Ray Comfort's Blog, page 39

Chapter Two: The Reign of the Reich

[image error] Within a week, Samuel sold the business to a German banker and purchased a car. Then he, his family and his mom headed for Poland. They were pleased to be leaving Germany. Hitler had massed the largest ever gathering of Nazis at a rally in Nuremberg. The streets were lined with storm troopers and every church‑bell rang as Hitler arrived for the opening of the National Socialist Congress. The Fuhrer reviewed a parade of an incredible 600,000 men. Samuel couldn't help but think, "Why on earth would that madman gather so many troops if he wasn't planning to take Europe, and perhaps the world?"

He would wait in Poland in the city of Cracow, in the house of Joseph Greenberg, a Jewish cousin, until the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service sorted out a few "complexities" in his mother's application to immigrate. Little did he know that it would be a two-year battle with the U.S. bureaucracy. It seemed that America didn't want Germans migrating to the United States. They could see how volatile things were in Europe, and after a rally of 22,000 German‑American Nazis took place at Madison Square Garden, New York, they virtually closed the doors.

Joseph Greenberg was a cheerful man. He had changed his name after his relatives had been arrested, and looked a little out of place in Cracow because made himself look like a Texan. He was a large man with a large belly, standing a large six foot two inches, and he had a large moustache, reminding Samuel of the long horns on longhorn cattle. He didn't wear a large ten-gallon hat, but he insisted on wearing his well-worn boots that many years earlier he had brought with him when he emigrated. Joe didn't had never cared what people thought of him when he was a child. Samuel remembered him when he lived in Texas. He was always entertaining, either with bizarre hats with feathers sticking out of them, or telling jokes and laughing. He had endless stream of jokes. He would burst into a room and say,

"I have six eyes, three ears, and two noses . . . what am I?" When people couldn't guess, he would say . . . really ugly!" and run out of the room. He still delighted in making people laugh although his concerns about the Nazis weighed heavy on him.

Samuel also was deeply concerned in Poland as he carefully followed what was happening back in Germany. Early in 1938, Hitler promoted himself to military chief giving him unprecedented power. He named himself the "Supreme Commander of the German armed forces," and seized direct control of foreign policy. In March of 1938, he returned to Austria, his native homeland and proclaimed "Anschluss." This was a union between itself and Germany. Any opponents were immediately arrested. Hitler held a referendum and concluded that 99 % of the Austrian people approved of the confederation.

Joseph told him that on April 26th, 1938 Hitler had passed a law saying that all Jews had to declare their wealth. This came with the threat that those who failed to comply could receive a hard-labor prison sentence of ten years, as well as having all their possessions seized by the Nazis. Joseph said that his German relatives were terrified and immediately complied. They had to list everything—from how much they had in savings, the banks in which the savings were kept, describing jewelry they owned with its estimated value. They even had to give details of his insurance policies. They listed everything of value. He said that every one of his relatives had been arrested and put in Concentration Camps. Samuel slowly put both of his hands onto his forehead, closed his eyes, and signed deeply, "That's why! That's why the Gestapo took away that family of four from church that day. They knew who they were looking for because of that detailed disclosure. They knew exactly how much they were worth because, like millions of other Jews, they had revealed it in detail a few weeks earlier. I think that those who filled out those forms were filling out their own death warrant!"

In October of the same year, Hitler's troops marched into Sudetenland, a border area of Czechoslovakia. Large crowds lined the streets and waved Nazi banners and threw flowers into the street as they greeted the Fuhrer.

To be continued.

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Have you discovered the mystery?

Jerry didn't tell Karl that he hated Sunday school in Texas and that he only went because his mother made him go. As a child, he never understood why he had to sit for so long and listen to a boring minister. He used to stare at the second hand of his watch as it slowly moved round the face, then he would count the flowers on the wallpaper. They were in colorful groups, which made it easier. Jerry joked that Sunday school gave him a taste of "eternity," but today's church service was different. Even if there had been flowers on the wallpaper Jerry would have ignored them. The conviction in the voice of Mr. von Ludendorff held him spellbound. As the man prayed, through squinted eyes, Jerry saw a tear slowly roll down his cheek. He spoke reverently and even though the prayer was in German he could understand what he prayed:

"We are so thankful for Your great mercy. Thank You for the mystery of Christ. Thank You for Divine provision . . . for Your love. Help me today to speak Your mind, that Your people might be edified. Now Father, we uphold this nation. We pray for our people . . . "

His voice cracked with emotion. He stopped for a moment then continued,

" . . . we pray for our people. May Your hand be upon them. We pray for the Nazis. Please touch this nation. Help us in this time of trial. May Your wonderful name be glorified in our lives, whether by life or by death . . . Amen."

