I have tried to put my thoughts together in a logical sequence. It all begins with God, who he is, what his nature is and what his purposes are in making men and women. False concepts of God are the root of many evil teachings. From understanding God's true nature and his ways correctly, everything else follows. Certainly, we can't expect to understand fully all there is to know about him. But that doesn't mean that he is altogether beyond knowing. We can know and understand much about God. In fact, he wants us to know him and has sent Jesus in order to reveal himself and his nature and purposes to us.

From knowing his intentions towards us we can come to understand why there is so much suffering on earth. It isn't without purpose and the purpose is supremely good! In many ways, understanding why God allows suffering on the earth is central to understanding so many other things. Human suffering is so great, so awful, so humanly-speaking unnecessary in many cases that people rightly ask "If there is a God and he's a God of love, why does he allow such horrific suffering?" More than that, "If he's an all-powerful God, He must actually be ultimately responsible for all the suffering mustn't he?"

These are just two of many questions that religious people refuse to answer honestly. The answers are simple. "Yes he is responsible for everything. He has made everything in all creation and nothing - but nothing has happened or ever will happen that he is not totally in control of and ultimately carries responsibility for. Yes, human suffering is terrible but it will result in something that far outweighs the pain. I believe that God will ultimately redress every imbalance and wipe away every tear from every eye and ultimately we will all say "God has been good to me and his purposes were higher and better than I ever imagined they could be and I stand in awe of him and his love and grace to me."

I want to demonstrate to anyone with an open mind that God has a timetable that he is working to here on earth. Nothing has or could ever stop him from fulfilling that purpose. It's the most incredible purpose for us humans that anyone could imagine. It's so marvellous that it appears blasphemous to some religious people to even suggest it.

I want to suggest it.

Then I want to show you some plain scriptures that demonstrate that it is compatible with the Bible.

Understanding God's purposes and his timetable begins to make sense of the world we see around us. The good things and the bad. The joy and the sorrow. The beautiful and the ugly. Obviously there are many things I just can't explain. Why has God allowed any particular person to endure horrific suffering, for example? Why did he allow Adolf Hitler to draw the world into a war in the 20th Century? Why does he allow famines and disease epidemics to ravage the nations?

Perhaps it's only because I have personally experienced him and his love that I am able to accept that all suffering is redemptive. (Yes, I do mean all. Mine and yours and that of every person who has ever been born.) In the end, it's a matter of faith. Because I have met him in an intimate way and know him myself, he has given me this faith. Deep down in my innermost being I know that I know that God is good and he will bring good from every situation and circumstance. The Bible says that:

I guarantee that he will hear you and answer your request. It will be at a time and in a way that is best for you.

Oh how wrong we Christians have got this!

It all begins with God. Who is he and what on earth is He doing?