INTRODUCTION

Beneath the leaden skies of north London, here at Highgate Cemetery, a small and sober group of mourners met. It was Saturday, March 17, 1883, and the faithful had gathered for the funeral service of the man who was to be called, by some, the greatest thinker in all history. A man who changed the world forever.

He started a movement that was considered by millions to be humanity’s best hope. No other political movement in modern history has so galvanized the masses. No other single ideology has claimed so much of the world’s population so quickly.  

One thing is for sure. History took a dramatic turn on the day this world-changer, Karl Marx, decided to sit down and clarify his ideas and put them on paper. And to think it all started with an obscure descendent of Prussian rabbis, daydreaming in the library of the British Museum.

But who was this man? Karl Marx is often seen as the greatest leader of the people, a revolutionary, an activist and a philosopher whose works inspired the foundation of many communist regimes in the 20th century. But how successful were his ideas? Well, join me, Gary Kent, as we find out more about this man – this world-changer – whose ideas and influence shook the world and changed history forever.

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THE FORMATIVE YEARS

Karl Heinrich Marx was born on the 5 May, 1818, and was one of nine children born to Heinrich and Henrietta Marx.   The family lived in the Rhineland region of Prussia, in western Germany. Both of his parents came from Jewish families with distinguished rabbinical lineages. 

Karl Marx’s father was a lawyer who converted to Christianity when it became necessary for him to do so in order to continue his legal career.

Following an average school result, Karl Marx studied law and philosophy at the universities of Bonn and Berlin. Early in 1842, he began working as a radical journalist for the Rheinische Zeitung, until the newspaper was censored and closed by the Prussian authorities in April 1843.

Considered a political threat by local authorities, Karl Marx fled from Prussia, first to France, then Belgium and finally to London in 1849. Marx had married his childhood sweetheart in June 1843, and they had seven children, of whom only three daughters survived to adulthood. 

In London, much of his time was spent in the reading rooms of the British Museum. He wrote on topics related to economics, political economy, and society. It was there he worked on his most celebrated book Das Kapital. Marx soon began publishing pamphlets and books in which he outlined his theories for a system of communism now known as Marxism. 

In his writings, Karl Marx divided the world into the proletariat or the working class, and the bourgeoisie or the capitalist class. To Marx, the working class was being oppressed by the capitalist class. 

Karl Marx wanted the working class to rise up and overthrow Capitalism. He felt that the capitalist system was exploiting the working laborers. So, he devised a political program to free the impoverished masses from their reliance on capitalists.

HUGE SOCIAL CHANGE

You see, the Industrial Revolution brought huge changes to society, and in the 1840’s all of Europe seemed to be in a state of unrest.  England’s trade unions were protesting loudly.  Workers in Germany had turned into social activists.  The citizens of Paris were manning the barricades.  Change was in the air!  

It was a time of upheaval, turmoil, and revolt.  Marx was well aware of these tensions and developed a solution.  He felt that the owners of the factories and mills, the capitalists, were only interested in the expansion of their business and in the increase of their profits. Therefore, they needed to be eliminated – and that would solve the problems.

And yet, strangely enough, Marx lived the life of a middle-class gentleman in London, and was able to spend his time writing about the evils of capitalism only because his friend Friedrich Engels, a German businessman, factory owner, and philosopher, supported him and provided for his needs with money from his Manchester factories and cotton mills! 

Now, Marx had worked his way into leadership of the International Communist League.  In 1848, a year before fleeing to London, he had decided to set out his political doctrine in a little pamphlet of 40 pages.  Working with Engels, he called it The Communist Manifesto. 

That document lit a fire in the hearts of millions of working people all over the world, and helped ignite the 20th century’s biggest revolutions.  It all started with these confident words: 

 “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle.”  

Marx wasn’t just toying with economics; he thought he could explain everything, the whole meaning of history, with his system.  The end of all this class struggle that Marx documented would be, he said, a classless, communist society in which the workers would wield all the power – through the state, which owned everything.

