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A member from our WhatsApp group asked the above question, and I thought it needful to also blog my response on the matter, as I believe someone following might equally be enlightened by it...
So let me start on this note: God is good! God is merciful! God is loving! God is kind! and God is patient! In fact, the 9 fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 describe God's real and true nature; And we know this because Jesus Who came to reveal God's true character to us exemplified those virtues...
However, God is also a holy, just, and sovereign God; And as much as we tend today to speak of God more in the 'good' light and emphasize His loving and merciful personality because of Jesus; It does not refute the fact that God also has the capacity and capability to 'cause' destruction, especially if His anger is kindled or if the wickedness of a person or people have exceeded a certain limit...
We see this fierce and judgemental side of God more pronounced in the Old Testament; like in the Bible account of the two sons of Judah the son of Jacob, where it was explicitly written that "God killed" Er and Onan because of their wickedness (Genesis 38). Other examples we see in the Old Testament include: the flood of Noah where all humanity died except Noah and his family; the destruction of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah; the killing of all firstborn males of Egypt in the days of Moses; the death of Uzzah who touched the Ark of the Covenant to help it from falling down; the deaths of many Israelites; and several other deaths attributed directly or indirectly to God in the Old Testament...
Going to the New Testament, we admit for a fact that God revealed more of His merciful side, and we do not find many deaths or destructions attributed to God like we see in the Old Testament; though we have the spectacular case of Ananias and his wife Sapphira who both died on the same day for lying to Apostle Peter about the amount they sold their land which they brought only part of the money to give to the then Church (Acts 5); Note that Ananias and Sapphira were even Believers in this case...
However we may choose to view it, whether we believe God did the killing directly or that He indirectly did it by 'permitting' the Devil to do it; One certain fact we are very sure of is that God judges evil and wickedness over time; And whenever His judgment comes, there will surely and certainly be some destruction and pain. The Bible also says that God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29); and that it is a fearful thing to fall into His hands (Hebrews 10:31); and also that God kills and makes alive (1 Samuel 2:6)...
Though in our current dispensation of Grace, God displays more of His loving and forgiving dimension, because of the price which Jesus has paid with His blood for the sins of all humanity; But still at the end of this Age, God's judgment will entail Hell Fire for those who refuse to accept salvation through Christ, and the Bible makes it clear that before God condemns anyone to Hell they must have had their chance to accept Jesus as their Saviour...
In another thought, some Believers do pray to God to destroy, in other words, kill their enemies, even though Jesus says we should love and pray for our enemies; But who do we expect to answer such prayers? The Devil?... And when the wicked die, for instance when King Herod was killed by an Angel (Acts 12:23); Do we attribute the death to the Devil or to God?... Yes I know John 10:10 says it's the Devil's job description to steal, kill, and destroy; And James 1:17 says all good and perfect gift comes from God Who is incapable of evil. Yes, all that still holds true, because when God's judgment leads to destruction of any kind, it does not make God evil, unholy, or unrighteous; rather it just means that He hates evil, He is just, and His justice can equally have destructive consequences when His anger is kindled against disobedience, rebellion, ungodliness, or wickedness, especially when it is persistent and there is no repentance...
Also, we must acknowledge the truth that God is Sovereign and therefore we cannot question everything He does... Like when He takes the life or allows the death of a Christian, it may not necessarily be because of sin or the work of the Devil... For instance, almost all the 12 Early Apostles of Jesus died gruesome deaths by the hands of their persecutors because of their faith in Christ, which still happens to this day; we cannot demand explanations from God; He is a Sovereign God and He can do as He pleases, as He sees fit, and as He deems best. Even when it seems beyond our human comprehension, we humbly surrender to His supreme will...
So in summarizing, we ask: Does God kill people? And the answer is Yes! God kills and God can kill, BUT, it is not in His nature to kill; He does not enjoy killing like the Devil does; God is a good God Whose will is not for anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9); So He will do all He can to save as many who are willing to be saved by Him.
And I close with these profound words of Jesus Himself: "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in Hell." Matthew 10:28 (NLT)
I hope this is balanced enough to help someone's understanding.
Thank you for reading!
#JesusChristIsLORD #GODisStillinCharge
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