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Sometimes people ask, “If God is such a perfect God, then why did He create Evil? Why does the Devil Exist, and why does Hell exist?

These are all great questions, and I am sure almost everyone has thought about it at some point. So what is the answer? Did God create evil?

God didn’t create “evil.” The bible says God created lucifer, but he chose on his own free will to reject God’s glory (due to jealousy and greed & pride), and instead wanted to become like God. In his rejection, he began to oppose & stand for everything God opposes (evil).

God didn’t create evil, however, in his brilliant design, He did allow for free will & individual choice to be made.

Think of it like this: Did a creator of a great computer operating system also create viruses for it? No, they simply created a design of software, and within that design someone could CHOOSE to take what was there & manipulate it towards an evil purpose.

Another example would be the alphabet. Did the creator of all the letters of the alphabet, also create curse words? No, they did not. However, the coding allowed for manipulation of both good or evil. You can decide to arrange words with the alphabet towards a positive purpose (such as love, goodness, happiness).

Or, you can arrange those letters into curse words, and words such as hate, fear, etc.

God didn’t create evil, nor does He like evil. He despises evil. However, His brilliant design allowed for choice. You can choose good, or you can choose evil.

So why did God create hell? According to the bible, God gives us a choice: Seek His way of love & obedience, or reject His way, and live the opposite.

According to the bible, if you choose His way, you will be rewarded by living in eternity of like-minded people. Choose evil, and He will reward you will an eternity of like-minded people.

So it comes down to this. If the bible is true, and God does exist, and according to the bible people will either serve in Hell, or Paradise for the rest of their life according to their choices. They will either be with people that are like them & prefer to live life void of evil. Or they can choose to live a life along with people who accept & even enjoy evil.

About the part of God being Omipotent and all of that. Even though He is outside of the realm of time, and could/has seen all potential past/present/future events, that doesn’t mean He still wouldn’t go on with creation.

I know that if I choose to have children with my wife some day, my children will one day die. Does that mean I am going to change my plans? No, it doesn’t. Because there are other reasons & benefits to have children, even though you know they are going to die one day. Perhaps God also knew everything that would happen, but it would be worth it, because in the end He would have a creation left that chose to love Him & follow His way.

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I often think about what it will be like when I die. Of course, death will eventually happen to everyone. Even though we sometimes feel as if we will live forever on this earth, we all know deep down that it simply isn’t true.

I mean sure, I believe the Bible’s promise about an afterlife. I believe that the human soul does live on. I don’t believe that death on this earth is the end. I also think that sometimes the reason we feel as if we will live forever is because God created us to feel that.The Bible says that God has “Placed eternity in the heart of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11)”. Even though we do die on the Earth, it isn’t permanent. According to the Bible, we will eventually live forever in either the lake of fire, or the new Earth that is created.

But What Will it Be Like When We Die?

The bible isn’t really totally clear on this. I mean, as we die, what is the exact process we feel. Are we conscious? Do we feel pain? Emotions? Are we aware of everything? Do we just blackout & that’s it? Or are we fully conscious the whole time?

Another great question that is often debated is this: Do people go straight to heaven or hell, Do they go to a temperary resting place until judgement (sheol), or do we simply remain unconscious in the grave awaiting the resurrection and judgement? These are all great questions! Unfortunately, the Bible does not give specific details that can answer this question 100%.

So in many cases we are left to only wonder what may happen (but I suppose we all find out in good time). One thing I find interesting & feel gives us some insight into the experience of death is the famous “near-death-experiences.” In these situations, people are often on the brink of death. Sometimes they are right up to the point of death (or in some cases their hearts may actually be stopped). Many people claim to experience a very “REAL” sense of God. They experience all kinds of similar things. This is as close to death as you can get without actually dying. So I think these near death experiences do give us a glimpse at what starts to happen.

For example, many people see a bright “light.” They also feel a strong emotions of love & peace. People often describe seeing God or other heavenly beings. They also often see loved ones. Another thing that I found interesting, is that some of these people were so changed by this event, that after they came back to life they were different people.

I mean some atheists turned into preachers. Some ruthless people become religious. That is very powerful stuff!  I even watched a television program the other day, and there was a blind woman (since birth) that could actually see everything clearly. As if the old body & eyes she had, were suddenly replaced with better ones. She wasn’t trying to sell anything either. It was just an honest (and she seemed very genuine) account of what happened to her.

Either way, these near death experiences give me some comfort about the actual experience of death. For one, these people (despite having severe pain right before death), soon feel a sense of peace & love as they drift away. I can appreciate that! Also, they tend to see their bodies and people in the hospital (in cases where they actually leave their body). 

Science research tells us that in many situations, these people’s brains are being bombarded with chemicals. Natural “morphine” if you will. Is this the way God created it? Did he provide us all with comfort as we take our last few breaths on the earth and our bodies start the dying process?

Personally, I think death is something we gradually fade into (with the exception of explosions & instant death situations). I think we feel some pain or discomfort as we are about to die, but then, our minds are soon flooded with vivid emotions & visions that ease us into death. Some people say that in their near death experience, emotions, colors, and more was so much more real than this life. Just like how we have dreams, only to wake & realize that they weren’t very realistic. It is the exact opposite with some near death experiences. The experience is so real, and so powerful, that when they come back to life, this world seems almost unrealistic & dull.

As far as what exactly happens after the death is finished, remains a mystery? Do the saved to straight to heaven, and the non-saved go straight to hell? Does the soul go to some dimension or location called sheol, where we await judgement just as in the story Christ told about the Rich man & Lazarous? Or do we feel peace as we drift off into death, only to black out. And then the very next thing we are conscious of is the return of Christ? After all, the Bible does say in Ecclesiastes 9:5 that the “Dead know nothing.”

So perhaps we feel love & peace & even see God soon afterwards, because you are in a different unconscious state, and the next consciousness you know is Christ’s return. Kind of like how you can go to bed at night, or have a major surgery & be under anesthesia, and you really don’t know anything. The next thing you know after you all asleep or wake up from the surgery, is reality again.

We will all find the exact answers to these questions in good time…

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