I am always extremely hesitant to use the term “Holocaust” to describe anything other than the events that took place in Nazi occupied Europe in the 40s. The gruesome horror of the Shoah (Hebrew word for the Holocaust meaning “the Catastrophe”), places it in a league of its own in the annals of human depravity and ethnic cleansing. This is of course not meant in any way to minimize any other genocide, but simply to recognize the unique place held by the Holocaust.
This catastrophe could be summarized as “the systematic attempt at the complete destruction of European Jewry” and even though the words “Shoah” and “Holocaust” have become somewhat taboo within most civilized circles, various components from the events that these two words describe remain a threat to my people worldwide.
The current Iranian regime has repeatedly stated that Israel deserves complete annihilation and that they would be “honored” to take part in such an event.
Hamas continually and indiscriminately shoots rockets from Gaza onto Israeli targets. Even though they result in very little damage to Israel in terms of actual death toll, they do cause a tremendous psychological strain on the population. Commentary columnist Alana Goodman said it best when she wrote:” The truth is, Hamas’s rockets don’t cause as many casualties as they otherwise would because Israel goes to great lengths to protect its people. It spends fortunes on bomb shelters and missile defense systems. In contrast, Israel’s military responses cause more Palestinian casualties than they otherwise would because Hamas goes to great lengths to endanger its people. It shoots missiles out of hospitals and schools, uses children as human shields, and tell Gaza civilians to ignore Israeli warning pamphlets that advise them to leave targeted neighborhoods”.
I could continue (like I regularly do) to expose the Jew haters of the world like Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, various dictators and world leaders as well as many liberals, but as I have also done in the past, I cannot help but remember that God has promised to never, EVER completely destroy Israel! (Jeremiah 31:35-37). And that, if you ask me is the glorious future that I am hanging on to, when it comes to my people.
But today, I am drawn to a passage of the Bible that is very disturbing and that very few, including myself, care to comment on. This is a passage found in Zechariah 13:8-9 and that has yet to be fulfilled:“And it will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
This most troubling passage describes the land of Israel during the last days (a time of history that is drawing near). Anyone holding to a pre-tribulational and pre-millennial view of the end days (I would put myself in that category) would understand these two verses to contextually describe Israel towards the end of the 7 year Great Tribulation. At that time, two-thirds of all Jews–by then in the Land–will be decimated, leaving only one-third to be refined like silver and gold or in other words “saved”.
Christians have often been accused of anti-Semitism simply because of the fact that they voiced their desire for Messiah’s Second Coming to take place “now”, which seems to imply that they are pushing for the destruction of two-thirds of all living Jews (about 10,000,000 by today’s numbers). In reality, those accusing Christians need only to take it up with God.
So, what are we to do in light of such a burdensome passage of Scripture? We certainly cannot ignore it (too many have done exactly that). We could, through a series of theological gymnastics, change its meaning, but then we would have to live with the consequences. Maybe you can, but I am certainly not willing to do that.
Instead, we must accept that by the end of God’s program, before the return of Yeshua, two-thirds of the Jewish people will perish. Yet, and that is a detail of extreme importance, God said two-thirds but never gave us an exact number. So, instead of dwelling on the fact that if it happened today it would decimate 10,000,000 Jews, let us work together on reducing that unknown total number of Jewish people that will populate the land of Israel during the Tribulation. Oh, and by the way, if you are unsure about the timing of the Rapture, the Great Tribulation and/or the Millennium, you are still faced with the same dilemma, except that you might live through it with the two-thirds of Israel instead of being caught up in the air prior.
Let us work together at reducing the number of Jewish people who do not know Yeshua thus reducing the final two-thirds of Zechariah 13:8-9.
Fighting anti-Semitism is crucial but it must be paired with sharing the hope we have in Yeshua. Additionally, if there is indeed another Holocaust on the horizon, it looks like we can all play a part in reducing its death toll, and that to me, put us smack in the middle of God’s will (Genesis 12:3).
Is There Another Holocaust Coming?
