I remember once that someone I knew asked me why God allows so much evil, such as wars or human suffering. That day, I could not give an adequate answer. Several years had to pass before I could understand it and reach the level of understanding necessary to respond.
Nevertheless, the answer is simple: God does not allow it; we are the ones who allow it. If we are free—if we have the faculty or the power to act through reflection and choice—then we are also responsible for what we choose, do, and allow. Those who live in this world are us, not God, and we have full freedom of action. A portion of His Spirit joins us when we reconcile with Him so that we may overcome the evil of the world, but it does not dwell in us if we do not do so.
I know it is easier to blame God or others than to take responsibility and the initiative to change, but a small effort and a push of our will can accomplish great things.
When we reconcile with the Source, we enter into a Covenant with Him. The Covenant between God and humanity is what keeps evil under control. If we break that Alliance, we release it. God placed in our hands what is necessary to overcome it. If evil is still among us, it is because we have not reconciled with the Source, or because we still do not believe in the immense power we have in His Spirit.
Therefore, we have not defeated it; we have simply accommodated it in our lives as if it were something inevitable. Dominion and control over evil are achieved through submission to the Law of God.
Our earliest ancestors chose to turn their backs on His Voice, and by doing so they opened the door to the knowledge of evil in all its forms. But not only did we become learners and apprentices of the master of evil, as the text of Adam and Eve says; calamities also came upon our lives. Speaking of one of these calamities, which had come upon them and which they believed came from the Creator, He corrects them by saying:
“It was the Adversary, your teacher, who did it—he to whom you submitted yourselves and for whom you abandoned My commandment.”
That is, not only did we become knowers and apprentices of evil, but by doing so we also brought misfortune upon our own lives:
“And God said to Adam: O Adam! All this misery you have brought upon yourself.”
And He continues in another section of the text, saying:
“But after your transgression, and upon entering this strange land, all these afflictions have come upon you.”
And He says even more:
“But when you transgressed by obeying the Adversary, you became guests among his angels, who are full of evil, and you came to this land, where you found thorns and thistles.”
God neither desires nor causes our adversities. But when we move away from His Covenant, we become vulnerable to them. He does not hand us over to evil, but He respects our freedom if we decide to hand ourselves over by our own choice.
This is the reality of our lives that most of the world does not want to acknowledge, or does not care to understand in order to change it, because they have grown accustomed to living with evil as part of life, mistakenly and defeatistly believing that this is simply “how life is.” If we want to and set our minds to it, we can create a different kind of existence—one of contentment, fulfillment, and prosperity, both spiritual and physical. We can also manifest the opposite, if that is what we choose.
In the same text I quote, it says that our first parents transgressed the limits of our creation and that, for this reason, our condition of power and spiritual nature was altered. This was done to give us the possibility of recovering it. This was not the case for the transgressing angels, who retained their spiritual nature. That fact, along with our remaining outside His Covenant, initially makes them more powerful than we are; but this position of authority and power is reversed when we make peace with the Creator, even though we are still in this fragile body that can feel pain and sometimes sorrow. The limit of our creation—and even of other created beings such as angels—was not to become involved with the evil that already existed before our first ancestors were formed.
Evil comes back under control when we reconcile and re-enter the Covenant of the Alliance. Observe how great the generosity of the Creator is. When the Lord says to us:
“Come now, let us reason together and see if we can reach an agreement. If you obey Me, I will forgive you. Your sins have stained you like red ink, but I will cleanse you. I will make you white as snow! Then you will eat the best of the land.”
His message concludes with a clear promise of material prosperity in this land, which is part of His commitment to us in the Covenant. He invites us to enter into a pact of mutual benefit, though in reality the benefit is one hundred percent ours. He also reveals His willingness and disposition to reason with us regarding what we do not understand and what has negatively affected our lives. The truth is that many of us carry deep wounds caused by adversities, and when we do not understand why they happened, we tend to think that God is to blame for our circumstances. That idea hardens the heart and, over time, distances us from the Creator.
But that is precisely why He invites us to dialogue. He calls us to understand what happened and to reach an understanding together—a mutual agreement sealed in a Covenant.
A covenant is an agreement between two parties who decide to commit to one another. Both are on the same level of responsibility: each offers something and expects something in return. There is no imposition, but goodwill for the benefit of both parties.
In the case of God and humanity, He offers His guidance, His protection, His forgiveness, and His abundant blessings—both spiritual and material—while we respond with submission and respect for His Voice and His Law, which is what keeps evil under control. It was our first parents who released it; now we, their descendants, are responsible for crushing its head and subduing it once again.
