February 2002

I don’t know about you, but after listening to President Bush’s “State of the Union” address, I was reminded once again of the evils of the tragedies of September 11 here in the U.S. We are constantly being reminded of just how “evil” and “fallen” our world is. President Bush has termed correctly that the ones who perpetrated the events of September 11 are “evil doers” and those that follow, harbor or support them are just as evil. His terminology “axis of evil” is exactly that – a long line of continuing evil. This is the true and biblical perspective of what evil is. It is “devilish” and it comes out of a “heart” of evil, one that is filled with every kind of evil thought and intent.[1]

The Bible tells us in the latter days we will see evil abound more and more and I believe that we are seeing it, especially with the 24-hour news and media coverage. We, as the audience, are seeing first-hand these horrific events and even instant death. It brings home to the eye and heart the brevity of life. Through this medium in our homes, we see day after day, man’s inhumanity to man, man committing evils against even his own family, children, co-workers, and country. We also see the evils of abortion, hear of wars and rumors of wars, see conflict of every sort, abuse and every other “evil” imaginable and man justifying himself and excusing himself in it. It is surely a “sign of the times” and what is so vividly stated in Romans 1:28-32:

Therein is the answer. They do not like to “retain God in their knowledge” but have made gods of themselves and of their own imaginations. They have created their own gods of evil and destruction to which they bow. They do the works of their father the devil and then they have pleasure in them. They are liars and justify themselves in their unrighteous acts and are "children of the evil one" as God’s Word says in John 8:44:

This is the true state of the evil in our world today and the state of unregenerate man. Woe to that man that calls “evil” good and good “evil.”

These are trying times for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ but we have an anchor of our soul and hope. Thus, it is a time for us, as God’s true children, to be bold and to live a life of obedience to Christ, to shine as “lights in the world,” and to “overcome evil with good.” He has given us salvation and a hope and future. We do not fret because of the “evil doers” and their ungodly acts because we serve a Sovereign and Glorious God. He will one day destroy the works of the evil one and his cohorts in a fiery and just judgment. So, until He comes, we are to be patient, loving, merciful and obedience servants. We are to pray and beseech our Sovereign Triune God for His mercy on us as we persevere through these difficult days. We are to pray that He, our Great and Majestic Saviour, might have mercy on those that are lost and without hope. He will come and when He does, we shall be like Him but until then, we must live in this “fallen” world, being about His business, doing His will, and glorifying Him on the earth.

In closing, I am reminded of Sinclair Ferguson’s most excellent book, “Kingdom Life in a Fallen World” and how we are to live the “Sermon on the Mount” until His coming:

[1] Because what is right was what was ordained by God, and what is wrong was what was proscribed by him, deviation from this paradigm constitutes what is evil. The most common term for cultic evil in the Old Testament (used over 200 times) is awon [!A'[], "perversion, " possibly related to the verb awah [h"w'[], "to be bent, " "to twist." As such, it refers to what is theologically perverted in some way. Because of Israel's holistic modes of thought, the word may be used to describe: (1) the evil action itself (particularly when found in the plural, e.g., Neh 9:2; Job 13:23, 26; Psalm 130:3; Jer 5:25; 33:8; Ezek 36:33; 43:10; Lam 4:13; Dan 9:16); (2) the ensuing guilt (often in formulations such as "bear their guilt" [NRSV NIV, "held responsible"], Lev 5:17; 17:16); and (3) the punishment for the act (e.g., Gen 4:13; Job 19:29). It may be used to describe idolatry (Exod 20:5; Joshua 22:17; cf. Jer 11:10; Ezek 7:19; 14:3, 4, 7), trivializing the deity (2 Sa 3:13-14), apostasy (Jer 13:22), breach of the covenant (Jer 5:25), or other activities that would in some way demean God's character or name (1 Sam 3:13-14). It may refer to doing away with the fear of God (Job 15:4-5) or a lack of steadfastness toward him (Psalm 78:37-38) and it functions to alienate the individual from God (Lev 26:40; Isa 59:4). Prohibitions sometimes list words for "sin" together with awon [!A'[], emphasizing its theological coloring (e.g., Deut 19:15; Isa 1:4). [Excerpt by William C. Williams from Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology; Baker Books.]

[2] Sinclair B. Ferguson, “Kingdom Life in a Fallen World” NavPress, 1986

JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen begin a new Bible Study on January 28 entitled "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs. Come and study with us!

