• There is an animosity against Jews all over the world. Why?
• There is an animosity against those who are truly Believers in Christ. Why?
• There is a hatred of Jesus Christ all over the world. Why?
Let’s look at the origin of this hatred before we deal with the “why” of this hatred.
Immediately after the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the Lord addressed Satan through the serpent. As is obvious in the Genesis account, the serpent had lent its body and faculties, such as they were, to Satan, which pertained to the temptation of Eve. The Scripture says concerning this:
“And the LORD God said unto the serpent (as we shall see, presents no question or interrogation being posed toward the serpent at all; God judges him, and it is in listening to this judgment that the guilty pair hear the first great Promise respecting Christ), Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field (refers to this animal being reduced from possibly the highest place and position in the animal kingdom to the lowest); upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life (if, in fact, the serpent was an unwitting tool in the hand of Satan, then I think that the Lord would not have placed a curse upon this animal)” (Gen. 3:14).
And now we come to the part that tells us the “why” of this animosity between mankind in general and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord said to Satan:
“And I will put enmity(animosity) between you and the woman (presents the Lord now actually speaking to Satan, who had used the serpent; in effect, the Lord is saying to Satan, ‘You used the woman to bring down the human race, and I will use the woman as an instrument to bring the Redeemer into the world, Who will save the human race’), and between your seed (mankind which follows Satan) and her Seed (the Lord Jesus Christ); it (Christ) shall bruise your head (the Victory that Jesus won at the Cross [Col. 2:14-15]), and you shall bruise His Heel (the sufferings of the Cross)” (Gen. 3:15).
THE CAUSE FOR THE ANIMOSITY
The reason for the animosity against the Lord Jesus Christ and all who follow Him is that Jesus Christ is real, whereas all the other claimed deities are just figments of man’s imagination. In other words, there is no such thing as “Allah.” In fact, the name “Allah” was one of the Babylonian deities of old, which was selected by Muhammad, etc. The real truth is, “Allah” is a demon spirit, the same as all other supposed deities, other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is only one God but manifested in Three Persons. Those Three are, “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.”
The name or title “God” does not garner much animosity because the name or title “God” is almost a generic term. In other words, many things are referred to as God, so that part of the world, which is almost all who don’t serve the Lord Jesus Christ, takes very little offense, if any at all, at the name “God.” However, Jesus Christ is something else altogether.
The reason for that is very simple as well.
Jesus said:
“. . . I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (proclaims in no uncertain terms exactly Who and What Jesus is): no man comes unto the Father, but by Me (He declares positively that this idea of God as Father, this approach to God for every man, is through Him – through what He is and what He has done, referring to the Cross)” (Jn. 14:6).
It is ironic, the Jews hate Jesus Christ, and the world that does not care for Jesus Christ either, hates the Jews because they killed Christ. It is somewhat like the old proverb of “the pot calling the kettle black.”
However, the real reason for the animosity of the world against the Jews is simply because of their past and what will transpire in their future.
Jesus said to the woman of Samaria, “. . . Salvation is of the Jews” (Jn. 4:22).
What did He mean by that?
SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS
It was to Abraham, from whose loins the Jewish people would come, to whom the knowledge was given as it regards “Justification by Faith.” In fact, the entirety of the Word of God was given to the Jews. The only writer that may have been Gentile was Luke; however, it is my opinion that Luke, as well, was Jewish. Irrespective, with Israel having the Word of God, it put them light years ahead of any other nation or group of nations in the entirety of the world. Above all of that, they served as the womb of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Regrettably, they would not accept Him, which has consigned them now to some 2,000 years of suffering and pain. Still, He did what He came to do, which was to serve as a Sacrifice for the whole of humanity, both Jews and Gentiles.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “You worship you know not what . . .” (Jn. 4:22), and that’s the way it is with every religion in the world, even parts of Christianity, such as Catholicism, Mormonism, etc. They “worship they know not what.”
Of course, due to the fact of Israel rejecting Christ, they, as well, at this present time, “worship they know not what.”
ANIMOSITY
So, despite the fact that Bible Christianity has been instrumental in bringing freedom and prosperity to the world, still, there is an embedded animosity in the hearts of most all the unredeemed against those who claim Christ.
Years ago, I was somewhat naïve as it regarded this particular problem. I thought if we were perfectly honest with the news media, showed them exactly what they asked to see, and were totally up front with them, they would in turn be the same with us. To my dismay, I found that was not the case. In other words, their minds were made up before the interview even began. Unfortunately, as Preachers of the Gospel, we have at times furnished the ammunition for the news media to take the direction which they desire. We have only ourselves to blame for that. However, please understand, the more of God that a person has, the more he will be blacklisted, hated, and despised by the news media and much of the world. In fact, at this present time, there are powerful forces in America, who are doing everything within their power to erase God out of anything that pertains to public life and living. Of course, their ambition is to stop all Gospel whatsoever except the brand they choose, whatever that might be. Unfortunately, at the present time, the church is playing right into their hands.
A PERSONAL EXAMPLE
Back in the 1980’s, this Ministry (Jimmy Swaggart Ministries), built 144 schools in Third World countries. Actually, some 39 schools were built in Haiti alone.
For the most part, these were schools that only went through the sixth grade. We would run two sessions a day to crowd in as many kids as possible. We would even furnish a hot meal at noon each day, many times, the only meal these kids would get all day long.
Public broadcasting did a program on our schools (or I should say, school), which they aired over one station in the U.S., evidently, with plans to air it nationwide.
At any rate, they claimed that we had only built one school, and that was for rich children.
We contacted the PBS station over which the program aired and furnished the proof of the number of schools we had then built and were building, and that none of them were for rich kids, etc.
To the credit of the station, they made a public apology over the station, and in their response to us, exclaimed their surprise that PBS would falsify a program as they had done.
Why would they want to do this?
It’s the animosity of which I speak! Some country western singer could give $50 for something in a Third World country, and it would be played up to the hilt. We could build all of these schools and not only would nothing positive be said, but every effort would be made to discredit what we were doing.
ISRAEL
As we have previously stated, about the only friends that Israel has in the world today are Canada and the USA, and, regrettably, it seems that our support, at least according to this present Administration, is beginning to weaken.
In 2008, there was an economic downturn in the United States because of mortgages on millions of houses, which were bogus. If it is to be noticed, Canada was not touched with that. I wonder if, in the Mind of God, her support of Israel had something to do with that. I also wonder if the animosity toward Israel shown by the Obama Administration has something to do with our own economic downturn. As we have already stated, the Lord meant what He said, and He, in essence, said that He would bless those who blessed Israel and would curse those who cursed Israel (Gen. 12:3).
THE FUTURE OF ISRAEL
Despite the fact of Israel turning her back upon God and crucifying her Messiah, Who just happened to be the Lord of Glory, still, the Lord made many promises to the Patriarchs and the Prophets of old. The truth is, in the coming Kingdom Age, Israel will be the leading Nation in the world. That may be hard to realize when we consider how tiny that modern Israel is. Actually, Israel proper has approximately six million population. There are approximately 14 million more scattered all over the world, with the greatest number being in America, which makes a total of some 20 million. When it is considered that basically two-thirds of those living in Israel will die during the coming Great Tribulation, this only leaves approximately two million in Israel proper. Nevertheless, when Jesus Christ comes back, then every Jew on the face of the Earth will accept Him as Saviour, Lord, and Messiah. As well, they will learn to their chagrin that the One they crucified nearly 2,000 years ago was, in fact, their Messiah and their Lord. Every evidence is that, every Jew on the face of the Earth will, at that time, accept the Lord. This will be immediately after the Second Coming. In turn, they will finally gain the place and position, which had been promised to the Patriarchs and Prophets so long ago, and which they could have had 2,000 years ago had they only accepted Christ then. Concerning this coming time, the great Prophet Jeremiah said:
“At that time they shall call Jerusalem the Throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the Name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk anymore after the imagination of their evil heart” (Jer. 3:17). The short phrase, “At that time,” refers to the coming Kingdom Age when Christ will reign supreme from Jerusalem and, in reality, over the entirety of the world. In fact, the city of Jerusalem will, at that time, serve as the capital city of the world and, actually, of His Throne.
