Scripture In The Face Of Rising Evil
Please allow God space to define the concept of evil in Scripture.
This post includes a healthy and heavy amount of thinking and some introspection. So please, settle in for the ride. Guarantee you will enjoy a positive spiritual result. :)
Evil will increase, and so will righteousness.
The Hebrew word for evil is: רַע , pronounced in English as “rah". Used in Scripture in the following manner: evil (442 times), wickedness (59x), wicked (25x), mischief (21x), hurt (20x), bad (13x), trouble (10x), sore (9x), affliction (6x), ill (5x), adversity (4x), ill-favoured (3x), harm (3x), grievous (2x), sad (2x), miscellaneous (39x).
General observations of the meaning of evil as developed thus far:
Evil is:
Unpleasing to God.
Displeasing to our fellow humans.
Giving out pain, unhappiness, misery.
Making a situation worse.
Vicious in spirit.
Causing injury and calamity.
Accompanied by violence.
Vile words that eat away at the target like cancer or acid.
Malicious intent.
Hard-hearted, demonically infused bursts of wrath.
As evil rises, so must Scripture to face off.
As the Darkness gains momentum here on the last lap of Earth version 1.0, so must the Light of the world become more exceedingly glorious.
Darkness is the best backdrop to best appreciate Light.
The contrast is reinvigorating!
Websters 1828 expands broader our perspective on evil:
1. Carnal, selfish, fleshly; having qualities which tend toward injury. A heart set on defrauding others.
2. Morally wicked; corrupted; perverse; wrong; such as evil thoughts; evil deeds; evil speaking; an evil generation. Set in opposition against God. Depravity, a disposition to commit wickedness.
Moral evil is any deviation from the rules of conduct prescribed by God alone, or by legitimate human authority; or it is any violation of the plain principles of justice and rectitude.
There are also civil evils, which affect injuriously the peace or prosperity of a city or state or region; as political evils, which injure a nation, in its public capacity.
All wickedness, all crimes, all violations of law and righteousness are moral evils. Disease is a natural evils, but it often proceed from moral evils.
How the common person in the natural world perceives evil is of lesser weight:
Evil is generally agreed upon in society as simply: intentional harm. Morally wrong actions causing suffering or destruction. Evil is associated with a lack of compassion, empty of empathy, mixed with blatant disregard for ethics or rules.
We have lived to see the epic battle of Good v. Evil.
The ultimate battle of the ages.
From the dawn of Scripture we see evil progressing gradually.
Let’s go back. Beginning in the Garden of Eden, where mankind was oblivious to the depth of evil, even before the time of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The assumption is because man knew God, that man recognized God as good. However, man had not yet known evil before that first disobedience.
Genesis 8:21: “and the LORD said in His heart, … the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth”
Modern examples of evil can include acts such as mass terrorism, genocide (killing-off entire people groups), human traffic slavery, violent crimes, oppressing freedom of vital information, financial and moral corruption in positions of power, and destruction of resources that benefit the wellbeing of humans, manipulating the mass narrative of what is honestly good. Today’s culture tends to allow displays of backlash, revenge, looting, rioting, and war which would have clearly been defined as unacceptable and evil even a few years ago.
What is stronger than evil?
Genesis 50:17, “Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father.”
God is bigger than evil. As in the story of Joseph.
Gen 50:20, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
Evil excites disruption of the natural order of our God-designed biology through manipulating the harmony of our body’s cellular and chemical and even electrical flow-systems through introducing toxic metals in our water supply and airstream and even injections, coupled with high-impact frequencies of radiation waves of proven range of specific gigahertz pulsing to maximize control and harm, and reduction of our joy.
How do we respond?
Romans 12:9, “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
Exodus 23:2, “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” Ignore trending garbage.
Evil sneaks to gradually seize control of powerful technology positioned to squash the voice of truth and purity while elevating the volume and influence on social platforms of depraved hearts and spirits under direct guidance of hell. A 111-page executive order on Artificial Intelligence was foisted unawares on the American public just recently.
Will get to that …
Deuteronomy 4:25, “… do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke Him to anger:” Evil provokes anger. Hmmm.
[This is sarcasm.] Every action the beloved gov makes is only for our benefit and peace. Everything is positive.
On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order on the [here is the title] “Safe [sounds perfectly harmless], Secure, and Trustworthy [insert clown face] Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence." The order establishes new standards for Ai safety and security, it protects Americans' privacy [Absolutely it does! Why wouldn’t the government want to promote freedom of expression without risk of imprisonment? The gov would never put people in prison for merely expressing a view! :)], advances equity and civil rights [Translated to actually mean: dividing people according to their ‘flavor’ so there is further animosity and vitriol established and stoked by government-defined “sides.”], stands up for consumers and workers [protects those vulnerable little guys from the big, bad companies], promotes innovation and competition [Sarcasm: The government wants truly open competition like John D. Rockefeller wanted imported oil to threaten his 90% monopolistic stranglehold on the American oil market], and advances American leadership around the world [America is on equal ground or falling behind China and India and Japan and other nations technologically.] . 2 The order builds on previous actions the President has taken [Really? The siting president is a puppet shell face of the real master hiding behind the curtain who actually writes the instructions for determining our nation’s trajectory … downward], including voluntary commitments from 15 leading companies to drive safe, secure, and trustworthy development of Ai [Pause to breathe and translate that sentence. Please list off these nefarious 15 elite handful of controllers of our media who will have the handles of this new, awesome power?]. The order aims to balance the needs of cutting-edge technology companies with national security and consumer rights, creating an early set of guardrails that could be fortified by legislation and global agreements. This order specifically recognizes the significant role of non-legal immigrants, international students, and high-skilled temporary visa holders in Ai. [Please break-down that last sentence into something meaningful for the common American citizen? What is the significant roll of these 3 groups listed, as related to the rise of Ai, please?]
