BBD 08.11.14 Pure Evil (New)
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The Burning
Bush Devotional
08.11.14
Pure Evil
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord
understand all. - Proverbs 28:5 NKJV.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want
to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from
the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be
afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an
avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be
subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. - Romans
13:3-5 NKJV.
Pure Evil is a term that I have been hearing more frequently these
days with so much evil abounding in our world. What would be the definition of
Pure Evil? I never really found an actual definition in the sense of how it is
being used in recent days. Here is my definition for Pure Evil: A
person, or group of persons who are completely absent of any good, without even
a tiny sliver of anything of a good nature, with absolutely no redeeming qualities. All that a Pure Evil person or group of Pure
Evil persons think and do is evil.
There is actually a listing of the top Pure Evil people of all
time. Of course, it is just an arbitrary list from an individual, but they all
sound very evil to me. Here are a few of them: Adolf Hitler, Ivan the Terrible,
Adolf Eichmann, Pol Pot, Mao Tse-tung, Idi Amin, Joseph Stalin, Genghis Khan,
and Tallat Pasha. There are thousands of lesser well known people who would
appear to qualify as also being Pure Evil.
On the march in the world today is a group known as the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The group is also known as the Islamic State of
Iraq and of the Levant (ISIL). Whatever their name, they would appear to qualify
for my definition of Pure Evil. They had slaughtered an estimated 170,000
people in Syria before they even began their rampage in Iraq. They have
possibly as many as 40,000 men, women, and children trapped on a mountain top
in Iraq without food or water. The specialty of ISIS appears to be the
beheading of any Christian, Yizidis, Kurd, or even some Muslims that do not
convert to their brand of Islam. However, it is known that some who claimed to
convert were killed anyway. The group seems to take great pleasure in beheading
even children. The rumors of their atrocities include things that even the top
ten list of Pure Evil people did not think of doing.
Should our government or any government try to stand up to ISIS
and stop their rampage of evil? Why should we even ask that question? Doesn’t
Jesus say this: “You have
heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell
you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek,
turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your
tunic, let him have your cloak also.” There
is a difference between how God sees actions of the individual and of a nation.
Are police officers or soldiers who are sometimes forced to kill committing murder?
They do “not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s
minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” Of
course, there is a difference between evil empires ruled by evil dictators and
other nations. You could rightfully point to ISIS and think of them as an evil
empire and that all nations opposing the evil as being on God’s side. Some
would say that the Roman empire was an evil empire, and to some extent it was;
however, God used the Romans to bring order, peace, and justice to much of the
known world during the time that Jesus walked upon this earth. There is no
justice in the atrocities ISIS is committing or in the atrocities committed by
other evil empires.
Doing
or committing evil acts is sinful and perhaps one of the more shocking things
found in the Bible is this: “For whoever shall keep the
whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10).”
We also know that the Bible says, “all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Yes, members of ISIS have
sinned, but we have sinned too and this is why all of us are in need of a
Savior. Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? Have you opened up the door
of your heart (Revelation 3:20) and invited
Jesus to come in? Have you “believed” upon Jesus
for forgiveness of your sins (John 3:16)?
Let us
all pray that the evil represented by ISIS will be pushed back into whatever
hole it came out of and that all nations not supporting this evil will “not bear the sword in vain.” May the justice of God
prevail and ISIS be destroyed. If you live in the United States please call
today your Congressman or Congresswoman and Senator and ask for a more robust
response to the evil empire of ISIS.
Copyright © 2014. Ed Wrather. The
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