Ever since Satan first stood against Israel around 3,000 years ago, as the Holy Bible documents in the Book of 1st Chronicles 21:1, he has never stopped inspiring an undying hatred and violent hostility toward the Jews and the nation of Israel. Even before that key verse in the Holy Bible, we know that he was oppressing the Jewish people as far back as Moses’ time, through the Pharaoh of Egypt. Whether through the wicked Persian Haman’s plan for genocide of the Jews nearly 2,400 years ago, through Adolf Hitler’s near successful extermination of Germany’s Jewish population over 80 years ago, or through today’s Islamic Regime of Iran’s goal to “wipe Israel OFF of the map”, that old devil never quits in his quest to destroy God’s Chosen people. In Hitler’s days, many CHRISTIANS sadly, due to fear or intimidation by the Nazi Regime, ignored or flat out DENIED the abominable atrocities being committed against the Jews during the Holocaust. With the exception of a select FEW God-fearing men and women, the majority turned a blind eye, leaving me to question whether they were ever truly “Christians” in the first place. Today, as nations rise against Israel, and anti-semitism is spreading across the globe, it is my prayer that Christians today will not make the same costly error and deadly mistake.
As unthinkably horrible as the Holocaust was, the “final solution” of Adolf Hitler was not a new idea. As I mentioned, the devil first tried to kill off the Jewish people through the wicked Haman (recorded in the Book of Esther) around 350 BC, and thank God that his plot did not succeed. Instead, God raised up the heroine Esther to thwart his plans and cause him to be hung on the same gallows which he had prepared for the Jews. Satan, in defeat, retreated until another opportune time. He found that time during the rise of Rome. About 20 years before our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth, the Roman Emperor Tiberius expelled the Jews from Rome. As the Roman Empire expanded into the Holy Land, Jewish persecution continued for hundreds of years throughout the earthly life of Jesus and long after His death and resurrection. He gave warning to His Jewish brethren that times of great tribulation and suffering were going to befall them, and He even foretold the destruction of the Holy Temple 70 years before the Romans laid waste to it. I’m sure Christ shed many tears knowing that even His Own future followers would lead bloody campaigns against His brethren. That is why He said to the Jews specifically, in John 16:2-3 ~
“They shall put you OUT OF the Synagogues: yea, the time COMES, that whosoever KILLS you will THINK that he does God SERVICE. And these things will they do unto YOU, because they have NOT KNOWN The Father (in Heaven), NOR ME.”
In one of the darkest chapters in Christendom, many early Christian leaders and Popes (sadly many of whom are known by Churches today as “Saints”), began systematic discrimination against the Jews; which led to persecution, which led to expulsion and exile, which ultimately led to EXECUTION. Some of you will be as grossly shocked as I was when you hear some of their names, starting with CONSTANTINE, who between the years 315 and 337 A.D., enacted various harsh laws targeting the Jewish people. Then there was John Chrysostom of Antioch, known as the Archbishop of Constantinople, who was not the great theologian or “doctor of the Church” he is now referred to as today. His views and teachings on the Jews or “Judaizers” as he called them do not reflect the doctrine of the Holy Bible in any way shape or form. Popular saints in Catholicism such as Origen and Augustine both published what many consider to be anti-semitic writings. A majority of Popes throughout the centuries of the early Church were aggressively anti-semitic, some even calling for Jews to be expelled from nations, and even to be put to death.
I don’t want people to get the idea that this an attack on the Catholic Church, as it is not. This is just historically accurate and truth that needs to be told. MARTIN LUTHER, the trailblazer who broke away from the Catholic Church to form what is today Lutheranism, initially left the Church because of disagreements with the authority, including the Church’s anti-semitism. Sadly, later in life, after he couldn’t convert as many Jews to Christianity as he would have liked, his disappointment turned into hatred, and his later writings are very hostile to the Jewish people. Many don’t want to believe this, but his writings are available anytime for everyone to examine in this information age of the Internet. In 1543, Luther published “On the Jews and Their Lies”, and in it he advocates an 8-point plan to “GET RID OF” the Jews as a distinct group, either by religious conversion or by expulsion. Some of the worst language in this pamphlet reads: “set fire to their synagogues or schools” and “their houses should be razed and destroyed”. Extremely sad that someone like this can be so revered in Christianity. Yes, times were different back then, and being raised in an anti-semitic Church period, some say it was inevitable that he would develop such views. Still, for someone with such supposed knowledge and love for the Word of God, there is NO EXCUSE, as he should have known better! Jesus said, “to whom MUCH (knowledge of the Truth) is given, MUCH is expected.”
Christianity does NOT teach, nor endorse anti-semitism of any kind, no matter how much someone tries to twist the Word of God. The Jews did NOT “kill Jesus” as it is erroneously taught in certain Christian circles. A group of FALSE Holy Jews of Jesus’ Day, of the Scribes and Pharisees, whom Jesus Himself called snakes, vipers, and hypocrites, were behind the torture and crucifixion of Christ Jesus. They were aided by the turncoat Judas Iscariot and the Romans. So NOT every Jew who has ever lived “killed Jesus” as it has been, and still is propagated by Nazis and Muslims today. JESUS CHRIST was a JEW, and ALL of His 12 Disciples were Jews, as well as 99% of His first followers. EVERY Book of the Holy Bible of Christianity, except for only 2 out of nearly 70 books, were ALL written by Jews. Only the Books of Luke and Acts were written by a non-Jew. There are thousands of instances in the Holy Bible which speak of God’s Everlasting Love for the Jew and thus for Israel. Our Lord JESUS loves them with the SAME Love, as He and His Father are ONE. If Jesus disliked his Jewish brethren, would He have suffered and died FOR THEM? Would He promise to come back to SAVE THEM and Israel from certain annihilation by the many Nations who come against them in the Battle of Armageddon?? The answer is NO on both counts. He died for THEM, as well as for all of us, but ESPECIALLY for them (as He said that Salvation comes to the “JEW FIRST then to the Gentile”). The MAIN reason He is coming back down to earth is crystal clear, to DELIVER ISRAEL from their many hostile warring enemies. That ought to give you a strong indicator of Jesus’ stance on “anti-semites”.
The Apostle Paul was given foreknowledge by our Lord that certain Christians would become proud and haughty, and proclaim that God was DONE with the Jewish people and Israel, and that “the Church” has become the NEW Israel of God and inherits ALL of the Biblical Promises to Israel. Paul elloquently refuted this idea and rebuked sharply these Christians in the Book of Romans Chapter 11. He went so far as to warn anyone believing this falsehood, that they were in danger of losing their SALVATION. If anyone ever tries to feed you the lie that God is DONE with Israel and the Jewish people, refer them to that powerful Chapter of Romans. If they still go on believing and teaching that demonic doctrine, they do so at their own peril. Someone else who teaches that God is done with the Jews and Israel, but takes it one step further and calls for them to be murdered, is of course MUHAMMED the author of Islam.
It is recorded that Muhammed’s hatred of the Jewish people was so fierce, that this so-called “prophet” once watched as many as 600 Jews being BEHEADED in Medina in ONE DAY. The Quran of Islam, penned by Mohammed, instructs muslims to “SLAY THE JEW” and “KILL THE JEW” wherever you find them. Don’t believe the lie today that all of the muslims are burning Israeli flags because they don’t like the “Nation of Israel” or the “Zionists”. They use the words “Death to Israel” and “Kill the Zionists” on social media everyday. This is the muslim code for “Kill the JEWS”. No matter how bad anti-semitism gets today, they could never in a civilized society, get away with that kind of blatant racist language on a daily basis. So they substitute the word “Jews” with “Zionists”. It really irritates me when I hear muslims crying out about prejudice or discrimination, especially about us Christians being “intolerant” of them or “Islamophobic”. You’re DAMN RIGHT I’m gonna be extremely “phobic” of a religion and it’s followers whose creed is “DESTROY Israel” and “KILL the Jews”!!! Muslims and Islam will receive tolerance and respect from me when they show the same to the Jewish people and Israel. I’m not holding my breath.
It is not just Islamic terror groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, Islamic Jihad, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, the Islamic Regime in Iran and the rest of those demons, who are trying to murder Jews and attack Israel on a daily basis. It’s also your “everyday” devout muslims. During the recent month-long murderous stabbing spree targeting Jews in Israel, perpetrated by the Palestinians, in which 11 Israelis lost their lives, NONE of the attackers were card-carrying members of Hamas, they were ALL Palestinian citizens, mostly TEENAGERS. They assaulted women and children, and those who did not CELEBRATED the attacks. The anti-semitism of the Palestinians, whom Obama and the mainstream liberal media LOVE to paint as “victims”, knows no bounds. Palestinians say they hate Israel and Jews because they are “occupying” muslim land. This is the biggest lie told to the world today. God prophesied in the pages of the Holy Bible, specifically in the Book of Ezekiel around 3,000 years ago, that after their long exile among the nations, God would bring the Jews BACK into their OWN LAND. The Land He is speaking of is the Holy Land which He gave in an EVERLASTING Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whom God renamed ISRAEL). The specific cities and borders are all recorded in the Old Testament of our Holy Bibles, written in stone if you will. God said that He gave the LAND, namely Jerusalem and Judea, to the Jews and to Israel FOREVER.
