The Bible’s Viewpoint
Wickedness—Who Is to Blame?
AS SHE entered her home, she quickly sensed that something was not right. A quick glance around the home confirmed her darkest suspicions—the television, the stereo, some clothes, and other items were missing. Then, an alarming thought rushed into her mind, ‘What if the intruders are still in the house?’ She retreated to the safety of a neighbor’s home to call the police. Yes, she was one more victim of crime.
If you have not personally experienced crime, you probably know someone who has. It is a scene played all too often around the world by unwilling actors. According to a survey by the UN Committee on Crime Prevention and Control, the rate of reported crime is climbing faster than national economies and populations.
Sincere, honesthearted people everywhere fret over the crime, horrific assassinations, injustice, and corruption infecting the world and are transfixed by fear of random violence. Many ask, ‘Why doesn’t God put a stop to it?’
That is a good question, and the Bible does give the answer. However, in order to appreciate the answer, it is important to recognize the source, the root cause, of wickedness.
God Is Not to Blame
“Is there injustice with God?” asks the Bible writer Paul. “Never may that become so!” he answers. (Romans 9:14) But some may feel that since God is almighty, he is responsible for everything that happens. This is not so. Consider: An architect designs a beautiful yet functional building. The workmanship is of the highest quality, and the materials used are the best. The tenants, however, wreck and misuse the building. Soon it needs extensive repairs. Surely you would agree that the tenants, not the designer or the builder, are responsible for the sad condition of the building! So it is with mankind and the earth today. As Deuteronomy 32:4, 5 explains, Jehovah’s activity is perfect. “All his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice.” Who, then, is to blame for much of the trouble on the earth today?
The scripture continues: “They have acted ruinously on their own part . . . The defect is their own.” Indeed, much of the trouble in the world today is the direct result of mankind’s own weakness or, perhaps, willfulness. However, there is another, much greater source and cause of wickedness.
The Real Cause Exposed
At Revelation 12:9, we read that Satan the Devil, “who is misleading the entire inhabited earth,” is cast down to the vicinity of the earth. The result? Re 12 Verse 12 of the same chapter continues: “Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.” So it is he, the great Adversary, who instigates the injustices that fill the earth. True, there are individuals who cooperate with his efforts; yet he is the one described as “a manslayer when he began.” (John 8:44) The Scriptures show us that Satan the Devil is the root cause of man’s problems. Not only is he the cause but he has been a continuous perpetuator of wickedness, intensifying his efforts in these “last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13) So Jehovah God is not the cause of wickedness. But does he care enough to stop mankind’s suffering?
Will God Stop Wickedness?
Yes, he does care, and he will put an end to wickedness and suffering. He is a God of love, and as a loving Father, he knows and wants to satisfy the needs and desires of his children. (Psalm 145:16; 1 John 4:8-10) That God has not already done so is not an indication of indifference. Rather, his restraint and patience is evidence of his almightiness and omniscience. He knows the best time to end this wicked system of things, and at exactly the right time, he will do so.
The situation might be compared to that of an expectant mother. While she is anxious for the arrival of her baby, she knows there is no need to be unduly apprehensive. She understands that it takes a certain amount of time for the baby in her womb to develop fully. Undoubtedly, there will be some anxiety and discomfort along the way, but the arrival of a healthy, fully developed, full-term baby makes all the worrying and waiting worth while.
So, too, it is with the glorious new world of peace described in the Bible. It will arrive immediately after God’s Kingdom intervenes in human affairs, removing the present unrighteous world. Then, all wickedness will be a thing of the past. Suffering, pain, sickness, and death—all these things will be gone. (Revelation 21:3, 4) The ones responsible for all the suffering will be done away with too. Satan and his demons, as well as individuals who have become a part of his system of things, will be dealt with.—Malachi 4:1; Revelation 20:1-4.
No more will those like the woman mentioned at the beginning of this article need to be nervous about coming home alone. As she and her husband put it: “After our home was broken into, we installed an alarm system. It’s been some years now since the theft, so we don’t feel too much anxiety over it anymore. But we know that it is only in the future, under God’s Kingdom arrangement, that we will enjoy real peace and security.”
Until that soon-to-be-seen day dawns, we need to be using the time we now have wisely. Peter tells us to consider “the patience of our Lord as salvation.” (2 Peter 3:15) And salvation for others too, for as we tell people about this wonderful hope, we ‘will save both ourselves and those who listen to us.’ (1 Timothy 4:16) Now is the time for us to be working on the qualities that will make us the kind of people who will live in that new world, where wickedness will be a thing of the past. (Psalm 37:9-11) We need to search the Bible not only for the answers to our questions but also for the guidance we need to harmonize our lives with God’s will.
[Picture on page 28]
Doré’s illustration of Lucifer for Dante’s Divine Comedy