"Never Again!" or "Yes, Again!"

Chapter 3

A Lesson from History

Result of an Unlearned Lesson from History

History has a way of repeating itself.  And there is a well-known saying along these lines, which quite often proves very true:

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

                                      — Winston Churchill, et al.

The subject at hand in this chapter has to do with Jewish history, the failure of the Jews to learn from their own history, and that which can only await them because of their failure to learn the necessary lesson.

And concerning the particular aspect of Jewish history in view, there can be NO QUESTION that the action of the Jewish people can only be in complete accord with the previously quoted statement, for the words of the Prophets bear the same testimony.

The subject being dealt with could cover any one of numerous aspects of Jewish history, or Jewish history as a whole.  But, narrowing things down, this chapter will deal with only two aspects of Jewish history, both having to do with events during modern times, one past, the other future.

The past history involved has to do with the Holocaust — a systematic attempt by the Third Reich to annihilate the entire European Jewish population (some 9,500,000 at that time).  And slaying 6,000,000 Jews, the Third Reich succeeded in doing away with about two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population.

The future history involved, because the Jewish people failed to learn the necessary lesson from past history, has to do with another Holocaust, far, far worse than the last one.  And in this future Holocaust, two-thirds of the Jewish population will again be slain, but this time the attempted annihilation will extend worldwide (some 9,000,000 by today’s count of about 14,000,000 Jews in the world).

(The unlearned lesson from history has to do with God’s commandments, His promises and warnings concerning these commandments, and the Jewish people’s reaction over time.  It has to do with covenantal disobedience [ the Mosaic Covenant] and God’s remedy to effect correction on the part of His disobedient son, Israel.

The Jewish people, over centuries of time, had disobeyed the terms of the covenant.  And because of covenantal disobedience, God, true to His Word, eventually uprooted the Jewish people from their land, drove them out among the nations, and left them there at the mercy of the nations [722 and 605 B.C.].

Once removed from their land and driven out among the nations, the Jewish people were to remain scattered among the nations and suffer persecution at the hands of these nations UNTIL they had repented.  And this persecution would take whatever form necessary — as intense as it would take — to effect repentance.)

This future Holocaust, where two-thirds of the Jews will once again be slain, is, of course, the Tribulation, “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” Daniel’s Seventieth Week.  And the lesson which Israel DIDN’T LEARN in the past Holocaust WILL BE LEARNED in this future Holocaust.

This future Holocaust will be of such a severe nature that the Jewish people will be forced to learn the necessary lesson from history this time around, ultimately calling upon the Lord for deliverance, repenting as a nation, allowing this to be the final Holocaust which they will have to suffer through.

The saying, “Never Again!,” which the Jewish people echo today, looking back to and referencing the past Holocaust, can only be well-meant and sound very benevolent and good;  but, in reality, the repetition of this statement can amount to no more than empty, meaningless words.  The Jewish people have yet to learn the necessary lesson from history, continuing in this same mind-set today, continuing to act relative to an unlearned lesson.

Thus, ONLY ONE RECOURSE REMAINS — repeat the history, repeating the lesson.  But this time the lesson will have to do with things far, far more severe than the last time.  This time the suffering at the hands of the Gentiles will be intensified sevenfold (showing completeness in the extent and severity of the suffering) to the point that the lesson will be learned.  And repentance will then be forthcoming.

In this respect, the cry today CANNOT possibly be, “Never Again!”  Instead, because the lesson from history has not been learned, the cry can only be, “Yes, Again!”

The cry, “Never Again!,” awaits days following a subsequent Holocaust and the Jewish people learning the lesson from history.

The Past Holocaust

During the years preceding Hitler’s rise to power (preceding 1933), Jews in parts of Europe had seemingly found a haven from some of their past persecution, where they could be at home in the arts and science centers of the day.  Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Vienna in Austria were two such places (both centers for music), and the whole of Germany formed another.

Amsterdam had so many Jews during those years that the city was known as the Jerusalem of the North.  And to be a German Jew at that time — being part of a civilized nation known for its arts and sciences — could only have been seen as a height in Jewish life during the diaspora.

Life in Germany during those years was such that it could have been viewed as somewhat of a Messianic alternative by Jews who had long-since lost their expectation of a promised Messiah and had settled down in the world.

But in 1933, with the rise of Hitler and his Third Reich to power in Germany, things began to change rapidly.  The Jews long-standing love affair with German culture was about to end.  Civilized Lutheran Germany, with its arts and sciences, was about to do the unthinkable, particularly for this nation — attempt to slay an entire race of people.

Had it been another nation doing this to the Jews, such as their previous persecutors in Spain or Portugal, the Jewish people would undoubtedly have looked upon the matter in a completely  different manner.  But it was civilized Lutheran Germany, where the Jews had found a haven and somewhat of a Messianic alternative, that was doing this to them.

And, during the next twelve years, the Third Reich systematically enacted what was called, “The final solution to the Jewish question,” resulting in the death camps, the crematoriums, and the death of two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population.

And the Jews in Amsterdam and Vienna experienced exactly the same thing that the Jews throughout Germany experienced, as well as other parts of Europe, particularly Poland, which contained the largest Jewish population in all Europe.

And the latter would explain a main reason why most of the concentration camps, particularly the death camps, were built in Poland.

Then, following Germany’s defeat, ending the Holocaust, the surviving Jews throughout Europe were literally a people without a country, without a place to go.  Germany, along with other parts of Europe, lay in ruins, everything that these Jews had previously owned was gone, and no one seemed to even know who was still alive and/or who had been killed.  They were literally wandering Jews without a place to go, coming out of a concerted attempt by one of the most highly civilized nations on earth to slay all of them.

And finding themselves in this state, it was only natural that their attention would be directed to a land outside of Europe, to the land which God had previously covenanted to the Jewish people through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 4,000 years earlier.

But there was a problem, a MAJOR PROBLEM.  The holocaust HAD NOT effected repentance on the part of the Jewish people;  and, because of this, they were destined to remain in the diaspora, scattered among the nations until such a time as Gentile persecution resulted in repentance.  Thus, in this respect, they were still a people without a home, without a place to go.

The Jewish people though COULD take matters into their own hands, go to, and enter this land anyway.  But, IF THEY DID, it would be to their own peril, and they would ultimately pay dearly.

They could seek to circumnavigate God’s Word, ignore their “desolate” state, seek to emancipate themselves, apart from their Messiah, apart from repentance, and re-enter a house which Christ had left “empty, swept, and garnished” (cf. Matt. 12:43-45; 23:37-39).  But IF THEY DID, they would have to pay the price, which in this case would be multiplied sevenfold.

And the preceding, of course, is EXACTLY what the Jewish people did — going to and entering this land in their current state — guaranteeing a future Holocaust…

The Future Holocaust

Thus, the Jewish people — completely in line with the Prophets — have guaranteed another Holocaust, with the furnace heated SEVEN TIMES HOTTER this time.  And this is exactly what lies in store for the 6,000,000 Jews presently in the land and the 8,000,000 or so which remain scattered among the nations.

The 8,000,000 will have to experience this right along with the 6,000,000, for the Jews presently in the land will be uprooted in the middle of the coming Tribulation, a tenth will be slain, and the remainder will either be sold as slaves to the Gentiles or be driven back out among the nations with the rest of world Jewry. Their cities and land will then be destroyed and trampled under foot by the Gentiles for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation (Lev. 26:31; Dan. 9:26; Joel 3:6-8; Matt. 24:15-22; Luke 21:20-24).

“The final solution to the Jewish question” will then be reenacted in a far more severe manner, extend worldwide, and for the next three and one-half years every Jew on earth will come under the sentence of death (Dan. 8:23-25; Matt. 25:31-36; Rev 6:3-8).

They will be hunted, killed, etc.  They will die of hunger, plagues, etc.  Conditions will be so bad that Scripture speaks of Jews resorting even to cannibalism (Lev. 26:27-29; Ezek. 5:5-17).

Parallels

In the past Holocaust, Jews in Europe had settled down and were accepted in centers of the arts and sciences.  They themselves made up large numbers of the musicians, medical doctors, scientists, etc.

Then, as previously noted, there is highly civilized Lutheran Germany somewhat forming a center for what many of Europe’s Jews could only have considered a Messianic alternative.

Then a new ruler who knew not Joseph arose (Ex. 1:8), and things began to change rapidly.

And at the end, twelve years later (1945), there was total devastation, with the Jewish people ultimately drawn toward another land, resulting in the eventual re-birth of a nation (1948), COMPLETELY CONTRARY to God’s purposes for the Jewish people at this time.

And those forming this nation, almost seventy years later, await a lesson from history which they failed to learn the last time.  But the severity of the Gentile persecution the next time will be of such a nature that the lesson will be learned.

(The heavens are CLOSED concerning God speaking to the Jewish people relative to restoration today.  Refer to Chapter VIII in this book, “Time of Israel’s Restoration.”)

Note again the state of the Jews in Europe, particularly in Germany, in the pre-1933 years, prior to their way of life, hopes, dreams, aspirations, etc. being dashed, almost overnight.

Exactly the same thing, though with FAR GREATER Messianic implications and expectations, is about to occur once again — to the Jewish people in the land of Israel.

The nation is seemingly invincible, winning past major wars, for example, in what could only be considered miraculous manners.  And the nation is not only on the verge of but will soon rebuild their Temple.

Surely it must be as Shlomo Goren, Chief Rabbi for the Israeli army, stated fifty years ago, standing at the Wailing Wall following the Israeli Army’s conquest of the old city of Jerusalem: “We have taken the city of God.  We are entering the Messianic Era for the Jewish people…”  Numerous Jews and Christians alike either seem to think somewhat along these lines or look upon matters in a similar manner today.

But, NOT SO!  Exactly the opposite is true!  God has allowed the Jewish people to come to this point before they lose ALL of it, exactly as the Jews in Germany did in 1933.  But, conditions this time will be FAR, FAR WORSE.

This time it will be the destruction of a nation (their people, Temple, cities, land), the destruction of the nation’s Messianic hopes, and seemingly the end of everything.

But this will be the Lord’s doings, bringing the Jewish people to the end of themselves, with a true phoenix arising out of the ashes this time.