

[MATCH ILLUSTRATION]
Here’s a match. Good or evil – which is it? No, it isn’t either! It’s just a match (neither good nor evil). Now the man who invented the match made it for “a good purpose.” Well, what do we mean by a good purpose? Good is what God is: that which supports life, health, happiness. The match isn’t supporting life, health, happiness – therefore it isn’t good. Unless you use it.

If I take the match, light a fire, cook food for my family, we’re healthy, we’re happy, we’re living: That’s “good.” A blessing.

But if I take the same match, light the curtains, burn the house down (with wife and children) – now is that bad or good? It’s terrible! Because I love my wife and family. Why is it evil? Because it has destroyed life, health, happiness. The match has become a curse.

But let’s get clear one very important point: Where does the use or abuse originate? In the match? No. Up here – in the mind. The match can’t use itself or abuse itself. Man, a thinking, rational being – a good being – has to take the match and use it or abuse it. Evil begins in the mind.

Way back there, that’s what Lucifer, this perfect sinless angel did with God’s perfect love and freedom. He challenged it, abused it, misused it. He chose evil. He chose sin. He wasn’t created this way.

Perhaps you are wondering why God didn’t destroy Satan at that time. Zap him out! God could have eliminated Lucifer and the angels who joined his revolution – in one blinding flash. But, had He done so, all God’s created intelligent beings would have served Him out of fear. “Yeah, right! Know what happens when you challenge God? ZAP!” They would obey and follow Him for the same reason most Germans followed Hitler during World War II. Or the Iraqis followed Saddam Hussein and some people follow Charles Taylor up in Liberia. Out of fear..

You see, God is not only a God of love. He’s a God of freedom. He can only be happy in a love relationship with His creatures where they worship Him because they choose to love and trust Him.

Satan had challenged this. Challenged God’s laws. Challenged His justice. Challenged God’s idea of freedom. Freedom ought to mean license to do as you please. But God didn’t place His laws in force to show who’s boss! He made universal laws to protect His creatures, to ensure their peace. Provide for happiness. And to guarantee freedom.

His laws are like stop lights and speed limit signs. They’re planned for our safety and well-being. Our country’s laws are designed to protect and preserve our rights to freedom and liberty. Not restrict us.

But this most honored angel in God’s heaven thought: “I can run the universe better than God. And I will, if it means all-out war!” That’s when Revelation 12 says “War broke out in heaven.” That’s when Satan became “the adversary of God,” made a devil out of himself! Twisted freedom into slavery. Liberty into license. Evil.

God, out of fairness and love, continued to allow Satan to demonstrate to the universe the way he would run the world.

I can’t get my mind around it to grasp how this all happened. The Bible calls it “the mystery of iniquity.” A mystery only God in eternity will fully explain. Because the battle begun in heaven isn’t over. It’s just changed places! The Bible says Planet Earth has become the center stage of this Great Controversy between Christ and Satan.

But why earth? Why let Satan into the Garden of Eden to act out in wicked Technicolor his kind of government and how he’d run a world? Why did our planet have to become...

<1 Corinthians 4:9>
“...a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men?”

Genesis 1 says in Eden when human life began, fresh from the hand of the Creator, it was beautiful beyond description. Satan thought so, too, and got an idea: this world was a prize worth capturing! Satan, the original terrorist, decided to hijack this world and seize control. It was a newborn planet, of fragile beauty.

Satan announced: “Hey, God! These beings are innocent! Let’s have a contest. Adam and Eve will be our experiment. They’re the new father and mother of the human race – created perfect. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Put them in an experimental laboratory – Eden. Total freedom. Except you can’t place them beyond the possibility of wrongdoing. They must be free to choose: either to love and follow You, God – and Your rules. Or, ignore Your instructions and choose my way. No rules! License! But let’s test their loyalty. And this survivors contest will focus on one single tree. So God warned the newlyweds,

<Genesis 2:16, 17>
“...Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Seemed like a reasonable request. Adam and Eve felt quite secure. (But we humans are most vulnerable when we’re caught completely off guard.)

One day Eve was walking through the garden alone. She was startled to hear her name called, “Eve!” She stops. (I thought I heard...) She looks up...and sees a serpent munching on some fruit. The serpent says, “Hi, Eve!” And she stops dead. Never suspected a talking snake. But the words came from the enemy. He knows he can’t get our attention unless he provides curiosity, and that he did. Notice: Satan used his supernatural, psychic power to deceive her, trick her.