This covenant has real power: it keeps evil limited, without strength or dominion. When humanity remains faithful to the Alliance, evil has no authority over us. But when we break that bond, when we reject His Voice, we ourselves release evil. We give it room. We allow it to act. And over time, we even normalize it.
Control over evil does not depend solely on a divine intervention, but on our decision to return to the Covenant. When we reconcile with God, evil comes back under control. But as long as we remain distant, adversities, injustice, and suffering will continue to be part of our reality—not because God desires it, but because we have allowed it. For this reason, He gave us freedom of choice and decision: we have the capacity to say to evil… No!
God has the power of transmutation. The affliction that humanity manifested by separating itself from the Source in the spiritual order was transformed by God into a new opportunity—if humanity so desired. One can be redeemed from the alliance made with darkness by rejecting the Voice of God, and thus recover the original state and spiritual power. God did not leave us without resources. The material body, and the pain that can be experienced in it, became a means to give us a second opportunity.
To deepen this reflection, it is important to distinguish two very different realities: pain and adversity.
Pain is a signal—whether physical or emotional—that something needs attention or correction. It can arise as an inner warning that guides us, while adversity is an external force created by the Adversary with the goal of destroying our faith and distancing us from God.
There is a type of learning called avoidance learning. Imagine a field where cows graze freely. At the edge of the field there is an electric fence. Each time a cow gets too close, it receives a small shock. Although it is not lethal, it is unpleasant enough that the cow quickly learns not to approach the fence. Over time, even if the fence is no longer electrified, the cows will not attempt to cross it, because they have associated the fence with pain. We are somewhat similar to those cows.
The lesson of that experiment shows us that, within this physical nature, pain can be good: it helps us learn that there are things we should not even approach, because they ultimately cause harm. The truth is that we do not like pain; what we like is physical gratification. As in the example of the electric fence and the cows, pain teaches us not to cross a boundary that harms us. We also learn through pain—not because it is pleasant, but because it alerts us, shakes us, and points something out to us.
Pain, then, is not a punishment, but a tool that helps us focus on what we need to address and correct, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.
Adversity, on the other hand, does not have that purpose. It does not teach or warn for correction. Adversity brings suffering, but its effects are negative and destructive.
It is a common mistake to think that adversities make us grow. But when we carefully observe their origin, we see that they do not come from God, but from the Adversary. Therefore, their purpose is not to shape our character, but to destroy our trust in God. Adversity comes from adversary, from the Latin adversarius, meaning “opponent” or “enemy.” Adversities are misfortunes, disasters, mishaps, and calamities.
The Book of Adam and Eve says the following in a conversation between the Adversary and Adam:
“You have fallen, and I have made you fall from the one from whom I myself fell… you are under my rule, and I am king over you because you have obeyed me… and you will have no deliverance from my hand until the day God promised to deliver you.”
Later it says:
“We will multiply war and murder for you and your descendants… because our house is founded on fire, and we will never cease doing our evil… just as you entered the cave, I will establish fire upon you.”
When Adam heard these words, he wept bitterly and said to Eve: “Did you hear what he said…? Could it be true that he will be king over us?”
That passage not only confirms that adversities do not come from God, but also reveals that even Adam, face to face with the cause of his ruin, could not fully believe that he had handed over his own authority and will by disobeying the Voice of his Creator. That is why there is talk of inclinations to do what is not good for us in this mortal body; but that inclination is internal, of the spirit, and not of the body, even though it manifests through it.
The passage is full of information about how evil operates. It is also an open declaration of spiritual war not only against Adam, but against all his descendants—us. His words describe a curse that reveals a destructive course of action that will not stop, almost like a manifestation of chaos, violence, and corruption that it will create without mercy over the human race. We are not protected from that offensive if we have not entered into the Covenant of the Alliance.
A note on the power of curses through words
This same text sheds light on that matter. It is true that words have power to manifest, but not just anyone can do so. One must have authority or permission from God for words to carry that weight. In the case at hand, we are speaking of a curse—that is, the desire for harm by the Adversary toward Adam and his descendants. He had power to do so because, by their own free will, Adam and Eve submitted themselves to his command and rule.
A passage from the cited text says:
“And yet the angel could not curse the Adversary nor harm him with his words, because he had no authority over him, nor any right to do so. Therefore, the angel tolerated him without saying a word, until the Word of Elohim came and said: ‘Leave this place; once you have already deceived them, and now you seek to destroy them. If it were not for My mercy, I would have destroyed you and your hosts, and you would be out of this land; but I have been patient with you until the end of the world.’ Then he fled from the presence of the Lord.”
