Prison Camp
Everyone probably has heard of the concentration camps from 1933 to 1945 in Germany and parts of German occupied Europe. There were also camps that could be called prisoner-of-war camps, extermination camps and labor camps. These were forced imprisonment of political opponents, and other “undesirables”.
Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. The murders were carried out primarily through mass shootings and poison gas in extermination camps,... . (Wikipedia)
Several other powers have planned or had some type of concentration camps. The United States imprisoned Japanese Americans during World War II. There have even been rumors of recent United States presidential administrations planning concentration camps for “undesirables”. Some say that the difference between conspiracy theories and the mainstream news is about 18 months.
Suppose that Christians were to be imprisoned in concentration camps, God forbid! This is a speculation about what could happen.
Bob gets a letter in the mail one day from a Federal Agency. It says that he must appear in three days at Camp LifeIsRough. The letter says they got his name and address from the membership list at Main Street Community Church. He says goodbye to his family and leaves for Camp. When he arrives, it looks more like a factory than a health camp but the government would not make a mistake about something like that.
They were looking out for his health when they told him to hurry and get the one-time experimental injection. And a second. And a third. And a booster. And another booster. And another one. And then yearly. A continuous drip IV probably would be next. It's great that experts are looking out for me.
He left his car in the parking lot outside the barbwire laced front gate and walked inside the large courtyard. Along with many others Bob noticed the tall smokestack on the camp property. It was bellowing dark smoke with a strange smell. They must be having BBQ today, he thought.
Armed guards took their belongings as they separated into several long lines. That's nice that they would carry his luggage to his room, Bob thought. It must be one of the many perks the government would supply for his short stay.
Several signs high overhead directed the newcomers to Camp LifeIsRough. The first one said, BAPTISTS TO THE FAR WALL. Of course. They would want to be separate from the average person, Bob realized. The next sign said, ADVENTISTS TO THE WEST FENCE. This makes sense, Bob thought. That way they can see the sunset on Friday night and know when the sabbath starts. Next was, PENTECOSTALS TO THE RIGHT. That's cute. They always want to be right. Bob laughed to himself a little. Bob wanted to know where he should go. He asked a security officer who was holding an automatic rifle.
“Where do I go? I don't see any sign. I'm one of those non-denominational guys.”
The guard answered, “Why, you go in the center. Enjoy your stay.”
Do you really think that persecutors know or care about Christian distinctives? They are concerned about 2 things: the name of Jesus and belief in the Bible. They do not know or care about the things that church people fight over. Children squabble and fight with their siblings. Persecutors do not care about any of those things.
My generation played outside as kids. Every minute possible was spent outside. We played cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians (sorry, Native Americans) or World War II. Who were the enemies? It was always your siblings or the neighborhood kids. These were kids' games. There were never any real enemies.
The church fights and doctrinal squabbles are like little children using their siblings as enemies. All the while, we have a real enemy. He will kick your brains in if he can find any opportunity. It is not a game. It is real, eternity-real.
Devils make more sense than some church people do. Religious people will argue to the death about minor issues with their brothers in Christ. At the same time we have a real enemy that will destroy us, if possible. The most important thing that matters to those who know, is the name of Jesus. Next is if we take the Word of God seriously.
We would find ourselves on the inside or on the outside of a persecutor's concentration camp based on two things only: The name of Jesus and a sincere belief in His word. Devils do not care if you are a young earther or an old earther. They do not care if think women should preach or not. [Yes, yes, I know. They will use anything to cause agitation.]
Which side of the line are you on? Are you a prison camp resident or are you on the outside? The thing that makes the difference is do you believe in the name of Jesus enough to obey the Bible? This is all the demonically inspired persecutors care about (Luke 21:17, Mark 4:17). Everyone else is not a threat, not even semi-christians. You can escape persecution by saying, Oh I'm not one of those kind of Christians. I'm one of these other type of Christians.
As in 20th century Germany, the concentration camps were not used purely for their stated purpose. Political opponents, other “undesirables”, and even clerical errors caused some to be imprisoned that were not in the stated goal of the prison camp idea. Do you really think that government run camps never make a mistake, imprisoning someone who is not really supposed to be there?
If you really are a genuine Christian you cannot help being who and what you really are. If you are a fake Christian you cannot ultimately hide who you really are. The Judge knows. Whether there is pressure or not, God knows whom are His. And your heart knows, too.
Nov. 15, 2023