How long were they here?

I hear much from people talking about if God exists and if he is so great then how can he “let” all of this badness happen in the world. How can he stand by as we kill each other indiscriminately. The answer is fairly straight forward if you look at it. We were created in God’s image in a state of innocence and God had commanded us not not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but with that command God did not tie our hands, for he gave us free will and given a choice to either eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We chose to defy God and as a basic principle of free will there are consequences. We as a people seem to have become detached to the idea of consequence for actions and the responsibility of autonomy. If God stepped in and decided to control everything, what would differentiate us from robots or any of the other choiceless entities or constructs? It would eliminate free will and we would become automatons. What this system of freewill does for us, is allow us to prove ourselves through the choice of good versus evil and whether we choose God or we do not choose God. It is a proving ground to show that we are capable of learning and capable of seeking the Source, which is God even in our fallen state. It shows that even though we have messed up we are capable of coming back to heal so to speak. It shows God that we trust him and ultimately that we trust the Messiah or Messenger that is God’s son, Jesus. When Adam and Eve ate of the tree they broke God’s commandment for them. What they did next was a compounding event and that compounding event was to think they could hide from God and to conceal their rebellion. God knows we are fallen and what he desires instead of us running and hiding from him, is to seek him out, to confess our sins in repentance and to be welcomed back into his presence. Trust in the Son of God for he trusted God to the point of going to Sheol(abode of the dead) to pay for our transgressions as an innocent sacrifice, and arose, defeating death so that we may live through him. Trust in the Messiah.