Concerning that coming day, the great Prophet Ezekiel said:
EZEKIEL
Regarding World War II, days after Germany surrendered, an American general was looking through one of the concentration camps. He stood staring at the most gruesome sight he had ever seen, looking at hundreds and hundreds of Jewish bodies that had been butchered by Adolf Hitler and his henchmen. The world was shortly to find out that some six million Jews had been slaughtered. As the American general stood looking at this gruesome sight that met his eyes, he said the words of Ezekiel came to his mind, “. . . Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, You know” (Ezek. 37:3).
And then the Lord spoke to the great Prophet and said:
“Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, O My People, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. (As Prophecy sometimes does, the previous Verse spoke of the last few months or even weeks before the Coming of the Lord and, therefore, the relief of Israel, whereas Verse 12, which we have just quoted, goes back even to World War II and forward.)
“And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My People, and brought you up out of your graves (‘And brought you up out of your graves,’ has reference in totality to the fact that Israel, and for all practical purposes, in the Battle of Armageddon is all but totally destroyed; actually, there is no earthly way they can be salvaged. However, there is a Heavenly Way! And that Heavenly Way is Christ),
“And shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, says the LORD. (This Passage signals the great Revival that will take place in Israel at the Coming of the Lord. Zechariah gave in greater detail the happening of this great Moving of the Holy Spirit [Zech. 12:10-14; 13:1, 9])” (Ezek. 37:12-14).
HOSEA
Concerning the restoration of Israel, the great Prophet Hosea said this:
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He has torn, and He will heal us; He has smitten, and He will bind us up. (This speaks of Israel in the last half of the Great Tribulation, under great persecution, finally turning back to the Lord. And how do we know that? We know it because Israel as a Nation has never come to the Lord in the fashion represented here, but which they will do immediately before and after the Second Coming [Zech. 13:1].)
“After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His Sight. (Verse 2, which we have just quoted, could very well apply prophetically to the period of Israel’s subjection, affliction, and Restoration. Her subjection has lasted 2,000 years, or nearly so [in Biblical Prophecy, two days], and her Millennial Reign will last for 1,000 years [the third day].
“The word ‘day’ normally refers to a twenty-four hour period of time. However, it can be, and often is, used figuratively for a specified or unspecified period of time.
“‘In the third day He will raise us up,’ refers to the Second Coming of Christ when He will deliver Israel from the Antichrist)” (Hos. 6:1-2).
THE PROPHET JOEL
The Holy Spirit through Joel said:
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great Army which I sent among you. (‘And I will restore to you the years,’ refers to that period of time which began with Nebuchadnezzar and which now has lasted for about 2,500 years. The mention of the ‘locust,’ etc., is meant to be symbolic of the years lost to the ‘times of the Gentiles.’ The phrase, ‘My great Army which I sent among you,’ speaks of the great empires which ruled Israel because of Israel’s sin and refusal to repent.)
“And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the Name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you: and My People shall never be ashamed. (Now, Israel will function as she should; as a result, they will ‘eat in plenty, and be satisfied.’ As well, never again will God’s Chosen People ‘be ashamed.’)
“And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and My People shall never be ashamed. (Once again, the Holy Spirit through the Prophet uses the phrase, ‘And My People shall never be ashamed,’ because Israel, in fact, has lived in ‘shame’ for over 2,500 years)” (Joel 2:25-27).
THE PROPHET ISAIAH
Isaiah had more to say about the coming Kingdom Age than any other Prophet. Much of his Prophecies concerned Israel. He said:
“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. (The word ‘saw,’ as used here by Isaiah, basically means the same thing as ‘Vision.’)
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s House shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. (Verses 2 through 4 in this Chapter correspond to Mic. 4:1-3. Micah’s Prophecy was 17 years later than Isaiah’s. Some wonder if the latter Prophet borrowed from the former, but this shows a want of intelligence. When God repeats a message, the repetition emphasizes its preciousness to Him and its importance to man.
“In both of the Prophecies, Isaiah and Micah, the Lord reveals the character of the Kingdom He proposed to set up on the Earth; in the latter, it is repeated to the nations. All of this will take place in the coming Kingdom Age.)
