We live in a wonderful world, the beauty of creation declares YHVH’s existence. You can’t study the detail of any created being or plant without realizing that there is a Designer of it all. It can’t just happen by chance. YHVH created every intricate detail of existence. He designed it meticulously and we have yet to discover many facets of it. Modern science has touched the tip of it, but cannot claim they know or have discovered all there is to know. YHVH is in control of all this, and He has a plan, He knows the end from the beginning. Nothing is random or chaos.
YHVH’s purpose
Isaiah 46:10
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
However, when we look at what is happening in the world, fear wells up inside of us. We wonder what will become of us. This article is to encourage you. We want to show you that even all this evil in the world is part of YHVH’s plan. As I said before, He is in control and His purpose is salvation to all and He will accomplish it.
1 Timothy 2:3–4
3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of Elohim our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9
9 YHVH is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
You can read more about YHVH’s purpose in the article Finding meaning. We can trust Him. It is not a battle between two equal powers, good and evil as many would like us to believe. YHVH is not equal to satan and not powerless against him either. He created everything including satan. YHVH also foreknew that satan would rebel and what the ramifications of that would be. He knew that Adam and Eve would disobey Him. YHVH wants people to choose HIM out of their own free will, He does not force Himself on us. He stands at the door and knocks…
YHVH is in control of all
YHVH even created that which causes evil. When I first read this verse in Isaiah, I was shocked. It was totally contrary to what I have been taught. I always understood YHVH and satan to be two opposing forces. These verses attest to the contrary.
Isaiah 54:16
16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals And brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
And also
Isaiah 45:7
7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am YHVH, who does all these things.
Amos 3:6
6 Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless YHVH has done it?
All this is used by YHVH for His purposes. He allows it because of our unrighteousness. He wants us to return to Him. He wants us to choose Him. Will this evil prevail to the end? When you read Malachi, you will understand. Not only do evil doers prevail, they seem to prosper.
Malachi 3:15
15 ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test Elohim and escape.’ â€
However, a time will come when this will change. We read about it in the next verse.
Malachi 3:16–4:1
16 Then those who feared YHVH spoke to one another, and YHVH gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear YHVH and who esteem His name. 17 “They will be Mine,†says YHVH of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.†18 So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves Elohim and one who does not serve Him. 1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,†says YHVH of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.â€
The question is will we be counted with the righteous or the wicked that will be like chaff in a fire?
The iniquity of our fathers
Let’s just take a step back. Our previous article was about redemption and the iniquity of our fathers. This iniquity of our fathers is the reason for what is evident all around us. We are living in a time of great evil. I recently saw a headline about a new bill that was passed where full-term babies could be shot through the heart with poison to kill them if they are unwanted. That is evil! I saw another headline this week of a woman who won a court case to allow her to kill her disabled daughter. In Egypt, Syria and many other places in the Near-East, Christians are being killed because of their faith in Y’shua. Yet, the world continues buying and selling and gathering more. The rat-race we are in, keeps us distracted. We don’t realize and even if we do, we don’t care.
YHVH will allow this evil to prevail until there is repentance. This evil that is upon us is, is connected to the curses for covenantal unfaithfulness. Go and read Leviticus 26 and you will understand. This was written for us and about us as we are part of Israel, YHVH’s chosen people. We read in James that the twelve tribes are scattered abroad.
James 1:1
1 James, a bond-servant of Elohim and of the Master Y’shua Messiah, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
We are believers in YHVH and could very well be descendants of these scattered people, most people are convinced that we are. This could certainly be true, however, we do believe that genetics are not the determining factor, but our belief. Even as believing Gentiles, we are part of YHVH’s people. We belong to His Kingdom, we are His children, His chosen people. Even so, most of us are unfaithful to Him in that we don’t keep His commandments.
Even if we do YHVH’s commandments, we condone many wrong things. We are thus all guilty of covenantal unfaithfulness, one way or another and even if we are not guilty ourselves, our fathers were. Considering all this, it looks bleak for us all. Judgement is inevitable, it is just a question of time. We will in 2016 enter the sabbatical year, another commandment that is reasoned away by most. This too is covenantal unfaithfulness. After this the new Sabbatical cycle will begin the cycle of war. You can read more about it in the article If you will not return to Me… . In this article, we explain how the curses in Leviticus 26 relate to the Sabbatical cycles.
This will happen if we continue in our covenantal unfaithfulness. YHVH doesn’t want us to go through this. He wants us to return to Him.
Ezekiel 18:30–32
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,†declares YHVH Elohim. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. 31 “Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,†declares YHVH Elohim. “Therefore, repent and live.â€
We can still repent and YHVH may relent. As we said in our previous article National and Personal redemption, both are required. In this article, we share with you why we believe that national repentance is still required.
We don’t see this because we are being distracted. We are distracted by materialism, but also by a quest for knowledge and new or different doctrinal interpretations. We as Torah-observant believers in Y’shua, are to stop the constant bickering about calendars and other theological differences and instead repent in unity.
We read in Nehemiah chapter 1 that he repented on behalf of himself, his father’s house and the nation of Israel. When we read further, in chapter 9, we see how the Israelites who were in Jerusalem at this time all repented together of their sins and the iniquity of their fathers. This sin and iniquity that are referred to here is covenantal unfaithfulness. They did not keep YHVH’s commandments.
We are to do national repentance just like Israel did here. We may see some changes if we were to do repentance in our fellowships or groups. Please consider this and share this idea.
