O
n this very day, January 30, 1933, seventy-five years ago, Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany. On that same day, my grandfather and his family 
in rural Louisiana were doing their best to deal with meeting their daily needs during the period that became known as the Great Depression. My mom was an eight year old who was very much involved in that struggle as well. The world was preoccupied with the global economic collapse and this change in Germany really didn't seem to be a great cause for alarm. It was on this very day in the United States that the Lone Ranger program on ABC Radio was first aired and it would stay on for the next twenty one years. The year ahead would see the movie 'King Kong' rel
eased starring Fay Wray and in March, Franklin D. Roosevelt became America's 32nd president.
Litt
le did the world know at that time the 'King Kong' of Evil had ascended to his throne in Germany. I was born in 1946 in that first year after the end of WWII. That was only thirteen years after Hitler was installed as Germany's Chancellor. We all know what transpired during his reign of terror. However, it's still hard to grasp as we look at the magnitude of the sheer numbers of people killed and wounded during this season of hell unleashed upon the world. Total deaths from the war is estimated to be 72 million people of which 47 million were civilians and 20 million of those attributed to famine and disease. Military deaths numbered 25 million including some 4 million who died in captivity as POW's. Allied deaths accounted for 61 million of the total and the enemy countries called the 'Axis' lost 11 million. The total deaths represented 3.7% of the world's population wiped out including the death of an estimated 6 million Jews who were specifically singled out by the Third Reich. Those accounted as being wounded was over 20 million. Nearly 100 million people dead or wounded and literally hundreds of millions more family members devastated by the evil fomented by this Austrian born German by the name of Adolph Hitler. I do not take the time here to speak about the Stalin era where some 62 million Russians 
were sent to their deaths, and the Mao era where nearly 80 million Chinese lost their lives, but suffice it to say there's enough evil to go around, and then some.
n this very day, January 30, 1933, seventy-five years ago, Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany. On that same day, my grandfather and his family 
in rural Louisiana were doing their best to deal with meeting their daily needs during the period that became known as the Great Depression. My mom was an eight year old who was very much involved in that struggle as well. The world was preoccupied with the global economic collapse and this change in Germany really didn't seem to be a great cause for alarm. It was on this very day in the United States that the Lone Ranger program on ABC Radio was first aired and it would stay on for the next twenty one years. The year ahead would see the movie 'King Kong' released starring Fay Wray and in March, Franklin D. Roosevelt became America's 32nd president. Litt
le did the world know at that time the 'King Kong' of Evil had ascended to his throne in Germany. I was born in 1946 in that first year after the end of WWII. That was only thirteen years after Hitler was installed as Germany's Chancellor. We all know what transpired during his reign of terror. However, it's still hard to grasp as we look at the magnitude of the sheer numbers of people killed and wounded during this season of hell unleashed upon the world. Total deaths from the war is estimated to be 72 million people of which 47 million were civilians and 20 million of those attributed to famine and disease. Military deaths numbered 25 million including some 4 million who died in captivity as POW's. Allied deaths accounted for 61 million of the total and the enemy countries called the 'Axis' lost 11 million. The total deaths represented 3.7% of the world's population wiped out including the death of an estimated 6 million Jews who were specifically singled out by the Third Reich. Those accounted as being wounded was over 20 million. Nearly 100 million people dead or wounded and literally hundreds of millions more family members devastated by the evil fomented by this Austrian born German by the name of Adolph Hitler. I do not take the time here to speak about the Stalin era where some 62 million Russians 
were sent to their deaths, and the Mao era where nearly 80 million Chinese lost their lives, but suffice it to say there's enough evil to go around, and then some.I don't know about you but these numbers are hard for me to process. We are prone to think that WWII happened so very long ago but it wasn't very long at all. In 2005 we had in the United States over 55,000 people 100 years or o
lder. These folks were in their thirties whenever these horrific events took place. I don't know how many we have in their 90's but it is most likely a much larger number and they would have been in their twenties when this took place. Statistics do tell us that 3 out of 4 of these older folks in our country are women but most of them could most likely paint a chilling portrait of what it was like to have been a part of this time in our history. I'm sure there are ratios and projections that give graphic insight into what all these losses meant to the population in each country. No matter how one evaluates it, the human toll is beyond our imagination.
lder. These folks were in their thirties whenever these horrific events took place. I don't know how many we have in their 90's but it is most likely a much larger number and they would have been in their twenties when this took place. Statistics do tell us that 3 out of 4 of these older folks in our country are women but most of them could most likely paint a chilling portrait of what it was like to have been a part of this time in our history. I'm sure there are ratios and projections that give graphic insight into what all these losses meant to the population in each country. No matter how one evaluates it, the human toll is beyond our imagination.Over 2500 years ago the Prophet Jeremiah was inspired to record this about the h
uman potential for evil: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) On this day when many will pause to recall the example of this verse in action as seen in what basically started in the heart of one man given over to evil, we need only to look around us and perhaps even inside of us to know the potential any of us have, if we are without God and His help. The advent of Hitler and all that happened going forward pretty much silenced the teachings that man would somehow grow better and better until Jesus would have no choice but to come and live with His enlightened human family. Our hope is in God and we believe that God's truth is the final court of arbitration. Therefore, when He says, "The fool has said in his heart th
eir is no God", we know this to be His judgment upon those who deny His existence and His authority. We also embrace His inspired admonition which tells us, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge". Seventy five years ago the world was shown what happens when God's Word is distorted and rejected to be replaced by man's hatred and evil. May God bless the memory of all those who gave of themselves in sacrificing to stand up against this tyranny. What they did then, allows you and I to be free today. A sobering thought on this Wednesday morning. .....More later.
uman potential for evil: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) On this day when many will pause to recall the example of this verse in action as seen in what basically started in the heart of one man given over to evil, we need only to look around us and perhaps even inside of us to know the potential any of us have, if we are without God and His help. The advent of Hitler and all that happened going forward pretty much silenced the teachings that man would somehow grow better and better until Jesus would have no choice but to come and live with His enlightened human family. Our hope is in God and we believe that God's truth is the final court of arbitration. Therefore, when He says, "The fool has said in his heart th
eir is no God", we know this to be His judgment upon those who deny His existence and His authority. We also embrace His inspired admonition which tells us, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge". Seventy five years ago the world was shown what happens when God's Word is distorted and rejected to be replaced by man's hatred and evil. May God bless the memory of all those who gave of themselves in sacrificing to stand up against this tyranny. What they did then, allows you and I to be free today. A sobering thought on this Wednesday morning. .....More later.
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