Most people do not understand that, if it were not for the love of God, we would already have been destroyed. Seeing that Adam was meek, and that the Conspirator tried to kill them on several occasions, God said to him: “But I know your weakness, and I will not allow him to manifest all his power over you.” He is our only real defense against evil, and His promise of protection remains firm as long as we do not depart from the Covenant.
The most effective tool the Adversary has against us is his spiritual nature. Because we live in a body of flesh, we cannot directly perceive that dimension of the invisible world. If we are walking and see that we are about to collide with someone, we simply stop or change direction, because we see it clearly. But the same does not happen with the invisible activities of evil directed toward us.
Most of the time, that activity occurs through people. However, even though we see them, we do not always discern the manipulation behind their actions, nor do we realize that their intention is to cause us harm. That maneuver can appear in any area of our lives: at work, in the family, in friendships, or in romantic relationships. The limitation of not being able to see the spiritual makes it easier for its existence to be doubted, and even ridiculed by those who believe in it.
The Adversary takes advantage of that disbelief to hide even more. He has planted the idea that believing in him is a sign of ignorance or superstition, thus creating a social judgment based on mockery.
For many, not being able to see him is reason enough to doubt that he exists. But even though we cannot see fallen spiritual beings, God has given us effective weapons to overcome them.
The primary and most powerful ones are reconciliation with God and the mutual commitment of the Covenant. That act immediately places us under His protection. In addition, the discernment of spirits is a valuable tool so as not to be deceived, especially when our faith is not yet firm or consolidated.
The Adversary was not content with making Adam and Eve fall. His objective was broader: to establish a line of conflict that would extend to all their descendants, with the intention of destroying them and taking possession of the earth.
Is it not possible to imagine that something like this could happen?
Let us think of a world where there is no one left who lives in righteousness, where there is not a single upright person, and where respect for God’s spiritual Law no longer exists.
What would happen if the earth were inhabited only by those who desire to cause harm?
Even if someone did not believe this account, common sense tells us that such a scenario is possible… if we allow it. Because, in the end, we all know that evil exists.
Through the words the Adversary speaks to Adam, his true strategy is revealed: to keep the human being divided, wounded, and far from the Source. And the most revealing part is when he says: “Our house is founded on fire…” As if he were confessing that he not only operates from darkness, but has adopted it as his home. His dominion is based on the fire of misfortune and on the repetition of evil. He does not seek redemption nor does he repent; he clings to his cause. And when he declares, “Just as you entered the cave, I will establish fire upon you,” he speaks to Adam as if to say: now you are on my ground. You entered the plane of matter, the physical world, the darkness of exile. And on this ground, where you no longer see clearly, my fire will burn.
This is where true human suffering begins: in distancing oneself from the Voice, in losing the path, in abandoning the garden. Not because God desired it, but because the human being opened himself to a different voice, to a lie that many still believe today. The words of the Adversary seem to say: “You decided to descend, to be deceived, to lose the connection with the Light. Very well then—on this ground that is mine, I will wage war against you. Here I am the one who kindles the fire.”
Today, humanity repeats the same error committed by the first couple. We do not believe that distancing ourselves from God has real consequences. We do not believe that the Covenant is what protects us in this land of lament.
Pain is a signal; adversity is an ambush. The first can help us correct; the second seeks to break us in order to distance us from divine love.
The Book of the Life of Adam and Eve says that the Adversary lit a fire at the entrance of the cave where they lived, with the intention of consuming it so that Adam and Eve would weaken in pain, lose their trust in God, and deny Him.
There, without detours, the origin, purpose, and objective of adversities are revealed: to destroy faith, weaken the spirit, and break the connection with God.
Suffering came through transgression and the rejection of the commandment not to partake of the knowledge of evil. And the solution was also given: to return to the Voice, restore the Alliance, and resume the path of light.
When I hear people ask why God allows hunger in the world, why He allows wars, rapes, injustices… I realize that those people have not yet understood that we are the ones who have the power to change the world. And that we are the ones who bring suffering upon our own lives… or our neighbor brings it upon us because they have not yet advanced along the path of light.
This power we have to change the world requires aligning ourselves with the order established by God. Without that order, there can be no true or lasting peace on earth.
And it is we who choose it…
Or not…
Based on our own choice and decision.