The small congregation echoed the "Amen," then there was a rustle of paper as ones opened their Bibles in anticipation of the sermon.

Mr. von Ludendorff began:

"Today is a very special day for me. It is May 14, 1938, 20 years since I met my beloved bride. Twenty wonderful years." The small crowd watched with delight as he stepped forward, kissed his wife on the cheek and said with a twinkle in his eye,

" . . . and today I love her with even more passion than when we first met." He then stepped back behind the home‑made pulpit and continued,

"We are going to look first at Romans 16:25, at the 'mystery kept secret since the world began.'"

Jerry sat on the edge of his seat. He loved mysteries and listened with anticipation to what Mr. von Ludendorff would say next:

"This is a secret that God Himself has hidden from humanity from the beginning of the world. Not only does Paul speak of this mystery in the Book of Romans, but also he says in Ephesians Chapter 3 verse 9: 'The mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God."'

His face seemed to glow as he said, "Do you know this extraordinary secret that God has hidden from the beginning of the world? Have you discovered the mystery?"
To be continued.
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Church meeting

One day he asked Jerry if he would like to go to a church meeting. Jerry attended Sunday school when he was younger, and when he asked his mother if he could go, she suggested that they go as a family.

As the three entered the von Ludendorff home early on Sunday morning, they were warmly welcomed and then ushered into a living room in which there were about two dozen chairs facing a wooden table. When Jerry sat down, he felt strangely peaceful. On the table rested a large opened Bible, a small loaf of bread and a silver cup. His eyes were attracted to one side of the chairs at the only picture on the wall.

"Fresh from the bakery this morning." Jerry turned to see a smiling Karl standing by the bread.

"Have you ever taken communion before?" he asked, as he walked towards Jerry. Jerry explained that he had often taken communion when he attended Sunday school at a small Baptist church in Texas.

As the boys sat down, Karl explained that they were closely linked to the Baptists and that their church was called the International Bible Researchers. He smiled and said,

"Sounds impressive doesn't it?"

As they were talking Mr. von Ludendorff entered the room, winked at his son, leaned forward with an extended hand and said,

"Jerry Adamson, I presume," in English, but laced with a strong German accent. Jerry shook his hand and said in his best German,

"Nice to meet you, sir." Karl's dad smiled warmly then looked at his wife who was talking to Esther and Lilian while Samuel flicked through a small book he had found on his chair. It was time to begin the meeting.

As the tall man stood behind the wooden table, the dozen or so people took their seats. He grinned broadly and said in his native tongue,

"We are so excited to have such distinguished visitors with us this morning . . . " His voice then cracked with emotion. He composed himself and through tear‑filled eyes continued,

"We are truly thrilled to have members of the Adamson family with us today. After I have opened in prayer, for the sake of our honored guests, the rest of the service will first be in German and then in English." He then looked directly at the guests and said,

"This is not only to help them understand what is going on, but to show off the English skills I picked up while studying for my degree in Great Britain some time ago." He smiled again, then opened in prayer.

To be continued.

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Threats

Samuel's mother was standing at the back of the railway station's platform, waiting for soldiers to take a look at the family's credentials. Her clothes were colorless and plain, and as she stood clutching her bag with her scarf pulled tightly around her lined face it was as though she was hiding from the cold wind, and from the coldness of the soldiers that were around her. They seemed to take forever to document her loved ones. When they stamped Samuel's passport and told him to move on, she walked slowly towards the small family, tears in her eyes and her lips pulled tight with emotion. It had been a long nine years since she had seen them, and with the passing of her husband, she pined even more to embrace them once again.