In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them; And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
Isaiah 63:9
It’s already happened if you don’t have to slot into the dispensationalist schedule. See Daniel 12 ‘s opening for the same event. And bang on 67% to the nearest whole number according to the official Jewish statistics. See
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/killedtable.html
It’s lighter out here in heresy! (Thriving after 60 years Bible study – first 10 even with a Scofield Bible!) Actually most of us Christians outside America are heretics:)
Best regards,
Ian
Ian –
You couldn’t be more wrong. The holocaust was just a preview of the horrors that will come upon Israel. According to you, those who were delivered from the Holocaust all got Saved in Christ and the resurrection has already occurred:
Daniel 12:1-4 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;[a] and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
You seriously need to get in line with what the Scriptures are saying, for real.
Peace.
Ryan
profoundly timely, thought provoking and educational. thank you kind sir.
The latest report of one “Islamaphobe” (like myself) –Avi Lipkin –from Jerusalem is generally as follows.
–The Christian Arabs in the Middle East are currently experiencing ethinc cleansing…those who can -flee to Europe, the US and elsewhere.
–The Christian Arabs are those who provide the infastructure to the Arab countries and without them–these countries will fail.
—Then the Muslim Arabs will begin to flee also (Obama is allowing thousands into the US currently) therby clearing out the Middle East of Arabs altogether. The Arab countries will be virtually empty of people.
—The geat numbers of Muslim Arabs in Christian countries will implement Sharia law and begin killing Christians and Jews–causing them to flee to Israel for saftey. Finally the Jews will leave America.) This could happen in 3-5 years time.
–So–although scripture specifically addresses the Jews—others in Israel will also be included in the next “holocaust.”
I AM CALLING FOR A NATIONAL BOYCOTT BY JEWS OF ANY INTERFAITH HOLOCAUST PROGRAM WHERE HATIKAVAH IS INTENTIONALLY EXLUDED DUE TO MUSLIM PRESSURE OR CLERGY WHO SUPPORT THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE. PLEASE GET THE WORD OUT. RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG
I AM CALLING FOR A NATIONAL BOYCOTT BY JEWS OF ANY INTERFAITH HOLOCAUST PROGRAM WHERE HATIKAVAH IS INTENTIONALLY EXLUDED DUE TO MUSLIM PRESSURE OR CLERGY WHO SUPPORT THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE. PLEASE GET THE WORD OUT. RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG
. I have bowed out of the local interfaith Holocaust service, because it was a custom to include Hatikvah at the end, but now some Christian groups object as they support the Palestinians and the Muslim Imams would either sit or leave during the Hatikvah. Perhaps interfaith Holocaust programs no longer make sense, at least to me. I do not need the stress of seeing disrespect being afforded to Israel and nor do I wish to compromise by leaving Hatikvah out. This is a personal choice and I DO NOT ADVOCATE ANYONE NOT PARTICIPATING IN ANY INTERFAITH HOLOCAUST SERVICE. I INTRODUCED INTERFAITH HOLOCAUST SERVICES IN 1974 AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST IF NOT THE FIRST TO DO SO. This was a difficult decision for me based on personal principle. The interfaith Holocaust memorials started as well intentioned way for the Jewish people and other groups to pause and reflect on man’s capacity to perpetuate unbelievable cruelty against his fellow and to commiserate as a group and oHolocaust survivors and athers, with the Jews and hopefully prevent this nightmare from reoccurring. Over the years it was understandably modified to include other victims of genocidal mass killings, though these mass killings were not really analogous, as the Nazis were obsessed at not just killing Jews as a competing group, but Hitler desired to eliminate our creed and it’s pervasive influence on humanity, particularly Christian doxy. As a result of Muslim participation and twisted liberalism, this is morphing into a twisted canard where Israel is being blamed for perpetuating ethnic killings against the Palestinians as the Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis. One can understand the Islamo-Nazis belief system with a quote from the Talmud. We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are. RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG, CHILD OF refugee born in a D.P. camp.
RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG will not attend and boycott if Imam sits during hatikvah.
Organizers to vote on restoring ‘Hatikva’ to interfaith program
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Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg says omitting the Israeli anthem from the Holocaust commemoration would be “giving in to the current atmosphere of anti-Semitism.”
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Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg says omitting the Israeli anthem from the Holocaust commemoration would be “giving in to the current atmosphere of anti-Semitism.”
I have come to the conclusion that people like Rabbi Rosenberg threaten others because of the passion he brings to his message. My fantasy is that others would realize that his personal history is unique and while he functions as a rabbi in Edison, he also has worked for many years with the second generation community in the area, for no money, for no press, but because he identifed a need.
