December 12, 2023

“O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.” hab 1:2-3 nkjv Have you ever felt like the Prophet Habakkuk, and wondered why evil and wickedness is so often allowed to run [seemingly] rampantly, with no consequence to their actions? Maybe you have had thoughts you dare not speak, like, if I were in charge [etc.] I would…. Then we remember Yahweh said vengeance was His alone. Rom 12:19 nkjv

From time immemorial, beginning with Cain’s rebellion (and refusing opportunity to correct his error), evil men have chosen wickedness and vileness as a way of life. Have you ever read this Scripture? “The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” ps 58:3 nkjv The Apostle Peter said about them: “They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.” 2 pet 2:14b nkjv Yeshua, in Matthew chapter 13, defined them as the “tares” sown among the wheat by the wicked one… who in the end would be gathered up and burned in the fire. It seems that the presence of the evil ones, which are permitted by Yahweh, are free to do evil and carry on as if there was no penalty for their evil deeds… We are cautioned to keep our distance from them as much as is possible; because:

“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 1cor 15:33 nkjv

The scriptures record the dismal record of the Children of Israel being constantly in and out of trouble with the influence of the evil and wicked ways of the Canaanites and other pagans among them. Eventually they succumbed to idolatry and hedonism, resulting in their final expulsion from the promised land, which [I suggest] can be seen as a picture of our modern society, and its likely destiny, as we continue following the influence of evil and wickedness. The end result for Israel was seventy years of captivity in Babylon; among the captives there was Daniel, whom the angel called “greatly beloved.” dan 9:23 kjv. Daniel’s captivity confirms that the evil deeds and wickedness of a society affect not only the perpetrators, but the unfortunate “just” persons as well.

While in captivity, Daniel recorded many visions and experiences that he encountered; among his writings is the prayer he prayed with confession of the sins of his people and petition to Yahweh to forgive them and restore Jerusalem. Please read Daniel Chapter 9 for the full context of this story. More so, I wish to point out that evil and sinful ways reap judgment and devastation upon those intent on disobedience and rebellion against Yahweh’s laws, statutes, commandments and instruction.

There seems to be a bitter cycle of prosperity, peace, carelessness, then self-destruction; followed by judgment, then over time it starts back up, only to end in the same tragic way. If you are like me, you probably look around you in our present world and ask the same thing as did the Prophet Habakkuk [above], and wonder why evil and wickedness is so often allowed to run [seemingly] rampantly, with no consequence to their actions? Maybe you have had thoughts you dare not speak, like, if I were in charge [etc.] I would…. As I wrote above.

I believe we now live in the time leading up to the culmination of men’s desecration of truth and justice and righteousness. But before the end, the Bible foretells greater chaos and disruption to peace and civility, with evil abounding and trampling truth and justice [isa 59:14],  such time, I think, is not so far ahead of where we are now. To those who believe in the God of Israel and Yeshua the Messiah, there is a confident understanding of the end of the age, coming to the judgment of both good men and evil men. There surely will be the final judgment and truth, justice and righteousness will be restored forevermore. Justifiably, horrific punishment of the wicked will be administered by the only one [Yahweh] who is able to fully understand and judge the hearts of all men.

If you have ever wondered how Yahweh’s justice works, this article by Monte Judah, of Lion and Lamb Ministries, is worth reading: “God’s Scales of Justice.”

Shalom, John