Last week we reviewed and looked a little more deeply at how we recognize and enter the kingdom of God. We also looked at how righteousness and justice are the foundation of the Lord’s throne (see Psalm 89:14). Therefore, we can expect to find these at the base of everything that God is doing in preparation for the coming of His kingdom. The wise will learn to recognize His righteousness and His justice, and only give themselves to building on the same.
This week we want to begin examining the foundation of the devil’s kingdom in more depth. Basically, we can expect the devil’s kingdom to be built on the counterpoints of God’s kingdom—injustice and unrighteousness. This is true, but to identify his unrighteousness and injustice can be much more difficult, especially in its early stages of development. In fact, in the early stages, Satan’s unrighteousness and injustice may seem more righteous and more just than true righteousness and justice. This is especially true if we do not have a sound definition of these based on Scripture rather than fallen human philosophies.
Again, we must keep in mind that the antichrist is not just against Christ so much as it seeks to be a substitute for Christ. Likewise, the devil’s realm is not so much the exact opposite of what the Lord is doing as it is a parallel counterfeit. It may only be able to run parallel to God’s kingdom for a time before its true nature will begin to show. Just as rat poison is often composed of 98 percent good food, and just 2 percent poison or the rats would not go near it, the same is often true of the devil’s most deadly and deceptive schemes.
For this reason, especially in its formative stages, a realm, kingdom, or government that the devil is establishing may look more just and righteous than what the Lord is establishing. This is how Absalom seduced Israel to follow him in place of his father David. He sat in the gate day after day appearing more just, righteous, and sensitive to the people than his father David did. However, as soon as he gained power, his true nature started to come out. The same has inevitably been the case each time. What seemed right and just quickly turns into a profound and perverted evil and injustice as soon as power is gained.
Previous injustices, and the resulting resentment or self-pity, can be one of the biggest open doors for evil to build its authority on. As we covered previously, the devil often begins his deceptive advances by appealing to people’s wounding. He will say, “You have not been treated fairly,” or “No one understands you.” Again, this is why he is called Beelzebub, or “the lord of the flies.” Flies swarm to wounds and so does the devil and his minions. However, he does not heal the wounds—he just uses them. Just as flies often represent lies in dreams and visions, the devil swarms to the wounded with his lies in order to spread his deadly disease.
In time the true nature of the evil kingdom cannot help but to become obvious, but that is often too late to stop its intended oppression and destruction. By the time this happens, the veil of deception over people’s hearts is usually so thick that they cannot see through it. Those who can see are often so bound by fear that they do not want to acknowledge what they see.
One of the most obvious examples in recent history of how the devil set up his kingdom is found in Germany in the 1930s, which allowed the Nazis to come to power. This is a crucial period of time for us to understand because in many ways it was the dress rehearsal for the way the devil is going to try and take over the entire world to thwart the coming of the Lord’s kingdom. One of the great questions of history is: How did the German people, arguably the most brilliant and resourceful people on earth, succumb to such evil?
Most historians seem to agree that the overly harsh conditions imposed on Germany by the Versailles Treaty that ended World War I, which made it impossible for Germany to get back on its feet after the war, was the primary open door for Hitler and the Nazis to gain power there. This also became the main cause of World War II, and even more destruction.
There are other very important questions that arise from what happened in Germany during this period. Yet the lessons we should have learned from them are still not adequately answered, even though countless books have been written, and movies made about this time. Even more remarkably, the great voices of the church have not addressed them, which are called to be light of this world, and therefore have not had answers to the world’s ultimate problems.
One of the most shocking facts about the Nazis rise to power is that they used the church as a springboard to achieve that power. It was not the only institution they used, but it is one of the great examples in history of how the devil can take his seat in the temple of God, the church, and make himself out to be God. How did the church fail to recognize the nature of such an evil movement as the Nazis? Why did some church leaders even call Hitler the second coming of Christ, and the Third Reich the beginning of the kingdom of God on earth?
The same patterns of how evil gains control of nations can be seen forming throughout much of the world today, including almost every “Western” nation. Some of the truly great nations seem to be falling the fastest into a repeat of some of the worst past historical mistakes. Just as Germany was one of the most learned and cultured nations on the earth at the time, it was very easily changed into one of the most cruel and diabolical of all time. The same could have happened in any nation, and indeed seems to be beginning again on an even larger scale. Is this the foundation of the devil’s ultimate attempt to destroy humanity through the ultimate antichrist government? It is easy to understand why many think that it is.
I have spent a great deal of time in Europe over the last fifteen years, and I am still spending a lot of time trying to understand the trends there. Sometimes it is hard to believe that what I read and hear could actually be true. The old adage stating that “Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it,” seems to have been especially spoken of Europe. The entire continent is now trudging once again toward a wide conflagration that is likely to be even more devastating than the last World War, and yet there does not seem to be a single public voice sounding the alarm.
By this repetition of history, I am not speaking of destruction coming through Germany again. In fact, I think Germany is likely to be the first nation that awakens to the impending threat of Islam, and is the greatest hope for Europe’s deliverance this time. Germans are far wiser because of the Nazi era, but are still controlled and afraid to react to some of what they are perceiving because of their guilt over the Nazi era. Their neighbors in Europe seem more than willing to use this guilt for maximum effect for their own interests.
The other nations of Europe which should have learned so much from World War II, and should have a very different world view, seem even more blind to what is now coming upon them. It is remarkable how that part of the world which has for centuries been subjected repeatedly to the most diabolical forms of tyranny, seem completely unable to see the roots of tyranny beginning to sprout again. Even worse, they get downright belligerent toward anyone who would try to help them see.
Even though we can learn much from the Nazi period in Germany’s history, we should not expect what is coming to be wearing Swastikas, or to even gain power again exactly like it did in Germany. The political and control spirits seem to gain entry into, and ultimately sidetrack almost every move of God, looking different in each movement. And, what is coming upon the world will not look exactly like it did in Germany, but there will be enough similarities for the knowledgeable and discerning to recognize if we are awake.
We must also consider how there were some German Christians and German politicians, who discerned the nature of the Nazi movement from the beginning. How did they do this? Even though these were some of the most heroic and noble souls of that period, why were they not successful in exposing the dangers of their times?
Though the Scriptures indicate that such a brutal regime which overtook Germany in the 1930s will at some time take over much of the known world, the Scriptures are also clear that it will not prevail everywhere, and it will not prevail long. There will be whole nations, and even whole regions of the world, that may be spared. How? There will be unprecedented darkness in some places, and unprecedented glory in others. What will make the difference? How can we be prepared for what is to come? These are questions that the wise are asking now.
