As prophesied by Isaiah and Malachi the prophets, YHVH is currently raising up John the Baptist-style preachers to prepare the way for Yeshua’s (Jesus’) second coming. They are calling Christians out of the spiritual Babylon of churchianity, which is a mixture of truth and error, good and evil, and to repentance and back to their Torah-based, biblical roots.
These preachers are NOT pansies in the pulpits like the majority of Christian pastors, but are rough-hewn, plain spoken and fearless servant of YHVH Elohim, who are laying the spiritual ax to the tree of the anemic, lukewarm, idol-worshipping, man-pleasing religious system called modern Christianity. Can you handle this, or are you content to play church and remain in your spiritual state of lukewarm complacency?
Watch this video, be challenged to grow up spiritually, so you will be the chaste and righteous bride for which Yeshua the Messiah is coming back to marry.
The Bible is clear: not all Christians will be the bride of Yeshua! The choice is yours.
The Gospel of John chapters seven to nine are a prophetic picture of what will occur at the end of the thousand year millennial reign of King Yeshua the Messiah. In this video, Anna explains the prophetic implications of the Last Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Yeshua being the river of life, the prophetic picture of the Eighth Day, the man born blind, Yeshua being the Light of the world and how this relates to the coming New Jerusalem.
She also reveals how all people fall into three spiritual categories and what the fate of each will be either reward or punishment at the white throne judgment seat at the end of Millennium.
Each of us fits into one of these categories depending on how we respond to Yeshua the Messiah, who is the river of life and the Light of the World.
Will we receive rewards or punishment, life or death?
In the Lord’s Prayer, Yeshua instructs his disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” What does this mean? Does this mean that our Father in heaven leads us into temptation?
The following are notes from Nathan’s commentary on this verse that will hopefully clear up this confusion.
Matthew 6:13,Lead [or bring] us not into temptation [Gr. peirasmos]. What is the meaning of this phrase found in “the Lord’s Prayer” ? Why did Yeshua instruct his disciples to ask his Father not to lead them into temptation, and how does one reconcile this verse with what James says in his epistle?
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted [Gr. peirazō from peirasmos] by Elohim”; for Elohim cannot be tempted [Gr. peirazō] by evil, nor does He Himself tempt [Gr. peirazō] anyone. But each one is tempted [Gr. peirazō] when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. (Jas 1:13–16)
Temptation is the Greek word peirasmos meaning “putting to a proof, an experience, a discipline, a trial, a provocation, calamity or by implication, adversity, temptation.” Obviously this word as several meanings. Here are how some other English translations render this phrase:
And do not lead us into hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One. (CJB)
And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. (NRS)
Bring us not into sore trial… (Adam Clarke in his commentary on this verse)
Peirasmos can also refer to a trial with a beneficial purpose or effect. Indeed, YHVH tests the faith of his people to make them spiritually strong and to prove if they will remain faithful and obey to him or not (see Deut 8:2–5). Moreover, trials come to the saints or are divinely permitted for their betterment (Luke 22:28; Acts 22:19). James goes so far as to say,
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials [peirasmos], knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (Jas 1:2–4)
So in James 1:13–16, the Greek verb for to tempt (peirazō which is the verb form peirasmos) takes on a more precise meaning when read in the context of verse 12,
Blessed is the man who endures temptation [peirasmos]; for when he is approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (Jas 1:12)
By placing verses 13–16 in context with verses 2–4 and 12, we see that the trials (peirasmos) that come from Elohim are for our spiritual growth and development or for our betterment, whereas temptations (also peirasmos) which come from somewhere else can lead or tempt us to sin, and thus are not from Elohim.
Evidently, E.W. Bullinger in his Companion Bible has in view James’ discussion of good trials versus bad temptations, which is why states that the word temptation in Matthew 6:13 is better translated as trial, which in this case is a more apt translation of the word peirasmos. The CJB, NRS and Adam Clarke in their translations above seem to agree.
Interestingly, we read in Matthew 4:1,
Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [peirazō] by the devil.
In this case, the Spirit of Elohim led Yeshua into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Here the Father was using the adversary to be put Yeshua to the test for is betterment.
Undoubtedly, all of these concepts may be difficult to collate much less to wrap one’s brain around in light of the nuanced meanings of peirazō and peirasmos and the varied scriptural contexts in which these words are used. Suffice it to say, YHVH does allow his children to go through trials, but how we react to them and the choices we make will determine the outcome for us whether good or bad. If we sin, it is not because YHVH tempted us to sin; rather, it is the devil who does that. However, YHVH tests, disciplines, refines and proves his children to purify, refine and to make them strong, even as wind, rain, snow, ice, drought and heat make strong trees.
So when Yeshua told us to pray, Do not lead or bring us into temptation or, more correctly, hard testing or time of trial, but deliver us from the evil one, we are basically asking the Father to go easy on us and to keep or deliver us from the snares of the enemy, who is intent on causing us to sin thus potentially shipwrecking us spiritually.
