On Friday, October 26, 2018, a woman asked me what the new book (available in about a week) I AM ISRAEL — Lions and Lambs of the Land by Jedwin Smith was all about. I told her it was about what was really happening in Israel, the never-ending fight to remain a nation engaged in since 1948, and the surprising parties who have led and funded attacks against them.
She asked why it was so important to know these things. My answer? "As Israel goes, so goes the rest of the world."
Another woman shrugged off the suggestion and actually had some derogatory things to say about Christians. It was weird. I only hope they remembered what I said, though, because the next day, Saturday, October 27, 2018, Robert D. Bowers walked into the Tree of Life Congregation, a Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and opened fire. He killed 11 congregants and wounded several first responders. His publicly stated reason: He hates Jews. He has demonized them. And that is good enough reason for them to die. He believes he has done nothing wrong.
Around the world, one can hear Jews and Christians intone "never again" when they speak of the World War II Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews and 5.5 million of other religions, beliefs, and other categories of undesirables according to the Nazi SS and Adolf Hitler.
But "never again" makes the implied promise that those who remember, and those who know history, will do their utmost to speak up, and do something about it, when they see the same situation growing again.
Remember the poem that begins "First they came for [this group], but I did not speak up because I was not [this group]?" It ends when "they" come for "him", but no one is left to speak up.
"They" can be any group, anywhere, at any time, that seeks power for selfish means through a manipulation of the law, public opinion, media, and political process. No two ways about it: "They" are always evil. "They" always seek to take power and freedom out of the hands of citizens. "They" have no compunctions about inciting violence, breaking promises, or flat out lying.
Unfortunately, many Jews and most Christians do not understand what it means to keep the implied promise of "never again." We often find Jews and Christians supporting goals the evil "They" are touting and we have to ask, "Why?"
Slogans do not win wars and, for most, "never again" became a mere slogan a long time ago. A slogan that makes a person feel good when they say it with emotion, but a slogan without action to back it up is meaningless.
It takes great courage to call out Evil when Evil wears a smile and throws a party and everybody at the party hoots and hollers at you to shut up because you're being mean. But Evil knows a real opponent when it sees one. Look Evil in the eye and you will see a believer in truth because Evil recognizes the truth of his opponents' resolve.
In Smith's book I AM ISRAEL, you will find out why the people of the land — yes Jews, Believers, and Arabs whether Muslim or Christian — understand the implied promise in "never again" and fight to keep that promise for freedom. Radicals of every faith can be found throughout that land and surrounding countries. Every single one of them want to destroy anybody who supports freedom. These radicals are funded by sources that will surprise those who do not understand what the real issue is.
The real issue is freedom. Those who do not understand that are clueless. They not only do not speak up, the clueless thinks uttering weak slogans like "Give peace a chance" and "We just need to love each other" will solve the problem. As if peace and love haven't been given a chance!
These slogans are meaningless.
They are useless against Evil.
Evil will never give peace and love a chance.
Evil bares teeth and rips the guts out of the clueless.
Until God's Kingdom by His Son Jesus Christ begins its rule, and once and for all time fulfills the promise of "never again", it is up to humans to keep that promise as best they can. But they cannot do it with slogans. They cannot do it without knowing the truth of why so many people believe it is a-okay to kill Jews and Christians or anyone else with impunity.
We who have met Evil up close and personal are who must speak up when Evil is doing its damnedest to destroy freedom.
Make no mistake. This attack on the Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh was meant to "put Jews in their place" and make them scared so they will quit and give in to Evil. It was also meant to hush up anybody else who didn't go along.
This is the very same thing the citizens of the nation of Israel — Jewish, Believers, and Arabs — go through every day. Yet, around the world, Israel is portrayed in the press as the aggressor when all they are doing is keeping the promise of "never again."
As Israel goes, so goes the rest of the world.
