Denial of Reality: A Lesson from Treblinka
A commentary by Rex Sexton
United Church of God Pastor, Olympia and Tacoma, WA
Posted June 4, 2009
 The
warnings were loud and clear—but no one was listening!
Martin Gray was one of the very few Warsaw Jews who escaped the Nazi
death camp at Treblinka. Captured in Warsaw in 1943, he was assigned
to Treblinka work details instead of immediately marched to the gas
chambers.
Only a teenager, Martin labored on several work crews before being
assigned to the "excavator pit"—the mass graves where
thousands of bodies of men, women and children were buried daily. He
was fully aware that those who labored in those mass graves also were
to be killed after a few weeks. No one was to be left alive to reveal
to the world what the Nazis were doing.
Martin's mission
Martin escaped by tying himself with belts to the underside of a truck.
Later he hid in a load of clothing on a train.
Once away from the train Martin assigned himself a mission. He believed
if he could only tell the Jews in the other towns and villages of Poland
how the Nazis planned to kill them he would be able to save some of
them.
Martin went from town to town, telling everyone he could about Treblinka,
the gas chambers, the mass graves and the thousands who died every day.
A warning unheeded
In his own words, "I shouted, ran back and forth among them ...
Listen to me, I'm a Jew, like you!! You've got to believe
me; they're killing us, all of us! Do you know about Treblinka?
They did not even look up. They carried on with their work as if I weren't
there. I sat down on the side of the road…" (For Those
I Loved, p. 163).
Later, Martin tells how he watched from a distance as the Nazi
troops rounded up all of the people in those villages, loaded them into
trucks and sent them to their deaths at Treblinka. "Why didn't
they listen, why didn't they believe me?" he shouted to
himself.
Would the average person today accept Martin's warning? Or would
he or she pretend that all is well, that no danger exists?
Today's Treblinka-like alarms
Consider these recent headlines that you may have overlooked:
- "Iran Ready to Build Nuclear Weapon" (CNN.com May 29,
2009).
- Recently—in one week—North Korea tested a nuclear weapon,
launched six test missiles and abrogated the 1953 treaty—effectively
declaring war on South Korea, Japan, America, Britain and all other
participating nations in the 1951-1953 "police action."
- "National Debt reaches 63.8 Trillion. The latest increase
raises federal obligations to a record $546,668 per household in 2008,
according to the USA TODAY analysis. That's quadruple what the average
U.S. household owes for all mortgages, car loans, credit cards and
other debt combined" (USA Today, May 29, 2009).
- "The End of Christian America" (Newsweek magazine's
report on the dramatic number of people leaving the Christian religion).
These are only a few of the many alarming headlines pointing to some
very difficult times ahead. Are we listening, or just going our merry
way as if we have not a concern in the world?
Are we repeating the experience of the people who heard Martin Gray
but shut their minds to the warning he gave them?
Advice for Christians
Jesus Christ gave some vital warnings concerning the end of our age: "For
then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the
world until now—and never to be equaled again" (Matthew
24:21, New International Version). He explained, "For it will
come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke
21:35).
He then said, "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may
be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able
to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36, NIV).
The Jews who refused to take seriously Martin Grey's warning
did not escape the death camps at Treblinka. Will you be alert and watchful
of the growing dangers Christians will face at the end of this age?
Or will you refuse to take Jesus Christ's warnings seriously?
The United Church of God is eager
to help you understand current world events in the light of Bible prophecy.
We encourage you to request a free subscription to World News and
Prophecy—or
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Study Course. Keep
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Related Resource
The Role of a Watchman: What Does It Mean for You?
The Bible uses the role of a watchman to describe the work of a prophet
among God's people. Is there more to this symbolism than many have understood?
The role of a watchman is vital to a full understanding of the work
of God in the end time.
The Role of a Watchman, Part 2: Who Are Today's Watchmen?
In ancient times, watchmen stood guard on a city's walls to see to the
welfare of its citizens and to warn of coming trouble. Who is to do
that job today in a dangerous world moving closer to the crisis of the
close of the age?
Jesus Christ's Olivet Prophecy: Where Are We Now?
In a remarkable prophecy shortly before His death, Jesus described the
signs that would preceed His return. What do those signs reveal?
Are We Living in the Time of the End?
Religious people aren't the only ones asking this crucial question. Many
recognize that we live in an increasingly dangerous world.
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