This is also the understanding of Adam Clarke, the Wesleyan Methodist scholar who wrote and published a well known Bible commentary in the early 19th century, where he translates temptation as “sore trial” and states that some of early church fathers understood this verse to mean, “do not lead us into trials that we cannot bear.” Clarke goes on to say that peirasmos not only implies violent assaults from Satan, but also sorely afflictive circumstances, none of which we have, as yet, grace or fortitude to bear.
What or who is the source of evil on the earth? Is it God (YHVH Elohim), the devil or something else? This is a legitimate and honest question since so much evil exists all around us. If YHVH Elohim is the Creator of everything, then does this mean that he also created evil? If so, then how can this be, since the Bible reveals that YHVH is all good, loving, holy, righteous and sinless and perfect? If not, then who or what is the source of evil? It is important to understand the source and origin of evil, for the answer reflects either positively or negatively on the innate character of Elohim and the validity of the Bible, which promotes itself as the inspired Word of Elohim.
The answers to the question of who created evil seem like an unanswerable conundrums to many people. In attempt to resolve this issue, too many people have thrown up their hands in frustration only to become agnostics or even atheists. In reality, the answer is quite simple, and no one’s faith needs to be shaken much less obliterated as we will discover below. Frankly, to answer this seeming perplexing question, it is necessary to stop thinking like finite humans, start thinking outside the paradigmatic box of our physical earthly existence and understand the concept of evil from a biblical, heavenly and logical perspective. It is then that the answer as to the source and origin of evil neatly reveals itself as we are about to discover below.
The belief that YHVH Elohim created evil is often based on a single passage in the Bible. In Isaiah 45:7 we read,
“I [YHVH speaking] form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I, YHVH, do all these things.” (KJV, emphasis added)
Based on this verse, some people believe that all the evil that occurs in the world is YHVH’s fault. The stickler, however, is this: If he is the creator of evil, how can everything about him and all that he does also be good? Because of the belief that YHVH created everything including evil, some people have refused to serve and obey YHVH and questioned or even rejected his Truth as found in the Bible. After all, they reason, how can we believe much less serve a God who claims to be good, yet who is also the creator and purveyor of evil? These are valid considerations that need addressing.
In addressing this issue, let’s first ask a simple question. What does the Bible mean when YHVH says, “I create evil,”? For a better understanding of this seeming enigmatic phrase in Isaiah, let us look at how some other English Bibles translate this same verse. As we are about to discover, there is not a unanimous consensus among Bible translators as to the exact meaning of the biblical Hebrew word for evil. We will soon see that the biblical definition of evil is perhaps broader than at first thought. This alone can change one’s perspective dramatically regarding one’s understanding of the concept of evil. Perhaps our perspective is limited resulting in our coming to wrong conclusions.
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity [Heb. ra]; I, the LORD, do all these things.’ (NKJV, emphasis added)
I form the light and create the darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster [Heb. ra]; I the LORD, do all these things. (NIV, emphasis added)
I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity [Heb. ra], I am the LORD, who does all these things. (ESV, emphasis added)
I form light, I create darkness; I make well-being, I create woe [Heb. ra]; I, ADONAI, do all these things. (CJB, emphasis added)
Based on how other Bibles translate the Hebrew word for evil, this begs an important question. What is the biblical Hebrew word for evil and what is its definition in light of the fact that different Bibles translate the Hebrew word for evil so differently? The Hebrew word in question is ra or ra’ah It is the generic Hebrew word meaning “evil”, but, as we see below, it can mean much more than “evil” (as quoted from the Online Bible Deluxe Software Program):
As we can see, “evil” is only one of the many and varied definitions of the Hebrew word ra, which can also mean “distress, adversity, unhappiness and sadness” among other things.
Now in light of the broader meaning of the word ra, let us ask a couple of questions and briefly explore the concept of evil. For example, can “bad” things happen to people that end up being good for the person in the end? Similarly, are there things that on the surface appear to be bad, injurious and hurtful, but in reality are for our own safety and protection? Absolutely yes to both questions. Perhaps you have never thought of bad or “evil” in this way, but it, nevertheless, is within the definition of biblical word for evil. Keep these points in mind as we proceed in our discussion and expand our understanding of the concept of bad and evil .
Let’s continue to broaden our understanding of the Hebrew word ra. According to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, the primary definition of Hebrew word ra is “the lack of quality or inferior quality of something or someone and is thus unable to meet standards of value or function beneficially.” The word can connote “moral deficiencies” and is contrasted to the Hebrew word tov which is the generic word meaning “good”. TheTWOT goes on to note that Elohim [as the Just Judge of the universe] acts with painful punishment against evil or ra against people who refuse to repent of their wicked, evil or sinful actions. If he failed to take such action against evil, then evil would take over the earth and universe. Do you think this is impossible or that this has never happened before? If so, go read what Scripture says about Satan and the angelic rebellion that occurred before the creation of humans (see Isa 14:12–17; Ezek 28). It happened once and it can happen again.