“Why, I didn’t know you could talk!”

“I couldn’t always talk.”

“All right, then. How come you can talk now?”

“Well one day I happened to be eating fruit...and happened to this tree and ate, and lo-and-behold! I can talk! By the way...(forget it!”)

<Genesis 3:1-4>
“...Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

“...We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; [EXCEPT...!] but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

[MUNCH!] “Die? That’s a lie!” I’m not dead.

<Genesis 3:5>
“For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

[Now Satan’s trying to get Eve to commit the very same sin he committed: to want to be like God!]

“Eve, listen: Maybe God’s holding back something good. Being unfair. If this fruit will make a serpent like me start talking like a man, just think what it will do for you? You’ll be like God. Here, Eve, try a piece!”

Eve listened. It sounded good. It must have crossed her mind that he was saying something different than what God told them. But she was convinced.

<Genesis 3:6>
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate...”

She gave some to her husband and he ate it, too. And suddenly there you have it. A big mess. They failed God’s test of love and loyalty. Humans were now sinners. Satan, the original terrorist, hijacked the newborn world! He had a whole planet in rebellion!

From that moment, Satan claimed the title, “Prince of this World.” Can you imagine what this most tragic day was like as it drew to a close? God comes in the cool of the evening as usual, calling “Adam! Eve?” Until now, this had been the happiest time of the day – a chance to walk and talk directly with the God who had created them.

But now they ran. Dove into the bushes! Hiding! Finally Adam slips slowly from behind some shrubs in the garden – where he and Eve covered with fig leaves – and confesses,

<Genesis 3:10>
“...I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Adam had never been afraid before. But that’s what sin does. Makes us afraid. God replies,

<Genesis 3:11>
“...Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

Notice the old pass-the-buck routine – the blame game:

<Genesis 3:12>
“...The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

A few hours before, Adam had been willing to die for Eve. Now he blames her for his problems – and God for creating her. That’s how sin shatters perfect love!

Eve was no less accusing.

<Genesis 3:13>
“...The serpent [You created] deceived me, and I ate.”

Eve blames God too!

As a result of sin Adam and Eve sold out. To another master, not God but Satan. They didn’t have to. But that very day by their own free choice they threw away everything:

1.) Face-to-face communion
2.) Purity
3.) Robes of glory
4.) Family happiness
5.) Equality
6.) Dominion over animals
7.) Their perfect home
8.) The Tree of Life

They threw it all away. And besides, now they were doomed to die! The devil said, “You won’t die!” But the Bible says,

<Genesis 5:5>
“So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.”

Too late, they discovered that the devil was,

<John 8:44>
“...a liar and the father of it.”

Now here’s the point: It’s so easy to blame God for today’s heartbreak and devastation. But Satan is really responsible. He’s the one who brought trouble to this planet and who causes sin and suffering, AIDS, cancer. When Jesus came 2000 years ago,

He made a point to personally unmask the devil as the culprit who afflicts people. One day Jesus sat teaching in the synagogue. He noticed a woman bent over with a crippling deformity. Horrific to look at.

Touched by her pathetic circumstances, Jesus healed her. The rulers instantly criticized Him because the healing took place on Sabbath – God’s holy day of worship. But notice how He defended His actions:

<Luke 13:16>
“So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound...for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

Jesus said, “Satan bound this woman for eighteen years. Satan’s the guilty one!” Now listen: I want to be very bold tonight. Most denominations don’t teach this. Many evangelicals teach a doctrine called the “Sovereignty of God.” They say what happened September 11 is part of the “Sovereignty of God.” God brings these tragic events. To teach us lessons, of course. But He “decreed” the events of September 11. Some denominations say, “It’s so He can work out His mysterious will.” Other denominations say, “God ‘permitted’ or ‘allowed’ the genocides in Rwanda and the Congo for His glory! To serve a particular divine purpose,” you see. Friend, that’s simply contrary to Scripture. Let me prove it. Listen closely as the VOP SPEAKS!

Nowhere in the Bible do we see Satan’s strategy more clearly exposed than in the book of Job, Chapter 1, in a conversation between the devil and God.

It was some time after the fall of Satan that all the sons of God presented themselves before Him. Perhaps representatives and ambassadors from other worlds in a big summit conference. And Satan came too. Uninvited!

