History is, at its core, a story of conflict between good and evil. Ancient peoples understood this instinctively — whether confronting invading armies, pagan deities or the devil himself, they recognized that some forces are not merely misguided; they are malevolent. Today, the world faces radical, apocalyptic Islam, particularly its Shiite form. It is not only hostile to Christianity but to every non-Muslim faith and to pluralistic civilization as a concept. President Trump rightly called it evil.
Why is it so hard for modern people to admit that evil exists? We are comfortable attributing wrongdoing to greed or political grievance. But when perpetrators show limitless bloodlust, no remorse and no material incentive, “follow the money” fails. What remains is the category our ancestors used without hesitation: evil.
Ronald Reagan rightly called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” Likewise, Trump similarly identifies Iran’s ruling regime. The current expression of radical Shia Islam is driven by hatred, apocalyptic theology, and a willingness to destroy even fellow Muslims, as we saw this week. You do not negotiate with evil. You do not appease it with land, money or promises. The West and Israel tried all of that — and the threat has only grown.
It’s not ideological, or even theological; it’s tangible evil whether we wish to admit it or not. Sherlock Holmes’ fictional maxim applies: “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Evil is real; even science hints at realities beyond our perception.
Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku argues that hyperspace and higher dimensions are real features of string theory, not metaphors. Chemist Christian Klixbüll Jørgensen likewise acknowledges the plausibility of unseen dimensions: “The universe may be a 4-dimensional soap bubble in an 11-dimensional space… Who knows?” (quoted in George B. Kauffman, “Coordination Chemistry, Today in Science History”).
Oxford’s David Deutsch, a founder of quantum computation, writes that “Other universes are no less real than ours… our actions have consequences in them.”
Religious texts across cultures affirm the same moral landscape. Many Old Testament references to pagan deities could be taken to indicate real malevolent forces masquerading behind pagan deities and interacting with the physical world. Revelation depicts Satan and the beast as the ultimate enemies of God. The Quran (Surahs 7, 15, 38), the Bhagavad‑Gita (dharma vs. adharma), and the Tibetan Bardo Thodol all portray cosmic conflict between good and evil. Secular literature — from Homer to Dante, the Norse Eddas to Dostoevsky — does the same.
When confronting or merely considering the existence of evil, we must acknowledge that some realities lie beyond human comprehension. Scripture insists that nothing is beyond God’s power. Jesus cast out demons with only His word. Hell itself, Jesus says, was prepared for “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Satan’s goal has always been to “kill, steal, and destroy,” but Christ promises life “more abundant” (John 10:10).
Scripture says, “No weapon formed against you will succeed,” yet history confirms that the enemies of God often appear to prevail. Millions have given their lives for Christ. Today, according to Open Doors, 12 Christians are killed every day for their faith.
The 2025 World Watch List reports staggering numbers: 7,679 churches attacked or closed; 4,744 believers imprisoned; 3,775 abducted; nearly 55,000 physically or mentally abused; and 210,000 displaced. All for one reason: bearing the name of Christ.
The Vatican recently documented 1,624 individual stories of murdered Christians, noting that over 250 million believers face extreme persecution. Archbishop Fabio Fabene warns that “perhaps now more than in the past, many surrender their lives in order not to betray the message of Christ.”
Even secular organizations acknowledge that attacks on Christians have escalated. Amnesty International’s State of the World’s Human Rights 2025 report notes attacks on Christians have escalated sharply across multiple regions over the last five years, including mass killings, mob violence and state-enabled persecution. Human Rights Watch and the UN Human Rights Council report similar increases.
From Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 20:10, the Bible presents a single narrative: evil opposes God, but God prevails. Avoiding that reality — like the proverbial ostrich — only delays the inevitable. When the predator is hungry, angry or evil enough, avoidance is surrender.
The West must recover the moral vocabulary our ancestors took for granted. Evil is real. It has a name, a strategy and a history. And it must be confronted — not ignored. Radical Islam is not the sum of all evil, only its latest name. The West’s crisis is not political but moral: until we recover the ability to name evil, we will remain unable to defeat it.
Dr. Alex McFarland is an apologetics evangelist who has spoken in hundreds of locations throughout the U.S. and internationally. He is heard live on “Exploring the Word,” airing daily on 200+ radio stations across the country. “The Alex McFarland Show” airs weekly on NRBTV, providing Biblically faithful TV and discussion on current events affecting our nation. His newest book, “100 Bible Questions and Answers on Prophecy and the End Times,” is available now.