Anti-Semitism is on the rise today as Satan turns up the heat on God’s chosen people, the Jews. As our nation drifts further away for God and His Word, we can expect Satan to be emboldened against Jews and Christians. He is against Jews, because the Son of God became a man through a Jewish virgin. Yes, Jesus was born a Jew. Then He went to the cross to pay for our sins and to defeat Satan. When He rose from the grave, it proved that He had accomplished both. Satan is against Christians, because they put their trust in Jesus and have been delivered from their sins and his evil hand.
Since God formed the nation of Israel, Satan has made many attempts to destroy the Jew. Yet, the Jew always rises from the rubble and continues to exist. The only lasting results from Satan’s many attempts of annihilation have been some new feast or holiday on the Jewish calendar.
Pharaoh enslaved the Jews and attempted to keep them from leaving Egypt. This resulted in God killing all the firstborn of Egypt, and the Jewish celebration of Passover was instituted. Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the sea and the Jews lived on.
The Seleucid Empire (167-160 BC), under Antiochus issued decrees to stop Jewish religious practices and the Jewish Temple was desecrated. This brought about the Maccebean revolt, which resulted in the defeat of the Seleucid Dynasty. The Jewish holiday Hanukkah celebrates the cleansing and rededication of the Jewish Temple following that victory.
Last week (March 4-5), the Jews celebrated Purim, which is a holiday to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from wicked Haman during the Persian Empire. Haman had cast lots (Purim) to determine the day on which they would annihilate the Jews. The date was set “to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month . . .” (Esther 3:13). Wicked Haman had intended to hang the Jew, Mordecai, on a gallows which he had built for that purpose. Instead, God intervened, Haman was hanged on the gallows and the Jewish people were spared (Esther 7:10; 8:10-9:19). Because of the victory over their enemies, the celebration of Purim was instituted, again demonstrating that anti-Semitism is a losing proposition.
And then, in more recent history, Hitler tried to annihilate the Jews by killing over 6 million of them. The result was Hitler’s own defeat, and the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. Thus, Israel celebrates their Independence Day each year.
Our nation and its leaders would do well to remember the lessons of the past and the Scriptures which speak clearly about Israel. No nation that has moved against Israel has escaped the judgment of God. As the Lord said to Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” Genesis 12:3). The United States must stand in support of Israel or be judged by God.
– Pastor Earl