Let’s now explore another ramification concerning the concept of evil and its source and origin. Is YHVH the creator of evil in a direct sense, or is he merely the creator of the spiritual machinery that set up the laws of cause-and-effect such that evil consequences are the result of wrong choices that people make? That is, when people break YHVH’s laws, evil (in the sense of punishment) befalls them as a result of their actions and the resulting consequences that they bring on themselves. I believe that the answer to this question is yes. Even as blessings and goodness are reaped by those who follow his laws, so curses come upon those who disobey YHVH. You reap what you sow. One is the cause of either the evil or the blessings that comes upon them per the choices they make. As we go along in this study, we shall see that the Bible reveals that people bring evil upon themselves by their wrong choices. So yes, YHVH created the laws and along with consequences, good or bad, that will fall on people based on their obedience or disobedience to his laws. In this sense, his Torah-laws that, in reality, or neutral. What humans do vis-à-vis these laws based on the choices they make and their subsequent actions will determine the consequences they will experience whether good or evil, blessings or curses, life or death, rewards or punishment, victory or calamity. This is akin, on the physical level to the law of gravity, which is in itself neutral. It is a blessing in that it keeps people from floating into outer space and to their ultimate death. However, at the same gravity becomes a curse if one jumps off a cliff or a tall building. Whether the law of gravity is a blessing or a curse is based on the choices that one makes.
Nathan Lawrence, along with co-leader Donna Nash (from North Carolina), is hosting a regular online Shabbat gathering via Zoom. If you are interested in joining the group, please send me a request at natanl@earthlink.net. To date, we have been meeting continuously since November 2021.
This online gathering is only open to those who are serious about living in accordance with YHVH’s written Torah, and who are believers in and lovers of Yeshua the Messiah, the Living Torah.
If you make a request to join the group, please share with Nathan your personal testimony of your salvation (how you came to faith in Yeshua the Messiah) and a statement about your basic biblically-based beliefs. Nathan may then ask you a few questions follow-up questions via email or by phone if clarifications are necessary.
To date, we have a wonderfully geographically eclectic group of polite and respectful folks from all over the U.S. and several foreign countries as well. Nathan (and sometimes Donna and others) gives a Bible teaching, and there is plenty of questions and answers as well as discussions where folks share their edifying insights on various biblical topics as led by the Spirit of Elohim. We also pray for one another and sometimes even have a little praise and worship.
To escape the frigid winter US West Coast rainy season, Sandi and I just took a little cruise into the Gulf of Mexico—our first such trip since before COVID hit us like a tidal wave. We were privileged to briefly visit three countries: Cozumel, Mexico; Raotan, Honduras and Belize City, Belize (formerly British Honduras).
The internet connection on the high seas was choppy and intermittent to say the least, but we’re now back home safely, and so please enjoy several pictures that I took of our adventures.
At each stop, we explored the animal and plant life as well as learned a little bit about the local culture and history. During days on the seas, we read, sat on our stateroom balcony and enjoyed the sunrises, sunsets, the moonlight on the waves, the glorious cloud formations and the azure blue green waves themselves. Like a living gigantic amovie screen before us, we can watch these scenes for hours as the ship glides silently through the waters.
I spent a lot of time reading the Bible, a Bible book and a book on trees. Trees and the Bible are my two passions, which is why I refer to myself in the business world as the Treevangelist. Sandi and I also took a lot of pictures. We both have our own cameras. I mostly shoot video and she mostly shoots still photos. We then put our photos and movies together and I share videos of our trips on my YouTube channel. Also, we each of our own binoculars handy, so we can get a close up view of distant objects.
When we’re not doing these things on cruises, we enjoy the fine, onboard dining. I’m proud to say that I only gained two pounds and Sandi stayed even weight wise. When cruising, I usually gain five to eight pounds.
One thing we don’t do when we go on cruises: we didn’t gamble at the ship’s casino, we didn’t go swimming any of the ship’s several pools and hot tubs (I don’t like swimming in dirty water—it’s unkosher to me), we didn’t hang out in the bars or involve ourselves in any other playtime activities on the ship. Frankly, these type of things interest neither of us. We just hang out, enjoy our time together, relax and geek out as much as possible on YHVH’s creation and other things that pertain to the upward spiritual walk.
Now for some photo highlights. Please enjoy.
Curious iguanas in Honduras.Macaws are common all over that part of Central America.Their gorgeous plum manages makes up for the ungodly, almost blood-curdling squawking sound that they make.We encountered this curious, smiling iguana in Cozumel, Mexico while eating lunch overlooking the beach. Apparently it smelled Sandi’s chicken fajita meal and was hoping a tidbit would fall his way. He hung out at my feet the whole time. Very entertaining. I’m not a reptile guy, but this lizard was cute and seemed to be happily smiling the whole time. I refrained from picking him up and petting him. This was either a sunrise or a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico—don’t remember which. Photo taken from our stateroom balcony.A glorious sunset.A Belizian crocodile lounging lazily along the river bank.Mayan ruins in Belize.An oil drilling ship in the Gulf of Mexico.The waves looking down from our ship balcony.Of course, a trip to Central America wouldn’t be complete without some flower pictures.Feast you eyes on this colorful plant.Of course, no trip would be complete without a beach scene.Back in the US, Nathan at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