<Job 1:7>
“And the Lord said to Satan: ‘From where do you come?’” [Who invited you? What right do you have to be here?] “Satan answered...‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.’”

Satan said, “I claim to represent planet Earth, thank you! I’ve taken over Adam’s dominion as a son of God (Lk. 3:38) and his position as representative of the human race.” (Well, God didn’t let that claim go unchallenged.) The Lord said to Satan:

<Job 1:8, 9, 11>
“...‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’ So Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?...But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’”

I challenge You, God, to another duel! The only reason Job is loyal to You is for the goodies. You’re Santa Claus to him. He’s not loyal because he loves and trusts You.” So the Lord said to Satan: “Okay! Test him!”

<Job 1:12>
“And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”

Satan couldn’t wait to get his hands on Job’s possessions. Blow after blow began to fall:

First: the “stock market” collapsed! The Sabeans stole Job’s cattle and murdered his workers.

Second: His bank account was struck by lightning – his sheep and shepherds were all destroyed.

Third: the Chaldeans plundered Job’s camels.

Fourth: the most heartbreaking news: a tornado demolished the home of Job’s oldest son. A party was going on, and all ten of Job’s children were killed! Remember, God wasn’t causing this, but whom? Satan.

Poor Job! He thought maybe God had caused all the heartache. He didn’t understand the devil had done it! And we still don’t understand it today either – what goes on behind the scenes. But notice: Although overcome with grief, Job’s loyalty to God was unchanged. He said,

<Job 1:21>
“...The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

He couldn’t understand tragedy. Yet he trusted God’s goodness just the same. But Satan wasn’t through. He challenged God again,

<Job 2:4-6>
“‘...Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face.’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.’”

Now the real test was on! Would Job remain loyal to God – or would he turn his back on God?

<Job 2:7>
“So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

Ever had a boil? You know how painful just one boil can be. Imagine being covered from head to toe! “If I can’t get him through his possessions and kids, I’ll attack his health.”

Yet Job still remained loyal to God. An incredible man of faith! The Bible says,

<Job 1:22>
“In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”

Answer out loud: Who hurt Job?

Who was it that plagued Job? SATAN!

Who stole his livestock and killed his servants? SATAN!

Who brought the tornado that destroyed his sons and daughters? SATAN!

Now listen, friend: The Lord may permit difficulties to come and test our loyalty and love,
but who is responsible for all the evil on Planet Earth? SATAN is the guilty one!

You and I are caught in the center of a bewildering cosmic drama. We’re the center of a conflict between Good and Evil, between authority and lawlessness, between the Creator and Satan, the original rebel. We’re not spectators. We’re involved, whether we want to be or not. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:9 that earth is the theater of the universe. We’re on stage. Set forth as a spectacle.

As William Shakespeare said:
“All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players.
We each have our entrances and our exits.
And one man in his time plays many parts...”

You and I have leading roles in this great cosmic drama. We’re on stage! Only life isn’t an act. This isn’t TV. This is the real thing!

The popular idea that Satan is only a myth or an influence leaves us totally unprepared to confront the intelligent being he actually is. Working through evil men. Every society has its Idi Amins. But there’s more. Much more we’ll discover as the VOP SPEAKS!

The Book of Revelation says:

<Revelation 12:12>
“...Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!...”

“For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Peter warned,

<1 Peter 5:8>
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Does that sound scary? I’m happy tonight that the story doesn’t end here. Or, our future would be pretty dark and gloomy. The Bible tells us that’s why God sent Jesus down here. He didn’t have to. Then why did He come? Why did He go to such great lengths to save men?

Ah! God had a plan! Even though Satan did his worst and ruined this world, God had a plan to destroy the devil – and in the process, save us, too! It wasn’t easy.

The Bible says Satan comes as a roaring lion. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Satan worked through King Herod to destroy the Christ child! (He was defeated.)

Satan came to Jesus in the wilderness, masquerading as an angel from heaven with three great temptations: Turn these stones to bread; jump off a cliff; bow down and worship me. (He was defeated there, too.)

Satan worked the crowd to destroy Jesus at Calvary, “Crucify Him!” And he thought he finally had Him when he hung Him on a cross. (But he was defeated forever on Resurrection morning!) Praise God!

