The age-old spirit that drives people to seek the destruction of the Jewish people, which we can trace all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Esau and Esau’s grandson Amalek, has infiltrated nations, organizations and even the church. Yet God’s Word promises its end, and we are seeing signs of a shift. However, even reasonable people look back to the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jewish people perished, and convince themselves that it could never happen again. But is that true? Didn’t the unthinkable happen in our modern era? Didn’t evil triumph because millions of reasonable people did nothing?
We must remain vigilant. Some are saying that today’s anti-Semitism is even more virulent than it was in Hitler’s time because technology can “spread vile thoughts globally instantaneously.” What a sobering thought that is!
There is no doubt that the spirit of Amalek is still present, but the label has changed. The term anti-Semitism became a “nice” way to describe the hatred for Jewish people. It’s a euphemism that was coined by a nineteenth-century political writer to replace the term Jew-haters, which was thought to be too vulgar. The new term de-emphasized religion and seemed more acceptable to the masses. But now the vocabulary continues to evolve. Today those who want to sound politically correct reject the word anti-Semitism and say instead that they are “anti-Israel” or “anti-Zionist.”
Whatever the terminology, anti-Semitism is on the rise, and I am about to show you disturbing examples. Before I do, let me challenge you to stand up for Israel and for the Jewish people. You and I are not only responsible for what we do and say; we are also responsible when we do and say nothing about injustice. Scripture is clear on this: “You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:16, NET). Jewish tradition says that one who watches and does nothing is as guilty as one who commits the crime. We are obligated by God to do all we can do to stop evil. Imagine how different history would look if someone such as Pope Pius XII had boldly spoken against Hitler’s “Final Solution.”
At the Wannsee Conference of Jan. 20, 1942, the Nazis planned the extermination of 11 million Jewish people. They did not fully succeed, but neither did they fully fail. We cannot stand idly by. “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
Today’s Anti-Semitism
To grasp what we see today, we need to reflect on history. Anti-Semitism began with Pharaoh’s genocide of newborn Israelite boys. It showed up when Balak and Balaam planned to curse Israel, when Haman planned to wipe out the Jewish people, when the Crusades raged, when the Inquisition’s oppression surged, and when Hitler enacted extermination policies. Anti-Semitism was not only in the past; it is also in our time—and it is on the rise!
There are too many examples to cover here, but those that follow demonstrate what today’s Jewish people face in the United States alone:
—The Weather Channel in the United States recently listed Jerusalem as “the State of Palestine.”
—During a five-month period in New York City, 110 of 184 reported hate crimes were committed against Jewish people.
—In 2018 a shooter murdered 11 and injured six during Shabbat services at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
—On the last day of Passover in 2019, a shooter killed one woman and injured three others during services at a Poway, California, synagogue. The shooter had posted an open letter in which he professed to be a Christian and blamed the Jewish people for the “genocide of the European race” and “the murder of Jesus.”
—In May 2019 a Neo-Nazi group disrupted a peaceful Holocaust memorial event in Russellville, Arkansas, by “waving swastikas and chanting as they marched down the street.”
—In 2019 Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar made openly anti-Semitic statements that went unchallenged by the Democrat Party and much of the mainstream media. In 2012 she claimed that Israel had “hypnotized the world,” and she expressed the hope that Allah would “awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”
That is just a small sample of terrible acts, but it’s enough to convey the crisis. We can all agree that something must be done and that standing silent on the sidelines is not an option. The question is, what else can we do? Here are two important steps to take:
- Refuse to be silent! For example, when you hear someone say, “The Jews killed Jesus,” bring them to the truth in a loving but compassionate way. Remember that anti-Semitism is Christianity’s original sin. Then choose to become part of the solution. Show misinformed people the facts. It is unfair and illogical to blame all the Jewish people for what a few corrupt leaders and the Roman Empire did two thousand years ago.
- Stand up for the nation of Israel and be aware of the issues.
Stand Up! Speak Up!
The spirit of Amalek is not about a particular race or nationality. The Amalek DNA is spiritual. As of this writing, I have been to Israel 36 times and made good friends who are Jewish, Christian and Arab. I have sipped coffee with Jewish and Arab friends at the same table. And why not? The bloodlines of Ishmael, Esau and Amalek are crossed, meaning they and the Jewish people had common ancestors. The Amalek inheritance is a spiritual matter.
I often ask my Jewish friends, “Why have the Jewish people been hated by so many for so long?” Almost always they answer in a kind, politically correct way. But the question remains: Of all the people in world history, why the Jewish people? It would almost be understandable for an ignorant person to reject people from other countries, cultures, races or political parties—almost. The United States has its own embarrassing history of discrimination against Blacks and immigrants. But how does one strain of hatred continue worldwide for thousands of years? What caused so many nations over so many centuries to hate the Jewish people so much? It’s not because of where they came from, because Jewish people have lived in almost every nation of the world. It can’t be the color of their skin, because Jewish people are Black, white and brown. Yet Hitler and much of the German nation did the most ungodly, unimaginable things to Jewish men, women and children.
Paul said, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood” but against dark spiritual forces (see Eph. 6:12). He did not, however, call us to remain silent. I implore you to stand up and speak up against anti-Semitism in all its forms. Scripture says, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch” (Isa. 62:1, NIV).
Open your mouth, speak and pray—not only for Israel’s Jewish population but also for every person who lives in the promised land. That’s how you can play a very big part in breaking the curse of Amalek. Let everyone know that it is the devil that comes to steal, kill and destroy, but it is Jesus who gives abundant life. Just think how the world would change if those who have been taught to love death realized that the idea was not from God.
We need to break our silence for Zion’s sake but also for our own. Jesus said that peacemakers are blessed (Matt. 5:9). God is ready to release His power and blessings, but it’s our move. God is calling us to take our places in fulfilling a living prophecy—the defeat of the Amalek spirit. I know firsthand that when you play your part, you will see God’s blessing increase. I believe 100 percent that my family has received two lifesaving miracles because of God’s great love, mercy and compassion, and because we are blessing Israel.
So, get ready. Pray that those who have been taught to love death would learn to love life instead.
The best is yet to come! {eoa}
This article was taken from Chapters 1 and 2 of The Seven Living Prophecies: Breaking the Curse, Releasing the Blessing by Larry Huch (Charisma House 2020).
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