Q4 – “God must have a nasty mentality if he could only create nature where species eat each other. Is it a godly way? Could he not come up with a better answer? Nice God!!! Where are you!!! Wake up!”

There’s a couple of questions in that one. I’ve tried to narrow it down to these questions:-

the first question is ‘Why do species eat each other?’

In the first book of the Bible we are presented with a description of animals starting to eat each other after what is called the world-wide flood.

So if you think of it in terms of a Timeline – first God made everything, including the first man and woman, and everything perfect, and the animals were herbivores. It did not stay that way. Soon afterwards the man and woman decide to do their own thing and go their own way and reject God’s rules and directions. At that point in time, which sounds like rebellion, and it was, lots of things change, death and disease came into the world.

About 1600 years went by, people multiplied and the population grew, but they also grew in wickedness and the bad things they were doing to everyone. God got to the point where He had had enough, so He sent a world-wide flood to cleanse the world, to get rid of all this badness, and effectively to start all over again with one man, Noah, his family and lots of animals. From this point on we read that species began to eat each other. (Genesis chapter 9 “God said to Noah and his sons: I am giving you my blessing. Have a lot of children and grandchildren, so people will live everywhere on this earth. All animals, birds, reptiles, and fish will be afraid of you. I have placed them under your control, and I have given them to you for food. From now on, you may eat them, as well as the green plants that you have always eaten.” – probably the animals were eating each other too, at or before this point in time).

secondly, was it always this way?

No, as I just said, before the first couple chose to go against God, Genesis indicated it wasn’t. Following the rebellion it all changed for the whole universe.

then, what is God going to do about it?

So is God going to do anything about it? Pretty much the whole Bible talks about what God is doing to fix the situation.

• One day in the future God is going to set things right. In the book called Isaiah, chapter 65 verses 17-25 it tells of a place that is coming where death does not exist at all, and in this place wolves and lambs are going to graze together in the same field, and the lions will eat grass. “I am creating new heavens and a new earth; everything of the past will be forgotten. …Wolves and lambs will graze together; lions and oxen will feed on straw. Snakes will eat only dirt! They won’t bite or harm anyone on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!” CEV
• Sounds a bit unbelievable, doesn’t it, but in another place, in 2 Peter 3:13 it says that God is preparing a new heaven and a new earth and there will be no evil thing there. “But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth, where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to that!” CEV
• The last example is from the last book of the Bible, Revelation 21:4 where it says on that future day which is coming, there will no more death, no more sadness. “He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.”

So God is going to fix the situation. Does it seem like He is taking His time. Possibly, but maybe He is just being loving and kind and patient in giving us time. For, by the way, part of the plan was Jesus coming, as others have mentioned. He is part of the fixing situation that God has put in His plan.

then lastly, having settled that, what does that mean to you and me?

So our natural reaction to animals attacking each other, our natural reaction to suffering, is it just doesn’t feel the way it should be, and that is right. The Bible says it is not the way it was meant to be.

So I hope I’ve given you in the Bible some examples that explain why the world is like it is. And what’s in it for me, is to see that what the Bible says is true. So the conclusion of that long question is that God does not have a nasty mind at all, but we are just in the middle of the plan that is being played out.