By Mark Swarbrick

 

Lessons From Germany

Prior to World War II Germany was a civilized Christian nation. Having been the birthplace of the Reformation in the 16th century, nearly all Germans in 1933 avowed Christianity. Of the sixty-million people in Germany at that time, twenty million were Catholic and forty million were protestant. As late as the 1936 Olympics in Germany it was noted by Americans how friendly the Germans were.

 

But somehow that cultured and enlightened society became the evil empire that slaughtered six-million Jews, imprisoned multitudes of innocents, performed horrific and sadistic medical experiments upon the handicapped, sterilized by force whoever they chose, and attempted to take over the entire world. In Germany’s case the scripture aptly applied:

“For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done.” (Revelation 18:5-6)

God used other nations to punish Germany and stop her mad course. The fight to stop the Nazis in World War II was the deadliest military conflict in the history of the world, resulting in the deaths of eighty-five million people.[1] Germany was bombed back to the stone age, their cities reduced to rubble. After the war there was little food or shelter in Germany. Millions of German citizens died long slow deaths of exposure and starvation. The Soviet troops imposed a reign of terror on Germany, raping nearly two-million women. East Germany suffered under the cruel godless regime of Communist Russia for decades.

Germany’s evolution from a benign Christian civilization into a nation-conquering super-power and its subsequent slide into hellish devastation took just a few short years. How did it happen? More importantly, could it happen to America? The answer is yes. It not only could happen here, it is in fact, already happening. Unless America reverses course our great nation could suffer horrible consequences. Let us learn from the mistakes made by others in the past so that we will not relive them in the future.

We see from both history and from Holy Scripture that God punishes nations that turn to evil, but blesses those countries that do right and turn to Him.

2nd Chronicles 7:14 –

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Germany turned away from God and towards evil and suffered the consequences. The Bible teaches that the presence of Christians in a nation brings blessing to it. As Christ-like Christians reflect Jesus they become the light of the world and their country thrives. That is why America has been so blessed, for it was founded mainly by Christians upon Godly principles.

But there were plenty of Christians in Germany prior to World War II. How then did that nation go wrong? Scripture tells us:

“You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world? “  (Matthew 5:13 TLB)

Too many Christians in Germany lost their flavor. Not all of them, of course, but a great many – too many – lost their saltiness. They were not so filled with the Holy Spirit that they spread the Gospel to their friends and neighbors and throughout their country. They did not stand up for the right and oppose the wrong. They didn’t care enough about truth. They may have privately shaken their heads at evil attitudes and practices, but did not care enough to raise a ruckus about it. They tolerated evil in their government, excusing themselves with the delusion that they were powerless to do anything about it. They lived in their Christian bubble, going to church, perhaps privately decrying the evil of sinners, but staying out of public affairs, current attitudes and politics.

Soon it was too late for them to voice an opinion without risking their life. They had let the time for safe action pass them by. Some Germans did speak out, and were martyred. The majority who did not speak out when it was safe to do so, were careful to keep silent after Hitler consolidated his power.

If the Church in Germany – and I mean all the Christians along with their pastors – had made an outcry at the first suggestion of unkindness to Jews, if they had recognized and opposed the gradual stealing of democratic freedom, if they with one voice had declared sinful and foolish actions in government would not be tolerated, and if they had turned to God in fervent prayer, the future of Germany could have been different. Germans loved their country with great passion, but they did not love God more than country, and as a result they lost both.

Germany did not just turn from good to evil. They turned from good to apathy and from there fell into evil. It is always that way; apathy comes first. As the Reverend J.L. Bell said, “For evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing.”  Similarly, President John F. Kennedy said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”[2]

The Decline of American Goodness

Let us now consider America. In the last seven years of the Obama administration the  number of people in American who call themselves Christians has fallen almost eight percent. That’s more than a one percent drop in Christians for every year Obama has been in the Whitehouse.

