What caused the massacre of the Jews?

These days I received a question about the cause of the massacre of the Jews:

These days I see again the movie “Schindler’s List” about the massacre of Jews in World War II it. Do you think it was God’s hand because the chosen people did not receive Jesus as the Son of God and Savior?

Yes, disobedience to God brought upon this nation great persecution. After leaving Egypt, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, before entering the promised land of Canaan, God has placed in front of them blessings and said:

Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:1)(NASB)

Once He presents many blessings that the people of Israel were to have, God warns them about curses and says:

But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you… (Deuteronomy 28:15)(NASB)

and then He says …

Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see. The LORD will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I spoke to you, ‘You will never see it again!’ And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.” (Deuteronomy 28:64-68)(NASB)

When Jesus entered into Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion He wept and foretold about the tragedy of the people of Israel:

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)(NASB)

At trial, when they condemned the Savior, the people of Israel themselves have decided to sentence their children. Here’s how it was:

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds toask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!” When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood;see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:19-25)(NASB)

Because they have not listened to the Word of God, the Israelites have rejected Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. Moreover, they have crucified him and demanded that the blame for his blood to fall on their children. There have been scattered from their country just because they have not known the time of their visitation through the coming of Jesus Christ.

What about you, dear reader, did you know the time of your visitation by God. Have you received Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior? Have you entered the New Covenant with Him to receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life?

Let no one think that the blame of the Jews will make blameless those who persecuted or are still persecuting the Jews even today. God told Abraham, the father of the Jews:

And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)(NASB)

All those who persecuted and persecute the people of Israel will be punished and it is sad to know that our country is in the list of persecutors. In 1903 a large pogrom took place in Chisinau and then, during the Second World War many Jews were exterminated. In my native village Lapusna was a great and prosperous community of Jews until 1941, but many were killed during the war and it is sad that those who executed the Jews were two men of no reputation from our village. This I have been told by the elderly villagers. We must repent of these sins before God and before those who have sinned against Jews.

Translated by Felicia Rotaru