A COMMUNIST WORLD?

Marx predicted a world communist revolution.  After all, he wrote, 

“The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.  They have a world to win.”  

This man’s words became sacred text, and the dominant philosophy [of] half the world’s population at one time.  He was indeed a world-changer whose ideas influenced and impacted billions of people.

Part of Marx’s appeal was that he spoke passionately about the deplorable conditions under which many workers laboured in the 19th century. For example, in some factories young girls were forced to carry tiles up the slippery slopes of clay pits from dawn to dusk. He wrote, 

“It is impossible for a child to pass through the purgatory of a tile field without great moral degradation.”

Marx also showed how modern machinery had actually lengthened the working day and made labouring conditions even more intolerable, while, he said, the number of bourgeois or capitalists, or well-to-do-idler’s greatly increased. And yet, Marx himself was one of those who lived off the backs of the workers.

MORAL INDIGNATION

However, there is a kind of moral indignation in some of Marx’s writings that remind us of the Old Testament prophets.  They often raised their voices on behalf of the oppressed.  Amos, for example, cried out against these same evils: 

“They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.  They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.” (Amos 2:6,7 NIV)

The prophet Isaiah added his passionate voice to those who protested against corruption and injustice.  He quotes Jehovah’s accusations against the callous rich: 

“It’s you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.  What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor? (Isaiah 3:14,15)

Clearly the God of the Bible is not an indifferent monarch in the heavens.  And this God inspired a great hope among the people.

CLIMAX OF HISTORY

Karl Marx predicted that history would climax in the revolution of the working class that would end oppression once and for all.  The Old Testament prophets also looked forward to a climax of history.  They predicted that the last, best hope for the oppressed masses was the coming of the Messiah.

Isaiah believed the Messiah would usher in a time of great liberation.  In Isaiah, the servant of the Lord declares: 

“The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners.” (Isaiah 35:5,6)

The greatest of the Old Testament prophets looked forward to a time when the eyes of the blind would be opened, when the lame would leap like a deer and when the mute would shout for joy.

So, the question that confronts us today is:  What is the real climax of history?  Who was right, Marx or the Old Testament prophets?  Looking around at our world today, can we really tell who is most effectively reaching people, caring for their needs and changing lives?  Which is the greater power for good in our world?

THE BIG PICTURE

Well, let’s look at the big picture, the sweep of history.  Who has been right about the past?  First, we’ll start with Karl Marx’s predictions.  As we noted, Marx believed that all history is the story of class struggle.  

But he also believed that this struggle would lead inexorably to a one-world order of socialism.  Marx asserted that he had discovered scientific laws of society and how and why mankind progresses.  And communism was the final result.

Marx confidently predicted, 

“In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes and class antagonisms, we shall have an association, in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.”  

Marx also predicted that, once class distinctions had disappeared after the proletariat revolution, public power would lose its political character. In other words, everyone would end up freely cooperating for the common good, with no ruling class to press them.   

For many years, up to half the world’s population believed heart and soul in Marx’s prophecies. In the decades following WWII, it did seem that communism was sweeping into many countries around the globe. It appeared that communism was taking over.

As recently as 1983, Philip Foner, the author of Karl Marx Remembered, could assert:

 “Marxism is today the most influential body of thought in the world… I am confident that when the 200th anniversary of the death of Karl Marx will be observed, the entire world will be socialist.”

Now, that was 1983. But then just six years later came 1989, and the unthinkable happened: popular movements against communism sprang up throughout Eastern Europe. One by one, these nations repudiated their Marxist ideology and overthrew the Communist leaders. Even the Soviet Union changed, and escaped from the long shadow of Karl Marx.

The world order that Karl Marx confidently predicted was in shambles. The majority of people living under communist regimes were extremely poor, while those in control amassed property and wealth. Those predictions about non-political public power never came close to fulfillment. The profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control failed, and proved to be among the most oppressive in history. 

