During the Second World War the Nazi regime lead by Adolf Hitler massacred approximately six million Jews. This brutal atrocity - known as the Holocaust - is perhaps one of the darkest periods of human history. It is also one of the most well-documented events in history. However despite overwhelming evidence and countless eyewitness and survivor testimonies, there are some who claim that the Holocaust never happened (or that the extent of the bloodshed was exaggerated for political purposes).
It used to be that Holocaust denial was limited primarily to a handful of neo-Nazis and radical anti-Semites. However in recent years the seeds of Holocaust denial have found fertile ground in the Muslim world - where it has become a propaganda tool for Islamic extremists.
The spread of Holocaust denial in the Middle East has even begun to impact other parts of the world. A disturbing report by the UK's Department of Education indicates that some teachers in the UK are dropping controversial subjects such as the Holocaust and the Crusades from history lessons because they do not want to offend Muslims. (There are more than 1.5 million Muslims in the UK, making Islam the nation's largest religious minority.)
Rewriting History
Embracing Holocaust denial seems to be a recent trend in the Middle East. Kenneth Jacobson, assistant national director of the Anti-Defamation League, made the observation that "adopting the theories of Holocaust denial of Western scholars is a relatively new phenomenon in the Muslim world. The accepted attitude had been to say that whereas it was true the Holocaust had taken place, the Palestinians should not have to pay the price."
A few Muslim leaders, most notably Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have combined these two approaches - simultaneously claiming that the holocaust is a "hoax" and a "myth" while saying it is also not the fault of the Palestinians. Ahmadinejad once told reporters: "Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces. Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem? If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe - like in Germany, Austria or other countries - to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe."
In December of 2006 Iran hosted a conference on the Holocaust which called into question the historical facts surrounding the atrocities - the US State Department condemned the conference, calling it a "platform for hatred" and an "affront to the entire civilized world."
Replacement Theology
Many people today do not take the Word of God seriously. Some ignore it, many disbelieve or deny it, and others dilute its meaning with conjectures, allegories, and redefinitions. But God says what He means, and means what He says. God delights in making and keeping His promises. A disturbing aspect of many modern churches is their failure to appreciate the seriousness of God's covenant with Israel. Some believe that Israel "forfeited her promises" by rejecting her Messiah, and that these promises now devolve somehow symbolically, or allegorically, upon the Church. This false doctrine has been taught for centuries.
Under the influences of Martin Luther and others, the Protestant Reformation brought an intensive return to the authority of the Scriptures which, in turn, resulted in the subsequent reform in soteriology (the study of salvation) with its emphasis on salvation by faith alone. Many were willingly burned at the stake for their commitment to a Biblical perspective. However, one of the unfortunate shortcomings of the Reformation was that it failed to also reexamine the eschatology of the Medieval Church in the light of Scripture. As a result, most Protestant denominations today are amillennial and post-tribulational.
There are two basic views in eschatology (study of End Times) which concern the promises to Israel and the millennium: amillennialianism, which says they are symbolic, and premillennialism, which says they are literal. One of the derivative aspects of an amillennial perspective is that it denies Israel's future role in God's plans. This also leads to a "replacement theology" in which the Church is viewed as replacing Israel in God's program for mankind. In addition to forcing the allegorization of many key passages of Scripture, this heretical eschatology promotes anti-Semitism and was a contributing factor to the tragedy of the Holocaust in Europe. Unfortunately this "replacement theology" still continues to pervade the doctrines of most Protestant denominations today.
Anti-Semitic violence has become a serious problem throughout the world. Some may blame the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict for fostering anti-Semitism. Others may say that such racially motivated hatred is limited to neo-Nazi groups and radical Islamic sects. Yet hatred of the Jews goes back long before even the existence of the Islamic faith, before the Nazi party took power in Germany, and before the advent of television and modern media. The real root of anti-Semitism is Satan's desire to thwart God's plan for the redemption of mankind. Anti-Semitism exists in many places and many forms. It may be displayed in blatant aggression or in more subtle and subversive ways, but all are aimed at the destruction of God's chosen people.
For a more detailed examination of this topic, listen to our briefing titled The Next Holocaust (see link above for discounted prices).
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