National Holocaust Day 2023

Photos from own collection

Auschwitz was the largest Nazi concentration camp.  More than 1,100,000 men, women, and children lost their lives here.  Multiple train tracks led in to this extermination camp, no Jew ever came out!

All over the nation, places of public entertainment are closed, and last night a state ceremony was held in the Warsaw Ghetto Square in Jerusalem to honor the Jewish people who perished at the hands of Nazi Germany.

The flag was lowered to half-staff, and prayers were recited.  Holocaust survivors lit the six torches that symbolize the Six Million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust under Hitler's Final Solution.

Despite the process of dehumanization and annihilation that the Nazis unleashed on the Jewish People, necessitating a struggle for survival in the worst of circumstances, many Jews continued to exercise creativity, pursue education and culture, recite prayer, and observe the holidays.

"Many of those who struggled to maintain and preserve the human spirit did not survive the horrors of the Holocaust, but their deeds and actions are a reminder to future generations of the stamina and nobility of the human spirit," the Yad VaShem website states.

The Nazis packed Jewish people like cattle into railroad cars as they shipped them to their final destination at labor and extermination camps.  Those camps were part of Hitler's "Final Solution" to kill all of the 
Jewish People.

The Nazis intended that no Jew would survive the Holocaust.

Multiple tracks led from all over Europe to concentration camps like Auschwitz.  Jewish people were crammed into cattle cars and shipped to these death camps.  Very few survived.

Many were gassed immediately upon arrival and their bodies burned in ovens.  

Those who were healthy enough to work when they arrived were literally worked to death.

Two-thirds of European Jewry, that was one-third of all world Jewry, died in the Holocaust.

This horrible, unfathomable number—six million murdered—does not count the many Jewish children who will never be born because of this genocide.

Whole families were destroyed.  Some Jewish people who came out of the Holocaust were the sole survivor of their family.  They were left completely alone.  Many communities were utterly erased.

Those who came to Israel from Europe were a remnant.

Some of those who were gassed and put in the ovens were the parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles of our Bibles for Israel Ministry staff.

May We Never Forget.

Paying tribute to the six million who perished in the Holocaust.  
Never Again!

Used by permission  

"The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.   Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing."  (Isaiah 51:3)

 

Remembrance Sunday

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Today is Remembrance Sunday and throughout the UK the now familiar ceremony of the two minutes silence is being observed just as it is every year. 

This year perhaps it has been a little less well attended due to circumstances, but there is still the call to remember as people wear poppies in support of those who have served in armed conflict.

As we reflect upon past conflicts it is true to say that such conflicts often bring out the best and the worst in people. There are many tales which tell of terrible atrocities and others which speak of great heroism. One such heroic tale that has emerged from the Second Word War is that of two young men called Bob and Jack. 

War Heroes Remembered

GREATER LOVE

In the city of Melbourne, Australia, there is a very impressive shrine in memory of those from the state of Victoria who gave their lives for their country in times of war. The shrine was built between July 1928 and November 1934 in memory of the thousands from Victoria who served and died in the 1914 -1918 war. It has been a growing monument with other memorials added to the site as Australian soldiers fought in various campaigns. Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the forecourt in 1954 to those who served in the 1939 - 1945 war. There is a prominent inscription that declares, "Let all men know that this is holy ground". This is recognition that there is something very special about those who died on behalf of others.

Victory Europe Day - WW2 Commemoration

As we commemorate the end of WW2 we should remember that early in the war when International opinion predicted the imminent collapse of Britain's will to fight - supposing that the British would be cowed by the threat of invasion, by U-boat blockade or by terror bombing from the huge German airforce. King George VI called for a national day of prayer. The likelihood of Britain surviving the war was minimal but God preserved this land and Europe from the domination of Hitler and the 3rd Reich. We salute the hero's of WW1 and thank God for his sovereign intervention in those dark days. 

The 70th. Anniversary of the end of WW2

This year marks the 70^th. Anniversary of the end of WW2. May 8^th. is known as VE Day, or, Victory in Europe, and three late summer dates chronicle VJ Day. August 14th - Japan surrendered; August 15th – Surrender was announced to the world, and September 2 - Ceremony and formal signing of surrender.

VJ Day marked the end of WWII, and the cessation of fighting against Japan. It is called "Victory In Japan Day or "Victory Over Japan.

I was ten years old when the BBC announced Germany’s surrender on the radio. It was an overwhelming sense of relief, of feeling safe, knowing that there would be no more V2 rockets flying over our house with the possibility of its power cutting out and it plummeting to the ground causing an explosion destroying lives and property.

My relief was small compared to the inmates of the Nazis concentration camps rescued 70 years ago. Those camps included this list supplied by Wikipedia, Auschwitz-Birkenau Belzec Bergen-BelsenChelmno Dachau Ebensee FlossenbürgGross-Rosen Janowska Kaiserwald Majdanek Mauthausen-Gusen Natzweiler-Struthof Neuengamme Nordhausen (Dora-Mittelbau) Sachsenhausen (Oranienburg) PlaszowRavensbrück Sobibor Stutthof Terezin (Theresienstadt) Treblinka Westerbork. Hitler’s programme to exterminate the Jews was halted, but not before six million souls perished in those camps.

There is a rise today of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in the UK, the highest last year since those horrific days seen in Germany decades ago. After the recent Paris attacks on Jews, some Synagogues in the UK have put barbed wire around their buildings, anticipating a terrorist attack.

