Standap Evribit Witim Biliv wea Strong

Olketa wea No Fraet for Keepim Faithful Fasin Winim Nazi Persecution

“KAMAP wise, son bilong mi, and mekem heart bilong mi hapi, mekem mi givim ansa long wan wea tokdaonem mi.” (Proverbs 27:11) Disfala loving wei for ask showimaot olketa wea faithful and loyal long Jehovah savve mekem heart bilong hem hapi. (Zephaniah 3:17) Nomata olsem, Satan wea tokdaonem God hem disaed strong for brekem faithful fasin bilong olketa wea servem Jehovah.—Job 1:10, 11.

Especially long start bilong mek-20 century long taem olketa torowem Satan aot from heven, Satan showimaot bigfala kros long pipol bilong Jehovah. (Revelation 12:10, 12) Nomata olsem, olketa tru Christian “standap evribit witim biliv wea strong” and keepim faithful fasin long God. (Colossians 4:12) Letem iumi storyim lelebet wanfala spesol example bilong kaen faithful fasin olsem—hem nao bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Germany bifor and long taem bilong World War II.

Strong Waka Lead Go for Test Long Faithful Fasin

Start long year 1920 go kasem tu-thri year bihaen 1930, olketa Bibelforscher, nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Germany long datfala taem, givimaot staka Bible literature. Midolwan 1919 and 1933, olketa givimaot average bilong eit buk, buklet, or magasin long evri famili long Germany.

Long datfala taem, Germany garem moa anointed disaepol bilong Christ winim eni nara kantri. Tru nao, midolwan 83,941 wea kaikaim Evening Kaikai Bilong Lord long 1933, klosap 30 percent stap long Germany. No longtaem bihaen, olketa German Witness kasem olketa barava hard test saed long faithful fasin. (Revelation 12:17; 14:12) Firstaem olketa Witness lusim waka, olketa chekim haos bilong olketa, aotem from skul, gogo olketa killim, arrestim, and putim olketa long prison. (Piksa 1) From diswan, insaed tu-thri year bifor World War II, 5 go kasem 10 percent bilong olketa wea stap insaed olketa concentration camp hem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

Why Olketa Nazi Persecutim Olketa Witness

Bat why nao olketa Nazi kros long olketa Witness? Insaed buk bilong hem Hitler—1889-1936: Hubris, professor bilong history Ian Kershaw sei olketa Witness kamap target bilong persecution bikos olketa les “for stap anda evribit long Nazi gavman.”

Disfala buk Betrayal—German Churches and the Holocaust, wea professor bilong history Robert P. Ericksen and professor bilong Jewish studies, Susannah Heschel raetem, hem explainim hao olketa Witness “no laek for share long raf fasin or long wei for iusim army. . . . Olketa Witness biliv long wei for no teksaed long politik, wea minim olketa no vote for Hitler or salutim Hitler.” Disfala buk go ahed for sei diswan mekem olketa Nazi for kros and putim olketa Witness long danger bikos “Gavman bae no acceptim diskaen wei for no obey.”

Olketa Talemaot Evriwea Long World Hao Olketa No Hapi Long Samting and Nogud Attak

Long February 9, 1934, Joseph F. Rutherford, wea lead long datfala taem, sendem message thru long wanfala spesol messenger go long Hitler for talem hao olketa Witness no hapi long wei wea Nazi no acceptim olketa Witness. (Piksa 2) Long October 7, 1934, leta bilong Rutherford kasem saport bilong samting olsem 20,000 leta wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness from 50 kantri, wea Germany tu insaed diswan, sendem long Hitler.

From diswan olketa Nazi mekem persecution moa big. Long April 1, 1935, olketa tambuim olketa Witness long full kantri. And long August 28, 1936, Gestapo start for barava againstim olketa. Nomata olsem, buk Betrayal—German Churches and the Holocaust sei olketa Witness “go ahed for givimaot olketa pepa and keepim faith bilong olketa.”

Olsem example, long December 12, 1936, samting olsem 3,500 Witness givimaot staka thousand copy bilong wanfala resolution wea storyim safa bilong olketa, nomata olketa Gestapo stap nomoa. Abaotem disfala waka, The Watchtower hem report: “Hem wanfala bigfala win and hem barava sutim enemy, wea mekem olketa faithful wakman for hapi narawe.”—Romans 9:17.

Persecution Hem Fail!

Olketa Nazi go ahed for lukaotem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Kasem 1939, six thousand Witness insaed prison, and staka thousand olketa sendem long olketa concentration camp. (Piksa 3) Hao nao olketa long end bilong World War II? Samting olsem 2,000 Witness dae long prison, 250 olketa killim dae. Nomata olsem, Professor Ericksen and Heschel sei, “Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hol strong long faith bilong olketa nomata long trabol.” From diswan, taem rul bilong Hitler hem brekdaon, winim wan thousand Witness kamaot witim win from olketa camp.—Piksa 4; Acts 5:38, 39; Romans 8:35-37.

Wanem nao mekem pipol bilong Jehovah stand strong long persecution? Wanfala wea winim concentration camp, Adolphe Arnold, hem explainim olsem: “Nomata iu barava feel daon, Jehovah lukim iu, savve wanem iu feisim, and hem bae givim iu strong wea iu needim for winim datfala samting and stap faithful. Hand bilong hem no short.”

Toktok bilong profet Zephaniah barava fitim olketa faithful Christian hia! Hem sei: “Jehovah God bilong iu hem stap midolwan long iu. Olsem wanfala maeti Wan, hem bae sevem iu. Long saed bilong iu hem bae tinghae witim hapi.” (Zephaniah 3:17) Letem evriwan wea worshipim tru God distaem followim faith bilong olketa loyal Witness hia wea keepim faithful fasin nomata olketa feisim persecution from olketa Nazi, and there nao mekem heart bilong Jehovah hapi.—Philippians 1:12-14.

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Państwowe Muzeum Oświȩcim-Brzezinka, courtesy of the USHMM Photo Archives