Why Doesn’t God Destroy All the Evil People?
I mean really, wouldn’t that just make it easier for the rest of us? They just keep showing up. In the 20th century we had Adolf Hitler (led a movement that caused the death of 6 million Jews and millions of others), Pol Pot (perpetrated the Cambodian Genocide, killing between 1.5 and 2 million people), Joseph Stalin (killed at least 6 million people), and Mao Zedong (estimated to be responsible for over 40 million deaths). There were many more, including daily murders around the world. That doesn’t even touch the evils of the 21st Century with Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and others.
If God wiped them all out, we Jesus followers would have a lot more peace. So, back to the question. Why doesn’t God destroy all the evil people?
To answer that, let’s pose another question. According to the Bible, who are the evil people?
The Evil People
In Luke 11, Jesus is talking to His disciples. In verses 2-4 He teaches them what we commonly call The Lord’s Prayer. Then He shares about how if a friend comes at midnight asking for bread, that we would get up and give it to the friend because of his persistence. Next up is the famous section on “Ask, Seek, Knock.” Jesus talks about how we would not give our children unsatisfying or dangerous gifts, but gifts that are good for them. And then He lays it right out there…in the first half of a verse we don’t often quote.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
-Luke 11:13 NKJV
If You Then, Being Evil
Remember, Jesus isn’t talking to the Pharisees or Roman leaders here. He’s talking to His own disciples, the original Jesus followers. And He called them evil. In Mark 10:18 Jesus says, “No one is good except God alone.” So, by that standard, we are all evil.
In fact, Paul reminds us that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
I have bad news. If God destroyed all the evil people, He would have had to destroy all the people, period.
But What About Grace?
Ah, see, you got me. I must have forgotten about grace. I must have forgotten about the very next verse, where “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
So, everyone who accepts Christ as their Savior is no longer evil because we are redeemed by His blood. Yep, that’s 100% Biblical truth. Now that we have that out of the way, Why Doesn’t God Destroy All the Evil People????
Like, When Should He Do It?
Ok, like, when would you have God destroy all the evil people? If you’re a devoted Jesus follower at this point, you should be safe and escape this hypothetical mass-destruction. Should God just go ahead and do it today? I mean, why wait? Why let anyone suffer another moment because of evil people?
Here’s the problem. Do you have any loved ones who aren’t right with the Lord? Because if you do, then they will NOT escape the hypothetical destruction of all the evil people. They’re going straight to Hell with everyone else who is still technically evil.
I think we too often think rate evil on a scale. We look at evil as if there are degrees of evil, and some evil acts are not as evil as other evil acts. I mean there is evil and there is EVIL! Except there’s not. There is just evil.
What is Evil, Really?
Now, it’s true that some acts of evil are more destructive, more horrifying, and more damaging in terms of how they affect people here on earth than others. But in its purest definition evil is simply this, not being covered by the blood of Christ.
Any of us who have not accepted God’s gift of salvation are evil. It is our nature, passed down from the fall of man. And anyone you care about, who has not accepted God’s gift of salvation, is also evil and bound for Hell.
No, I don’t think you want God to destroy all the evil people, too many people you love would be destroyed. You see, God gave us free will. With that free will we are free to be evil, to remain in our sinful nature, and we are free to accept the free gift of salvation.
I want as many people as possible to be saved, to become sincere Jesus followers. As much as I hate the evil acts perpetrated by people against each other, I cannot wish or pray for all the evil people to be destroyed. Can you?
The Wrap Up
One last thought and we will wrap this up. Jesus will return at some point, and when that happens, we will all go to the place we have chosen based on whether we are Jesus followers or not. Yes, the evil people will one day be destroyed, but by their own decision. If you don’t want that to happen to people you love, it’s time you shared Jesus with them.
Finally, here is an action step for you. Think about someone in your life, someone you know personally, someone who is not right with God. Think about how much you want them to go to Heaven with you. And any time you see evil in the world, pray for the people affected, but also pray for the perpetrator, and the person you care about. Then, talk to them about the Savior you love, who loves them as well.
“You have heard how it is said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who do you wrong and persecute you, so that you may be the children of your Father that is in heaven. For he makes his sun to arise on the evil and on the good, and sends his rain on the just and the unjust.”
-Matthew 9:43-45 NMB
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-Troy