ACCOUNTING FOR HUMAN NATURE

And here’s something else to remember.  Although in theory, Marxism may seem like a wholesome, uplifting and liberating philosophy, history proves otherwise. Instead of a happy society where all men are created equal, there were some men more equal than others who were granted enormous special privileges and wealth.

You see, the reality is [that] Marx’s system failed to take into account human nature.  The Bible correctly reminds us that the nature of the human race is fallen.  Here’s what it says:

 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”  (Jeremiah 17:9)

Without Jesus Christ we are trapped within the prison of our own jealousy and pride.  Without the unselfish love of Christ flowing into our hearts from the fountain of divine love, we are prisoners to our own selfish and lustful desires. 

For decades much of the gross national product from the communist countries went directly into their military machine.  As a result of atheistic Marxism, a nuclear arsenal has been established that can destroy all life on planet Earth.  So, which way is the world headed now?  Where are we going from here?

BIBLICAL PREDICTIONS

Well, the predictions of the ancient Bible prophet Daniel are considerably more accurate than those of Karl Marx.  Let’s look at one of Daniel’s prophecies in the Bible that covers several empires and several centuries.  It’s found in the book of Daniel, Chapter 2.

There we read about a strange dream that left the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, deeply troubled.  He’d seen a gigantic dazzling statue.  The head was made of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay.  Then a stone struck the statue on the feet and destroyed it.

The king couldn’t figure out what it meant.  But God had His man in Babylon: Daniel, a Hebrew captive gifted with divine insight.  This young exile gained an audience with the king and proceeded to tell him exactly what it all symbolised.

Daniel explained that the gold, silver, bronze, and iron of the statue represented successive kingdoms, starting with Babylon, the head of gold.  But after the fourth kingdom of iron, the next kingdom would be divided, and the people would not mix into a union, just as iron and clay don’t mix.  

Then he revealed the climax of the vision – a rock that crushed the statue and grew into a mountain filling the whole earth.  This signified the kingdom of God that would consume all others and never be destroyed.  

Centuries after Daniel lived, we today can look back and see how his prophecy turned out – remarkably well, in fact.  Another dominant world empire did follow Babylon, that of Medo-Persia:  the chest and arms of silver. And then came Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire: the belly and thighs of bronze.  

Finally, the Romans established their empire and ruled the world: the legs of iron.  But here the pattern of world empires stopped.  After Rome fell, its territories fell under the control of tribal chiefs.  The iron and clay didn’t mix – and [still] don’t, to this very day.  No one has been able to create a world empire since the time of the Caesars, even though people like Napoleon and Hitler have tried.

Daniel then predicted that the eternal kingdom of Christ – a rock cut out without hands – will smash down all the kingdoms of the earth and triumph forever.  This world is not in the hands of people.  It is in the hands of the living God.  There will be a classless society in which each inhabitant lovingly works for the good of others. 

There will be a divine heavenly society in which the needs of all are met.  This kingdom will not be a Marxist socialist state but rather the divine kingdom of Jesus Christ, where His love will fill every heart. 

Obviously, Daniel’s prophecies have fared much better than those of Karl Marx.   If I have to choose which picture best represents the climax of history, I’m going for the rock that grows into a mountain: the kingdom of God.  That hope has more behind it than those promises of a free, classless society.  

CONTRASTING LIVES

And there’s another important reason why biblical prophecy is a more solid hope for all of us.  Let’s take a moment to compare the two individuals on whom most human beings have built their hopes and dreams:  Jesus Christ and Karl Marx.  We’ll consider their lives and ideologies that are highlighted by two incidents in their lives.

First, let’s take Karl Marx.  He was an enigma to many but there is one person who lived and worked in his house that knew Marx very well. She was a maid in the Marx household, a member of the working class – the class of people that Marx said he was trying to rescue from oppression. 

Now, historical records tell us that her name was Helena Demuth and that she was the faithful servant of the Marx family.

