Don’t Let History Repeat Itself

Why is it important for Believers to remember the Holocaust? How do we awaken the Church to prayer and action?

Join us as we uncover the importance of remembrance, of honor, and why Believers should support Holocaust survivors!

Believers NEED to Remember

Approximately 6 million Jews were slaughtered, along with smaller numbers of Gypsies, disabled, and well, anyone who Nazi and Nazi sympathizers believed to be ‘undesirable’ during WWII—1939 to 1944.  That is equal to over 1 million Jews a year, a number that few of us can comprehend. While smaller massacres allowed the Nazis to achieve some of their desired depravity, it was the extermination camps that truly brought death to the masses. Auschwitz alone being responsible for approximately 1 million of the 6 million Jews killed. 

This puts forth a question though… why were most of those who were systematically killed Jewish? How could anyone hate a group of people so strongly that they want to eradicate them? Not merely enslave—though that occurred in many ways—but to remove them completely and utterly from the narrative of history, except as an ‘evil’ people they ‘defeated.’

How is that level of hatred arrived at?

In the years leading up to the Holocaust, the lives of Jewish people, in particular, began to suffer…

And yet, most Jews never suspected things could become dire. After all, despite a history of restrictions and even expulsions over the centuries, their neighbors had become their friends. What were a few challenges after thousands of years of trials?

But Jews had never faced such determined propaganda. They had never experienced a time where media was so readily available…

Slowly, political propaganda and media manipulation set Jews apart. They were molded into ‘the other’ through cartoons. They were labeled ‘troublemakers’ and ‘degenerates’ through the news. They became a ‘problem’ through the political mountain. Jewish artwork even became labeled as ‘degenerate’ through museums. Their books were burned. Their music left unheard.

Remarkably, in under a decade, the Jewish people were turned from being human to being considered animals. Often less than animals.

Hitler was obviously a part of the problem, and his being allowed to climb the political ladder the sad fate of a sleeping Church… but Hitler was just one piece. Would Hitler have been able to achieve the destruction he caused without cartoons depicting Jews as greedy, murdering, ravenous, less than human caricatures? Could he have achieved the evils of the Holocaust without like-minded individuals within the political mountain spewing accusations and falsehoods? Would Hitler have been able to murder millions if the Church had acted as a watchman, stepping up in prayer and action?

The Seven Mountains of influence largely remained silent as many within them spouted falsehoods and prepared nations for ‘acceptable genocide.’ How much harder would it have been to deceive nations into the false narrative if those in the mountains of influence had spoken up in truth? The Church Mountain and Believers within every other Mountain should have prayed and acted. 

Can you imagine millions on their knees in prayer? Can you imagine what would have happened if the Church had risen up to defend the Jews? Can you imagine if at least HALF of those in the Seven Mountains had been honest and even remotely kind?

It is true that God brought amazing beauty out of the ashes of the Holocaust. That it became a catalyst to restore the nation and Children of Israel—His chosen—to the Promised Land. Yet, that does not mean that the murder and suffering of millions somehow fails to touch the heart of God. It does not mean that God does not care if we remember them or not. God’s heart moves for His people. Suffering and murder are abhorrent to God! 

All throughout the Bible, whenever innocent blood is spilled, something happens. Take Cain and Abel. When Cain murdered his brother, the blood of Abel CRIED OUT from the ground. And God heard it…

When sin occurs, it can only be cleansed through innocent blood, such as the Blood of Jesus. For when Jesus, wholly innocent, died and shed His Blood, everything shifted for us! The veil of the Temple was torn, the ground shook, the dead were raised… and we were redeemed!

Innocent blood continues to speak long after it is shed, and God keeps record of it all. Not one drop of blood falls without His notice.

If God remembers, why do we not remember? If God cares enough to hear blood cry out from the ground, then why do we not care? Why do we fail to remember, honor the slain, and in many cases, repent for those in our bloodline who were responsible?

Awaken the Church

It is important that we remember the Holocaust and those who suffered because through it, we can not only learn about the atrocities themselves but also of the formative years leading up to them. The signs of the times.

When we understand what happened prior to the Holocaust, we can see and hear the echoes of propaganda. Of media manipulation. Of out and out lies. We can be watchful for parallels around us, pray against any we find, and act. As a voice. As the Body of Christ. As those who say, “not on my watch” and “never again.”

Yet how do we not only remember all this, but teach it? How can we make a difference and honor those who suffered while they are still with us?

Ideally, all this needs to start in the home. With parents teaching their children about the Holocaust: the things that caused it, what we can do to stop the spread of untruths, and how we can share God’s love!

From there, it needs to spread. Misinformation and even a lack of basic knowledge about the Holocaust is surprisingly common among adults. Conversations coming out of a place of love need to happen within our neighborhoods and communities, with our family and friends. And those with the call and skills to do so need to put these topics before a wider audience. Through videos, stories, art, lectures, and a host of other God-designed ways.

The Holocaust needs to once again be considered an IMPORTANT part of history for school curricula—just as the history of the nation where one lives is taught in schools so that who the people are as a nation is remembered.

Beyond this, the Church cannot remain unaware. Studies show that atheists and agnostics typically have a better knowledge of the Holocaust and the events surrounding it. The Church needs to awaken and accept Jews as who they are to God, His children, awaken to the truth of Romans 11, recognizing their grafting into the Jewish root, partaking of the fullness of the faith. Additionally, the Church needs to PRAY again. It needs to act!

There need to be discussions within the Church about events like the Holocaust—perhaps even other horrendous acts throughout history against the Jews, including the pogroms perpetrated upon them. 

There needs to be a return to unity. Unity like the Jewish and Gentile Believers had in the first centuries.

It is time for the Church to take action. Each church not only in themselves, but around the world!

It is time for the Church to band together in unity and remember those whose innocent blood was shed during the Holocaust. Those who suffered untold loss and emotional trauma—many surviving the Holocaust through hardships, torture, or even the loss of their entire family.

It is time that families came together to remember the loss experienced by the Holocaust and honor those who suffered. Through prayer, through conversation, and through action.

It is time for communities to come together for a common goal instead of being divided. It is time that they remembered, helped, and honored those whose suffering becomes a lesson for today… that truth, love, honor, and unity—particularly within the Body of Christ—is not beyond price. It is necessary.

Together we can band together as families, communities, and the Church to not only remember the lessons of the past, but honor and love on those who survived. Let us honor those who suffered. Let us pour out the love of God upon them and show them that He has never forsaken them!

If you would like to learn about ways you can remember, honor, and support Holocaust survivors, then visit our support page by going to curtlandry.com/holocaust-survivors/