And consider the evils our nation is endorsing…

• Abortion: Mothers are murdering their unborn babies at the rate of 1.21 million per year. Hitler killed 6 million Jews. In America fifty-three million babies have been killed since 1973. This is genocide, a  holocaust of unprecedented proportion and the American government is guilty of it. President Obama said if his daughter made a “mistake” that he was in favor of having his grandbaby murdered in the womb rather than have his daughter “punished with a baby.” There was a time such evil would not be tolerated, yet this man has been elected twice.
• Sexual Perversion: Thirty-seven states now allow perverts to have same-sex marriage. The sin of Homosexuality is sweeping the nation. Even some so-called “Christian” churches are ordaining homosexuals. This is the sin for which God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. God’s word says, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act…” (Leviticus 20:13). Homosexuals are not “gay.” Most are miserably unhappy and confused while they spread deadly and incurable diseases. They are lost and do not know God and judgment is in their future if they do not repent. They don’t need “understanding” and “acceptance.” They need the truth. If Christians don’t tell them, who will?
• Christian Genocide: Muslim murderers are slaughtering Christians across Europe and Asia at the rate of three every minute.[3] America is doing nothing about it. America is closing its eyes to what others are suffering and refusing to help. Instead the Obama regime is arming the terrorists. By June 2015 Obama will have given 11.9 million dollars to Iran, the world sponsor of terror, a country committed to the annihilation of Israel. The genocide against Christians, as well as the infanticide of the unborn, must be stopped. The Bible says: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”  (Proverbs 24:11-12)
• Persecuting Israel: President Obama’s insults to the prime minister of Israel are legend. We have turned our back on our ally, forcing them to make concessions that jeopardize their national security. Obama’s current negotiations with Iran over their nuclear weapons program has put Israel at great risk. The actions of the Obama administration is endangering America. God’s word says of Israel: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”(Genesis 12:3)
• American Freedoms Curtailed: The Obama administration is infringing on religious liberty, attempting to force Christians to provide abortion pills against their will. Under Obama, the IRS is punishing those who work for conservative Republican values. The Obama regime has sent a memo to the Department of Homeland Security telling them that conservative and Christian groups are right-wing extremists and that they are more dangerous than Islamic terrorists. Christian bakers who refuse to bake cakes for homosexual marriages are being forced out of business and are in danger of loosing their homes, savings and businesses. In Wisconsin police have done paramilitary raids on homes of Republican conservatives, seizing their property, preventing them from contacting an attorney and getting judges to order them to be silent.[4] Obama has said, “We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded[5]. Hitler had his Brown-shirts, the SS and the Gestapo. What is Obama planning?

I have only scratched the surface, but one would think this would be enough to raise an outcry. If these things would have happened sixty years ago the Christian Church in America would have been livid and vocal. Christians then would have defended the unborn, condemned homosexuality as sodomy, defended Israel, went to war against tyranny, and stood up to American despotism. President Kennedy said, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Yet today we tolerate the defeat of liberty in our own land. We have a leader with no backbone and no moral compass. He has abandoned Iraq and terrorists are taking over that country, rendering the American blood shed there all in vain. If Obama had been president sixty years ago, he would have been impeached for malfeasance, if not treason. Sadly, those days are long gone.

How We Got Here

How did we get here? It all started with the Johnson Amendment that was passed by Congress in 1954. That forgotten piece of legislation was the beginning of the end for America, for it effectively silenced America’s pastors. This law said that pastors could not say anything from the pulpit that could be construed to be commentary on “any political campaign – or in opposition to – any candidate for public office.” Since political campaigns are based on political issues, pastors became afraid to address societal concerns.

This unconstitutional law stopped pastors from speaking out against abortion, homosexuality and a host of other issues. It prevented pastors from providing guidance concerning which candidates represented godly and wise principles and ones that did not. I remember as a young man hearing pastors say, “We don’t endorse any candidate,” or “We can’t tell you how to vote,” or “Just vote your conscience.” For years I didn’t vote because I had no idea what or who to vote for. If only there had been guidance from men of God. In 2008 7.8 million born-again evangelical Christians voted for Obama. That is appalling. It is long past time for the word to go out from the pulpit that it is wrong for Christians to vote for a baby-killing, perversion promoting, anti-Semitic, race-bating Muslim!

The silence of pastors on political issues is a radical departure from the past. For nearly 200 years American pastors have often spoken out with great boldness about the moral and social issues of the day and about the candidates that were running for office. This all ended in 1954. If this illegal law had been enacted 100 years earlier slavery would have endured for much longer, for it was the boldness of preachers that spread the word about the evils of slavery.

Many churches have become cowardly, afraid of loosing their tax-exempt status and boards have pressured pastors not to say anything that might cause them trouble. Recently, the IRS under Obama’s administration has stated they will begin putting secret agents in churches to monitor what the pastors are saying from the pulpit.[6]

Christians, taking their cue from their pastors, have begun to believe it is “unchristian” to say anything unfavorable about homosexuality and that political preferences really have nothing to do with following Jesus. And that is how we got here. That is why America is sliding into sin and on the fast track to judgment.

The fact of the matter is this: When a political party – the Democrats – becomes the party that officially kicks God out of their convention[7], whose central focus is to have more unborn babies murdered and spread homosexual perversion throughout the land, and foolishly practice insane financial policies that waste tax-payer money, and endanger our way of life, then pastors have every right to speak out and condemn such evil practices.

The fact of the matter is, Obama got elected twice simply because of the large number of people who want to kill babies and engage in perverted sexual practice. When a nation’s people turn away from God they end up with leaders like Obama, who will lead them to ruin.

Its time for Christians, along with their pastors, to speak up against these evils. We must make our voices heard. We need to be writing to our legislators and urging them to stand for decency. Jesus promised us we would be hated: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18) In America, how often have we felt hated for being a Christian? Not often. Why? Because we have been silent. Because we have not done what Jesus did, speak out against falsehood, lies and indecency and make a ruckus over evil.

George Washington said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” He said that there is “an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness,” and that “The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained.”Again Washington said, “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”

America is at great risk from many dangers. Obama has increased the national debt more than all previous presidents combined. With over 18 trillion dollars in debt hanging over our heads, the likelihood of a monetary crash greater than the Great Depression is nearly certain.

The threat of Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) from either the sun or a nuclear weapon from Iran, North Korea or Islamic terrorists is frightening. The Congressional EMP Commission gave expert testimony before Congress warning that an EMP attack on our power grid would likely kill 9 out of 10 Americans from thirst and starvation.

The most dangerous enemy of America is not Islamic Terrorism. Our greatest peril is not an EMP attack, or a financial collapse. Our most deadly nemesis is sin and its forerunner is apathy. Only one thing can save us: God, and zealousness for Him. We must turn to him as never before, seek Him and His righteousness, and implore His mercy and help. We must begin to do what Jesus called us to do – to be the salt of the earth. Its time for Christians to make a difference in the world around them. Here are specific things we can do:

1.  Be spiritually ready to meet Jesus. He could come at any time. That is possible. Live as though he were coming tomorrow, but plan and work with wisdom as though you will be here for another fifty years. That is also possible.

2. Share this writing and viewpoint with your pastor and elders of your church and with other Christians.

3. Help get the unconstitutional Johnson Amendment repealed. Go here to get started:  http://www.speakupmovement.org/Church/LearnMore/Details/3882

4. Encourage your pastor to participate in Pulpit Freedom Sunday each years. Information is here:  http://www.adfmedia.org/files/ChurchFAQ_PulpitFreedom.pdf

5. Write to your legislators and express your Christian beliefs in regard to social issues. Let your voice be heard. This will help:  http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/letterscongress.htm

Let us learn from the past. We dare not be apathetic, for after apathy comes evil, and that is followed by judgment. I close with the words of Abraham Lincoln, who taught that America will never be destroyed from the outside, but that if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Lincoln said,

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher.”

May we all take heed.

 

 

 

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FOOTNOTES

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

[2] http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/04/good-men-do/

[3] http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/joseph-klein/abandonment-of-christian-victims-of-genocide-today/

[4] http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/04/wisconsin-dems-used-battering-rams-against-scott-walker-supporters-literally/

[5] Although this was said in the context of the AmericaCorps and the Peace Core, the wording is disturbing and makes one wonder what secret plans he is harboring. After the IRS scandal and his orders to the Dept. of Homeland Security to watch out for right-wing extremists, concern is very much warranted.

[6] http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/us/irs-promises-atheist-group-it-will-monitor-churches

[7] http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/09/04/dems-remove-all-references-to-god-from-2012-party-platform/