A Purim Reflection
Esther stands as a pivotal figure in biblical history, embodying both divine providence and human courage. Chosen as queen in a foreign empire, she navigated the treacherous court of Ahasuerus with wisdom and restraint, ultimately risking her life to advocate for her people. Her story is one of strategic silence and bold action—she did not rush into battle, nor did she remain passive in the face of impending annihilation. Instead, she used the tools at her disposal—her position, her influence, and her faith—to expose the schemes of Haman and bring justice through divine reversal.
Esther’s role in the Purim story highlights the interplay of hidden yet active divine intervention (hester panim), where God operates through the faithful actions of individuals rather than overt miracles. She stands as a model of prudent resistance and redemptive leadership, demonstrating that victory over Amalek does not always come through warfare, but often through courage, wisdom, and the right moment of revelation.
The Unfolding Reckoning:
Gog, Edom, and the Eschatological Struggle
History repeats itself, but with each cycle, the weight of past failures compounds, leaving the world trapped in ideological paralysis. The 20th century’s scars—Holocaust guilt, post-colonial entanglements, and Cold War geopolitical engineering—have created an inability to confront present atrocities with clarity. The response to genocide, oppression, and systemic destruction is no longer dictated by moral principle but by historical burdens, ideological fixation, and elite manipulation.
At the heart of this crisis lies the theological question of Amalek, Edom, and Gog, prophetic archetypes that do not merely describe past enemies but define the recurring forces that shape history’s final reckoning. These forces manifest in nation-states, ideological systems, and elite power structures, creating a world order where the distinction between oppressor and victim is intentionally blurred. And where does the Church stand in this? Bound to Edom’s imperial legacy, or as the suffering remnant that witnesses against it?
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Amalek:
The Eternal Foe and the Response
of Charedi vs. Chardali Jewish Thought
Unlike Edom, which remains redeemable in the Messianic Age, Amalek is framed in Torah as irredeemable, a force that must be blotted out (Deuteronomy 25:19). This concept has been politicized and weaponized—especially within Zionism—to justify perpetual war, yet within Jewish tradition, there are two fundamentally different responses to Amalek that reveal a deeper theological divide.
Unlike Edom, which remains redeemable in the Messianic Age, Amalek is framed in Torah as irredeemable, a force that must be blotted out (Deuteronomy 25:19). This concept has been politicized and weaponized—especially within Zionism—to justify perpetual war, yet within Jewish tradition, there are two fundamentally different responses to Amalek that reveal a deeper theological divide.
1. The Charedi (Haredi) Response: Waiting on Hashem’s Justice
The ultra-Orthodox Charedi approach to Purim, and to the concept of Amalek, is deeply theological, not militaristic. Charedim recognize that the command to blot out Amalek is ultimately Hashem’s battle, not Israel’s. Their response to Purim’s remembrance of Amalek is not preemptive warfare but prayer, Torah study, and reinforcing faith in divine justice.
This position refuses to nationalize the fight against Amalek—for to do so would be to usurp Hashem’s role as the divine judge. The Charedi position remains messianic, not militaristic—they believe Amalek will be destroyed, but not by the hands of the Zionist state, whose power they often reject as illegitimate.
2. The Chardali (Hardal) Response: The Nationalization of Amalek
In contrast, the Chardali (Chardal) movement—a hybrid of Charedi piety and Religious Zionism—has merged Jewish eschatology with modern nationalism. For Chardalim, Amalek is not an abstract spiritual concept but an existential national enemy. This has led to a theological justification for aggressive military action, territorial expansion, and perpetual warfare under the logic of “never again.”
While the Charedim await Hashem’s intervention, the Chardalim take up the sword in the name of divine justice—blurring the line between self-defense and preemptive aggression. This view has led to Zionism’s militarization of biblical eschatology, creating a reality where Israel now acts in the spirit of Edom while condemning others as Amalek.
This tension is crucial in understanding the modern political and theological crisis—Israel casts its enemies as Amalek, yet in its militarization and imperial mindset, it has embraced Edom’s ethos of domination.
