SUFFERING: How God Wants to Reduce It TODAYSample

Why All The Suffering? And When Will It Stop?

In this set of readings, we uncover God's plan to reduce suffering in the world, even before Jesus comes back to make all things new. But before we delve into that, let's review where suffering originated and why it still exists today.

In the beginning, God created the world and all that was in it, and it was good: "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." – Genesis 1:31

God's original plan for the world, and for us, was perfection—without pain and suffering. From the beginning, Adam and Eve lived in perfect companionship with God.

However, exercise of the free will given to them led to disobedience to their Creator, and that's when problems emerged. Their desire to be like God resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the presence of God, bringing the curse of suffering upon us all from then on.

In fact, not just us, but the whole world has been under a curse, eagerly waiting to be set free:

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." – Romans 8:18-21

And this is where we find ourselves today, waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God—with a new heaven and a new earth:

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'" – Revelation 21:3-4

That's the story in short—suffering entered the world through disobedience, and as long as we remain disobedient, it will persist until the Kingdom of God is fully established through Jesus' second coming.

In our next reading, we will explore some of the top reasons why this is so.