Satan is real, powerful, and the father of lies. Jesus said the devil “is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). His purpose in lying is to lead people astray, away from God, to do evil that they may end up getting their souls destroyed for eternity in Hell (1 Pet 5:8). The Bible says the devil is “the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev 12:9).
Satan “blinds the minds of unbelievers” (2 Cor 4:4). Unbelievers cannot think straight on spiritual matters and they cannot discern when they are being lied to on a supernatural level. Christians can be deceived by Satan’s lies, but do not have to be. We have the Holy Spirit living in us, and the indwelling Spirit in us is greater than the powers of Satan (1 John 4:4). Paul says pointedly that believers have divine truth available so that we don’t have to be “ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor 2:11).
The topic of Israel is a spiritual issue and of top importance to God. The whole Bible is about Israel. The Bible is the authority on Israel. Jesus was a Jew. He is coming again, and he will land in Israel and make Jerusalem his headquarters as he rules over the world with an iron rod (Zech 13-14; Rev 19-20). Anyone venturing to pontificate or opine about Israel without reference to the Bible, or who misinterprets the Bible, is dangerously misleading. Thank God for the clarity and thoroughness of the Scriptures in times of confusion.
We are seeing the success of Satan’s ploys and goals, as the prince of propaganda, on a mass scale right now regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a small faction of Muslim terrorists. Lies, half-lies, and confusion abound. Many popular news outlets are pumping out misleading information on the most fundamental issues. There is no way to counteract it because the avalanche of wrong information is utterly ubiquitous. There is universal disinformation being disseminated about Israel non-stop right now and it is not a mistake or mere human ignorance. It is supernaturally orchestrated. And Satan is the mastermind and manipulator behind it all. The devil is “the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2). This verse means that Satan is an expert at spreading false propaganda, and he does it invisibly by working through the thinking, words, and mouthpieces of unbelievers. Non-Christians do Satan’s bidding, usually unwittingly (2 Tim 2:26). And they do so with a fury. The “whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Christians, the truth-tellers, salt and light in a dark and deceived world, are in the super-minority (Matt 7:13-14). Christian, the “world hates you” (John 15:17; 1 John 3:13).
There is universal disinformation being disseminated about Israel non-stop right now and it is not a mistake or mere human ignorance.
Jesus said the devil was a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). Who does he murder? Satan’s main target is the righteous (Job 1:9 ff.), believers, those who love the true God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:3). But he will kill anyone he needs to get to his main target. So, he is given to wholesale slaughter of anyone in his way, including the innocent, the elderly, women, children, and babies. Since Genesis 3, Satan has been on a non-stop campaign to destroy believers, from righteous Abel to the sinless Savior, the Lord Jesus, and anyone since who follows Christ.
Satan has also made a target of Israel since the days of Abraham (2100 BC) because Israel is God’s special nation, his elect. First Kings 10:9 says “YHWH loves Israel forever.” Satan hates what God loves. Believers are expected to love what God loves (Rom 9-11). Revelation 12 is clear on what Satan is all about. This passage is the biography of Satan from the beginning at creation and extends to the end of the age to the Great Tribulation which will occur in the future, at the end of the age. And it pointedly notes that Satan hates Israel and will seek to obliterate them as a nation up until Christ’s Second Coming. Satan hates Israel. The devil despises the Jews.
Satan hates Israel. The devil despises the Jews.
Fellow Christian: keep the above biblical realities paramount in your mind as you read the daily news about the current conflict in the Promised Land (Gen 12:7; Num 10:29), the land of Israel. The Bible is the only reliable source of truth on this highly complex issue with a history that runs 4,000 years into the past. Consider the news sources you are reading and relying on and ask yourself some basic questions: “Does this news source or reporter reference the Bible at all in this article?” If it doesn’t then there is a good chance you are getting superficial, and even wrong, information. “Is this piece of ‘news’ from a biblical worldview?” Just because some source claims to be Christian it does not mean it represents the biblical view accurately. “If the Bible is referenced, is it being used the proper way and in context?” Sadly, many are using the Bible in the wrong way regarding this conflict and as a result are disturbing the souls of many (1 Thess 4:13-5:6; 2 Pet 3:16). And one of the most important questions to ask yourself is, “Has any of the news I have been reading on this current conflict in Israel said anything at all about the reality of Satan?” If the answer is “No,” then those sources of information don’t have God’s perspective. At best, they may have some of the truth. But some of the truth is not the truth.
The main takeaway from the above is to maintain a biblical perspective regarding this current conflict between Israel and Islam, remembering it is a spiritual warfare which includes a battle over the truth. Most news outlets portray this as a political war, or a social war, or a battle over rights to a portion of land. But it is not. There is a greater reality at play. Pull the curtain back and see what is behind the scenes in the heavenlies. Read Job chapters 1 and 2 to get the proper perspective. Or read Daniel 10 to be reminded of the involvement of evil demons in the spirit world and their influence of the events that transpire on earth.
In the end, Christians are comforted knowing that God is in absolute control.
Scripture is clear: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). Satan is at the forefront of the enemy lines. God is in control of this conflict. He has laid out the parameters and extent of the battle. He has sovereign control of the subjects involved. Nothing happens apart from his approval. All things happen in keeping with his ultimate, perfect will (Eph 1:11; Ps 115:3). In the end, Christians are comforted knowing that God is in absolute control. He even uses bad things to accomplish good things. God does not do bad things, or approve of bad things, but he uses them for our good and his glory. With this in mind, Christian, be sure to read the daily news with spiritual lenses, and a biblical frame of mind. Do not lap up everything the secular news spews in your face.
