Legitimate Question - Legitimate Answer

But Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues soon arrived in Jerusalem and asked, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?” [Ezra 5.3] 

This was a legitimate question. It was answered with a legitimate answer.

“In the first year of King Cyrus’s reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem. “Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet. [Ezra 6.3]

The problem today is that we are asking legitimate questions but are not getting legitimate answers. Religion is a greatest offender in this regard.

I was sent a video to watch today. In summary, the video was a preacher insisting that God's people must suffer because the Apostle Paul suffered. It was in fact an answer to the question many people have today, "Why suffering?"

Now, the preacher's explanation in that video "sounded good" - another person in the text group even responded immediately with a "heart" emoji. But, when I finished listening to it, I simply replied back as follows:

"I wonder why people who believe that to be true [the suffering message] are the same people who insist on taking medicine, and being insured to the hilt? If God intended that we suffer... shouldn't we suffer then?"

The entire message of the Bible is about God's relationship with man - not about man's relationship with God. The difference between the two is all about who is in charge. [Spoiler Alert! That would be God!]

God made man and established His rules. Man disobeyed God and suffered for it - he suffered then, and he suffers now. The Bible chronicles God's relationship with man over many centuries including great detail about man's repeated betrayal of God through idolatry. God repeatedly reminded man that his suffering was tied directly to his idolatry. Sometimes His people responded correctly but most of the time they did not. God promised and sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem man from the terrible curses assigned to him (suffering and ultimate eternal death) demanding in return that Jesus be wholly and exclusively "believed in." As would be expected, Jesus came to earth healing the sick and even raising the dead. Jesus declared Himself the only Way to God. Jesus demanded exclusivity of His would-be followers to "give up their own way, take up their cross, and follow Him" furthermore instructing them to do the exact same things He did. After His death, burial and resurrection on their behalf, Jesus said He would come again for His followers. Shortly after His ascension to heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from God (as promised) to insure that His followers were operating in the exact same power that raised Him from the dead. This was God's plan from the very beginning. 

It was and is God's plan and God's playbook - not ours - it is not to be trifled with! But then along comes religion...

Religion answers the legitimate question, "Why suffering?" with a barrage of illegitimate answers, most of which completely ignore or deny altogether the story of the Bible. These illegitimate answers all "sound good" and are delivered with great "authority," but at the end of the day, they cannot be traced to the entire story of the Bible - God's plan. Instead, they cloak pride in man that refuses to see the Bible's clear answer to the question "Why is this happening to me?"

Every curse (suffering) upon mankind is the result of idolatry and the sin it leads into. God warned of it early-on eventually "writing it in stone" as man continued to digress. Here is the gist of that warning:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]

In short, religion is an idol of man's making designed to justify all his other idols making him feel good about his relationship with God when, in the first place, it's not about his relationship with God but about God's relationship with him! 

The Bible is about God's relationship with man. Religion is about man's relationship with God. See the problem?

What's more, Jesus did not do away with God's plan - He simply came to "flesh it out" and said as much:

Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. [Matthew 5.17]

Jesus then captured the full essence of all the law and the prophets when He made His exclusive demand:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24] 

To be sure, "your cross" is indeed suffering ...but it is not the suffering that religion falsely tells us is God's plan. The suffering Jesus calls all His would-be followers to is the suffering of exclusivity to God's plan and God's plan ALONE - the willingness, and yes, even the desire, to face death itself just to remain loyal to God and God ALONE avoiding even the hint of idolatry. The cross Jesus calls us to bear is the same cross Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego embraced when they told Nebuchadnezzar that they simply would not bow to his idol whether they lived or died.

"Why suffering?" then, is definitely a legitimate question. We just need to be sure we get our answer, the only legitimate answer, from the Bible and NOT from religion! In the subject verse of this article, a legitimate question was asked. It was then seen that the legitimate answer came from the actual decree written by Cyrus. So, we need to get our legitimate answers from the decrees written by God - HIS WORD!

Father, help us to understand that the relationship we are in is all about You. Help us see this fact as Jesus "fleshed it out" demanding that we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.

Is Anyone Really Saved?