“And many people shall go and say, Come you, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the House of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His Ways, and we will walk in His Paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (The ‘Law,’ as referred to here, has no reference to the Law of Moses, but rather to instruction, direction, and teaching. Again, this is the coming Kingdom Age when the Messiah, ‘The Greater than Solomon,’ will rule the world by Wisdom, Grace and Love.)
“And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa. 2:1-4).
JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS
In fact, when Jesus Christ comes back to this Earth, which will be in the midst of the Battle of Armageddon, and which will signal the beginning of the great Kingdom Age, He is going to judge the nations of the world as nations.
Why?
Those nations that at least remained neutral toward Israel during the last half of the Great Tribulation will be treated kindly. The nations that threw in their lot with the Antichrist will actually cease to be as a nation. That’s what the Lord thinks of Israel, and every nation in the world at that time, and even of this time, should consider what the Word of God says about the matter. I quote:
“When the Son of Man shall come in His Glory, and all the Holy Angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the Throne of His Glory (the Second Coming):
“And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats (this is called the ‘judgment of the nations,’ which will commence at the outset, as stated, of the Kingdom Age):”
THE SHEEP NATIONS AND THE GOAT NATIONS
“And He shall set the sheep on His Right Hand (refers to nations which would not cooperate with the Antichrist), but the goats on the left (nations which cooperated with the Antichrist).
“Then shall the King (the Lord Jesus Christ) say unto them on His Right Hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (this has nothing to do with Salvation, but rather these particular nations being allowed to enter into the Kingdom Age):
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and you took Me in (although the adage proves true for all time, Christ is basically here speaking of Israel and her treatment by various nations during the Great Tribulation):
“Naked, and you clothed Me: I was sick, and you visited Me: I was in prison, and you came unto Me.
“Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? or thirsty, and gave You drink? (The word, ‘righteous,’ does not pertain to the Righteousness of Christ given to Believers at Salvation, but instead, righteous dealings with Israel by these nations.)”
YOU!
“When saw we You a stranger, and took You in? or naked, and clothed You?
“Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came unto You?
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these My Brethren, you have done it unto Me (as stated, the adage holds true for all time, but Christ is primarily speaking here of Israel and the help given her by certain nations during the Great Tribulation).”
EVERLASTING FIRE
“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand (the goat nations), Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (nations that hindered or tried to harm Israel during the Great Tribulation):
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink:
“I was a stranger, and you took Me not in: naked, and you clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited Me not.
“Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto You?
“Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me (to bless one who belongs to God is to bless God; to harm one who belongs to God is to harm God; we see here the results of such action).”
LIFE ETERNAL
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (all of this will happen soon after the Second Coming; the leaders of the nations, who tried to help the Antichrist against Israel during the Great Tribulation, will evidently be executed and, consequently, will die eternally lost; conversely, the leaders of the nations, who tried to help Israel at that time, will be given an opportunity to accept Christ as Saviour, which they, no doubt, will and will, thereby, be given ‘life eternal’)” (Mat. 25:31-46).
All of this means that Israel, as tiny as she might be, is not just another nation in the world. These people were chosen by God for a special purpose, and, to be sure, they have contributed greatly to the positive welfare of the entirety of civilization. In fact, no group of people can match their contributions, and I might quickly add, positive contributions, to society as a whole.
A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Some years ago, 1987, if I remember correctly, I was asked to address a small Jewish gathering in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with the main speaker being the future Prime Minister of Israel. He made a statement I’ve never forgotten.
He named several very famous Jewish scientists, doctors, etc., and noted what they had contributed to society. He mentioned Jonas Salk, who developed the serum stopping the polio germ, and then asked the question, “How many Jews, who could have made a contribution to society, such as Jonas Salk, were, instead, slaughtered in the concentration camps of Adolf Hitler?”
I was listening to a particular radio program some time back when the host made mention of the fact that the Jews had received some 30 Noble Prizes, if I remember the number correctly, in a certain span of time. He noted that the world of Islam had only received two, I believe he said. At any rate, the disparity between the numbers spoke volumes.
Yes, there is a hatred for Israel in the world today, which will come to a head under the Antichrist. However, that hatred will change when Jesus Christ comes back, and come back He shall!
(This message was derived from the book, “ARMAGEDDON”)
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