In times of darkness, follow King Josiah's example

By Jonathan Cahn, Op-Ed Contributor Tuesday, October 17, 2023

A darkness has come upon the world.

It is an ancient darkness, and yet new in its manifesting. It is permeating our media, our entertainment, our marketplaces, our schools, our corporations, our public squares, our governments, our cultures, our lives. It is setting in motion the transformation of our society, the overturning of ancient foundations, and the destruction of age-old standards of morality, values, perception, and faith.

It is an unrelenting darkness, one that seeks not only to exist and grow, but to exercise total dominion, to force all it touches into submission, to subjugate language, to alter perception, and to bend reality into its image. It is a darkness that requires every tongue to confess its name and every knee to bow down in its homage. As for those who would defy or resist its conquest, it seeks to assimilate and transform them or else destroy them, even to destroy their will to resist it.

So, it was in the days of the man known in the Bible as Josiah. Josiah was born into a kingdom that had known God but had fallen from His ways. It had come into existence for the purposes of God but had detached itself from those purposes. It became a civilization turned in upon itself and against the foundation of which it stood, an inverted kingdom, a civilization in a state of spiritual schizophrenia. It still invoked His name but lived in opposition to His ways.

Such is the culture in which we now live. American civilization was founded on the reality of God and established for its purposes. But, as with ancient Israel, it has fallen and now exists in a state of spiritual schizophrenia — as does its parent, Western civilization.

As Western civilization has turned away from God and monotheism, in its place has risen a form of revived paganism. We see in its deification of the material world, its desanctification of life, its religious syncretism, its moral relativism, its sexualization of popular culture, its abuse of life, its worship of images, and its overturning of biblical standards, values, and precepts. All these things were hallmarks of the ancient paganism of the Middle East.

But Josiah was unique. He didn’t accept what most of his generation accepted. He did not go along with the status quo, the majority, the tradition of his fathers, or the prevailing norms of his culture. As it was in the days of Manasseh, those who upheld the ways of God became the enemies of state and culture. They would be deplatformed, demonetized, blacklisted, denied admission, expelled, fired, boycotted, banned, silenced, prosecuted, persecuted, canceled, eliminated.

Josiah knew he was living in an age of darkness and in a culture given to evil. But, instead of accepting the dark and evil in the civilization in which he was born, he set himself against it. He would not go along with it; he would resist; he would fight against it.

He embarked on a campaign of national repentance, cleansing, and redemption.

Josiah was not only righteous but bold and courageous. He was not afraid or intimidated by the evil that had taken possession of his culture because he knew that the power of God was far greater.

Spiritual darkness did not discourage Josiah from acting, rather it inspired him. He could never have accomplished what he did, had he sought the approval of man or feared the wrath of the majority. He broke customs, conventions, and the status quo. He did what others had thought to do, had felt to do, and believed to do, but of fear, did not do.

We are living in a time of moral, spiritual, and civilization polarization, where Western civilization is decoupling itself from the faith and the worldview to which it has been joined for nearly 2,000 years. Its mainstream culture is purging itself of Judeo-Christian values, beliefs, laws, practices, worship, ways, and culture.

The odds were stacked heavily against Josiah, just as they now appear heavily stacked against those who seek to uphold and follow the ways of God. But the odds didn’t matter to Josiah. The only thing that mattered was the will of God. That was all. And in that he overcame. So it must be for those who seek to stand strong in the face of the present darkness.

Like Josiah, we are not to be intimidated by the darkness of our age, but to embrace its challenge. To those who will stand, these will be the days that produce greatness. To stand for God in a Judeo-Christian culture is to shine as a candle in the daylight. But, to stand for God in a post-Christian or anti-Christian culture, is to shine as a candle in the night.

The light that shines at night does not blend into its surroundings, but it stands apart from them and against them. It is the contrary light, the light of contradistinction. And it is that contrast and that distinction that magnifies its radiance. The greater the contrast between the light and the surrounding darkness, the greater will be its power and impact.

The people of God must now make the most of every moment and circumstance to impact their world — in their homes, their workplaces, their schools, in their positions of power and influence, their skills and abilities, their experiences and resources, their coming and going, all times and places. They must use all means and resources at their disposal to fulfill the purposes of God.

And they must always remember that their most powerful of means are not of this world but spiritual — that of prayer, the Word, the presence and power of God. In times of repression or persecution, there may be no other power. If then, their only means are spiritual, it will be enough. For no instrument of man, no force of government, no power on earth is strong enough to stop the means given by the Spirit of God.

Jonathan Cahn was named along with Billy Graham as one of the top spiritual leaders of the last 40 years to have radically impacted our world. He has spoken at the United Nations and on Capitol Hill, and to millions around the world. Every one of his books from The Harbinger to The Josiah Manifesto have become a New York Times Bestseller. Recognized by American presidential candidates, he has been called the prophetic voice of his generation. His leading in The Return, the National Day of Prayer and Repentance brought thousand to the National Mall and was watched by millions around the country and world. He leads Beth Israel at the Jerusalem Center in Wayne, New Jersey and Hope of the World ministry, a world outreach of God’s word and compassion to the world’s most needy.