If Billy Graham was preaching from the Spirit, then I would like an explaination of what he meant when he said that "God is not the author of evil." I did not watch it, BTW. I rarely watch TV. I heard this quote from the radio.
That's because you're looking at a "translation" into English. The original does not mean that. And a more current translation (i.e., the "New Kings James Version") gives the accurate meaning in the English of the original language (and it's the original that is "inspired" and not the translation).
It goes like this --
Isaiah 45:5-7
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no
God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not
known Me,
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to
its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the
Lord, and there is no other;
7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace
and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these
things.'
Calamity is not the same as evil. Think of calamity as disaster and/or judgement. Since God is righteous -- He cannot be the author of evil. Satan is -- not God. Billy Graham is right on that issue.
From Strongs:
ra` {rah} from 7489; TWOT - 2191a,2191c
AV - evil 442, wickedness 59, wicked 25, mischief 21, hurt 20, bad 13,
trouble 10, sore 9, affliction 6, ill 5, adversity 4, favoured 3,
harm 3, naught 3, noisome 2, grievous 2, sad 2, misc 34; 663 adj
1) bad, evil
1a) bad, disagreeable, malignant
1b) bad, unpleasant, evil (giving pain, unhappiness, misery)
1c) evil, displeasing
1d) bad (of its kind - land, water, etc)
1e) bad (of value)
1f) worse than, worst (comparison)
1g) sad, unhappy
1h) evil (hurtful)
1i) bad, unkind (vicious in disposition)
1j) bad, evil, wicked (ethically)
1j1) in general, of persons, of thoughts
1j2) deeds, actions n m
2) evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity
2a) evil, distress, adversity
2b) evil, injury, wrong
2c) evil (ethical) n f
3) evil, misery, distress, injury
3a) evil, misery, distress
3b) evil, injury, wrong
3c) evil (ethical)
The question remains! BTW, the NKJV is my carry Bible so I already know what it says.