Eternity is a Long Time

The First Great Awakening came circa 1735-1743. It was the first event to draw all 13 colonies together into a common experience. Its deep spiritual message touched everyone from the wealthiest in America to slaves and laid the foundation for our ability to withstand the trials of our War for Independence. The Second Great Awakening came circa 1800-1840. It began in the frontier of Kentucky and spread throughout the land in waves. Charles Finney would lead 500,000 to Christ. This Great Awakening laid the foundation for our ability to withstand the trials of our Civil War. I believe we are on the cusp of a Third Great Awakening. If so, and if the the pattern holds (granted - a couple of big ifs) then, in the next 20-30 years we will have another huge trial to go through. I have said for years that Trump is our King Josiah (see 2 Kings chapters 22 and 23). Trump is poised to continue the tremendous cleansing of the Deep State he started in his first 4 years. Like Trump, King Josiah clean...

  How a God, if there is a God, can allow evil or, at the very least, bad things, to exist has been a sticking point for some people for centuries. In many cultures, this issue was dealt with through a pantheon of gods who were very similar to humans – just with greater powers. But with the advent of Judaism and, eventually, Christianity, people were being presented with an omnipotent and omniscient God, who created the cosmos as well as life on Earth yet, at the same time, allows evil to exist in the world. How could this be? After all, is it not a blatant inconsistency for an all good God to have any evil, anywhere, at all? If the argument is made from the Bible, then its legitimacy, along with the very validity of God, has to be established. This essay will describe some of the philosophical issues of evil vis-à-vis God as well as dealing with whether God is and if the Bible is to be relied upon. Evil can be broken down into two parts, as John Hick explains, moral evil or wicked...