Was Karl Marx and the rise of communism influenced by Satan?

Until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of East Germany, Karl Marx's image was portrayed on some of its currency: Image Wikipedia

Until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of East Germany, Karl Marx’s image was portrayed on some of East Germany’s currency: Image Wikipedia

In his book, Marx and Satan, Richard Wurmbrand (1909-2001) looked at the writings of Karl Marx (1818-1883), the founder of communism.

Unknown to many, Karl Marx started out as a Christian. Wurmbrand notes those Christian inclinations in some of Marx’s earliest writings such as The Union of the Faithful with Christ where the father of Communism wrote:

“Through love of Christ we turn our hearts at the same time toward our brethren who are inwardly bound to us and for whom he gave himself in sacrifice.”

Those words are in stark contrast to what Marx would later write as he developed his communistic manifesto, he told the world:

“The idea of God is the keynote of a perverted civilization. It must be destroyed.”

Though we are uncertain when it happened and why it happened, at some point Karl Marx abandoned his Christian faith.

All we know is that it was a sudden transformation and it took place while he was a young man. It seems like an offense gripped his heart and Karl Marx became a bitter enemy of God.

Outwardly an atheist, but inwardly….

Though from outward appearances, it seems Marx took to atheism, Wurmbrand is not convinced.

Marx was a prolific writer and in addition to his writing on communism, he also wrote poetry and plays.

As you study these works, a different picture of Karl Marx begins to emerge — one that speaks to a satanic influence. These writings need to be understood in light of Marx’s grounding in Scripture.

He knew exactly what he was saying.

In his poem entitled The Player, Marx penned these words:

“The hellish vapours rise and fill the brain, till I go mad and my heart is utterly changed.

See this sword? The prince of darkness sold it to me.”

The poem, downplayed by his supporters, certainly speaks of a satanic connection to Karl Marx’s theory. But not only that, it ties into the violence and murder that defined much of the communist oppression.

But it doesn’t stop there In another poem called Invocation of One in Despair, Marx writes:

So a god has snatched from me my all
In the curse and rack of destiny,
All his worlds are gone beyond recall, nothing but revenge is left in me.

I shall build my throne high overhead.
Cold, tremendous shall its summit be
For its bulwark — superstitious dread.
For its marshal — blackest agony.

When you combine the worlds “I shall build my throne high overhead” with words from a second poem where Marx declares himself equal with God:

Then I will be able to walk triumphantly
Like a god, through the rains of their kingdom
Every word of mine is fire and action.
My breast is equal to that of the Creator.

You begin to see an unmistakable parallel with words of the prophet Isaiah who described the fall of Satan:

“But you (Satan) said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north. (Isaiah 14:13-14 NASV)

With his Christian background, Marx knew exactly what he was saying. But the question is where was the impulse to write these words coming from. Were these words simply Marx’s own expressions or were they words inspired by a satanic force from within?

When Jesus encountered a man possessed by an evil spirit in the Gadareness, it was very clear during this confrontation that the demonic was in complete control and speaking through the man:

29 And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. 31 The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” (Matthew 8:29-31 NASV)

If the demonic can take over a man’s vocal cords and mind to speak through the person and even control a persons actions as seen in Acts 19:13-16, it would be easy to envision the demonic writing through a person as well.

Wurmbrand says further writings of Karl Marx suggest he was involved in satanic black masses and that others in the early communistic movement had similar inclinations. (You can buy the book by clicking here.)

Communism was very dominant through much of the 20th century, controlling countries in every region of the world. For a few years, the Throne of Satan mentioned in Revelation 2:13, was housed in the old communist Soviet Union. And though the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union suggest communism was on its way down, recent events show it may not be as dead as we hoped.

Who is Richard Wurmbrand?

Richard Wurmbrand had a first hand taste of the brutalities of communism, which explained his interest in this philosophy which would dominate the world through much of the 20th century.

Wurmbrand was a Jew living in Romania when he and his wife converted to Christianity in 1938. After World War II, Romania became part of the Soviet Bloc. During this period, he worked in Romania’s underground church.

He took a strong stand against communism and this resulted in separate prison terms for his beliefs. During his imprisonments, Wurmbrand was tortured. He was bombarded with constant broadcasts of the glories of communism and evils of Christianity. After his last release, Wurmbrand moved to the US where he started the Voice of the Martyrs.

In May 1996, the U.S. Senate’s Internal Security Subcommittee asked Wurmbrand to address them. During his presentation, Wurmbrand took off his shirt to show the 18 scars from the torture he experienced while imprisoned in Romania.

More in this series: