When the Arab terrorist group Hamas entered Israel on October 7, the world was horrified. On that day, these terrorists kidnapped 200, killed 1,400, and wounded more than 4,500 Israelis. Innocent men, women, and children were slaughtered simply because they were Jewish.

The appalling attack brings to memory another terrible act of violence against the Jewish people that took place 85 years ago. On November 9–10, 1938, innocent Jewish Germans endured devastating physical and spiritual darkness much like the evil perpetrated against Israel today.

Kristallnacht was the defining moment regarding the Nazis’ approach to the Jewish people, effectively launching the Holocaust. The Third Reich officially established the full-blown persecution of those they would later distinguish with badges bearing the Star of David. Cultural prospects began to deteriorate immediately for the Jewish people, though so many of them had long known this land as their home.

The Night of Suffering

So what exactly was Kristallnacht? The word literally means “night of crystal” but has since taken on the fuller meaning “Night of Broken Glass.”

The pretext for the event was the tragic decision of Herschel Grynszpan (a Polish Jewish teenager) to assassinate Ernst vom Rath (a German official) in Paris on November 7, 1938. Grynszpan’s evil act was a reaction against anti-Jewish policies impacting his own family. It was, of course, also foolish and played directly into the Nazis’ hands, giving them the opening they desired to institute an all-out assault on the Jewish people.

The scope of Kristallnacht almost wearies the imagination. Rampant violence erupted throughout Germany, as well as in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and beyond. Disguising it as an organic demonstration, the Hitler Youth and Nazi Storm Troopers elaborately engineered the brutal pogrom. It was a bloodbath.

The destruction was massive, as Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were mercilessly destroyed. Firefighters protected German properties while allowing conflagrations to blaze unhindered in Jewish-owned structures. The sensation of walking over the broken glass must have given them a perverted sense of satisfaction.

To add insult to injury, authorities demanded that the Jewish people pay an exorbitant penalty to cover the extensive damage they had suffered.

Reports of the damage can vary widely, as much of the night seems a blur to this day. But the consensus is that roughly 30,000 Jewish men—perhaps 10 percent of Jewish men in Germany—had their first encounter with Nazi concentration camps, especially Buchenwald (on a hill above Weimar), Dachau (northwest of Munich), and Sachsenhausen (in Oranienburg, north of Berlin).

Kristallnacht’s Enduring Legacy

When my wife and I attended a 500th-anniversary Reformation tour of Germany in 2017, we stayed three nights in Weimar, and our bus drove past Buchenwald. This firsthand visit helped us understand how this death camp would have overshadowed the city and its residents.

Like Haman in ancient Medo-Persia, the Nazi attitude toward the people of Israel was brazen and uncomplicated: “It is not fitting for the king to let them remain” (Esther 3:8).

Studying Kristallnacht is heartbreaking but captivating. As U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated afterward: “I myself could scarcely believe that such things could occur in a 20th-century civilization.” For almost inexplicable reasons, the event still holds a haunting attraction. It is, at once, a study in human depravity, exploitation, and violence on the one hand, and intense agony and suffering on the other.

Never Again?

Out of the shards of the broken glass of Kristallnacht, God crafted a work of art. Half a world away, He convicted a group of Bible-believing, Israel-loving Christians to formulate an immediate response. On December 1, 1938, only three weeks after Kristallnacht and the beginning of the Holocaust in Germany, The Friends of Israel Refugee Relief Committee (now known as The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry) launched in Philadelphia. It began out of loving compassion, through great vision, with remarkable wisdom and courage, and at great personal risk to all involved.

In faith, they named the organization The Friends of Israel 10 years before the birth of the modern State of Israel. These brave men and women were willing—metaphorically and even physically—to walk over the broken glass of Kristallnacht, with “great sorrow and continual grief in” their hearts (Rom. 9:2).

The civilized world has vowed for the past 85 years to never forget such tragedies as the Jewish people suffered. Yet, how many today know anything at all about this monumental event?

Could there be another Kristallnacht, even another Holocaust, before the Rapture of the church? We desperately desire to say no, but recent events, most notably the violence Hamas committed against innocent Israelis and pro-Palestinian protesters’ support for these actions, indicate otherwise.

May the Lord help us, by His grace, to carry the same burden for the Jewish people that our forefathers bore—even being willing, as they were, to risk our own comfort and worldly esteem.

Reposted, with permission, from the Friends of Israel Blog

***

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.

Quick question… are we thankful? Do we give thanks when it is due? Are we thankful in all circumstances? More importantly, do we offer up thanksgiving to the LORD? How often are we thankful? Not surprisingly, the Bible has a lot to say about gratitude and being thankful! Guess my quick question for us became multiple ones. Either way, this is a topic that I’m passionate about because ungratefulness and thanklessness, especially toward God, is a terrible way for any of us to live and be!

For example, there is an account in the book of Luke concerning a case of 10 Lepers who were subsequently healed by Jesus, but only one (stranger Samaritan) cared or thought enough to turn back and thank the LORD for cleansing him of this terrible disease! A malady that ostracizes those who during that time were dubbed unclean by their friends, family, and community, and not for a while but for the long haul too, as an utter and gross outcast!

So, I’m sure the other 9 at that moment couldn’t wait to go and be pronounced clean by the priest and get to finally and quickly be reintegrated back into their fold and family! I know we all would feel the same way, too! Unfortunately, though, as the LORD pointed out, they excitedly yet thoughtlessly and haphazardly just carried on about their way without so much as a sincere split-second ‘Thank You’! No, not even the audacity to make just enough time to stop for a few moments to simply be grateful for this profound miracle that was performed on them that day!

Luke 17:12-19 “And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

The Bible Series – Jesus and the Leper (1:14 min):

https://youtu.be/OvaoIqiJElg?si=XrlXhiZitXhcgH9n

DISCOVER JESUS – Jesus Christ Heals Ten Lepers (1:38):

https://youtu.be/WbAt1XTPf58?si=OZ3EqzkVkhhB32bb

It is truly important to be grateful in this life by being thankful to God, even or especially when circumstances don’t go our way. Because, just like 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 tells us, this is God’s Will for us in Christ Jesus!

“Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test all things. Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (BSB).

See that? We are to rejoice at all times, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, not extinguishing the Spirit, not treating prophecies with contempt, but test all things, hold fast to what is good, and abstain from all evil!

What is the story of the ten lepers in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

The Bible does not record how far they had walked before being healed. However, only one man returned to thank Jesus for the healing. Luke makes special mention of the fact that the one who returned was a Samaritan, a person despised by the Jews (Luke 17:15). Jesus expressed disappointment that the other nine had not thought to give praise to God for their healing. From this, we learn that God desires for us to express our thankfulness to Him for all He does in our lives.

Even though Jesus did not withhold healing from the nine who did not thank Him, He made a point of noting their lack of gratefulness (Luke 17:18). Because they had faith, all ten were physically healed. But Jesus’ final words to the grateful Samaritan imply that this man received spiritual healing in addition to the cleansing of his skin. After the man was already healed of leprosy, Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (verse 19). It could be that the man’s return to fall at Jesus’ feet gave him spiritual wholeness in addition to the physical wholeness he had received. When we take time to acknowledge the Giver and not just the gifts, we please the Lord as well as enjoy the spiritual healing that comes from gratefulness. – End Source

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT THANKFULNESS (kingjamesbibleonline.org)

Ephesians 5:20 – “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Psalms 106:1 – “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Philippians 4:6 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Psalms 107:1 – “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Psalms 100:4 – “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Colossians 3:15-17 – “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Read More…)

Colossians 4:2 – “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”

Psalms 28:7 – “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”

1 Thessalonians 1:2 – “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.”

Psalms 100:1-5 – (A Psalm of praise.) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands” (Read More…)

Philemon 1:4 – I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers.”

Have you ever done so many things for someone, maybe for months, years, or even for a lifetime, and that person pretty much wadded up everything you did and threw it back into your face as if all of that hard work, blood, sweat, and tears meant NOTHING to them? Have you ever gone out of your way to help someone by giving them money, possessions, a job, or whatever else, and they still were utterly ungrateful and unthankful? Have you tried to please someone with everything you could or have, and they still did not care or even refused to see your worth or efforts?

If you have and think that no one knows or feels this kind of pain, just look at Jesus and His experiences during His time spent here on earth! How about just looking at the world at large and how it treats or has treated Christ throughout all of the ages up until now! Jesus was incredulous at the ungratefulness of those He healed, and He also showed emotion in ‘marveling at the faith’ of a Roman soldier, too! Because ultimately, He cares how we think, feel, treat, and relate to one another and especially to Him!

Luke 7:1-10 “Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

“Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.”

Thanksgiving, aka Giving Thanks, is not a one-day out-of-the-year event/holiday for us. Just to be transparent from my time in research, it is a day/ritual that was established on our modern-day calendar by ‘whadayaknow’ the first president of the U.S., George Washington! (Who also just happened to be a high-ranking 33rd-degree freemason, like most, if not all, of the U.S. presidents have with their affiliations/involvements in this nefarious organization/secret society, btw!) All holidays are rituals and traditions of men if one really wants to know and cares enough to take the time and dive in and do the research, but I digress.

(Side Note: I have dear relatives who, in recent years, have passed on but who were also involved in the Knights of Columbus, ‘basically freemasons for Catholics.’ It is my belief that they were blinded in many ways, and from their life/fruit, they died without having a true saving faith and knowledge of/in the Lord Jesus Christ! My solemn advice for anyone involved in any secret societies, private clubs, or the like is to do your research and know what you’re getting yourself and your family into! Because more often than not, it is spiritually detrimental to your soul and nefariously opposed to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! These societies are instead more in line with false cults and religions and in the worship of Lucifer! Chick.com: That’s Baphomet? Involvements that only bring curses onto you and your family instead of the blessings you are told or think that they will bring! The curse of spiritual blindness, in particular, just to name a few!)

U.S. Presidents and Satanism! (jesus-is-savior.com)

(Dive into the rabbit hole – this site does not hold back!)

Thanksgiving history: Traditions and origins, where did it begin? | Fox News

Before it became an official holiday, President George Washington issued a proclamation that Thursday, November 26, 1789, would be a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer,” according to the United States Office of the Historian. It wasn’t until 1863, however, that President Abraham Lincoln said that Americans should recognize the last Thursday of every November as a day of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving became an official national holiday in 1870, along with Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Independence Day, the government website states. At that time, it was decided that the president would decide the date of Thanksgiving. Most followed Lincoln’s lead and chose the last Thursday of November, according to the Office of the Historian.

The Most Powerful Freemasons Ever (businessinsider.com)

The first president of the United States of America had a strong relationship with the Masons.

He was given the rank of Master Mason less than a year after initiation, and he performed Masonic rites at the laying of the U.S. Capitol’s cornerstone on September 18, 1793.

Initiated: November 4, 1752.

Is Thanksgiving Truly a Christian Holiday? (christianity.com)

Thus, Thanksgiving Day in America is not truly a Christian holiday. There are Christian traditions associated with the day, but the official national holiday declared by Abraham Lincoln is not rooted in Christianity. Instead, Thanksgiving is a secular or civic religious day that is grounded in America’s history and used to support nationalistic ideals.

Christians can celebrate the day since spending time with family and loved ones while giving thanks is important. However, believers should “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV). Every day can be a day of “thanksgiving” to the Lord. –End Source

Although we may cook or have some of the food that has become a part of this American tradition, we will not specifically have it on that particular (mass worldwide ritual) Thursday. Basically, giving thanks to God is not about the type of food we eat, or a day on the calendar, the decorations, or whatever else. For some, these man-made holidays/traditions are a touchy topic, and we know why, for it has been ingrained into us from the time we were ‘knee high to a grasshopper,’ so it’s no wonder too!

But, when we really boil it all down, Thanksgiving, according to God’s Holy Word, is to be an everyday lifestyle! One that we are to practice all the time, especially when we take time to pray to Almighty God the Father! I’m just trying to be completely raw and honest in conveying all of this. Whether one likes to hear this or not does not matter because staying true to God’s Holy Word is all that truly will matter in the end!

Anyhow, may we not be hasty, thoughtless, or haphazard in carrying on about our own way like the 9 Lepers did by ultimately forgetting to give thanks to the One who healed them of their gross and terrible disease! May we be like the one (stranger Samaritan) who cared enough to turn around and come back, to glorify God with a loud voice, and fall down at the feet of Jesus by giving Him complete and utter thanks!

Thank You, Lord Jesus! Thank You for everything! Thank You for all that You are, all that You do, and all that You have done! Thank You, Abba Father, for every single blessing! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You LORD! In Jesus Christ’s Holy and Mighty Name, Amen!

Thanksgiving for all that Jesus is, all that He has done, and all that He lovingly and graciously provides for us! Not just for one day out of the year but for every single day that we live, move, breathe, and have our being! For as Christ Followers, we know that without Jesus we can do nothing, be nothing, and have nothing! It is only by having His indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives that we can even begin to really live for the here and now and especially for the hereafter!

Until next time… Maranatha!

Sincerely & In Christ,

Candy Austin

(I have no Accolades….
I am just a Nobody,
Trying to tell Everybody,
All about Somebody,
Who can save Anybody!)

The Williams Brothers – “I’m Just a Nobody” Song: https://youtu.be/_wCTQdmXkUg

My Mission is to be ‘Salt and Light’ to a Lost and Dying world,
To be an Ambassador for Jesus Christ.
All for Him and His Glory!