Sabbath Thought – Auschwitz and Overcoming

This year marks the 81^st anniversary of the end of the Second World War. All war is horrible, but WWII brought a level of death and destruction never seen before or since: military equipment became more technologically sophisticated and deadly; civilians were swept up in the consequences of the war on a level never before seen; and the amount of destruction had a negative impact for decades after the conclusion of the war.

A new horror introduced in WWII by the Nazi’s was the concentration camp. These concentration camps were originally set up as prisoner-of-war camps, but in short order they became a way for the Nazi Socialist Party to collect groups of peoples they wanted to remove from society. Initially those interned were political prisoners opposed to the Nazi’s, but it quickly grew to include ethnic groups like Jews (and other religious groups), Gypsy’s, homosexuals or even those with mental or physical defects. As the war dragged on, internal discussions in the German government saw these camps not only as holding areas for these “undesirables” but also as a means to “cleanse” them from society. These camps were unknown outside of the German Reich until shortly before the end of the war.

One of the more infamous of these death camps was Auschwitz. It has been estimated that in the last four years of the existence of this camp, more than 1.3 million people were killed there. Auschwitz was located about 30 miles (50 km) west of Warsaw, Poland. The camp (and its sub-camps) still held more than 7,000 prisoners when they were liberated by Russian forces on January 27, 1945. It has been further estimated that in total there were more than 7 million people killed in the concentration and death camps of the Third Reich.

The sad reality is that wars, killing and “ethnic cleansing” have continued unabated in the decades since WWII.  Mankind has made amazing advances in science and technology since then – why then does such evil continue to exist? 

Actually, mankind’s inhumanity to mankind has existed since the Garden of Eden. We read in Jeremiah 17:9 that man’s heart is deceitful and wicked – meaning that left to itself these are the characteristics we see.  Where then, does this evil nature come from?

In James 4:1-3 we read: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” We see these examples of evil in the world around us because, apart from God, mankind defaults to satisfying selfish lusts – no matter who else gets hurt.

As those God is calling, we need to recognize our carnality, repent, and with God’s Holy Spirit, reject and overcome the thoughts and desires the carnal mind can have (Revelation 18:4). This Sabbath day is a perfect time to reflect on our relationship with God – how He has helped us to become more like Him, what we need to continue to overcome, and why the thoughts and systems of the world around us will never bring the joy, peace, love He is offering.

I wish you a very meaningful Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

31 January, 2026