Feb 25, 2021
“Is God A Brutal Dictator like Stalin and Hitler — Condemning Forever Those Who Won’t Submit?”
Is God our enemy?
The message that God is love permeates the entire Scriptures. Consequently, many attacks against God claim that He instead is evil, a cosmic Hitler or Stalin who commits atrocities against humanity.
Let’s take a deeper look.
What happens when God gets His way?
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground — everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good. (Genesis 1:27–31, NLT)
When God gets His way, humanity enjoys:
- A literal Paradise; everything in it was good
- Dominion over the world; meaningful work
- Abundant, endless food
- Glorious beauty
- Peace, harmony, tranquility
- Intimacy with each other and God
- Joy
What happens when humanity gets its way?
[Eve] took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” (Genesis 3:6–7, NLT)
One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. (Genesis 4:8, NLT)
When humanity rebels against God, doing what God hates, humanity suffers:
- Shame
- Fear
- Guilt
- Blame
- Rebellion
- Loss of dominion, being deceived by the very creature they were supposed to rule over
- Hatred
- Murder
What happens when God restores the world to the way He desires?
Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there — no need for lamps or sun — for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:1–5, NLT)
When God restores the world, humanity enjoys:
- Peace
- Unending life
- Healing from all contention, strife, and misery
- Freedom from every curse, including the curse of death and decay
- Renewed intimacy with God
- Renewed dominion, reigning with God
It would appear that God is the author of everything good.
Humanity created the moral mess. If anyone is brutal and jealous, it is humans against other humans.
God is no dictator. He is our Savior.
His name is Jesus.
Every honest question leads to God — as long as you follow it all the way to the answer.
