If the key to a life happy and blessed by God is keeping his law, and the path to pain and misery is breaking it, why is it that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer?
Maybe it would make sense that God ordained the destruction of the nation of Israel at the hands of the Assyrians as a punishment for the sins of the people. But if that’s the case, why, when the people repented and returned to God’s ways…did they continue to experience social upheaval, political disaster, economic crisis, and military defeats?
It would make sense if there were no God. Or if there were many gods, some of whom were nasty. But how can it make sense if there is only one God who is truly good and completely in control of this world? It was a problem for Jewish thinkers. And eventually, about two centuries before Jesus, they came up with a new solution. …It is not God who causes the problems. Instead, God has cosmic enemies. They are the ones doing it.
It was in this period that some Jewish thinkers propounded the idea that God has a cosmic antagonist, the devil. The devil went by different names in the Jewish tradition—for example, Satan and Beelzebul. You will not find him in the Hebrew Bible. To be sure, a figure known as “the satan” does appear in a couple of places, most famously in the book of Job (chapters 1-2), but there he is not the devilish opponent of God. He is one of God’s counselors who opposes humans but still does God’s bidding. For later Jewish thinkers, however, this figure was transformed into a massively powerful being opposed to God and all who worship him.
–Bart Ehrman, NT scholar, in his book, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, pp. 106-107
Gary: The Jewish view of the Afterlife changed due to cognitive dissonance. How can God be good if he allows his people, who have repented and are diligently obeying his commands, to continue to suffer? Is he a sadist? First the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans. When will the suffering end, God? Hmm. It must not be God’s fault.
It is the Devil!
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End of post.
Escaping Christian Fundamentalism 
So, basically, I take it you don’t like the idea of “God” – or, rather, human’s understanding of God – to be something “developmental”. Like, in your mind, everything should have some how been revealed “magically”, all at once, no “thinking” involved?
That “developmental thinking” is totally fine for things like, say, going from the wheel to a cart to a charriot to a wagon, then to cars. That kind of thing is OK.
BUT – when it gets to the “God topic” – No. If it’s “developmental”, then, it isn’t “real”. Or something like that.
Am I correct?
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I’m not the one claiming that my God is eternal and unchanging.
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Oh, wait… So, if the views on the afterlife change, then, that somehow means God changed?
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I’m aware of the concept of progressive revelation.
I can’t prove it is an ad hoc explanation invented by desperate believers to maintain their belief in an unchanging God, but neither can you prove that it isn’t. However, cumulative human experience would tilt the scales in my favor. Superstitious people are frequently forced to revise their prophecies when reality contradicts them.
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re: ”Superstitious people are frequently forced to revise their prophecies when reality contradicts them.”
Yeh, you know, that COULD be it. Or not. *shrug*
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