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Anti-Semitism

By July 1, 1992November 9th, 2022No Comments

Q.

Please comment on anti-Semitism. I know some Christians who believe a Jewish conspiracy will take over the world, and the newspapers seem to show an increase in this type of feeling.

A.
Anti-Semitism, defined by dictionaries as hostility or prejudice toward the Jews, is a terrible, terrible thing. Yes, it is increasing today in our country and in countries such as Germany. Pastors of Bible-believing churches may face a battle in the days ahead counteracting these satanic attitudes that have a way of creeping in. When a person rightly divides the Word of truth, he will find no place for anti-Semitism.

It is those who carry the label “Christian” yet do not see the Scriptures properly who embrace these false ideas. Some of these people have publications and even boast about their opposition to the Jews. They may entice readers with money to prove, for example, that there even was a Holocaust in World War II. They bring out such phony writings as “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,” or they point their finger at certain Jews they know personally or Jews who have “made it” in business or other fields, ignoring the fact that perhaps many more Gentiles have excelled too. Still others maintain that Jews have corrupted our society through the movie industry and other forms of the media. It is true that there are ungodly Jews, just as there are plenty of ungodly people among other races and nationalities. But a Jew, like anyone else, must be evaluated as an individual person, not thrown in a racial barrel along with everyone else.

We are particularly vulnerable to Satan’s delusions in these days. In times of social unrest and economic difficulty, people begin looking for someone to blame. Down through history, God’s chosen people have been the scapegoat. It becomes a vicious cycle, for God’s promise is just as true today as the day He proclaimed it to Abraham, the first of His special people: “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Gen. 12:3).

When nations such as ours begin to harbor false doctrine in this area, spawned by the times, they bring upon themselves even more hardship. Some of our difficulty today certainly can be attributed to a gradual but sure abandonment of our historic commitment to Israel. Critics will point to mistakes and mischief on the part of Israel. But God is faithful to His promises. Though the Jews have rejected His Son, Jesus Christ, the Scriptures tell us that they will accept Him as Messiah when He returns to fight in the Battle of Armageddon after the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble”—the seven-year Great Tribulation—and subsequently sets up His millennial reign upon the earth on David’s throne (Rev. 20:1–6). Those who deny God’s program for Israel as outlined in the Scriptures can harp on Israel’s wickedness all they want, but Israel’s present spiritual state does not erase the covenants a faithful God has made with this people (Gen. 12:2, 3).

When did anti-Semitism originate? Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 record Lucifer’s fall from Heaven, after which he became God’s continual adversary, taking with him about one-third of the angels—who comprise the host of fallen angels that do Satan’s work. Ever since, Satan has tried to thwart God’s purposes, including His program for Israel and His program for the Church. Especially did Satan try to keep God’s plan of salvation from coming to pass by eliminating the line through which Messiah would come. The murder of Abel and the attempted corruption of the entire human race before the Flood are examples. In these instances God, as always, had a solution—Seth, and Noah and his family.

With Abraham and the covenants given to him and his seed, Satan began to focus on destroying this people through whom God would work out His purposes. If at any point he could wipe out the Jews completely, he could make God a liar, as the prophecies of Scripture would then be false. We are well aware of the oppression of God’s chosen people in Egypt until God raised up Moses as their deliverer.

Then, in Exodus 17, we find an unprovoked attack upon God’s people by the Amalekites. These wicked people were ultimately put out of existence, as decreed by God Himself (Deut. 25:17–19). In succeeding centuries, the fall of the Assyrians, the Syrians, the Phoenicians, the Philistines, and others gave proof that no one dare lay hands on God’s chosen people and get away with it. The book of Esther, of course, is the dramatic account of how God took care of His people and used the very plot against them to destroy their enemies. Yes, the Jews are indeed the apple of God’s eye. Anyone questioning that fact should read carefully Deuteronomy 32:10 and Zechariah 2:8.

We can also look at world history beyond Bible times. One of the most recent prime examples is the rise and fall of the Third Reich. The Nazi empire, one of the most evil of all time, was riddled with anti-Semitism. Germany was severely punished for it and had to learn some bitter lessons. So did Poland. In contrast, we have examples of countries that have prospered greatly because they have been kind to the Jews. The Scandinavian countries are one example. Heroic stories abound about their rescue of the Jews from the Nazis. It was said that the king of Denmark personally took part in the rescue operation using fishing boats and that he wore the Star of David around his neck during the war.

But perhaps the best example of long-term Jewish tranquility is our own United States, which in the past was blessed as no other nation has been blessed. We are in great danger, however, if we forget history and, most of all, God’s Word. Historically, wherever anti-Semitism has gained the upper hand, the people have dug their own grave. Hitler, as an example, is survived today by the race of people he vowed to eradicate.

The Jews are not the root of world problems, and Bible-believing Christians must never be duped into accepting that lie. The origin of all world problems is mankind in general because of his depravity and sin nature (Rom. 5:12), and the Devil himself (2 Cor. 4:4).

Some people today minimize sound doctrine. This practice is so dangerous when it comes to an understanding of matters such as anti-Semitism. Dispensational theology distinguishes between the Church Age (the age we are in at present) and God’s program for Israel. Israel is not the Church, and the Church is not Israel. The covenant theologians teach otherwise. But we as dispensationalists understand the present Church Age is a break or parenthesis in God’s timetable for His dealings with Israel; this program for Israel will be taken up again when we as believers are raptured—caught up in the air to be with Christ (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). If we fail to distinguish between Israel and the Church and think that God did away with any plans for Israel and that the Church is now Israel instead, we can get caught up with anti-Semitic thinking quite easily. We can despise Israel and the Jews, erroneously thinking that God is through with them, when He is not.

As sincere Christians, we should desire to love Jews, to pray for them, and to win them to Christ. We cannot do these things if we have malice in our hearts toward them, think they are the source of world problems, or believe propaganda against them. We as Bible Christians should be the best friends the Jews have.

This article appeared in the “Q & A” column of the Baptist Bulletin (July/August 1992) by Norman A. Olson. 

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