Then the angel who was talking with me came forward and said, “Look up and see what’s coming.” “What is it?” I asked. He replied, “It is a basket for measuring grain, and it’s filled with the sins of everyone throughout the land.” Then the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it. The angel said, “The woman’s name is Wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and closed the heavy lid again. Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky. “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel. He replied, “To the land of Babylonia, where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.” [Zechariah 5.5-11] 

A basket for measuring grain is doubtless a symbol of commerce. The woman named Wickedness is obviously symbolizing the use of sex to promote commerce. The temple built for the basket symbolizes the worship of commerce. The basket is filled with the sins of everyone throughout the land - the way of commerce and its inherent sin is the way of man.

What could better identify our situation today? We don't need to "Look up and see what’s coming" because it is already here!

It sure seems like commerce has become all-important today. It seems that commerce has been given 'religious worship' status. It seems that commerce, the way of man, has sadly become central to the institutional church as much as in all the world - finance, insurance, medicine and technology.

Hmm.

Jesus said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Jesus said:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [Matthew 6.33] 

If commerce is the way of man to provide himself everything he needs, we don't really need better explanation of the Bible. We need to live it.

If being a follower of Jesus is what the Kingdom of God is all about, then we should understand that we are given clear direction to give up our own way, take up our cross, and everything we need will be provided as we follow Jesus. 

But no one really believes that today, do they? Is anyone really saved then? (Just asking for a friend...)

Father, may our eyes be opened to the truth of Your Word about how we don't have commerce, but commerce has us. May it enter our understanding that "commerce" represents all the idolatry (sin) of man in one word. May Your true followers be found giving up their own way, taking up their cross, and following Jesus - in Your Kingdom provision of everything we need. So be it.

Look At What's Happening To You!

But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. [Daniel 12.9-10] 

There are the wise and the wicked. 

The wicked continue in their wickedness. They will not understand end times.

The wise will understand end times. They will understand end times because they turn away from wickedness. They embrace the trials they encounter for purification, cleansing, and refinement. The wise are repentant.

So, whether we understand end times or not, we can be sure of this fact: repentance makes all the difference in the outcome.

Judging by current world events, I would say it is the 'eleventh hour' for repentance. There is only one solution for the chaos that lies ahead: repentance. In fact, any understanding of future events is withheld from all but the repentant.

Unless we have a crystal clear understanding of all Daniel and all the other prophets predicted regarding end time events, we would do well to spend our time in repentance. In repentance, the meaning of end time events will become clear.

What is repentance? Repentance is rightly understanding curses/trials as God's way to turn us back to Him. Repentance is turning back to God. Whatever it is that we must "turn away from" in order to "turn back to God" (the essence of repentance) is an idol. Idolatry is disobedience in raw form and is the repeated downfall of God's people addressed throughout the Bible. To understand this however, we must open our eyes to God's Word in contrast to the knowledge of man. 

What God's Word specifically says about "curses" is found in Deuteronomy 28.15-68. In broad terms, everything listed in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 is everything that man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology remediate. What God calls curses for disobedience, man, in his advanced knowledge, calls "life," "just the way it is," or "happenstance." Finance, insurance, medicine and technology do not call us to repentance - instead they demand money in payment for "making things better."

Only those who are wise accept their trials (curses) from God recognizing them for what they are and repent.

The wicked continue in their idolatrous ways treating their trials (curses) with man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology, never understanding God's call to repentance because they do not know or they choose to ignore God's Word. They look at their circumstances through carnal eyes instead of through the eyes of the Spirit based on God's Word. They continue in their wickedness - unrepentant. And, they will never understand end times until it is too late.

Similarly, in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, Haggai said it like this:

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! [Haggai 1.5]

And, he repeated it:

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! [Haggai 1.7]

And, what was happening to them? They were experiencing all manner of financial failure and they were doing so without recognizing that they had turned away from God neglecting His Temple - they were only taking care of themselves. They had effectively made an idol of themselves thus turning away from God. And, God said, Look at what’s happening to you!

Every curse found in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 screams out "Look at what’s happening to you!" calling us to repentance!

But only the wise will know what it means. Only the wise (who know God's Word) will see and know that Jesus called for no less "turning away" from ourselves and our idolatrous ways in order to "turn to" and follow Him - the Incarnate Son of God.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

To give up our own way is to "turn away" from any and every solution of man's design and "turn to" Jesus. The very definition of repentance is to "turn away" from any and everything and "turn to" God. Repentance is as much or more relevant today than ever before!