Back at her meager apartment, she poured her heart out to her cherished son and his wife. Since the Nazis posted signs saying to boycott Jewish businesses, even her most loyal customers had been afraid to support her. Their fears were justified. There were threats of murder, beatings occurred openly in the streets, and twice her shop window had had bricks thrown through it. She was afraid to say what was happening in her letters for fear of Nazi censors, who often took mail from the post office and opened it to see who was and who wasn't supporting the party.

As the family sat at the wooden table, she reached across and like a typical Jewish mother, took Samuel by both of his hands, and said pleased she was to see them. Even though Samuel was just as concerned, he tried to assure her that things would eventually come right. The sound of a male voice in the home made her feel so much better.

Over the next few years, Samuel invested the rest of his savings into the small and ailing business. He retired his mother from the store, changed its name, then advertised that he had purchased it and that it was now American owned. Fortunately, his mother had married a Gentile and his birth certificate didn't mention anything about him being Jewish. Much to his mother's relief, that brought back a flood of old customers and set the business back on its feet. Despite the presence of the Nazis, Samuel enjoyed the challenge of running a business, although he did have a problem with the language. He was in his early 40's and found it hard to retain a foreign dialect.

Jerry however, picked up the language easier from talking with new friends who were fascinated by the fact that an American had come to their school. Jerry was a gangling kid; looked like an early version of his dad, but less weather-beaten, and a lot more hair. It was at school that he made one particularly close friend. His name was Karl von Ludendorff. Karl was different from the other boys his age. His friendship was more than a superficial fascination for the fact that Jerry came from the country that made movies and where people drove big cars.

To be continued. 
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Un-German

Back inthe U.S. the 1929 stock market crash had depressed everything.  As what was being called "the GreatDepression" deepened its hold, unemployment increased to an all‑time high. It wascommon to see long lines of hungry people waiting for food outside rescue missionsthroughout the country.     The Adamson's farmingmarket had ground to a sudden halt. That was one of the reasons Samuel Adamsondecided to leave his beloved farm in the trustworthy hands of a friend and movehis small family to Germany.  Hehad just enough money to pay for the long boat trip and set up some sort ofbusiness. His mother was a German Jew living in Waldenberg and even though manyspoke of Hitler with a new sense of excitement, as every day past, he felt veryuneasy about the policies of the Nazi party, especially with his mother being aJew.     After the death of Samuel'sfather, his mother carried on the family clothing store and over the years shehad built up a number of regular customers. Until recently she was doingreasonably well, even without her husband's help. But the Nazis had posted billboardsall over the country saying, "German people, defend yourselves! Do not buyfrom Jews!" They had publicly burned books that were "Un‑German," and he had also readthat the school curriculum was being revised to teach "race science."Wilhelm Frick, the Nazi Interior Minister stated, "The schools mustconstantly emphasize that the infiltration of the German people with alienblood, especially Jewish and Negro, must be prevented."    The small Adamson familyconsisting of Samuel, his wife Esther, son Jerry and daughter Lilian, left NewYork on a cold day in January of 1934. Lilian was two years older than Jerryand had been named after the popular actress Lilian Gish. When her parents werefirst married they saw the star in Victor Seastrom's MGM film, "TheWind," and she left such an impression on them they decided to name theirfirst girl after her.     Jerry was named"Jeremiah," after the biblical prophet; at the insistence of hisJewish grandmother. He hated the name and was pleased that his friends calledhim Jerry. But as he grew older he came to prefer the seasoned sound of"Jeremiah." However, even though he always introduced himself assuch, people insisted on reverting to "Jerry."    After a long trip acrossthe Atlantic on the French liner Normandie,the family arrived on the shores of France, then traveled by train toWaldenberg in Germany.    There was a climate of fearin the city. People hurried about and kept to themselves. Nazis wereeverywhere, with their neatly fitting uniforms and their rigid manner, foreverchecking documentation.

To be continued.

