Why Doesn’t God Eliminate All the Bad Guys and Let the Good Guys Live?
It is obvious that there are people who make the lives of their neighbors worse than it should be.
They may be an annoying family member, a vicious next-door neighbor, or an unethically competing colleague. But there are bad guys on other levels too. What about gangsters who kill people? What about politicians who start wars, causing death and misery to millions? What about financial manipulators who steal the hard-earned money of countless decently working fathers and mothers, and retired grandpas and grandmas?
Wouldn’t life be much more pleasant without them? Why does God let them hurt others and make life miserable? Why doesn’t He just wipe them out, so we could live much better without them?
There are some problems with this desire. There is the question of whether it fits the golden rule. Is it an acceptable desire to see people we think are bad done away with? Doesn’t it show a general lack of love toward our neighbors? Don’t we just want to live better at the expense of others?
Another practical problem is that if one bad boy goes, usually another will quickly fill in his position. Teachers can tell you that, often, when the worst-behaving child leaves the class, the second-worst steps forward and will be about as bad as the first one was. It seems that the situation is not only about the behavior of people but about roles to be played.
And there is the question of standards. How can we tell who is good and who is bad? Can we find anybody who will say that he himself is bad and should be eliminated? Maybe we could find a few, but not many.
What does God’s Word say about it? Are we good enough?
Let us read a little:
“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that does good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:2-3).
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).
“There is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23).
If we think we are among the good people while others are on the bad side, we may be in for a great surprise.
And there is an interesting fact: God eliminates all the bad guys and lets the good guys live without them. Yes, He does it, but probably not the way we think He does.
We will all die. And then God will separate those He thinks are good from those He thinks are bad. In the next world, those who would spoil life will not be there.
“And there shall in no way enter into it [the Holy Jerusalem] anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Revelation 21:27).
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” (Revelation 22:14-15).
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: …
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46).
The question is: on which side will you and I stand on that day.
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Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
John 6:68
You have the words of eternal life.
John 6:68
© Frank Warner 2025.