Antisemitism is rearing its ugly head once again. One can trace its roots back to antiquity when the Jewish people faced persecution primarily based on religious differences, reflected in the Old Testament in the Book of Exodus.
Antisemitism is rearing its ugly head once again. One can trace its roots back to antiquity when the Jewish people faced persecution primarily based on religious differences, reflected in the Old Testament in the Book of Exodus. Then fast forward to the New Testament, where we see the Roman government serving the role of oppressor toward the Jewish people. On both occasions, Jewish practices and beliefs often clashed with the dominant pagan cultures, leading to hostility and suspicion. In short, antisemitism in ancient times was primarily religious, rooted in the refusal of Jews to adopt the customs, gods, and spiritual practices of their conquerors.
During the Middle Ages, antisemitism evolved and became intertwined with religious dogma, severely persecuting Jewish communities. Consequently, Jews were scapegoated for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, leading to widespread accusations of deicide and resulting in pogroms and mass expulsions. Jews were expelled from several European countries, including England in 1290 and Spain in 1492, due to religious intolerance and political pressure. The Catholic Church created policies, such as establishing ghettos and forced conversions, that exacerbated Jewish suffering during this period.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, we witnessed a dramatic transformation of antisemitism into a racialized form, culminating in the Holocaust. The anti-semetism today goes well beyond the skinheads of the 1980s. It is openly demonic! We see it on full display these last two weeks through two chief entities, namely Global Islam and Progressivism. We are witnessing Antisemitism unleash its ugly head through deeply entrenched Islamic ideologies rooted in the Middle East. However, antisemitism comes not just from Iran and Iraq but from our students and university professors. For example, NYU signed a petition to stop Israeli brutality. Many other of our top universities have followed suit.
Unfortunately, it is not stopping on college campuses, as it's also beginning to bleed into the high school curriculum. For example, it was reported on Fox News last night that a Santa Ana, California school district, an ethnic studies curriculum proposed for next year that accuses Israel of war crimes under international law. The curriculum declares that Israel is responsible for a national wave of ethnic cleansing. Thus, the curriculum manifests hostility toward Jewish students, faculty, and the State of Israel.
America has lost its ability to discern EVIL.
What does America believe about evil? In the 1997 book The Death of Satan: How Americans Have Lost the Sense of Evil, Andrew Delbanco traces the historical and cultural changes in the American understanding of evil from the colonial period to the present day. He argues that early Americans, particularly Puritans, strongly believed in the existence of evil as an external force personified by Satan. However, as America transitioned into a more secular society, the concept of evil transformed. Delbanco suggests that contemporary Americans see evil as a subjective, individualized concept, often disconnected from a Biblical worldview.
Evil is no longer considered supernatural but natural with no metaphysical elements. In the movie Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling is an FBI trainee when she first encounters Hannibal Lecter. She is assigned to interview him in prison as part of her training in psychological profiling. Lecter is a brilliant and highly manipulative psychiatrist and serial killer who has been incarcerated for his gruesome crimes.
Officer Sterling asked Hannibal Lecter the question as to why he committed the crimes he had done. Sterling wondered what had happened to him. He responds to Starling's question by stating,
"'Nothing happened to me, Officer Starling. I happened. You can't reduce me to a set of influences. You've given up good and evil for behaviorism, Officer Starling. You've got everybody in moral dignity pants—Nothing is ever anybody's fault. Look at me, Officer Starling. Can you stand to say I'm evil? Am I evil, Officer Starling?'
What the movie reveals is that evil done by Lecter is indeed supernatural. Christians need to remind ourselves that the Bible speaks of good and evil and says that their is a metaphysical reality that includes God, the Devil, angels, and demons. In the Bible, Satan is often depicted as a supernatural being who opposes God and seeks to lead people away from Him. His supernatural powers include deception, temptation, and the ability to possess or influence people.
What should the righteous do?
The Bible has a recurring theme of spiritual warfare between the forces of good (represented by God and His angels) and the forces of evil (represented by Satan and his demons). This warfare is depicted as supernatural plane and often involves battles for the souls of men and women.
How do Christians engage in this battle? First, every Christian needs to be dressed for battle. Paul teaches in Ephesians 6:10-18, that Christians need to put on the "armor of God" and stand firm in their spiritual warfare. This armor includes the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, the shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God).
Paul also describes the Church's corporate armor in verse 18, which states, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always pray for all the Lord's people." Thus, the prayer of the saints for one another is essential in fighting this battle.
Satan has a plan, and Christians are to battle the forces of darkness through prayer to thwart that plan. Erik Raymond summarizes Satan's strategy by stating the following:
The Christian life has been rightly reckoned as a war. The enemy is clearly defined as a spiritual war headed by Satan (Eph. 6:12). Some of his goals include an unceasing attempt to devour (1 Pet. 5:8), destroy (Job 2:3), kill (Jn. 8:44), blind people from the truth (2 Cor. 4:4); and keep them from coming to God (Gal. 4:8). In other words, the identity, intentions, and capabilities of our enemy are known. We have solid, credible intel on him.
God's people should be attentive to what is happening in our world right now. Satan wants to devour, destroy, and blind people from the truth of what is happening. Things like prayer and fasting by the Church can significantly damage the agenda of the Prince of Darkness. Join me and many others in prayer, and watch God work.