	February 2002 Issue 1 Volume 2
Title: "Kingdom Life" and "Axis of Evil" Author: Joan-Editor & Publisher "Heavenly Notes" JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen “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.” III John 1:11 * * * I don’t know about you, but after listening to President Bush’s “State of the Union” address, I was reminded once again of the evils of the tragedies of September 11 here in the U.S. We are constantly being reminded of just how “evil” and “fallen” our world is. President Bush has termed correctly that the ones who perpetrated the events of September 11 are “evil doers” and those that follow, harbor or support them are just as evil. His terminology “axis of evil” is exactly that – a long line of continuing evil. This is the true and biblical perspective of what evil is. It is “devilish” and it comes out of a “heart” of evil, one that is filled with every kind of evil thought and intent.[1] The Bible tells us in the latter days we will see evil abound more and more and I believe that we are seeing it, especially with the 24-hour news and media coverage. We, as the audience, are seeing first-hand these horrific events and even instant death. It brings home to the eye and heart the brevity of life. Through this medium in our homes, we see day after day, man’s inhumanity to man, man committing evils against even his own family, children, co-workers, and country. We also see the evils of abortion, hear of wars and rumors of wars, see conflict of every sort, abuse and every other “evil” imaginable and man justifying himself and excusing himself in it. It is surely a “sign of the times” and what is so vividly stated in Romans 1:28-32: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Therein is the answer. They do not like to “retain God in their knowledge” but have made gods of themselves and of their own imaginations. They have created their own gods of evil and destruction to which they bow. They do the works of their father the devil and then they have pleasure in them. They are liars and justify themselves in their unrighteous acts and are "children of the evil one" as God’s Word says in John 8:44: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” This is the true state of the evil in our world today and the state of unregenerate man. Woe to that man that calls “evil” good and good “evil.” These are trying times for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ but we have an anchor of our soul and hope. Thus, it is a time for us, as God’s true children, to be bold and to live a life of obedience to Christ, to shine as “lights in the world,” and to “overcome evil with good.” He has given us salvation and a hope and future. We do not fret because of the “evil doers” and their ungodly acts because we serve a Sovereign and Glorious God. He will one day destroy the works of the evil one and his cohorts in a fiery and just judgment. So, until He comes, we are to be patient, loving, merciful and obedience servants. We are to pray and beseech our Sovereign Triune God for His mercy on us as we persevere through these difficult days. We are to pray that He, our Great and Majestic Saviour, might have mercy on those that are lost and without hope. He will come and when He does, we shall be like Him but until then, we must live in this “fallen” world, being about His business, doing His will, and glorifying Him on the earth. In closing, I am reminded of Sinclair Ferguson’s most excellent book, “Kingdom Life in a Fallen World” and how we are to live the “Sermon on the Mount” until His coming: “So it is with Christians as we live in this world. Our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20). This world is not our home. Its style of life is not ours. Yet we are not to live in a spiritual ghetto, apart from the world; we are its salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). No wonder, then, if we find that the teaching of Jesus’ sermon [Sermon on the Mount] is as demanding as it is exhilarating! The Sermon on the Mount teaches us about the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom will be consummated only when Christ returns and transforms the kingdom of this world into His own Kingdom, publicly putting everything under His authority. But the Sermon on the Mount is not about there and then; it is about here and now. It is not asking us whether we will live a Christlike life in Heaven. It is calling us to lead that life here and now, as Jesus Himself did to perfection. It is not a sermon about an ideal life in an ideal world, but about the Kingdom life in a fallen world. How do you react?”[2] [1] Because what is right was what was ordained by God, and what is wrong was what was proscribed by him, deviation from this paradigm constitutes what is evil. The most common term for cultic evil in the Old Testament (used over 200 times) is awon [!A'[], "perversion, " possibly related to the verb awah [h"w'[], "to be bent, " "to twist." As such, it refers to what is theologically perverted in some way. Because of Israel's holistic modes of thought, the word may be used to describe: (1) the evil action itself (particularly when found in the plural, e.g., Neh 9:2; Job 13:23, 26; Psalm 130:3; Jer 5:25; 33:8; Ezek 36:33; 43:10; Lam 4:13; Dan 9:16); (2) the ensuing guilt (often in formulations such as "bear their guilt" [NRSV NIV, "held responsible"], Lev 5:17; 17:16); and (3) the punishment for the act (e.g., Gen 4:13; Job 19:29). It may be used to describe idolatry (Exod 20:5; Joshua 22:17; cf. Jer 11:10; Ezek 7:19; 14:3, 4, 7), trivializing the deity (2 Sa 3:13-14), apostasy (Jer 13:22), breach of the covenant (Jer 5:25), or other activities that would in some way demean God's character or name (1 Sam 3:13-14). It may refer to doing away with the fear of God (Job 15:4-5) or a lack of steadfastness toward him (Psalm 78:37-38) and it functions to alienate the individual from God (Lev 26:40; Isa 59:4). Prohibitions sometimes list words for "sin" together with awon [!A'[], emphasizing its theological coloring (e.g., Deut 19:15; Isa 1:4). [Excerpt by William C. Williams from Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology; Baker Books.] [2] Sinclair B. Ferguson, “Kingdom Life in a Fallen World” NavPress, 1986 * * * JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen Editor & Publisher, “Heavenly Notes 2002” JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen begin a new Bible Study on January 28 entitled "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs. Come and study with us! Click To view previous articles: Heavenly Notes Archive Need some spiritual encouragement? Additional reading of the Puritan Prayers on-site here will surely bless your soul. Puritan Prayers *** * *** Heavenly Notes Address: The JoyPals Network http://www.joypals.com
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“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.” III 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.”
III John 1:11