The Ultimate Anti-Semite
God loves all people (the world) so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). According to His plan for the nations, God chose one, the nation of Israel, to be a light for all. Ultimately, light was given through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, who is of the house and lineage of David, the great King of Israel (Luke 2:4). Thus, as Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).
Satan is against God, and therefore, Satan is anti-Christ. And since the Savior of the world and Messiah of Israel is “of the Jews,” Satan then is anti-Semitic. This is the underlying reason behind historic and current examples of antisemitism.
Antisemitism is recorded in the Bible, and in one noteworthy account, the book of Esther details a 6th century B.C. plot to wipe out the Jews. A proud man took offense to another’s refusal to bow and do him reverence, and a growing wrath would come to dominate the man’s thoughts. We see the man (Haman) would not be satisfied with teaching a hard lesson to his lone adversary (Mordecai the Jew). Instead, “Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai” (Esther 3:6). But God intervened and turned the tables on Haman. Through the faith of Mordecai and Esther the queen, the plot was foiled, the Jews were spared, and Haman the anti-Semite was destroyed.
Antisemitism is also recorded in secular history. During the Holocaust, some six million Jews were murdered in Nazi-controlled areas of Europe. But again, Satan’s plan for annihilation would be thwarted; Nazi Germany was defeated, and Hitler, the anti-Semite, committed suicide.
In the years following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, many Jews relocated to Mandatory Palestine under British authority. After WWII, many of Europe’s surviving Jews would join them. When the British later expressed a desire to discontinue administration of the mandate, these Jews formed the modern-day state of Israel in 1948 (and fulfilled a prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 36 after nearly 2500 years).
Satan still is anti-Semitic and will continue to be throughout the coming, climactic “great tribulation.” But Satan will not prevail. Jesus Christ is coming again. He will rule from Jerusalem for one thousand years before the final judgment of Satan and the appearance of a new heaven and new earth as recorded in the book of Revelation.
Antisemitism is one of the many proofs that the Bible is true. Why the hatred toward Jews? Because Satan, the ultimate anti-Semite, is behind it. But Satan is both a liar and the father of all lies (John 8:44); he is a destroyer (1 Peter 5:8) and a murderer (John 8:44). The good news is that Jesus has already won the victory over sin and the devil. Jesus, through the finished work on the cross, struck a deathblow to the enemy, bruising Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15), and ensuring his eternal judgment:
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10
Jews today need to be awakened to the reality that Jesus Christ is the Messiah—a truth that Satan, the ultimate anti-Semite, works to keep Jews from seeing and believing. All other people need to be awakened to the reality that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world—another truth Satan seeks to make men blind to and prevent seeing and believing. But whoever comes to Jesus in simple faith, believing on Him alone to save from sin and judgment, will be saved (Rom. 10:13).
This article originally appeared on Revival Focus. We republish it by permission.
John Van Gelderen is an evangelist and the president of Revival Focus Ministries, an organization for the cause of revival in hearts, homes, churches, and beyond, and for evangelizing. His blog is focused on experiencing Jesus. He believes in order to really live, you must access and experience the very life of Jesus Christ.