For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Swastika

In February of 1920, the German Workers' Party began to holdits first mass meetings, and on February 24, 1920, Hitler outlined the TwentyFive Points of the German Workers' Party. They were its political platform,which included: the union of all Germans in a greater German Reich; rejectionof the binding Treaty of Versailles; the demand for additional territories forthe German people (Lebensraum); citizenship determined by race with no Jew tobe considered a German; all income not earned by work to be confiscated; a thoroughreconstruction of the national education system; religious freedom except forreligions which endanger the German race; and a strong central government forthe execution of effective legislation. As Hitler went through all of the Twenty Five Points, he askedthe rowdy crowd for its approval on each point. And they certainly approved. Herecounted, "When after nearly four hours the hall began to empty andthe crowd, shoulder to shoulder, began to move, shove, press toward the exitlike a slow stream, I knew that now the principles of a movement which could nolonger be forgotten were moving out among the German people…A fire was kindledfrom whose flame one day the sword must come which would regain freedom for theGermanic Siegfried and life for the German nation." It was in the summer of 1920 that Hitler chose the symbol ofhis movement—the red and black swastika…a symbol that Samuel had so often seenwith items in the newspaper as this man had gained popularity and been featuredso often in the American press. Hitler had said, "In the red we see the social idea of themovement, in the white the national idea, in the swastika the mission tostruggle for the victory of Aryan man and at the same time the victory of theidea of creative work, which is eternally anti-Semitic and will always beanti-Semitic."It was only this year that Samuel became more than concernedabout Adolf Hitler and his political aspirations. On April 7, 1933 Jews werenot officially allowed to hold public office or civil service positions, norwere they allowed involvement in the legal field. Two weeks later, Samuel hadread where students from education by the "Law against Overcrowding in Schoolsand Universities." Then, of July 14, the De-Naturalization Law allowed theThird Reich to remove the citizenship of Jews and other "undesirables." 

To be continued.

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Samuel Adamson

What wasan American family doing in Bialystock, Poland, in 1939? Six years earlier,Samuel Adamson sat on his farm porch in Texas, reading the newspaper. Samuelsure looked like a farmed. He was a wiry-framed 5' 9"with a body that alreadyshowed signed of the outdoors. The hot southern sun had left him tanned with anearthy-look, as he leaned forward with interest and what he was reading. His pipesat as stationary in his mouth as he sat stationary in an old woodenchair.  It was September of 1933.On the home-front Robert A. Chesebrough had died. He was the chemist whoinvented Vaseline. The 96‑year‑old attributed his long life to eating aspoonful of the sticky substance each day. Samuel raised an eyebrow andwhispered,     "Probably choked to death. "  It was also the year that prohibition in the United States cameto a jubilant end.    Overseas, the largestpolitical party in Germany, Adolf Hitler's Nazi party, announced a new programof voluntary sterilization. The program was for people who were "idiots orschizophrenics or if they suffer from depression, epilepsy or if they havephysical weaknesses, like deafness or blindness."             Samuelhad followed the political life of Hitler since the early the last 20s'.  Not that he sought out what the man wasdoing, but because whatever he did was news. Adolf Hitler had joined the GermanWorkers' Party in 1919 at age 30, and the very first time he spoke impressedhis hearers with his oratory skills. He recounted the experience in Mein Kemf. "Ispoke for thirty minutes, and what before I had simply felt within me, withoutin any way knowing it, was now proved by reality: I could speak! After thirtyminutes the people in the small room were electrified and the enthusiasm wasfirst expressed by the fact that my appeal to the self-sacrifice of thosepresent led to the donation of three hundred marks."The German Workers' Party began to promote Hitler as their mainattraction. He spoke passionately against the Treaty of Versailles withanti-Semitic outbursts, blaming the Jews for almost all of Germany's problems.Many empathized with his message and joined the German Workers' Party. 
To be continued.
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Enemies of the State