So how did Marx, the one who wanted to free the oppressed, treat her? Well, at some point while Helena worked in the house, Marx either raped or seduced [her], and she became pregnant. Marx tried to conceal the affair from his wife, but when a boy was born there in the Marx home, it was obvious that something improper had happened. 

Marx simply pretended that Helena’s boy didn’t exist. He was named Frederick Lewis Demuth and placed with a working class foster family. 

As one of Karl Marx’s biographers, Robert Payne explained: 

“His life was devoted to the creation of a revolutionary legend of heroic proportions: in this legend the rape of a servant girl could have no place. Marx ignored the child, refused as far as possible to have anything to do with him and made no attempt to support the boy. Apparently, this young member of the working class wasn’t considered worthy of the great liberator’s attention.”

Helena Demuth remained a faithful servant to the Marx family and even helped to organise and publish some of Marx’s literary works after his death. Helena is buried in the tomb of Karl Marx [here] at the Highgate Cemetery.

JESUS’ TREATMENT OF WOMEN

Now in contrast, let’s look at the way Jesus Christ treated the poor, the working-class people.   Jesus was of course the Messiah – the One that all the prophets had been longing for – the climax of their story.  He did perform the miracles they’d predicted.  And the poor did respond to his message of hope and follow Him enthusiastically.  He did lift up the downcast.  But one story in particular contrasts with that of Karl Marx. 

The Bible records in John 8, that one day Jesus had just sat down in the court of the temple in Jerusalem to talk to a crowd, when He was interrupted by scuffling and the moans of a woman. 

A group of Pharisees, an ancient Jewish sect, pushed their way through the crowd. They were dragging along a woman who tearfully [pleaded] with them to let her go. But these men loudly declared, 

“Teacher, this woman was caught up in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now, what do you say?” (John 8:4-5)

The Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus. If he stated that the woman should be stoned, then they could get Jesus in trouble with the Roman authorities. If he stated that she shouldn’t be stoned, then He could be accused of setting aside the law of Moses. 

These men had no real interest in this woman and her problems. She was just a pawn in their hands, like thousands of the poor and powerless in the hands of the authorities. 

Now everyone was staring at Jesus, wondering what he would do in this no-win situation.

Well, after looking around at the faces of the accusers, Jesus began writing in the dust with His finger. The Pharisees couldn’t tell at first what he was writing, and they pressed Jesus for an answer. 

So he stood up before them and uttered these unforgettable words: 

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)

Then Jesus stooped down and continued writing in the dust. Silently the accusers began to leave, as each one was exposed by what was written in the dust. 

Finally, Jesus was left alone with the sobbing woman. He asked her quietly, 

“Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she answered. And then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8: 10,11)

Jesus didn’t just talk about the great solution. He lived it. He showed us how to live. Jesus Christ is the One who can change human history, one individual at a time. We all need a great liberator in our lives.

Karl Marx wrote and talked a great deal about rescuing the poor from their desperate straits. Yet when it came to the one working class person in his household, Marx failed miserably. 

We all labour under some kind of oppression. Maybe it’s your present circumstances; maybe it’s problems in your family;  maybe it’s a wound from your past. But whatever it is, Jesus can be the answer. Just like he showed compassion to the woman, Jesus can save you.

He can save us from the greatest oppression in our lives. He says, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” That’s what Jesus says to each one of us, and He speaks to us from the cross, where He took on His own shoulders all the sinful oppression of everyone in this world.

Without Jesus Christ in our lives, we are trapped as prisoners to our own jealousy and desires. But with Jesus, we can find peace, contentment and hope.

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Dear Heavenly Father, as we look back over history, we see some great and important people who changed the world with their ideas and philosophies.  Many of those world changers promised to provide answers to our challenges and our needs in life.  But we know that Jesus is the only One who can really do that, and so we commit our lives to Him today, asking that You will bless us with the peace and happiness that come from knowing Jesus.  Please bless us and our families, [as] we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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