Hitler’s plan for World dominion failed, as did his destruction of the nation of Israel, which failed too. All attempts in the past to destroy Israel have failed and any future attempt will fail also. God is sovereign and He will not go back on His Word that He gave to Abraham and David. He made a covenant with both men, with Abraham concerning the land, bordering the Euphrates and the Great River of Egypt, and with David concerning the throne. (Genesis 15 and 18, and David, Psalm 89)

A highly significant happening was prophesied in Jeremiah 25:11, which reads, “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. God told Jeremiah two things, firstly that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon would make the land of Palestine desolate and secondly carry its inhabitants away captive for 70 years in Babylon (Iraq). Commentators place the captivity between 606BC and 516BC depending upon which of the three deportations of captives it referrs to. This 70 year captivity of Israel with Jerusalem trodden underfoot marks the beginning of a period of history known as ‘The Times of the Gentiles’. During this period four World Empires arose to dominate the known world. (1) Babylon: (2) Medo-Persia (Iran): (3) Greece and (4) Rome. All of these are past powers but a fifth power will arise having characteristics of these four previous kingdoms.  The Book of Daniel gives the historical rise of these four kingdoms in the first six chapters, the last six chapters tell us prophetically something of the nature of the four and also of the fifth.

Jesus said in Luke 21:24, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” In Luke 21 and Matthew 24 Christ gave details of the rise and fall of the fifth power which is yet future. The fall of that fifth kingdom will mark the end of the times of the Gentiles and usher in a new realm, the Kingdom of Christ on earth.

Daniel chapter 9 tells us not of 70 years but 70 weeks. However these weeks are not weeks of days but weeks of years outlining a period of 490 years. These 490 years are divided into three, 49 years, 434 years and 7 years, and the final seven divided into two periods of three and a half each. That seven years is the Tribulation that will come upon all the world, but the second half is The Great Tribulation that Jeremiah calls ‘The time of Jacob’s trouble’.

At the commencement of the seven years Satan will empower a man, called ‘The Beast’ in Revelation chapter 13, and ‘The man of sin’ in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. He will force people to have his mark on their hand and forehead in order to buy and sell. Will that mark be his number 666? Over thirty years ago I gave a lift to a young man who told me he had an interest in numerology. He produced from his briefcase an A4 paper with some names on it, and alongside the name a number. Hitler’s name was on the paper, and Mendleson and others. Then he pointed to a number at the bottom of the sheet which was 666, and said, “That is my number!” I told him of the man in Revelation chapter 13 and what his end would be. I glanced across to see his face, one I shall never forget, it was evil! Was this young man playing a prank on me with his pre-arranged paper? I don’t know, but I do know this, the Man of Sin who is the beast could be alive today?

My dear reader if you are not saved, not born again, I believe that the time is short. It is essential for you to repent of your sin and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour before He comes to make war with those who reject Him. Revelation chapter 19 verse 15 says, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” 

Be saved now and be ready.  God bless.

Written for Liverpool Photoblog by Stan Burditt.

Get on your bike!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to be energetic and go out for a ride on my push bike. This is quite something as I have not been on the bike for years despite constantly promising myself that I will get around to it. There is a lesson there about procrastination but I'll not go there!

I really enjoyed the ride. The first part was a bit scary! To be honest getting on the bike wasn't. Cycling on the road was! Cars swished past and buses put me under pressure by slowing down and revving their engines until it was safe to pass. That tells you how long it has been since I rode a bike on a main road! I am glad that my wife wasn't there to watch as she would have been panicking and shouting instructions. "Keep in", "slow down", you're wobbling", "why don't you get off and walk" would no doubt have been in cacophony of comments.

To be honest my intention was to go off the main roads and cycle through Croxteth Country Park. This is a lovely country estate near to where I live. It is literally on my doorstep which is why, as is customary, I only visit it once in a while. Isn't strange how we do not take advantage of facilities on our doorsteps but when we are on holiday we seek out all these lovely places and say 'we should do this type of thing more often". I feel another speech coming on about 'time management" and "making time for leisure" but again I'll restrain myself as it could be deemed hypocritical.

The route through the Country Park must be a couple of miles long. No problem to an experienced cyclist like myself, says he panting and wheezing. I actually really enjoyed myself and wasn't out of breath too often. As I approached the main entrance to the Park in West Derby Village I stopped for a breather. Now as you will know we miss a lot of interesting things when we are speeding (not literally I hope) from place to place. Life is lived at far too fast a pace and we often don't take time to look around us never mind to think about what we see.

I spotted this memorial on the wall.   "1939 - 1945, To the memory of the men, women and children of West Derby who gave their lives for their country in the World War". In a sentence we have covered the living and premature dying of many souls. They died to give us freedom and as a result they lost theirs. We really should be more grateful!

At risk of you thinking that I am wandering off the subject can I close by reminding you of another sacrifice that was made to give us freedom. Don't click close yet, this is majorly important. I am asking you to think of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

He gave His life, voluntarily so that we could be:

1. free from the power of sin in our lives today;
2. be in heaven on the other side of death and be free from the presence of sin;
3. free from the penalty and punishment for sin when we stand before God.

Put simply the Bible states that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (the Bible, 1 Timothy 1:15)

The old hymn says "He died that we might be forgiven, He died to make us good, that we might go one day to heaven saved by His precious blood"

I took a long time to get on my bike, how long will you take to face the truth.

Thanks for reading this, Stephen

This blog was posted by Seek the Truth Bible Media. For more information or to contact us please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk.