TV Program. Kristallnacht

Transcription

1 TV Program CURRENT EPISODE Kristallnacht PRODUCTION #: 1106 SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra Over the course of human history, there have been horrible moments where the forces of evil conspire to have one group of people try to permanently eliminate another group. We d like to think in the 21st century that is a thing of the past, but what does Bible prophecy say? Will it happen again? The night of Nov. 9, 1938, was a flash point in the Nazi party s campaign against Jews who lived within the borders of Germany. Earlier that year, a law had been passed requiring all Jews to carry identification cards. And they had already been banned from participating in the democratic process for a couple of years. Signs warning that Jews were not welcome had already been erected in a number of German cities. And on the 28th of October, thousands of Jews were deported to relocation camps just over the Polish border. And that s when things took an obvious turn for the worse, because a shopkeeper by the name of Zindel Grynszpan was arrested and forcibly moved out of the country. His 17-year-old son, who was living in France at the time, got so angry over the deportation of his father that he went down to the German embassy in Paris, hoping to kill the German ambassador to France. Now, when that proved to be impossible, he shot another embassy official, a man by the name of Ernst Von Rath. Two days later, Von Rath died from his wounds, and that gave the Nazis an opportunity to stage a national uprising against the Jews back in Germany. It was carefully staged as a spontaneous protest against the killing of Von Rath, but secret communications between high-ranking Nazi officials and the Gestapo make it clear that it was carefully orchestrated. Just before midnight on November 9, Heinrich Muller sent a message to all Gestapo officers, informing them that actions against Jews, and especially their synagogues, would shortly take place throughout the Reich. They were not to be interfered with. Preparations were to be made for the arrest of about 20,000 to 30,000 Jews in the Reich. Above all, well-to-do Jews were to be selected. Detailed instructions would follow in the course of the night. In the space of just one night, more than 1,300 synagogues were burned to the ground, or ransacked, and 91 Jews were killed. Another 30,000 Jews were moved to concentration camps, and thousands of Jewish homes and businesses were utterly destroyed. Today, we call it Kristallnacht or Crystal Night, because of all the broken windows, and some people estimate that it took as long as six months to produce enough plate glass to replace all those broken windows. And to make matters even worse, the Nazi government billed the Jewish community $1 billion Deutsch Marks for all the damage. You know, unfortunately, this is not the first time the world has seen a one-night destructive campaign against a particular group of people. Back in 1572, hatred for the Huguenots in the nation of France rose to new heights after an assassination attempt on their beloved leader. When Protestant leaders began to demand justice, tradition holds that Charles IX got angry at the Huguenots and said, Well then, so be it. Kill them. Kill them all. Don t leave a single one alive to reproach me. Now to be fair, we re not exactly sure that is what he said. But history seems to substantiate the fact that Charles IX and his mother did make a decision to get rid of the Protestants. And quickly on the heels of that decision, the city of Paris was ordered to close the gates and arm the people. At some point after midnight, the bells were rung at one of the churches in town, which was a signal that it was open season on Protestants. The massacre quickly spread to other cities, and by the time it was over, as many as 100,000 people lost their lives. The slaughter was so horrific that some reports tell us that people didn t eat fish for months afterward because the rivers were full of human bodies.

2 Unfortunately, the human race owns an embarrassing legacy of hatred, from the genocide of Rwanda to the concentration camps of World War II. And when you turn to the pages of Bible prophecy you discover that, sadly, it s not quite over yet, because the biggest death decree in history has yet to be issued. In Revelation 13, we read about a last-day movement inspired by the devil himself that tries to consolidate the world against a faithful remnant of God s last-day people. In fact, we are told that there are two distinct powers that band together to make this happen. A first and a second beast, and the issue that seems to bring it all together is worship. Now listen to this passage found in the very beginning of Revelation 13 (Revelation 13:2-4): Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? Now this is a description of the first beast, and you ll notice that he manages to garner worldwide attention. In fact, the world does more than just pay attention to him. They actually worship him, and they worship the dragon that gives him his power. And who is that dragon that everyone worships? Revelation 12 tells us point blank, it is the devil, and somehow he manages to pull the whole world behind him in a last-day deception. And then, to make matters worse, there is this second beast that lends his support to the first one. Just listen to this (Revelation 13:11-12): Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. This is a really, really important passage of Scripture. So let me just stop for a moment and point something out. This second beast looks like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon. And what does that mean? Well, all the way through the book of Revelation, and in fact, throughout the whole Bible, a lamb is used to represent Christ. And of course, we already know that a dragon is used to represent the devil. So what does that tell us about this second beast? It is something that looks like Christ but sounds like the devil, and I m guessing that is one of the reasons people actually fall for it. They come to a point in their spiritual existence where they think they are following God. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, as you go along a little further in the chapter, you discover they try to kill the authentic followers of God. It says (Revelation 13:15): He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. So how in the world is that possible? In the 16th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus says something really fascinating. Speaking to his disciples, he warns them that tough times are coming, and he tells them that religious people are going to try to kill them. Now, pay attention carefully, because He tells us why it actually happens (John 16:2-3): They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor me. And did you catch it? Not only do these people hate the followers of God, but they actually think they are doing God a favor by putting them to death. How can they be so blind? It is simple. They are very religious, but they don t know God. So, let s go back to Revelation 13 and connect all the dots. There is a last-day movement that is very religious, and on a global scale people worship something that isn t really God. And because there are some who won t succumb to the lures of the beast, the world turns its wrath against them and orders

3 some who won t succumb to the lures of the beast, the world turns its wrath against them and orders them dead. And how can a people who claim to be religious do something so horrible? It all boils down to the fact that they don t really know God. And the thing that seems to persuade them to worship the beast is the fact that the beast appears to work a lot of miracles. Listen to this again from Revelation 13 (Revelation 13:13-14): He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. What is the difference between those who worship the beast and those who worship God in the very last days? One group bases its faith on the miraculous, while the other group bases its faith on the Word of God. In fact, God s people in the last days are described in very specific terms. Just before the description of the beast in Revelation 13, the Bible tells us whom it is the dragon wants to destroy. It says (Revelation 13:17): And the dragon was enraged with the woman. And the woman, of course, is an important symbol of God s church. It continues (Revelation 13:17): And he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And again, right after the description of the beast in Revelation 13, we find another description of these same people. Here s what it says (Revelation 13:10): Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. The message is clear. In the last days, it is not going to matter who puts on the most impressive show or who can perform the most miracles. What is going to matter is what the Word of God says. And really, if you think about it, that is been the issue all along. When the serpent lied to Eve in the garden, he raised doubts about the Word of God. He said, Did God really say that? And since that time, he s used the same tactic over and over again. Even in the desert, as he tempted Christ, he tried to make God s own Son doubt the words of the Father. He said, If you re the Son of God, to Jesus, just days before the heavens had opened at the baptism of Christ, and a voice declared him to be the Son of God. In the last days, the thing that is going to separate the sheep from the goats, so to speak, is what the Bible actually says. You know, there are a million manmade religions in this world that will let you believe whatever you want. And there are a million belief systems that will let you craft a religion that suits your tastes. But in the final moments, those things aren t going to keep you from falling for one of the biggest lies in history. And frankly, the only thing that is going to keep you from giving in is faith in what this old book says. You know, the Bible says it is going to be pretty tough to resist the charms of the last-day beast. In fact, there is some indication that he is actually going to try to pull off a counterfeit coming of Christ. See, don t forget that Paul warns us that one of the devil s best tools is a close impersonation of the real thing. Here is what he says (2 Corinthians 11:13-15): For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. And in the second letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul says something really startling in his description of the antichrist. He says (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10):

