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Understanding the Reality of Unjust Suffering

I was slow-reading the book of Job from the Old Testalemt recently and was struck by a realization that I find fascinating. When Job was suffering and when his three “friends” were there debating him and accusing him. Job and all his friends were actually trying to make sense of their reality. Why were these series of tragedies happening to Job?

Both Job and his friends had thought they understood reality and life. But Job was smacked in the face with someting horrific that did not fit his understanding of life at all. A few of his friends were essentially insisting they still understood and were then accusing Job according to that understanding.

But as good as friends arguments and reasonsings and logic and eloquate debate were. Job’s friends did not know somethng that Job knew. And all four of them did not know something that God and Satan knew about the situation. The narrative of God drawing the attention of Satan onto Job and Satan then accusing him and then getting permission to torment him, were unknown realities to Job and his friends at the time.

Reality is what it is, and the best we can do is try to make sense of it. That is what much of this book of Job is about. Four rich, powerful and good men (plus one youth), trying to understand and explain reality.

I have made it one of my life’s ambitions and personal ministries to explain reality to those around me. On every level I am driven and motivated to both understand reality and help explain it to others. Scientific reality, emotional relational reality, political and geopolitical realities and most importantly spiritual reality.

Science and Reality

Toward explaining reality the learning method we call science has a role in explaining portions of reality. Although I think science is given more credit than it deservies, I love science, I do it daily at work and have a science degree.

Historically what is called scientific knowledge has changed over time, ALOT. The things we learn from science are later understood deeper by continued science. Or sometimes undone by actual science done well, after the ulterior motives are exposed and removed. Hypotheses are refuted or strengthened and tweaked from yesterday for something that tracks better with truth.

The Many Layers of Reality

So the fascinating things that we gradually understand via science are just one of many layers of reality. Importnat layers that should be understood but just a few of the many layers of reality for us to understand.

When Job’s friends were arguing and accusing much of what they were saying was true. Was accurate theologically, much had to do with the law of reaping and sowing. The problem was that it just didn’t apply to this situation. Job was not reaping what he sewed when his wealth was consumed with fire from heaven. When all his children were killed by a sudden and massive storm, and then when his body became infected with painful black boils. His suffering was not a consequence of his sin. Job knew that deep within, but his friends assumed it must be the case and increasingly accused him unjustly.

There was what I call a layer of reality that they did not understand nor realize was affecting his situation.

Sometimes we can only comprehend and deal with our realities, situations and circumstances with faith. Confident trust in the Lord who has access to us and our situation that we do not. We can even begin to comprehend and enlighten our spiritual reality by faith and by being trained to interact with God through the Spirit of Christ.

There was a layer of reality that they did not understand and that was the law of suffering brought about by the fall and by the takeover that Satan was able to do at the fall of Adam.

God schooled everyone listening about this layer of reality which we know as unjust suffering. Jesus Christ later elaborated on this law and displayed perfect submission to it. The suffering messiah as laser predicted in the book of Isaiah.

But there was something else going on with his situation. And we the readers are given insight into this something else in the first two chapters.

Fast forward to today I think it is important for the Christian, espeically ones who teach other Christians, to understand this layer of reality, this law of unjust suffering and its link to Jesus Christ and living the life of Jesus Christ. I hear young preachers preach like Job’s friends. Not comprehending the law of suffering and persecution and the cross that Jesus expects us to pick up daily and carry. Sometimes we are called to carry the very thing that will afflict us. That is not heresy and that is part of our realities. It is a part of the discipleship that the Spirit of Jesus is bringing to us.

Making Sense of Things on Earth

Making sense of things…

Who is in charge of the earth spiritually and if it’s God why all the bad news, deception, misfortune, pain, and suffering? It just doesn’t add up.

Answer: the situation of Jesus Christ explains reality on planet earth. Jesus the resurrected God-man is seated high above all spiritual power and authority. He has a direct tie to the earth through his followers.

But ONLY through his followers.

There is also an entire fake Christian movement that is just another man-made religion that is not loyal to the kingship of Jesus, (he is only the mascot). This religion spans both Catholicism and Protestantism, it is everywhere and it is anti-Christ at its core.

Anti-Christ and pro religion.

Cooperating with Satan’s Hierarchy of Lies and Violence

Under Jesus Christ is a layer of rebellious spiritual rulers, violent, hostile, deceptive and disconnected from him. These rulers have direct ties to the earth through human government, possessing and controlling king’s and other rulers who cooperate with his hierarchy of lies and violence.

The closest similarity in ancient history that displays what it’s like between Jesus and the earth today is a Roman emperor with his own army going against a violent and illegitimate Roman general with his own loyal army who wants to rule. There is a massive disconnect. Whatever towns the rebellious Roman general rules or terrorizes does not reflect on the real emperor.

Satan has controlled large portions of the earth since Adam & Eve. Primarily through human governments and religions.

But he is losing grip, Jesus is increasing, and using even his rebellious fallen creation for his purpose.

The eclessia of Jesus Christ is the one and only place ON EARTH where Jesus Christ is king and Lord.

“ON EARTH as it is in heaven.”

Detailed Description of Reality

The perfect detailed description of reality is the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Life can be very discouraging and painful if we don’t understand spiritual reality.

Ignoring huge portions of reality in order to not be depressed and stay positive and optimistic is not healthy and it’s not helpful, that is like taking medicine to just alleviate symptoms but ignoring root cause.

The gospel of the kingdom explains why and how we got here, it also explains God’s purpose for human suffering.

Cutting and pasting 5% of it out of the Bible to insert into the end of our sermons is a discredit to the entire gospel story, which most Christians have not heard.

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