The LORD kept His Promise and Prophecy was fulfilled in the EXACT Season and Year mathematically in which God said that He would bring them back. That year was 1948. After the surrounding Islamic nations made war on Israel in 1967, the Jews miraculously defeated the much larger Islamic confederacy in just SIX DAYS, hence it was dubbed the 6 Day War. In that War, Israel recaptured their most beloved ancient Biblical Capital, JERUSALEM. Yet today, though God says it will FOREVER belong to the Jews and Israel, the Palestinians claim not only Jerusalem, but also Judea (Judah) as THEIR land. Judah is where the term JEW derives from, so how in the world could anyone believe this lie that the Palestinians float about, that the Land belongs to “muslims” and not to the Jews?! In Biblical actuality, Israel’s Islamic neighbors such as Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria are ALL “occupying” Land that God says belongs to ISRAEL. Yet, the Palestinian claims of land robbery and oppression is the way they can have the world “sympathize” with their unbridled anti-semitism. As if, somehow in the minds of many today, anti-semitism is “OK because..” … NO, it is NEVER OK.
Nearly a century after Christ died on the Cross and rose again, the staunchly anti-semitic Roman Emperor Hadrian RENAMED Judea to “PALESTINE”, after the Philistines (the ancient enemy of Israel). The purpose to the change of name was to REWRITE HISTORY without the age-old Jewish connection to their historic ancestral homeland. Because of Hadrian’s hatred of the Jews, we are left with the neverending Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. Between 1948–2001, anti-semitism played a major role in the Jewish exodus from Muslim lands. The Jewish population in the Islamic Middle East and North Africa decreased from 900,000 in 1948 to less than 8,000 in 2001. Meanwhile, thanks be to God, He turned that curse into a blessing, as most of the Jews who fled the persecution in those lands migrated to their Biblical HOMELAND of Israel, the Jewish State. Throughout their over 1,000 year exile from the Holy Land, the Jews were EXPELLED by decree from Arabia, Spain, France, Russia, Germany, and virtually ALL Islamic lands. Of course, worst of all, after Hitler published his disgusting Jew-hating “Mein Kampf” in 1925, he became the ruthless dictator of Germany not longafter, which brings us to the HOLOCAUST.
Between 1933-1941, the persecution of Jews in Germany rose rapidly until they were stripped of their rights, not only as citizens, but also as HUMAN BEINGS. During this time anti-semitism reached an ALL-TIME high. In 1938, deportations of Jews to concentration camps and ultimately gas chambers began. It has been recorded by witnesses, that when trains bound for gas chambers which were filled with screaming Jews, would pass by the Churches, the congregations would play their music as loud as possible to drown out the horrific cries for help. This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard in my life. The years 1939-1945, we know as the Holocaust, in which 6 MILLION Jews, including about 1 million children, were systematically MURDERED by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Regime and their Axis Powers. Today, the World accurately dubs Hitler what he was, a demonic murderous madman. Sadly, it was only AFTER the murder of millions of Jews, that Nations of the world couldn’t sit idly by and just IGNORE Hitler’s heinous crimes against a specific race of people any longer. Leaders of the world had eventually FINALLY mustered up the courage to stand up to and fight against the evil Nazi machine. Unfortunately for millions of Jews, it most definitely did NOT happen overnight.