4 description of the antichrist. He says (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10): And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonder, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. There are two things Paul points out. First, those who fall for last-day deceptions are those who didn t love truth. And secondly, there is someone coming who will use signs and wonders to deceive the world. And what s really interesting is that in this passage, Paul uses the very same Greek word for the coming of the master deceiver as he uses for the Second Coming of Christ. Is it possible, at some point, that the devil will actually try to convince the world that he is Christ? I think it is a strong possibility, and the thing that is going to keep you safe is your utter dependence on the Word of God. You know, in the ancient palaces of Persia, more than 2,500 years ago, a story unfolds that sends us a clear signal as we round the bend toward the final crisis. Mordecai, a faithful Jew, suddenly found himself at odds with a government that up until recently had been more than supportive of his people. In fact, the Persians had been the ones who set the Jewish people free after years of Babylonian captivity. What brought about the change in attitude, however, was the sudden promotion of Haman the Agagite, a man with an unquenchable thirst for public adoration. As he walked through the palace, the king s servants would bow before him as if he were an immortal god, with the exception of one person: Mordecai, a man whose worship belonged exclusively to the God of heaven. That fact angered Haman. Even though the whole kingdom was bowing down to him, he just couldn t let go of the fact that a small remnant of Hebrews scattered across the kingdom of Persia had hearts that did not belong to him. With his heart twisted by prideful jealousy, Haman approached the king for a favor. Here s how the Bible describes it Esther 3:8: Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people s, and they do not keep the king s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let these people remain. If the king so wishes, I will write a decree calling for the destruction of these people. The money and the people are given to you to do with them as seems good to you. The details are too clear to be missed. The thing that sets God s people aside was that they were more faithful to God s law, God s commandments, than they were to the laws of the king. And that s exactly what enrages the dragon against the people of God in the last days. They keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. The pressure on the king worked, and a death decree was issued against the people of God. On the 13th day of the 12th month, it was open season on the remnant people of God. And I m sure to the king it seemed like the right thing to do. For the sake of the nation, these people just had to be destroyed. But you know, in the last days, the same thing happens. The world turns against the church because it seems like the right thing to do. As men s hearts fail them for fear, because of the frightening things that are happening all over the world, a rallying cry for unity spreads across the planet. The same argument used by Caiaphas against Jesus will be used against Christ s followers. It is expedient that one man should die for the people, that the whole nation does not perish. Enraged by the refusal of a little remnant of God s people to worship anyone but the Creator, the second beast secures the authority to get rid of them. The lessons of the Book of Esther are clear. What happened in Persia so many years ago will happen again, and as Esther was used to reveal truth in the palace of the king, God will have a job for His last-day people. He wants them to speak, because for a fleeting moment, there is still time for people to repent. They can still turn away from the deception and find hope in the one true God of heaven. If you remember the story of Esther, Mordecai had to convince her to do something to stop the massacre (Esther 4:13-14):

5 14): And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? That little message speaks volumes to those of us living in the last moments of this world s history. The die has been cast. We know what s going to happen, and still, if you study prophecy carefully, you discover that God s people don t sit around waiting for the death decree to come. They have a job to do, and a message to deliver, a message that spreads around the globe. Here it is in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 14:6-7): Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, and tongue, and people saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. In the Bible, the word angel is used to describe a messenger. Now sometimes, that messenger is a heavenly being like the angel Gabriel. But sometimes it also describes a human messenger. You ll notice, for example, that in the beginning of the Book of Revelation, the elder of each of the seven churches is described as an angel. And in Revelation 14, which is a vivid description of God s last-day people, we discover they also become angels of sorts. They have a last-day message. That message is clear (Revelation 14:7): Saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water. It s a last-day cry to return to the God of heaven before it is too late, and that cry belongs to you and me. As this world races toward the final deception crafted by the devil himself, there will be people who are not deceived. And when the final death decree is issued, those people will have nothing to fear, because they know they are standing on solid ground, the Word of God. And that Word says that in a heartbeat, Jesus will return. As the persecution reaches its peak and they lose the power to buy or sell, and a death decree is issued, God s people know it only lasts for a night. And in the depth of that night, all of a sudden the sky lights up and Jesus comes. Isaiah 25 describes that incredible moment as God s remnant people actually see the return of Christ (Isaiah 25:8-9): He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people, He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day: Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. So here is a question for you: As we move toward the final crisis, where do you find yourself standing? Are you standing on the solid, immovable ground of God s Word, or have you been living by a creed you made up yourself? As the world gears up for a massive deception, everything is going to ride on that question. And the difference between those who follow the beast and those who follow Christ is a simple matter of actually knowing God. Today, it might be a good idea to review your system of beliefs. Are they really based on what God says, or have you made up something that just suits your own private tastes? That is important to know, because time is running out. Let me ask you something really important. When you consider all that Christ has done to make sure you are a part of the kingdom of God, can you think of any good reason not to respond to His invitation? Your price has been paid. There is a place in heaven with your name on it. You just need to come. Why don t we pray together...

6 Scriptures Used in Kristallnacht Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? Revelation 13:2-4 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. Revelation 13:11-12 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Revelation 13:15 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor me. John 16:2-3 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. Revelation 13:13-14 And the dragon was enraged with the woman. And he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 13:17 Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Revelation 13:10 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonder, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people s, and they do not keep the king s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. Esther 3:8 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:13-14 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, and tongue, and people saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. Revelation 14:6-7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.

7 worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water. Revelation 14:7 He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people, He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day: Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Isaiah 25:8-9 Keywords: beast end times esther final days kristallnacht mark of the beast mordecai Revelation Shawn Boonstra It Is Written Box O Thousand Oaks, CA USA Tel: (805) Fax: (805) Copyright 2010, It Is Written International Television. All rights reserved. Webmaster