Jerry couldfeel his heart pounding like a hammer in his chest. Blood gushed from his leftshoulder as he rounded the corner of what was once a bakery in the city of Bialystock,Poland.  Many times he had casuallywalked to the bakery with friends, purchased soft white bread and eaten itwhile it was still hot. But bread was the last thing on his mind as he fled forhis life like a wounded animal, from three vicious Nazi pursuers.    Minutes earlier, he and hisbeloved father had run from the back door as the soldiers burst through thefront of their home. Two shots rang out, one hitting his father and the otherstriking Jerry in the shoulder. His father dropped to his knees and with animpassioned cry, yelled,     "Run Jerry, run!"    As he rounded the corner,he remembered that the bakery had a narrow alley between it and a shoe store.At the end of the alley stood about two dozen old wooden boxes piled against asix‑foot fence. To one side of the boxes there was a 14‑inch gap into which heoften crawled. That led under the floor of the bakery, an ideal place to smokecigarettes with another teenage friend, something his father would have frownedupon . . . if he knew.    His eyes were wild withterror, not only because he had been shot and was being chased by Nazis, butfor fear of what had just happened to his father. As he crawled under thebakery floor he heard another two shots ring out. He stopped moving andwhispered,    "Dear God . . . what is happening?"     The ground was damp and cold and there was hardly room for himto lift his head. He looked down at his bleeding shoulder. It was just a fleshwound but it scared him. The bullet had entered at the back of his leftshoulder, missed the bone and passed through the other side, tearing the fleshas it went. It was burning as though it had been clamped in a red‑hot steelvise, causing uncontrollable groans to come from his mouth. His breathing wasdeep and fast and his chest heaved and burned as freezing air was drawn intohis lungs. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes to try and stop himself fromcrying, both from the pain of his shoulder and the dread that gripped hisheart. Even with his right hand held tightly over his wounds, the sleeve of hisshirt was crimson with blood right down to his wrist.    His eyes widened in fear,at the thought that entered his mind. What if his wound had left a trail ofblood? Suddenly he heard footsteps! Itwas the unmistakable sound of soldier's leather‑soled boots crunching thestones on the ground in the alley. Jerry held his blood-drenched hand over hismouth to stop his loud breathing. He could hear voices, and through the cracksof the wooden foundation he could see the legs of the three soldiers that hadso terrorized his family. His mother and sister! What would happen tohis mother and his sister back at the house? He prayed that the soldiers wouldleave them alone. As far as he knew, it was only the men that were being roundedup and shot.    From the German dialect hehad learned, he heard one of the soldiers say,     "He's just aboy!" Then he said something Jerry couldn't understand. After that therewas silence, then footsteps heading off into the distance. He slowly took hishand from his mouth, took a deep blood‑tasting breath, and gave a guarded sighof relief. It would be ten long hours before he dared to move, and in the darkof the night make his way back to his home.
To be continued.
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The Mystery

Owing to ministry pressure, I'm no longer able to post a daily blog.  I do, however, have what I think is a treat for you. We are going to freely post daily portions of one of my favorite books. It's called The Mystery.
When I first published it, I gave a copy to an evangelist who stayed at our home.  The next morning when I asked him how he slept, he said, "I didn't!" He started reading the book at midnight and couldn't put it down until he had finished the whole thing. He said that the message so moved him, he stayed up praying until sunrise. It's a fast-moving novel, tracing the life of one man through the Second World War and into the sixties and seventies.
"A spellbinding book. Riveting!" --Dave Coleman.
"I couldn't put it down!" --Jack T. Chick.
I'm convinced that one day The Mystery will be made into a major motion picture. 
I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
We will start tomorrow.
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Fiery Trials

These are some of the scariest words in Scripture: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:11-13). One can only imagine what came to his hearers. Perhaps some of them were burned to death as martyrs, and their fiery trial was a literal one. Maybe their trial was to be torn apart by hungry lions in a Roman Coliseum. But look at Peter's godly counsel. They are to rejoice in those trials.

Are you going through at fiery trial at the moment? Are you in pain, some sort of endless suffering, has your family turned against you? Are you worried about the future? you are a Christian, you will at times go through fiery trials, and they will purify you as gold is purified. But you can take consolation from the Word of God. You can rejoice, not only because you are a partaker of Christ's sufferings, but because you have the great safety net of Romans 8:28. Even though you may not be able to see how anything good could come of what you are going through, trust that God is allowing this for your good.

Psalm 119 has three interesting verses that speak of the pains of affliction. The first one is where the Psalmist says, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word" (Psalm 119:67, NKJV). There is nothing like affliction to bring us to our knees and closer to God. Trials should drive us into His Word.

To be continued…




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