And friend, right here’s the incredible answer to the problem of why so much suffering? God in Heaven, as our loving Heavenly parent who created us – that God was LONELY when we sinned. We cut ourselves off from Him by our rebellion. But He missed us. Couldn’t bear to be without us. With a loneliness that could never be healed except by the restoration of human-kind. He loved us so much. God gave His Son Jesus; and the Son gave Himself – to reverse your fate and mine. Calvary was the hour of victory! The day to free all the Devil’s prisoners on Death Row here on Planet Earth!

Thanks to Calvary, Satan is a defeated foe! Christ by His death earned the right to destroy all death and evil and suffering. (And He will!) Paul wrote in Hebrews 2:14:

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.”

For 6,000 years, Satan has been demonstrating in Technicolor before all the intelligentsia of the universe what kind of being he is. That he hasn’t changed today. Tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, crime, disease, heartache, and pain! Evil dictators. Standing unseen behind all evil is the supernatural working of Satan.

Tragedies and carnage, Hitlers and terrorists. They’re not “acts of God.” Satan whispers, “Yeah, God did it!”

They are “acts of the devil.” Satan is the destroyer. God is the restorer. Do you begin to see how cleverly Satan’s angels use the supernatural to deceive and destroy? But this is just the beginning. The VOP is about to speak!

<2 Corinthians 11:14>
“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”

Maybe it never occurred to you when you watch some faith healers on television that devils – demons – can work miracles, too. Miracles that deceive. Miracles in the church, accompanied by hymn-singing

<Revelation 16:14>
“For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs...”

Satan works miracles, and his angels can work miracles. The devil gives humans power to work miracles whenever he chooses. Jesus said: Watch out!

<Matthew 24:24>
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

You say, “Well, how can we know the difference?” That’s why this seminar series, because the Voice of Prophecy SPEAKS! Warning us, the time has come when we can’t trust our senses – a time when we can’t trust what we see on television. A time when counterfeit miracles in church will resemble the genuine so closely that it is extremely difficult to distinguish between them except by God’s Word.

The good news is our planet, hijacked by Satan, is soon to be rescued from spiritual terrorism. Prophecy gives us inside info that Jesus is going to win. He’s in control. No need to fear. No need to be nervous, anxious passengers on a planet gone wrong! God has a plan to the destroy ol’ devil. And we’ll uncover more precisely what that plan is in future meetings. It’s shocking, some of the things Satan has pawned off on our Christian world! But let’s take a quick sneak peek to see what the Bible predicts God will one day say about Satan:

<Ezekiel 28:16, 18>
“...I destroyed you, O covering cherub...Therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth...”

Gone forever! No more sin. No more suffering. Friend, that is why Jesus is coming again soon! Not as a lowly Galilean, not as one ridiculed, spat upon, and denied. Not as one hanging on a cross, kicked around by the devil, but as King of kings and Lord of lords with the right to reign! The right to finally put an end to suffering. We must be ready to meet Him, for if we miss that, we miss everything!

The issue today is, who will we believe? Who will we follow? A loving God – or a fallen angel? The lines have been drawn; tonight the whole world is being divided into two sides.

Where is your loyalty? Whose side do you choose to be on? It’s decision time, friend! Not to decide IS TO DECIDE! Tonight Jesus extends a personal invitation: To every restless, lonely heart, to every aching, guilty soul, to all His children on this planet in rebellion – banged up, bleeding, burned out, battered, broken – Jesus gives the loving invitation,

<Matthew 11:28>
“Come to Me...all you who [struggle and] labor and are [weary and] heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

<John 6:37>
“...the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

Isn’t that wonderful news? Anyone!

You may wonder about tragedies that have struck your life. Where’s God today? In the midst of life’s sorrows, heartbreak, cancer, and disappointment – where is God today? Friend, Jesus is there. He understands. He cares about my melanoma. He cares about the 1700 people who died when Lake Nyos burped. He knows pain. He knows what it is to suffer – His heart is moved as He watches little children wasting away with AIDS. He experienced loneliness. God lost His only Son in battle, too. But...

One of these days, Jesus promises to come back and settle the account. Put an end to all life’s sufferings. Satan will finally, fully and completely, be defeated. Tonight, Jesus reaches out with good news! He says, “Friend, I long to restore you to the family of God. To give you eternal life on a planet made new.” But the decision is up to you: Who will be your Lord and Master? It’s a matter of choice: eternal life or eternal death.

Tonight let’s choose Jesus.