Father, Your Word is not unclear regarding curses. Every curse we experience today is Your call to repentance ...but instead we turn to finance, insurance, medicine and technology - continuing in our wickedness of idolatry. May we see the error of our ways before it's too late. May we be found repentant so that we might be found wise concerning end times. So be it.

Who Wants To Follow Jesus?

The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel. So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, “You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” [Ezra 4.1-3] 

Idolatry is all about dilution. Idols are enemies of God, and, as such, all they need to do is infiltrate pure trust in God to taint it rendering it ineffective and powerless.

This dilution with idols is the repeated story of the Bible and it is the very thing Jesus recognized and called His followers to avoid.

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

"Your own way" is the way of man - the way of idolatry. When man makes for himself something to do for himself what God said He ALONE would do for man, it is an idol. God has a 'zero tolerance' policy toward idolatry:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.2-6]

When questioning why the Church today is powerless when compared to the early Church, this important lesson from Ezra 4.1-3 should be considered. The Church has allowed the idols of the world to infiltrate and 'work alongside' its Kingdom work rendering that Kingdom work diluted, powerless, and worldly. 

There is but one solution for the modern Church to return to any form of God's power: get rid of the world's idols! Idols abound today and they are easily identified. All one has to do to identify modern idols in the Church is to simply listen to what the Church justifies as "from God." In other words, what follows the words, "God uses..." will almost certainly be an idol. Instead of decrying the infiltration of idols, the Church today (by and large) fully embraces them making bold statements that "God uses finance (debt)," or "God uses insurance," or "God uses medicine," or "God uses technology."

To be clear, God did not give us finance, insurance, medicine and technology. Man made all these things in his impatience to wait upon God! And, just to drive this point home, if God "gave" these things, then why do we "pay" for them? Furthermore, even if we somehow twist "give" to mean "sell," then, why don't we pay God for them? Who is selling what?

What could it hurt for God's people to be helped by man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology as long as he believes God provides all these things? Let's just back this same question up a few centuries to Ezra 4.1-3: What could it hurt for God's people to be helped by the enemies of Judah and Benjamin as long as they believe God provides that help?

We need to remind ourselves here that man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology lead the way in promoting self-centered lifestyles that make them enemies of God! Just watch their advertisements! Never once do they promote a disciplined, chaste, God-centered lifestyle. Instead, they promote all manner of sin typical to idolatry. And still we insist they are "gifts from God" and should be employed to help us???

The military tactic "divide and conquer" has stood the test of time. Sadly, it has worked effectively on the Church - God's people. There is no need for an indisputable miracle from God when finance, insurance, medicine and technology are considered 'miracles from God.' Again, the issue of paying for these miracles should cause alarm...

What's even worse is that among God's powerless people, there exist those who adamantly preach and teach that God's miracles have "passed away" while insisting that finance, insurance, medicine and technology are today's miracles from God. Just how diluted have we become? And, somehow, in the mix of this dilution, the clearly defined curses of Deuteronomy 28 are no longer seen as curses attached to disobedience at all, but are just "the way of life." The inconsistency of this theology is astounding and even more so when considering that the overwhelming majority of God's people today embrace it so vehemently!

The solution is this: God's people need to recognize that the curses they remedy with man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology are in fact, God's call to repentance for not trusting and worshiping Him ALONE as God. Then, like those in Ezra 4.1-3, God's people today need to reject the world's help - man's way - altogether. Jesus' words could not be more apropos:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Now, who wants to follow Jesus? 

Father, I know I sound like a broken record on the topic of idolatry - kind of like the entire Bible! I realize my own hesitancy to live what I preach is glaring... May I be found giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Jesus. That's all. So be it.

The Moment You Began Praying

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. [Daniel 9.23] 

I suppose we don't really have many accounts of Daniel receiving accolades for his prayer life. In fact, his persistence in prayer got him thrown into a lion's den. But Daniel remained faithful. He continued to pray. And, today's One Year Chronological Bible reading reveals something else: Daniel was a humble student of God's Word:

It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the LORD, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. So I turned to the LORD God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. [Daniel 9.1-3]

God's Word was the inspiration behind Daniel's prayer. And, what a prayer it was! Daniel 9.4-19 provides an excellent model for our prayers today.

Daniel began with humble confession.

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O LORD, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land. [Daniel 9.4-6]

Daniel continued with humble acknowledgement that his and his people's suffering was the direct result of their sin and, that it was well-deserved.

“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. O LORD, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the LORD our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. “So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. Therefore, the LORD has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The LORD our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him. [Daniel 9.7-14] 

Then, Daniel took humility to a level most of us today do not understand (let alone, practice). Daniel appealed to God's mercy rather than pointing out that he had just repented.

“O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors. “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. [Daniel 9.15-18]

And finally, in confidence of God's mercy and the fact that Daniel and God's people bore His name, Daniel specifically asked God to hear, to forgive, to listen and act, and, not delay.

“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.” [Daniel 9.19] 

Let's dig deeper though, shall we?

As a student of God's Word, Daniel pointed out that Jeremiah's writings led to his prayer. If we miss what is said here, the rest of Daniel's prayer carries only abstract religious meaning and nothing concrete relative to our relationship with God today. 

If Jeremiah's writings are summarized, we find these three facts valid and true: 1) God's people had turned away from God to idols, 2) God's people were suffering all manner of curses resultant to their idolatry, and 3) God's people were called to repentance with the promise of restoration.

Daniel's humble confession above was a confession of idolatry. Nothing more than the reference to Jeremiah's writings confirms this fact. A deceived, idolatrous heart however will never see this.

Daniel's humble acknowledgement above was an acknowledgement that God's people's suffering was not random, but rather the well-deserved and just direct result of idolatry. Again, the reference to Jeremiah's writings confirms this. But again, a deceived, idolatrous heart however will never see this.

Daniel's humble appeal to God's mercy was an appeal of reliance upon the character of God, not reliance upon the repentant heart of man. Without doubt, Daniel understood the importance of this request because of Jeremiah's writings:

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? [Jeremiah 17.9]

It was this kind of humble prayer that warranted Gabriel's visit and reassuring words:

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. [Daniel 9.23]  

We can be sure that our humble confession, our humble acknowledgement that curses are directly resultant to idolatry, and our humble appeal to God's mercy instead of our own acts of repentance, will insure that our prayers are heard the moment we begin praying them. We can be sure that in this humble prayer, God issues directives immediately on our behalf. Really, all we have to do is humble ourselves before God. Daniel's prayer is the perfect outline for what that involves...

Father, may we, like Daniel, be found studying Your word, repenting for our idolatry (that leads to all manner of sin), acknowledging that curses on our lives are justified (signaling the need for repentance - not further idolatry), and understanding, in complete humility, that our hope rests entirely in Your mercy and not our 'effective repentance,' for our lives to reflect the distinction of being Your people. May we see how every bit of this points us to Jesus Who demanded that we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.

Interesting Developments

But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever.” [Daniel 7.18] 

There are some interesting developments on the world stage right now as AI (artificial intelligence) is becoming increasingly prominent.

The "big deal" that seems to be gaining increasing attention is the development of "super intelligence" identified as ASI. As of this writing, ASI has allegedly not been achieved, but, by the "nature of the beast" it is not certain that ASI is not already a reality.

By all accounts, the realities that could develop as a result of ASI are potentially devastating to humanity as we know it.

As Daniel's vision in Daniel 7 is explained, it could be that the fourth beast (that was different than all the others) might indeed be ASI. Time will tell...

What is important however for those who are God's people is verse 18 of Daniel 7 above. The Kingdom ultimately belongs to them for eternity. They will lose ground and people in the meantime, but the people of the Most High will rule in the end and for eternity.

Father, as we witness Your Word unfolding before our very eyes, may we understand the importance of Your word. May we recognize what is taking place and calmly but intentionally learn more of Your Word - knowing You - every day. So be it.

Just Ask Ancient Egypt

And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” [Ezekiel 30.19]

As much as mankind wants to deny or ignore God, He is unavoidable.

God's people today find it easy to attribute a beautiful landscape filled with good things to God, but struggle to see Him in a complete disaster.

As a person begins to know God - really know the Most High God of the Bible, that person recognizes Him as the God of blessing AND the God of curses. God's holy character (holiness) is on display in a beautiful sunset AND in a devastating earthquake. This character of God is established.

While it may be a struggle to see any consistency in God if at once He blesses people, then at once He curses people, to really know God however, one understands that it is not God Who is inconsistent, but man. God's character of holiness is unchanged. Holiness rewards obedience with blessings and rewards disobedience with curses (see Deuteronomy 28). In this, God's character of holiness is both consistent and even predictable.

Man, on the other hand, swings from obedience to disobedience with very little persuasion. While man fluctuates between good and evil, God remains consistently holy. In this way, blessings upon obedience and curses upon disobedience should NEVER EVER be confused; God's holiness is the definitive and consistent litmus test for man's heart and actions.

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

Is it any wonder that the great deceiver, Satan, would try to confuse man on the issue of good and evil?

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. [Isaiah 5.20]

Without firmly understanding that blessings follow obedience and curses follow disobedience EVERY TIME because God is holy, man's sorrow is immeasurable. 

God's holiness, demonstrated through blessings, calls for the worship of thanksgiving and praise. God's holiness, demonstrated through curses, calls for the worship of repentance. A true believer in God does not argue with God regarding blessings or curses, but rather, worships God either way. 

He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. [Job 1-21-22]

God decides what is right or wrong, good or evil.

In the present condition of mankind and the earth from a Biblical perspective, it might be argued that man should be repenting all the time. Most people take issue with this. Let me re-phrase that: most people proudly take issue with this. The pride of man exalts itself against the very Word of God denying that curses are justified indicators of the need for repentance. While religion may indeed present all kinds of work-arounds for this Biblically established fact, religion will burn in hell because God's holiness is not to be trifled with. Just ask ancient Egypt.

For everyone bursting at the seams right now to say, "Yeah, but Jesus!" let us be Biblically clear:

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

There is a "catch" however... Jesus' work on the cross only belongs to those who "believe."

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [John 3.16]

"Believing" in Jesus means following Jesus:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

"Our own way" is the way of self-preservation, self-love, self-promotion, etcetera. Everything that has anything to do with this focus on "self" is an idol and God will not tolerate idols. By "not tolerate" it means that God's holiness rewards idolatry with curses. Jesus' call for would-be followers to give up their own way is the 2.0 version of God's 2nd Commandment. 

Belief in Jesus is obedience to God. Disbelief in Jesus is disobedience to God - Jesus described this as the default condition of man:

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [John 3.18]

In plain language, curses, as the reward for every disobedience, are the standing work of God's holiness upon every "unbeliever" but ONLY upon "unbelievers" (remember, Christ has rescued believers from the curse pronounced by the law...). We do well to understand this contrast!

So, why do bad things happen to "believers"? Because, regardless how good they are estimated to be, there is need for repentance. Religion will not teach this! But, God's Word does! Jesus put the whole "good person" idea in the trash:

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. [Mark 10.18 (& Luke 18.19)]

What would be wrong if God's people constantly repented? Would that not put them in a perpetual state of humility? Is not humility the very essence of selfless living? Is not selfless living what Jesus called every would-be follower to (to give up your own way, take up your cross...)? Religion, at this point, changes the subject... and how many souls have been damned to hell because of it?

All the hardships of life we experience (curses for disobedience) that we remediate with our idols of finance, insurance, medicine, technology, and yes, even religion are God's call to repentance. They are God's call for us to intentionally trust ONLY in Him - giving up our own way (which is the essence of repentance), taking up our cross, and following Jesus - to KNOW that HE IS THE LORD!

And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” [Ezekiel 30.19]

I may be wrong, but God's Word is not wrong. Please, dear reader, be sure of God's Word regardless what I say!

Father, may Your truth shine bright in these days in which we live. Darkness has been embraced by much of the world, the "fields are white unto harvest..." Send Your Word out today - may it cast Your Light upon the gross idolatry of our day including the idolatry of religion! May Your true followers be found giving up their own way, taking up their cross, and following Jesus... unmistakably, undeniably following Jesus. So be it.