Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Tuesday March 24 2026
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Revelation 1:17-18-And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
On March 19, 2026, the Jewish Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said something in a press conference that raised a lot of eyebrows. He approvingly quoted the famous historian, Will Durant, to this effect:
“Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan… because if you are strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough, evil will overcome good.”
Of course, the Prime Minister insists that he was not trying to insult Jesus Christ, which I hope he wasn’t. I try my best to give people the benefit of the doubt. (For a fairly balanced review of the matter, see: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/no-offense-meant-by-jesus-genghis-khan-comparison-netanyahu-says/). Contextually, he was arguing that a nation must be militarily strong to face its enemies. He then quoted Durant as evidence that there is no evidence that good will ultimately triumph over evil.
Yet how does the quote from Durant fit in with Netanyahu’s speech?
It seems that the Prime Minister was making a general reference to what Durant said in his book, The Lessons Of History.
“If history supports any theology this would be a dualism like the Zoroastrian or Manichaean: a good spirit and an evil spirit battling for control of the universe and men’s souls. These faiths and Christianity (which is essentially Manichaean) assured their followers that the good spirit would win in the end; but of this consummation history offers no guarantee. Nature and history do not agree with our conceptions of good and bad; they define good as that which survives, and bad as that which goes under; and the universe has no prejudice in favor of Christ as against Genghis Khan.” (Will Durant & Ariel Durant, The Lessons of History, 46 (Kindle Edition): New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks)
In essence, Durant was claiming that there is no guarantee that good will ultimately triumph over evil. He claimed that “history offers no guarantee” of this outcome.
Now, it certainly is fair to say that nations were given military might and strength by God for the purpose of accomplishing good (Romans 13:1-8).
But history is clear that good WILL ultimately triumph over evil.
And that is where both Durant and Netanyahu are wrong.
That historical triumph of good over evil has already been accomplished. It occurred when the Son of God conquered the powers of darkness in His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Colossians 2:11-15).
Satan has been defeated, history confirms it, and make no mistake….the devil KNOW it!
Revelation 12:11-12-And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
As to whether or not Jesus has any advantage over great warriors and empires grown through military conquest, how about we ask Napoleon Bonaparte? He certainly knew quite a bit about Jesus Christ…and about war!
What did he have to say on the subject?
“I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity. . . . Everything in him astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and his will confounds me. Between him and whoever else in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. He is truly a being by himself. His ideas and his sentiments, the truths which he announces, his manner of convincing, are not explained either by human organization or by the nature of things. . . . The nearer I approach, the more carefully I examine, everything is above me, everything remains grand—of a grandeur which overpowers. His religion is a revelation from an intelligence which certainly is not that of man. . . . One can absolutely find nowhere, but in Him alone, the imitation or the example of his life. . . . I search in vain in history to find the similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel. Neither History, nor humanity, nor the ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary. (Bonaparte, as quoted in Schaff, PC, 235, 238–239, 241)” (Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World, 201-202 (Kindle Edition): Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson)
Jesus has every advantage, and we follow Him with full confidence.
1 Corinthians 15:57-But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, thank You for victory over the powers of darkness. We praise You! Amen.