Freedom, this great marker
Our heavenly Father wants us to be able to make conscious choices, which is why he gave us the freedom to think. He wants a creature who seeks Him to discover Him, a creature who is capable of loving Him more than anyone and anything else in the world. He has therefore granted us freedom of action, even if it is sometimes difficult to maneuver within its limits. His plan is so well thought out that it can be difficult to understand, and He had to choose between using His omnipotence to rid us completely of evil, or leaving us in the same environment so that we could learn and choose wisely with eternal life in mind. If we hadn't been exposed to good and evil, how would we know the fruits they produce? If God hadn't decided to expose us to the horrible spectacle of the fate reserved for the damned in eternal life, how could He be sure that no one would ever rebel as the fallen angels did. He has given us the gift of freedom, hopes we will make good use of it, and is watching us.
Every act has repercussions, so there's no such thing as freedom without consequences. Animals too are capable of making certain choices, with their limited awareness of their own existence. When calling our pets while strong stimuli draw their attention elsewhere, are they aware of the immediate repercussions of their refusal to obey, if they have not been trained? Can they foresee the consequences of their choices before they make them? We, on the other hand, can act as we please in any situation, even under constraint, because we have no instinct to make one choice rather than another. Proximity to God is the only incentive to do good, and the part of humanity that refuses to do so has always tried to enslave others in one way or another for its own greed. It's an available choice, whatever the consequences, but only those who fear for their lives agree to live according to what's imposed on them, without freedom, and the devil knows this all too well.
Atheists use their freedom to do as they please, only taking care not to get drawn into insoluble problems and provided they don't lack wisdom, maturity or knowledge. If the consequences of our actions were so obvious, few of us would be faced with seemingly intractable problems, most of which are due to our bad decisions, made, thinking we could get away with them, as if divine laws existed for God, or that only human eyes observed them.
Others think, because justice is sometimes late guest, that it might never prevail, that man can get away with crime. Granted, they have witnessed that great fortunes often accompany great crimes, because more money also means more means to do evil. Yet some justice is still served here on earth, even when wealthy criminals manage to corrupt the justice system. If justice doesn't seem to have been served by the time the criminals die, it's because their situation is tragic. Indeed, God says: "Vengeance and retribution are mine; their foot will slip in due time" (Deuteronomy 32:35). So, happy are those who experience enough misfortune in their lives to, even forcibly, repent of their evil deeds, this means they will pay for their crimes in this world and be where Jesus is, in eternity. For example, Hitler, Stalin, Mao and many others apparently never had to answer for their crimes, because nobody laid a hand on them while they were still alive. But here is the true meaning of this justice they seem to have escaped: Almighty God reserved them for Himself, no earthly punishment was applied so that they would receive God's full wrath in due time, which began when their spirits left their bodies, and will end when God ceases to be God. How can I know this? God says that those who don't understand his message, don’t, because He doesn't want them to understand it, so they never repent and He never forgives them, because He refuses to forgive them (Isaiah 6:10), (Mark 4:11, 12). This is what happens when man refuses God once too often.
The path to freedom seems hard to grasp, and some hold a grudge against the God-figure they've created for themselves. A grudge they use to justify not seeking Him out. They blame Him for the multiple abuses suffered, most often by children, when in most cases, crimes against children are committed because of the choices of their parents, who are as free as you and me. They even blame God for the repercussions their bad deeds have on themselves, a type of reasoning typical of prisoners. They seek revenge on others according to the type of crime that was committed, without taking into account that they themselves are criminals. Blaming others for our own mistakes means that the difference between right and wrong escapes us. We can blame others who have committed the most serious offenses in our eyes, but in God's eyes, idolatry is the worst of faults, as the first commandment and most of His word says.
Capital punishment is popular throughout the world, and the countries that still apply it are mainly pagan. Some kill their own citizens for adultery, or cut off the limbs of those who have stolen, when they don't even worship the one and only God. Of course, where Christians used to prosper, it will be objected that the Bible sometimes commands killing, and that's true, but we have to be able to distinguish when it was applied, and for what reasons, which has long been totally ignored. However, I live under the authority of the New Covenant, which tells how a prostitute who was to be stoned was saved from death by Jesus. He said He had not condemned her, and enjoined her to sin no more. Those who rely on the Bible to advocate the death penalty should also know that all witches were to be burned. It would be naïve to believe that witchcraft no longer exists. It's everywhere, from acupuncture to hypnosis, it's just that people don't want God and don't care about His laws. Even yoga is punished by the law of the Old Covenant. It's a cult devoted to an imaginary snake, namely the spinal column that Hindus call kundalini. Can we imagine how many people would perish if we burned all those who introduce yoga, or so-called therapeutic hypnosis, into their daily routine? If people hadn't ousted God from their lives, He wouldn't be obliged to let the demons get rid of them as they are doing now, whether they ignore it or don't believe it won't change a thing.
The Old Covenant is called that for a reason. Although it is very useful, we need the Holy Spirit to help us understand Jesus' message, so that we can use what is still useful, understand what is no longer in use and for what reasons. Hence the parables of the piece of cloth and the wineskin (Mark 2:21, 22). The Holy Spirit dwells wherever spiritual warfare is waged against sin. Since the beginning of the New Covenant, we have had access to a remedy far more powerful against demons than anything used before, and its name is Jesus Christ. The use of His name banishes them all, although we must repeat the treatment according to the severity of the disease, and sometimes, as he Himself told His disciples, a particular type of demon is expelled only by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21), and of course the source of contact with evil must be eliminated.
It's how we exercise our freedom that we'll be judged worthy or not. It is by choosing to live according to Christ's teachings or not, that we will be gathered and carried away by the angels, or left behind in the company of all the demons. And then, the mark of the beast that is fast approaching has always existed, but its ultimate and final manifestation is about to materialize. Will we choose money and relative comfort for a very short time, or have we learned the lessons of Covid 19? There's not much time left, because the great tribulation only lasts 7 years.
Here's a quote from Mother Teresa: Prayer doesn't change the world, it changes us, and we change the world.