1 Kings 21:29 – “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”
Elijah and Naboth were godly people and, during their lifetimes, bad things happened to them. They were poor, lied about, hunted for death, and suffered greatly. For them, life on earth was as close to Hell as they got, and now they are spending forever in Heaven.
In this life, good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people because the presence of evil and the demonic are very real in this life. The Bible is clear on this fact. Too often, believers look at life and assume that God is failing. The truth is life as we know it is lived on a battlefield, which is why God’s people keep getting shot by a real Enemy. Here’s reality for our world according to the Bible:
- John 12:31 – Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 – …the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers…
- Ephesians 2:2 – [Satan is] “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…”
- 1 John 5:19 – …the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
In summary, for the believer, this life is our temporary Hell until we get to our eternal Heaven. For the unbeliever, this life is their temporary Heaven until they get to their eternal Hell. Just as there was a massive, swift, judgment of reversal for Ahab and Jezebel, so it will be when the real king, KING JESUS, returns with His Kingdom to rule and reign in justice and truth! Proverbs 13:22 tells us to look to that day of our eternal inheritance as “the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”
How have you seen good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people, like this story?
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