"My question is why people don't comment on why God allowed those deaths in light of the ongoing condemnation of abortions. If God permitted those deaths, why can't He also permit abortions?" (Jaybo, post #147)
This is a question that is raised in the book of Job and one they had a real problem with. However, instead of getting lost in the trees of Job we should agree on a few key principles.
1. God allowed everything that happened in Job to happen to him.
2. God put limits on what could happen to him.
3. God taught Job a very valuable lesson (which most people miss) and as a result Job was far more blessed at the end of Job than the beginning of Job.
and
4. Job is a book about Jesus since we are told the entire Bible is about Jesus.
Then, in addition, I would add one more promise from the Bible, and that is that
5. "God will wipe away every tear".
Before we even get into a discussion with anyone on this topic they must agree to these five points. If they refuse, then I refuse to discuss it.
But assuming anyone who is still reading agrees with the first five conditions:
We live in universe created by God and it is for a purpose. There are several major themes throughout the Bible. A love story, a wedding between God and man, and God the Father wants a son in His image and after His likeness.
So then
5 and ye have forgotten the exhortation which reasoneth with you as with sons,
My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord,
Nor faint when thou art reproved of him;
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11 All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness.
We all know this is true. Football practice was not pleasant, but if you had a good coach the fruit of that "chastening" was a championship team and being trained to be a champion. It was not pleasant what happened to MJ and the Bulls at the hands of the Detroit Bad boys, but as a result they hit the gym, and as a result they became the baddest boys in the NBA. It was not pleasant what happened to Jesus, but after resurrecting from the dead He was declared to be the Son of God
Romans 1:4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,
If you want to be the champion you have to defeat the champion, and at that time the undefeated champion was death.
As believers we are being trained to rule and reign with Jesus, hence we also fill up the afflictions of Jesus which are lacking.
Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church;
So from this we learn that the Body of Christ needs to experience every single affliction that is possible. Although Jesus in His earthly ministry experienced afflictions that are as bad as anything anyone will ever experience, there were still many afflictions that have since been experienced by "the body of Christ". We learn from these afflictions. Anyone who has been thrown by a horse learns to be very serious about not letting the horse get out of control. Anyone who has been in a sailboat that capsizes learns to be much more serious about learning how to keep the boat under control. Anyone who went through the Great Depression learns how to seriously save for a rainy day.
After Chernobyl the scientists learned how serious the flaws in the design were. If we are going to rule and reign with Jesus then we must have these experiences.
So then this world and this life are here to train us to rule and reign, just like you might train a pilot how to fly a plane. However, the Bible says "God will wipe away every tear". How can He do that? When people are dead they are dead. Wrong! Jesus is the resurrection. We don't enter into the resurrection life without going through the death of Christ. It is like Baptism. You don't become a Christian without first going through the water of Baptism.
The believers are eternal. This life is a momentary lightness of affliction compared to the eternal weight of glory. This life is like going through a training in a flight simulator. It is necessary to throw every single potential event at you in the simulator. That is how you train pilots. But even if you crash into a city and take out huge apartment buildings while in a flight simulator it doesn't have any real impact. That is what God has made this world. Once we sinned He walled off the tree of life to make sure everything that happened was not "real", it had no impact on eternity. This is why we are told not to fear those who can kill but after that can do nothing, rather fear God who after you are dead can throw you into hell.
The 2,000 children killed by Herod will be firstfruits to God. The 60 million aborted babies will also be fully taken care of by God. But the people who did these deeds have exposed their hearts, and when they appear before the judgement seat they will have no excuse. They will be judged according to righteous judgement, as you have done it will be done to you.