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Matthew 5:39  But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

What is evil?

Some would say, well, you know, “evil is evil”.

In English it might be simplistic, but in the languages in which the Bible was written, there are shades and degrees of meaning.

Using a Stronng’s Concordance, which the definitive source of the Hebrew and Greek substructures of the English translation of the KJV, before other versions came along, you find that “evil” (Strong’s, Greek 4190) as used in Matthew 5:39 refers more to effects.

Actually, it is when you go to a related term where you find the two definitions contrasted succintly.

Greek 2556  worthless, intrinsically so

whereas

Greek 4190 refers to effects

It is worth checking out the Amplified version of Matthew 5:39.  Note the words “trivial” and “insiginficant”.

Certain things are not trivial:  abortion; forcing transgenderism on children; giving children unnecessary shots with serious side effects, even death; pedophilia; manipulating national and world economies to cause worldwide famine and destruction and more.  These things are not trivial.

This particular online commentary (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers) amplifies meaning.

…And the principle in this matter is clearly and simply this, that the disciple of Christ, when he has suffered wrong, is to eliminate altogether from his motives the natural desire to retaliate or accuse. As far as he himself is concerned, he must be prepared, in language which, because it is above our common human strain, has stamped itself on the hearts and memories of men, to turn the left cheek when the right has been smitten. But the man who has been wronged has other duties which he cannot rightly ignore. The law of the Eternal has to be asserted, society to be protected, the offender to be reclaimed, and these may well justify–though personal animosity does not–protest, prosecution, punishment. . 

In other words, the disciple of Christ is not to take a position of “cease and desist” from all concerns about evil, or slothfully ignore it.  It is  the attitude in which it is addressed.  As pointed out, it is not from “personal animosity” that the disciple acts, but the disciple acts to fulfill the righteous principles of the Old Testament which pertained to the greater governance of society.  There were conequences to the evil-doer.  There were laws on how to deal with various societal sins.  Today, though, progressives want to legislate laws contrary to the laws of God.  And these laws, being inspired by satan and demons, open portals of access and permittance to demonic activity when laws contrary to the laws of God are  enacted as jurisprudence within a geographical  jurisdiction.

If you wonder how that applies, look at the downfall of American society since Roe v. Wade.  That is one example.  God cannot bless what is contrary to His Word.

When a person or nation comes out from under the umbrella of protection of obedience to the laws of God, that person or nation is now subject to the realm of darkness having voluntarily, by an act of free will, left the Father’s house.  This is the story of the prodigal son.  The prodigal son ended up losing everything after leaving the Father’s house.

As pointed out in a prior post, why would nations go to war against Hitler in WWII unless there was a certain level of intrinsic evil that it is necessary to conquer in the natural realm?

And, that neo-nazism is what Putin and Russia continue to say they are resisting, and as honest reporting comes out from “other than” US propanganda “fake” news media, what Putin and Russia have said has proved to be true.  Ukraine is a proxy war for the United States.  Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, unfortunately, are pawns in a game of thrones of corruption of the West, NATO, and the United States including  those of the military industrial complex that Eisenhower warned about in his 1961 speech as he left office.