Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape. [But one day] you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. (Malachi 3:15, 18, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Because of the fall, the world is under a curse, and it is temporarily under the dominion of Satan. Yet God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45, NIV 1984). So, there are limits to Satan’s domination. He can only go so far. But when good things happen to bad people (or bad things to good people) it may seem like there is no “distinction between the righteous and the wicked” at all.
My Advice – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. God himself will be with [us] and be [our] God. He will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1, 3–4, NIV 1984).
There is no need to be discouraged when “the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.” For in the end, “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8, NIV 1984).
Once again there will be a “distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who [accepted Christ] and those who [did] not.” Until that day, “many that live [will] deserve death. Some that die [will] deserve life…All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces [think Holy Spirit and angels] at work in this world…and that is an encouraging thought.” (Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien).
Be encouraged. Be Hopeful. There is a new world coming.
The Brew Is A Musing 