No one who was directly affected by the Holocaust and has spent years coping with that legacy, for many of us are in our forties, fifties and sixties now, want to take away anything from the mainstream Jewish community in this area, whose parents are not survivors of the death camps, etc. We accept that for the most part people, Jews, really don’t care to hear our stories and the incredible insight that our parents’ experiences have had on shedding light on our own lives, to permit us to push through challenges that others might find too daunting.
I think many of us 2-Gers watched our parents get up every day and function, and for me anyway, watching my mother walking to the farmers market with her basket every Saturday and then meeting me for lunch and filling my head with so many amazing stories, to take the bus home together, getting sick and laughing as we cosumed 2 pounds of beautiful sour cherries like there was no tomorrow. Those memories, just simple everyday connections where my mother was happy and engaged in life, Auschwitz number and all, filled me with a sense of awe and motivated me to go out in the world to try to make it a better place. And so many second generation individuals are just like me.
We know on a spritual level that Hatikvah and our survivor parents and Israel go hand in hand. We feel it everyday it is part of our DNA in a way that relates to my mother’s entire nuclear and most of her extended family being brutally murdered just because they were Jewish and that is the state of affairs for the Israelis at this very moment. They know that they could be hit by a rocket or have their children bombed into littele pieces coming home from school and this is not a movie, this is how it is for the Jewish people who live in Israel every day. My mother would not let me go to Israel during high school. She beleived that I would fall in love with the country and maybe with a person and decide to make aliyah. She said she lost too many people and that she needed me to live here.
The survivors and Israel and Hatikvah go together. That is a core belief in all of our families. The vast majority of the survivors went to Palestine and were there when Israel was made a state. My mother is one with Israel. Her only family to survive went to Palestine and Australia. And to this day, my mother says that there must be a G-d because after the Holocaust he gave me Israel. My mother and the other survivors need Israel, they needed Israel since the end of the Holocaust and the fact that they received in 1948 was the lifeblood that kept many survivors from committing suicide. When my mother attends Holocaust Memorial services with me and she hears Hatikvah she smiles, she cries very much with tears of joy, she looks proud, and she looks happy, and that makes me happy. So hopefully we can put Hatikvah back into all the Yom Hashoah services in the area. Because it is not about politics, these services are about the Holocaust which sadly is become lost withing the American Jewish community in its deep desire to fit in and not cause waves. Mirah
As far as I know and understand, strong Israel reduces the possibility of second Shoa to occur. Israel is a very military, socially and scientific strong and she can absorb mass attacks on her. The direct threat against Israel is reducing as far the “Arab spring” is progress. Many Arab states are decomposing and revealing their lack of civilian unity inside them. The state-threat against Israel is declining, yet the Islamic organizations’ threat is gradually in progress. Israel tackles the now days Islamic terror groups will quite a softy hand, trying not to turn every clash into huge conflict. But if some out-of-proportion threat will emerge against Israel or any Jewish community around the globe, Israel will have no choice but to meet that threat with some new kind of weapons and ammunition (which I can’t of course mention them because of the secrecy).
There can be some conditions for mass populated groups of soldiers, terrorists and civilians marching toward Israel in order to create some dirty war among civilians (as Nasser and Sadat threatened to let “millions of soldiers to march to Jerusalem”). In that case Israel will have to stop that march by force.
RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG will not attend and boycott if Imam sits during hatikvah.
Organizers to vote on restoring ‘Hatikva’ to interfaith program
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Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg says omitting the Israeli anthem from the Holocaust commemoration would be “giving in to the current atmosphere of anti-Semitism.”
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Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg says omitting the Israeli anthem from the Holocaust commemoration would be “giving in to the current atmosphere of anti-Semitism.”
Rabbi Rosenberg and his ‘interfaith’ efforts for peace — Winds …
sheikyermami.com/2013/02/10/rabbi-rosenberg-and-his-interfaith-efforts-for-…
4 days ago … Organizers to vote on restoring ‘Hatikva’ to interfaith program … be omitted during the area’s interfaith Holocaust commemoration, because, … of his position, Rosenberg is now calling for a boycott of the event he helped found, …
HATIKVAH WILL BE SUNG AT THE HOLOCAUST SERVICE. I refused to compromise. Rabbi Rosenberg