After that sad lesson in history, of the influence of satanic propaganda upon a society, we Christians especially need to stand up to and SHUT DOWN anti-semitic propaganda wherever it rears it’s ugly head. Whether on social media, on television, in schools or anywhere in the public square, the lies and blood libels against the Jewish people and Israel cannot be tolerated, but must be strongly refuted and condemned. It does not take long in this society for rumours or trends to start, and as Germany proved, it only takes ONE popular voice to gain the ear of an entire people. Sadly, in America today, and especially in this current generation, many will believe whatever they hear from wherever or whoever they hear it from. They are mostly ignorant to the horrors of the Holocaust and moreso ignorant to what the Holy Bible says. Kids today will follow whatever is “trending” in their world. So, if anti-semitism is the “flavor of the day”, I shudder to think how rapidly it could spread. Look at Europe today. As more muslims migrate there, anti-semitism has shot through the roof. Jews are fleeing Europe in droves. Just last year, an eye-opening study revealed that 1/4 of the Globe, over 25%, and more than a BILLION people, are estimated to hold DEEPLY anti-Semitic attitudes, according to the survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League.
So friends, now that you know all of this, what are YOU going to do about it?? The Holocaust happened because CHRISTIANS remained SILENT and did virtually NOTHING. We are called to be the “light of the world” by Lord Jesus, meant to shine BRIGHTER as the world around us grows DARKER. I, for one, WILL NOT go dim or be silent when I hear that one out of every four people worldwide is an ANTI-SEMITE. This is serious stuff and if it gets any worse, though it’s already bad enough, the ramifications can be deadly. When we all stand on our soapboxes and shout “NEVER AGAIN”, let’s not just merely SAY the words, but let’s ACT to ensure that what we are declaring, WE MEAN. Fight every trace of anti-semitism you find every day for the rest of your life. Because this battle is not just going to be hard, but LONG. Satan has been at this fight for over 3,000 years, so I don’t think he ever intends to throw in the towel or go away quietly. If and when the majority of this ever-changing Godless society begins to turn against the Jewish people and Israel, will you have the courage to stand WITH THEM? Even if that means a target on YOUR back? Will you be willing to stand ALONE? Will you be able to keep speaking and preaching the Truth of God’s Word to a world gone mad? WE MUST.
Saint Paul said of the Jews, to Christians, in Romans 11:28, “As concerning the Gospel of Christ, they are enemies for YOUR sakes (meaning unless they are Messianic, many Jews don’t want to hear about Jesus Christ): but as touching the ELECTION (Chosen), they are BELOVED for The Father YaHWeH in Heaven’s Sakes.” As Christians, we are called to LOVE GOD above all else, and thus we are to love what HE loves. God loves the JEWS, and God loves ISRAEL. So then, are we as Christians called to defend and love them TOO? Absolutely. You bet! There is no question. It is our DUTY.
“And GOD said.. I will BLESS them that bless YOU (Jews), and CURSE him that curses YOU: and in Abraham’s SEED (Israel) shall ALL families of the earth BE BLESSED” ~ Genesis 12:3
“But you, ISRAEL, are MY servant, JACOB whom I have CHOSEN, the SEED of Abraham my friend, saith The LORD God.” ~ Isaiah 41:8
“For ISRAEL, you are an HOLY people unto The LORD your God, and The LORD has CHOSEN you to be a SPECIAL people unto Himself, ABOVE ALL the Nations that are upon THE EARTH.” ~ Deuteronomy 14:2
“O you SEED OF ISRAEL (Jews) The LORD’S servant, you children of Jacob, HIS CHOSEN ones.” ~ 1st Chronicles 16:13
“For The LORD has CHOSEN ZION (Israel); He has DESIRED IT for His HABITATION.” ~ Psalm 132:13
“For The LORD has CHOSEN Jacob unto Himself, and ISRAEL for His special TREASURE.” ~ Psalm 135:4
“TURN TO ME, O backsliding children of ISRAEL, saith The LORD; for I Am MARRIED unto you.” ~ Jeremiah 3:14
“.. In the day that the ENEMIES of the Jews hoped to have power OVER THEM, (it was TURNED to the contrary, that the JEWS HAD RULE over them that HATED THEM;)” ~ Esther 9:1
“But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that Haman’s WICKED device, which he devised AGAINST THE JEWS, should RETURN upon his OWN head, and that he and his SONS should be HANGED on the gallows (which he had PREPARED for the JEWS).” ~ Esther 9:25
“Thus saith The LORD of hosts; In THOSE days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall.. out of all languages of the nations, TAKE HOLD of the garment of him that is A JEW, saying, We will go WITH YOU: for we have HEARD that God is WITH YOU.” ~ Zechariah 8:23
“And JESUS said, YOU worship what you KNOW NOT: we KNOW what WE worship: for SALVATION is of the JEWS.” ~ John 4:22
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