History Repeats Itself in A Land of Demons and War

by Keith Carey

What do you think of the idea of spiritual mapping? I must admit, I am a skeptic. Other than an indirect reference to it in the book of Daniel, there is very little evidence in Scripture that demonic forces control certain locations. But sometimes I wonder. Perhaps Satan's hordes have the earth divided up into their domains much like the colonialists once carved up their spheres of influence. No one can prove it one way or another, so it's unwise to get dogmatic about this issue. But our enemy knows how to work in the dark. As one pastor here in Pasadena has said, "Satan's best accomplishment is covering his tracks."

There seem to be some parts of the world that suffer in specific ways. And some parts of the world appear to be protected against all odds perhaps by unseen powers. Thailand, a nation that has never been conquered, has a specific deity to which they give credit for keeping them safe. Japan had never been conquered until 1945. Both of these countries now admit Christian missionaries, but very few will listen to the message.

Then there is Afghanistan, a nation which has seemed to be unconquerable. This nation suffers from seething hatred and cruelty which are so intense that it seems to be satanic. Let's take a brief look at their history and pray about how we may intercede for this nation of 26 million Muslims.

Invasion of the Greeks, Huns, and Arabs
"Alexander [The Great] faced the same problems as all invaders of Afghanistan: the harsh climate and geography and local people who enjoy a fight." Thus summed up the opinion of military historian, Raymond Callahan. In 330 BC, Alexander took 32,000 troops to conquer Afghanistan, which was then a group of provinces of the decaying Persian Empire. Some historians credit Alexander with founding Kandahar, a place that was in the news last November. Though Alexander eventually managed to establish Greek colonies in the region, he was constantly being harassed by local insurrections. Alexander married Oxyartes, daughter of an Afghan leader, who then persuaded local chieftains not to oppose the Greek conqueror. However, Alexander, the unstoppable conqueror, could never fully enjoy complete power over Afghanistan.

Let's move forward in history. In AD400, the White Huns invaded this region and left it in ruins. (Does this sound like the 1980s?) By AD550, the Persians reestablished their control over Afghanistan. Like the Greeks, the Persians were attacked by local tribes.

In AD652, the Arabs introduced Islam to Afghanistan. Around the turn of the first millennium, Afghanistan was becoming a center of Islamic power and civilization.

Between 1219 and 1221, Genghis Khan invaded Afghanistan, destroyed the irrigation system, turning the fertile soil into a desert. This situation still plagues Afghanistan; a couple of years ago, 12 percent of the land in Afghanistan was considered arable, but with the recent drought, this figure is probably high. Fortunately for the Afghan people, Khan was the last one to conquer them. However, many have invaded the land since that time. These would-be conquerors have left Afghanistan devastated. The 19th Century was an especially difficult one for these rugged people. When the Afghans weren't fighting off a foreign enemy, they would be fighting one another just as they do today. The results were tragic.

Russia, England, and the "Great Game"
Afghanistan has few natural resources. Agriculturally, this nation has little to offer a conqueror except opium. Most of the land is devoted to livestock herding. The same situation was true 200 years ago when Tzarist Russia and the British Empire vied for control. Both powerful nations suffered for their efforts, and they also caused great suffering as well. They wanted Afghanistan because she lay between great colonial holdings, especially India, and lucrative trade routes.

The British seemed destined to take this land in 1838. A British diplomatic mission arrived in Kabul to make demands on the Afghan ruler, Amir Dost Muhammad. These demands were denied by the Amir, and the British overthrew him, and established a puppet ruler whom they hoped would obey their demands. The British then controlled Kabul-but only for a short time. The Afghan people began a massive revolt, which spelled the beginning of the end for the British. Given a pledge of safe passage, 700 Brits, and 3,800 Indian troops trekked through a snow-covered mountain pass. This 90-mile walk was a death march. Only one man survived. Amir Dost Muhammad was back in power.

In 1878, Amir Dost Muhammad's son was on the throne. He made diplomatic overtures to Russia, so the British invaded with Indian support, and took control of Kabul. They forced the Afghans to sign a treaty which would allow a British presence there.

Humiliated, the Afghans fought back. They fought their way into a British compound and killed the British and their Indian allies. Before long, 60,000 Afghans rose up to fight the British. They were led by a Muslim cleric who declared jihad against the British "infidels." He enlisted suicide warriors known as ghazis. (Sound familiar?) The British who were left in Kabul mowed them down with machine guns, and lost only five of their own men. By this time the English knew that continual occupation of Kabul was not possible, so they placed Amir Dost Muhammad's grandson on the throne, and withdrew.

Afghanistan and the Soviet Union
In 1919, Britain signed a treaty which gave Afghanistan complete independence. Its leader, Amanollah, began to develop a relationship with the new Soviet Union. After all, Russia appeared to be more trustworthy than the British.

In 1873, Russia had established a fixed boundary between Afghanistan and Russia's Central Asian holdings. They promised to respect Afghanistan's territorial integrity. Vladimir Lenin, the Soviet Union's first dictator, spoke out against all forms of imperialism. This cozy relationship seemed to work well for both countries until the 1970s.

In the '70s, Afghanistan began to warm up to the Soviet's rival, the United States. A series of coups weakened Soviet influence, and emboldened local militias to rebel. In 1979, after several Soviet-backed regimes fell, the Russians made the fatal mistake of invading and occupying Afghanistan. This move probably helped destroy their empire. During the 1980s, the United States, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia funneled millions of dollars worth of military aid to help Afghan "Freedom Fighters". After 10 years of fighting Afghan guerillas, and having their helicopters shot down by American made Stingers, the Soviets withdrew in 1989.

Conclusion
Why am I recounting all of this? You will notice certain patterns in Afghan history. First of all, there seems to be a tremendous amount of infighting, which gives way to brief times of unity to fight off foreign invaders. There is tremendous cruelty in this nation, both from foreign invaders, and from within the ranks of the peoples that make up Afghanistan. The local people who "enjoy a fight" mentioned at the beginning, hold grievances against one another that lead to an endless cycle of revenge killings.

Could this land be under a curse? Could it be oppressed by demonic forces? We don't know for sure. But it very well could be.

• Pray that Satan's efforts to kill, steal, and destroy in Afghanistan will be thwarted by the Lord.
• Pray that God will overrule all satanic curses and demonic activities in Afghanistan.
• We know that hatred, poverty, and constant warfare are not God's best for any people. Pray for God's best for the peoples of Afghanistan.
• Pray for reconciliation between the peoples of Afghanistan.
• Pray for Christians to be instrumental in re-building this suffering country.
• Pray for a church for every people group in Afghanistan.