That’s just one example of how evil is manipulative. Let’s go back to the Bible, shall we?
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” I Chronicles 4:10.
The Bible allows oxygen for your spirit. Even amidst the efforts of evil. For example:
CBDC is overt and absolute control over individual purchasing power. Just like God said in Revelation. Enforcing specifically what you can purchase and where you can buy any item. Programmable digital currency that dictates how many miles you can be from home. Limiting the radius to 10 miles max functionality from your set home base. It’s centralized control of who can buy food, fuel, personal defense, energy, or any of life’s enjoyments. CBCD is a convenient, swift, total lock-down control grid in an open air prison where no exchange of items is allowed without permission granted only to those who behave … according to the regulations set by the elite. CBDC is forced taxation, without escape, forced freezing bank accounts for voicing dissent, based on your social points, and who you follow.
Can we come up for breath? Feels like we had our head stuck in a swamp there!
Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Evil has many heads.
Evil does not allow freedom.
Certainly the appearance and feeling of freedom is vital to their elaborate plan coming together.
The long-play goal is synchronized tracking of our bodies, our actions, and our powers.
Surveillance under the skin.
Everyone will soon feel increased heaviness. Especially those who resist.
Romans 7:21, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”
Those who rise against the evil by doing good are going to really feel it. The Prince of Darkness is a fan of compressing and depressing humans. He giggles in delight at our deconstruction. Who is this Prince of Darkness?
Doubt is his main tool.
Doubt opens the door to unknowns.
Unknowns torment the mind with fear.
Fear drives a person to self-defense paranoia.
Fear elevates levels of response chemicals in our body.
Fear does not depend on God for protection or assistance.
Fear drives us batty.
Doubt can be overcome by confidence in God’s word.
For example, Imagine God saying this to you.
2 Sam 5:19, “And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.” Boom! Go up! Doubtless. Courage to the battle. Zero doubt. Make it happen, David! Why? God said so in Scripture.
The more evil rises, the more we need to saturate our soul with Scripture.
Toward the end, the world will become like the days of Noah, specifically preoccupied by violence.
In the time before the flood, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
May our hearts imagine differently. And become prepared for the arrival of God.
“I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. O LORD God … keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of Thy people, and prepare their heart unto Thee:” 1 Chron 29.
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, … there is liberty” 2 Corinthians 3:17. That’s the exact opposite of the goal of evil.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;” Isaiah 61.
Do you feel the pressure of evil? Go hug your Bible. Stick your nose in the words and enjoy the reprieve.
“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, … For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:” 1 Peter 2, 3.
1 Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
2 Peter 2:2,10, 12, “And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption”
Third John 1:11, “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.”
Romans 12:17, “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” What should we do as evil rises?
v 21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
I Corinthians 13, “Charity … thinketh no evil;”
Galatians 1:4, “[Christ] Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:”
That one is good enough to read twice.
Eph 4:31 & 32, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: … And [by strong contrast, instead] be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” That’s how we should respond as the world gets more evil.
What should we do when we know the days are dark?
Eph 5:16, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Cannot run away, cannot hide, cannot pretend that evil is not coming.
Eh 6:13, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Philippians 3:2 “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”
I Thess 5:15, “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men." Not natural retaliation. Chase after the good. Follow the good.
I Thess 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Second These 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
See, that’s comforting. That’s positive!
I Timothy 6:4 mentions “evil surmisings,” Coming to a faulty summary. Surmisings are unquantified, inaccurate bad assumptions about others, from a heart with a tunnel funnel straight into the darkness. “I think that person has this motive.” That’s an evil surmising. Don’t do it.
Second Timothy 3:13, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” Not like we are headed back to the good ole days.
Second Timothy 4:14, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:" God will take care of that guy.
Sure, evil will rise.
Evil may even appear to prevail for a season.
Yet … here is a verse to put in your heart:
“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:18. Gotta say it kinda Southern if you’re serious. :) I wanna read that one again. So, let’s say you get attacked. Let’s say something happens. Let’s say evil continues. You hear some bad news tomorrow. Then say this verse out loud into the open air: “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:18.
Titus 3:2, “To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” Ouch, that’s convicting.
Hebrews 3:12, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Didn’t say departing from church. Sometimes church hurts people. But God is living. We want to stay close to His heart. And if you love Him, guess what? You’ll love the things He loves. And you know one thing God loves? He loves church. :)
James 3:16, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. …
John 7:7, “The world cannot hate you; but Me [Jesus] it [the world] hateth, [why?] because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” And the world hates when we agree with the voice of Jesus in pointing out the evil works thereof. It’s not our opinion; it’s God’s opinion. We are just telling the world God’s opinion, and they don’t like that!
Matthew 7:17, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” By their results you will know them to be evil or good.
This next verse, Jesus was talking to a certain class of people, and wanted to get their attention, so He declared …
Matt 12:34, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good TREASURE of the heart [keyword there is TREASURE, meaning the excess, the abundance, the extra storage] bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil TREASURE bringeth forth evil things."
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” 2 Tim 3:1.
“And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” Luke 11:4.
:)
Scripture In The Face Of Rising Evil