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The Gog Encompassment:
The Final Reckoning
The biblical vision of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39 describes the climactic apocalyptic battle, where a great coalition of nations encircles Israel. But this is not just an external war; it is an internal reckoning—a confrontation between the forces that claim to serve divine justice and the reality of how they wield power.
The biblical vision of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39 describes the climactic apocalyptic battle, where a great coalition of nations encircles Israel. But this is not just an external war; it is an internal reckoning—a confrontation between the forces that claim to serve divine justice and the reality of how they wield power.
Are we witnessing the encompassment of Gog?
The alignment of global powers into ideological blocs, each claiming moral high ground while perpetuating atrocities.The failure of nations to speak truthfully about unfolding events, because they are still captive to the ideological narratives of the past.The reemergence of total war ideologies, where “might makes right” and the language of justice is weaponized for destruction.
And where does Edom fit into this?
If Rome, Spain, and Christendom have historically been cast as Edom, then what is the modern Zionist state but its latest manifestation? The paradox is undeniable—Zionism, which claims to restore Israel, has instead adopted Edom’s very ethos: militarism, imperial control, and national supremacy.
Thus, the eschatological irony of our time is this: Israel, having rejected spiritual Israel (Ephesians 2), now fights as Edom against those it deems Amalek. The Zionists, who brand their enemies as genocidal, have themselves embraced the Edomite structures of empire and power.
This is not merely political hypocrisy—it is a profound eschatological distortion. If Israel now fights as Edom, then what does that mean for the remnant of true Israel?
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The Role of the Church:
Bound to Edom or the Suffering Servant?
If the West, entangled in Edom’s imperial legacy, cannot speak, and if the Jewish world remains divided between Charedi faith and Chardali militarism, then where is the Church?
If the West, entangled in Edom’s imperial legacy, cannot speak, and if the Jewish world remains divided between Charedi faith and Chardali militarism, then where is the Church?
The Church faces an unavoidable reckoning:
Will it continue to serve as an arm of Edom, justifying empire, militarism, and economic oppression?Or will it reclaim its true calling—not as a Western colonial entity, but as the Body of the Suffering Servant, aligned with the oppressed, the broken, and those cast out by the world’s empires?
This is not about political alliances, nor is it about taking a side in the power struggles of Zionism or Islamism. It is about something deeper: the recognition that the only true justice is divine justice, and that neither the West nor the modern nation-state of Israel can claim to be the righteous agent of God’s will while perpetuating violence.
The only solution is a return to the biblical vision of the prophets:
A world where justice flows like a river (Amos 5:24).A world where swords are beaten into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4).A world where the nations finally recognize the futility of their violence (Micah 4:3).
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Conclusion:
The Breaking Point
The world stands at a breaking point!
The world stands at a breaking point!
The ideological narratives that have shaped modern geopolitics—including Protestant Christian idealogies—are reaching their inevitable collapse. Whether it be Zionist nationalism, Western imperial guilt, post-colonial vengeance, technocratic control, or theocratic aspirations within certain Reformed traditions, these frameworks have distorted both theology and history, leading to misguided allegiances and ethical failures.
The West cannot atone for the Holocaust by justifying new atrocities.
Christian Reformed supersessionism must repent—replacement theologies have fueled arrogance rather than humility before God.
Zionism, emboldened by its Evangelical supporters, cannot continue to portray itself as the oppressed while operating as an imperial force.
Secular nations cannot claim righteousness while their economies are built on exploitation and death.
The unraveling of these narratives is not merely political but deeply theological. Truth must be reckoned with—both in history and in the present.
This is not a call for another revolution, nor is it a naïve plea for world peace. It is a call to recognize that we are already in the reckoning—and that those who continue to align themselves with Edom’s structures within Christianity will find themselves on the wrong side of history, and more importantly, on the wrong side of divine judgment.
The cycle continues, and we stand at the precipice—watching, waiting, and praying.
The only question left is this: when the reckoning unfolds, where will we stand?
