Who is to blame for the holocaust?
There is no doubt that the Jewish holocaust from 1939-1945 during World War 2 is one of the most evil blights on human history. It is reported that 6 million Jews were executed during this period under the authority of arguably the most evil human dictator in the last 6000 years. How did we get there? Is there a possibility that it will happen again? Who is to blame? What can we learn from this blight on human history? Chuck Missler, renowned Bible Scholar, and teacher on the end times in his Revelation series outlines how he believes the holocaust all started from the second-century theologian Origen,1 who started an allegorical interpretation or style which was picked up by Augustine who developed an amillennial theology.
Chuck Missler sees it as a natural progression from the allegorical type amillennial theology of Augustine to the reformation which failed to reform eschatology. He says,
The reformation did a lot of wonderful things but it failed to readdress their (the medieval church's) eschatology and so those ideas continued in most denominational churches which led to the holocaust in Germany.2
Silence of the pulpits is to blame
John Calvin, one of the leading lights of the reformation, wrote 46 commentaries on nearly every book of the Bible including Old Testament and the New Testament. Conspicuous in its absence is the prophetical book of Revelation. I think Missler is correct when he says that the reformers forgot about addressing the errors of the allegorical approach which he says is ultimately one of the reasons that led to the holocaust in the 1940s. It is the silence of the pulpits that is to blame.
If you want to blame someone for the holocaust in Germany, don't overlook the silent pulpits that let it happen. The tragedy is that this is going to happen again. In fact, it's going to be even worse. That's why it is called the Great Tribulation.
Augustine to Auschwitz to Armageddon
Missler sees the church progressing from Augustine to Auschwitz and eventually to Armageddon. And why is that? All because of the silence of the pulpits to correctly interpret the Bible and to teach the Bible in a literal and straightforward way. There is no need to allegorise the book of Revelation and the millennial kingdom. The pulpits must not be silent about the future Armageddon to come and the persecution of the church and the Jews. Sadly, eschatology and the study of the end times seems to be taboo in the pulpits today. Pastors must stand up and cry from the rooftops that Jesus is coming and they must warn their flock that they must watch for the signs and pray that they may be able to escape all that is about to happen.3 But alas, I am afraid that God’s people will not learn the lessons of World War 2 and Nazi Germany and they will repeat the same mistake again. Many will fall away during the future time of great persecution.4 There will inevitably be another type of holocaust led by Adolf Hitler Mk II. And the next time he will be indwelled by Satan himself because Satan will be thrown down to the earth5 and great will be his fury because he knows that his time is short.6
“Never again” is a phrase widely used by politicians and writers and it also appears on many Holocaust memorials to reinforce the idea that never again must the Holocaust and other genocides occur. But I am afraid that it will because the pulpits are silent on the end times just like during the reformation. Urge your pastor to study the end times and preach about the return of Jesus. Why? Because we are hurtling towards the end of 6000 years of human history. In fact, I believe we have less than 10 years to go before the final 70th week begins.
One Response
This silence has been and is evil. Most people don’t recognise what is going on and therefore go along. Today they don’t see the conditioning and comply. So sad! We need preachers who are awake.