If God exist why do bad things happen?

[Firm Foundation]

2 minutes ago, Michael37 said:

Have you ever watched a movie where as quick as the enemy hordes are eliminated they are replaced by more? The same applies to mankind with respect to eliminating sin, because we are all given a dimension of freewill.  Regardless of the influence of Satan and his demons, the thought in mankind to oppose God is still an option.

I am saying the devil and his demons make things worse.  If God has no purpose for having evil exist, he could eliminate them.  I understand him longsuffering with man, since they can be saved.

[Michael37]

20 minutes ago, Firm Foundation said:

I am saying the devil and his demons make things worse.  If God has no purpose for having evil exist, he could eliminate them.  I understand him longsuffering with man, since they can be saved.

I believe the existence of evil, and the entities that perpetrate it, are an inevitable consequence of polarity. How God permits or restrains satanic, demonic, and evil activity is the subject of many passages in the Bible. When Israel persistently disobeyed and adopted the idolatrous practices of the pagan nations, God gave them over to those nations as captives. In the NT Paul gives transgressors over to Satan for their own good, that they might learn not to transgress. It is not as though God doesn't supply the remedies for sin, or give us no chance against Satan and the demonic realm. The Book of Revelation is a prime example of how God's Judgment works when the harvest is ripe and the climax of evil is reached. 

[Firm Foundation]

1 minute ago, Michael37 said:

I believe the existence of evil, and the entities that perpetrate it, are an inevitable consequence of polarity. How God permits or restrains satanic, demonic, and evil activity is the subject of many passages in the Bible. When Israel persistently disobeyed and adopted the idolatrous practices of the pagan nations, God gave them over to those nations as captives. In the NT Paul gives transgressors over to Satan for their own good, that they might learn not to transgress. It is not as though God doesn't supply the remedies for sin, or give us no chance against Satan and the demonic realm. The Book of Revelation is a prime example of how God's Judgment works when the harvest is ripe and the climax of evil is reached. 

That still doesn't explain the need for the devil and demons, if it is not to fulfill God's plan.  He can give us help to overcome, but that wouldn't be necessary if he destroyed them now.

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, Firm Foundation said:

I am saying the devil and his demons make things worse.  If God has no purpose for having evil exist, he could eliminate them.  I understand him longsuffering with man, since they can be saved.

Without Satan and his minions presence would  man be any less depraved? Would unsaved man want God? Would any man be able to turn himself about to worship God instead of run from him?

If man could do for himself without God first calling enlightening and endwelling him, then there would be no need for God to have shed His blood on the crosst Calvary  either.

 Satan has his own problem, God has already made known his end. That leaves each of us with ours. Each of us who do not both hear and also heed the call by God the Holy Spirit to turn to Jesus the Son, repenting of our own personal sins to God the Father through Jesus alone. Our personal sins, not the sins of Satan but ours are what condemn each of us, until we are turned about as each individually responds to the specific call by the Holy Spirit. 

I suppose there would  no need of God's for Him to have created any  of us living today. We would not exist our ancesters having perfected themselves, God might have done as was done with Enoch. But that is not the case, we are here we do have a problem and it is not Satan it is us.

God has reconciled what is irreconcilable; God being Holy  will not abide sin cannot have what is not perfect in His sight.  Deprave humanity is not holy. Yet God has provided for man to be holy as He is Holy. Our salvation from His just wrath is by Him alone, His mercy on those He will call to their salvation. Neither Satan, his minions, nor the many little anti-Christs have power to change that.

God's plan is perfect for He is perfect. God's plan is holy  for He is Holy. Any man's alternative desires not withstanding, God need not answer to any man's  demand and  thoughts of a better way  out from under His just wrath. God is sovereign. God is awesome. God is to be feared. He is also to be worshipped. He is not man's doting granddad, nor his gofer.

God has generously and mercifully told man the way to Him, yet in his depravity man rails against Him. Without God's plan man has no chance of being holy for there is nothing holy within man at all.  Man will embrace sin before he will embrace Holy God. Salvation is of God's doing alone. The schemes of man  to evade God will not save Him at all. Each human must be  turned about to repentance, and worship God, as enabled by God the Holy Spirit, through Jesus only, to be with God the Father.

