Bloodlands (2) Spiritual Persepctive

Timothy Synder is a secular historian, so in his book called called Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin, he attempts to explain these terrible events by examining the political and social events of the time. He concludes that the worst killings took place in areas that were invaded by both Stalin and Hitler, so that was the cause. Because he focusses on the physical world, and ignores events in the spiritual realms, he fails to understand the real cause of this terrible death and destruction.

When Jesus had finished challenging the Jewish leaders, he gave a terrible prophecy.

Look, your house is left to you desolate (Matt 23:38).

The cause of this desolation is rooted in the covenant. The Jewish people have a marvellous covenant with wonderful promises, but they are incapable of fulfilling it. Jesus satisfied the covenant by living a perfect life, but the Jews rejected him so he could not impute his righteous to them. Worse still, they have no way of dealing with their sin. The sacrifices of the covenant worked in OT times because they pointed to Jesus, but once the temple was destroyed, there could be no sacrifice for sin.

The Jewish people are now stuck on the wrong side of a good covenant, under the curse, rather than the blessings. The spiritual forces of evil, who are expert accusers, demand the right to enforce the covenant against the Jewish people. The Jews have no spiritual protection, because their covenant, agreed by God, gives the powers of evil authority to inflict the evils specified in the curses of the covenant (Deut 28). Although Jesus defeated the powers of evil by dying on the cross, they still have authority to attack those who have chosen to live under the old covenant, but cannot fulfil it.

Their only source of spiritual protection is people under the blessings of the covenant because they have the righteous of Jesus imputed to them under the terms of the new covenant. Unfortunately, Christians have been better at persecuting Jews than praying for their spiritual protection.

So whenever the powers of evil want to do great evil on earth, they attack the Jewish people, because the old covenant gives them authority to act on earth. Throughout New Testament history, they have used this last vestige of authority to do great evil in the world.

The worst killing in the Bloodlands described by Timothy Snyder was centred on Poland and Ukraine. These were the two countries with the largest population of Jews. This is why the terrible killing took place. The spiritual forces of evil gathered in huge numbers in this region. They raised up and empowered two terrible political dictators: Stalin and Hitler. They infused the people with hatred and callousness. They inspired others to kill and destroy. The result was the worst killing and death that history has known. The powers of darkness were able to achieve this terrible destruction by using authority claimed under the old covenant.