The prayer of repentance Israel prayed can be used by us too. It is found in Nehemiah 9:1-38.
In this prayer, they listed briefly what happened in history from Abraham to their present time. They gave honor to YHVH for not forsaking them even though they sinned against Him numerous times. Please read the entire passage, it really is a prayer that we could and should pray too. It might be something we could all consider doing on Shavuot…
We will post the entire passage here, because we really want you to read it and think about it.
Nehemiah 9:1–5
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them. 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of YHVH their Elohim for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped YHVH their Elohim. 4 Now on the Levites’ platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to YHVH their Elohim. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless YHVH your Elohim forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise!
Nehemiah 9:6–8
6 “You alone are YHVH. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You. 7 “You are YHVH Elohim, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham. 8 “You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give him the land of the Canaanite, Of the Hittite and the Amorite, Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite— To give it to his descendants. And You have fulfilled Your promise, For You are righteous.
Nehemiah 9:9–13
9 “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry by the Red Sea. 10 “Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants and all the people of his land; For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them, And made a name for Yourself as it is this day. 11 “You divided the sea before them, So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground; And their pursuers You hurled into the depths, Like a stone into raging waters. 12 “And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day, And with a pillar of fire by night To light for them the way In which they were to go. 13 “Then You came down on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven; You gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments.
Nehemiah 9:14–17
14 “So You made known to them Your holy sabbath, And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law, Through Your servant Moses. 15 “You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger, You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst, And You told them to enter in order to possess The land which You swore to give them. 16 “But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly; They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments. 17 “They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are an Elohim of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not forsake them.
Nehemiah 9:18–22
18 “Even when they made for themselves A calf of molten metal And said, ‘This is your Elohim Who brought you up from Egypt,’ And committed great blasphemies, 19 You, in Your great compassion, Did not forsake them in the wilderness; The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day, To guide them on their way, Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go. 20 “You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth, And You gave them water for their thirst. 21 “Indeed, forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not in want; Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell. 22 “You also gave them kingdoms and peoples, And allotted them to them as a boundary. They took possession of the land of Sihon the king of Heshbon And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
Nehemiah 9:23–26
23 “You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven, And You brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 “So their sons entered and possessed the land. And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, To do with them as they desired. 25 “They captured fortified cities and a fertile land. They took possession of houses full of every good thing, Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, Fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled and grew fat, And reveled in Your great goodness. 26 “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, And cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies.
Nehemiah 9:27–30
27 “Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their oppressors who oppressed them, But when they cried to You in the time of their distress, You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors. 28 “But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You; Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them. When they cried again to You, You heard from heaven, And many times You rescued them according to Your compassion, 29 And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances, By which if a man observes them he shall live. And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen. 30 “However, You bore with them for many years, And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, Yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
The last part is especially significant for us since we are in the same situation as they were in.
Nehemiah 9:31–37
31 “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, For You are a gracious and compassionate Elohim. 32 “Now therefore, our Elohim, the great, the mighty, and the awesome Elohim, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness, Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You, Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day. 33 “However, You are just in all that has come upon us; For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly. 34 “For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them. 35 “But they, in their own kingdom, With Your great goodness which You gave them, With the broad and rich land which You set before them, Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds. 36 “Behold, we are slaves today, And as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty, Behold, we are slaves in it. 37 “Its abundant produce is for the kings Whom You have set over us because of our sins; They also rule over our bodies And over our cattle as they please, So we are in great distress.
Just consider these words. The leadership we have, is the result of our unrighteousness. We are slaves to a system, our abundant produce is for them. They rule over our bodies and our cattle. Just think about this. You can fill in the details for yourselves. Worst is that we are responsible for the situation we find ourselves in. Israel, in the time of Nehemiah realized this, we should too.
After they prayed this prayer of repentance, they even made a covenant with YHVH to keep His commandments. Who will do this? Will what is written here just be glanced over? A message of repentance is never popular. People want to see change, but don’t want to change themselves. Even living among evil and moral decay can be a comfort zone.
Those who do heed this call to repentance, may find themselves to be among the remnant who will be saved. A remnant is defined as a small portion out of a multitude. We often read that only a remnant will be spared. In a future study, we will study about this remnant, who they are and how to be a part of the remnant according to Scripture.
To follow YHVH’s ways are not always the easy way to follow.
Matthew 7:13–14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Not following the narrow way will end in destruction. Judgement is coming, it was prophesied and it will come to pass. This message will not be heeded. Or will it?
Hebrews 10:30–31
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.†And again, “YHVH will judge His people.†31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living Elohim.
There is still time…
Psalm 90:11–17
11 Who understands the power of Your anger And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? 12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. 13 Do return, O YHVH; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. 14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil. 16 Let Your work appear to Your servants And Your majesty to their children. 17 Let the favor of YHVH our Elohim be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
May YHVH teach us to number our days so that we will gain a heart of wisdom…
Conclusion
From this study, we have learned that wickedness prevails because YHVH allows it to. He allows it, because there is no repentance. His people are unfaithful to Him. He wants His people to return to Him. His purpose is to save. We are to return to YHVH and repent of our sins and the sins of our fathers. We are to do this as a nation! Thereafter, we are to live righteously according to His instructions. This is the natural thing to do. We require children to be obedient to their fathers, we as YHVH’s children are to be obedient to our Heavenly Father.
Please consider what is said here and share it with others.
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