Praise God  He is Holy. Thank you LORD for the faith  of your Son  my Lord Jesus. Thank you LORD for the Holy Spirit having  turned me personally about despite my railing against You, to seeing the awesome glory  of the sacrifice  made by Jesus for me personally, so that I may have life eternal with you.

[Firm Foundation]

Nobody has been able to give a reason the devil is allowed to continue to be free to cause us trouble if it isn't part of God's plan to bring about the outcome he desires.

[Neighbor]

Satan will be bound for a thousand years. Will man be any less depraved and in need of salvation through Jesus? Satan will be released for a time too. Will God be any less sovereign? Isn't Jesus the Son key in all of the history of creation by Him and in all of the history of man?

The Glory that is God is awesome, yet man does question God's purposes, how foolish a mission is that one? To walk by faith and not by sight yet tell God He could have done his mercy upon me better. Why God many of us have a much beter idea of how our reconciliation could have been done. Our total depravity turned about by our own plan our own way.

In my total depravity I have come up with a better way than Holy God?  Yeah sure I have.

[Firm Foundation]

32 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Satan will be bound for a thousand years. Will man be any less depraved and in need of salvation through Jesus? Satan will be released for a time too. Will God be any less sovereign? Isn't Jesus the Son key in all of the history of creation by Him and in all of the history of man?

The Glory that is God is awesome, yet man does question God's purposes, how foolish a mission is that one? To walk by faith and not by sight yet tell God He could have done his mercy upon me better. Why God many of us have a much beter idea of how our reconciliation could have been done. Our total depravity turned about by our own plan our own way.

In my total depravity I have come up with a better way than Holy God?  Yeah sure I have.

Whether or not man will be less depraved without the devil tempting him is irrelevant to why the devil is allowed to continue to exist today.

 

[enoob57]

For God the presence of evil has no place in His creation but since man has given it place we must endure it's hardship till it is removed according to God's Word in the eternal state... when through vain philosophies man tries to rationalize sin and it's purpose they sink into confusion for that is the product of sin
Here is a good treatise on this: https://deeptruths.com/bible-topics/confusion.html
When God literally says give no place to the devil >He means just that<

Eph 4:27

27 Neither give place to the devil.
KJV
 

[OneLight]

4 hours ago, Firm Foundation said:

What purpose do we have for sin, and why do we need the devil and demons making things harder for us?

"What purpose do we have for sin" is a question I wish more would ponder.  What is sin and why do we desire sin?  Sin derives from the desires of the flesh, which is an enmity to His will for us.  Sins of the flesh gives us a very short lived pleasure, with a life long result, if we don't repent.  Yet, we have a chance to learn from our sins, if we choose to do so.  Taking responsibility for our actions is the first lesson people hate to do.  Once we do take responsibility, it is very easy to learn from our mistakes and turn from them in the future.  A study of the flesh would do wonders in understanding this, and give us a better grasp on free will.

"Why do we need the devil and demons to make things harder for us?"  The simplest response would be so we can know what not to do and take pleasure in so we do not reap the same rewards they will reap.  If they like it, it has to be wrong for nothing good is found in them.  Our flesh does not thrive all the pleasures out there, just what we have experienced in the past, so they are more then willing to try and trip someone up by introducing them to new pleasures.

[OneLight]

3 hours ago, Firm Foundation said:

Nobody has been able to give a reason the devil is allowed to continue to be free to cause us trouble if it isn't part of God's plan to bring about the outcome he desires.

They way you word this make s it sound like God desires us to sin so He can change the outcome.  That is like saying God likes sin, which is contrary to His nature, period.  God does not like sin, but He will take our sins and teach us if we are willing to listen and learn.  Can God use our sins to better us?  Yes, and He will.  Does God like us to sin?  No, as sin separates us from Him.  It really is that simple.  Chose how you word this better so it fits His nature, not our understanding.