The ugly specter of anti-Semitism was on display in Iran this week. It should send a shudder up and down your spine and send a warning to the world that this disease has not been eradicated and threatens world peace.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hosted an eclectic gathering of scholars, Orthodox rabbis and Holocaust deniers in an international conference whose purpose was to debate whether or not the Holocaust of World War II that killed more than 6 million Jews really did occur. That one of history's most documented stories could even be questioned in such a setting shows the bizarre and unworldly mind-set of the Iranian leader and his government. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly questioned the Holocaust as part of his continuing rant against the state of Israel and its main supporter, the United States. He told conference attendees, "Just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime soon be wiped out."

This conference highlights Iran's position as a source of instability across the Middle East today. Iran is behind the Shiite unrest in Iraq and is well known to be the real power behind the terrorist group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The recommendations of the recent Iran Study Group include approaching Iran as a partner in reaching a peace settlement in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. That Iran could be a serious partner in reaching an equitable solution for Jews and Arabs in the region strains reality. This leader, and you have to conclude that he represents a dominant view among Iran's ruling religious clerics, speaks clearly, consistently and dogmatically about a world under Islamic law. And that is a world without Jews and Americans or anyone else who fails to submit to the teachings of Allah and his one prophet, Muhammad. 

Anti-Semitism is still very much alive in Europe, the scene of the Holocaust. Synagogues have been attacked, Jewish cemeteries desecrated and some Jews have been murdered by angry Muslim immigrants. The situation is so bad in France that many French Jews have purchased second homes in Israel should the situation ever become intolerable. 

Government leaders are quick to deny the problem or denounce the random acts of violence. Germany has specific laws making it illegal to deny the Holocaust. This week German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quick to issue a repudiation of the conference in Tehran. Germany is very sensitive to its world image on this matter and has taken tangible measures to atone for its "departure from civilization," as it calls the Holocaust. On a trip to Berlin last September, I visited a Holocaust memorial near the site of Hitler's Chancellery in the heart of the city. It is a stark reminder of what can happen when evil drives out reason and logic from a people.

Could the world see another eruption of violence against a group that holds distinct religious views as do the Jewish people? It is interesting to see what Bible prophecy says about this. In Revelation 12 is the story of a woman who gives birth to a Child and subsequently is persecuted by a dragon. These are symbols for the Church, Jesus Christ and Satan the Devil. After Satan is cast out of heaven, we see that he persecutes the Church, which is supernaturally protected (verses 13-16). 

The last verse of the chapter shows us what to watch for in the future. "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17). Here is a prophecy of violent persecution on a group who keep God's law and faithfully follow the deepest teachings Christ. This persecution goes beyond one ethnic group to attack a spiritual group bound together by the Holy Spirit into the Church of God. A time is coming when the world will witness a different type of Holocaust than that seen last century in Europe.

At the heart of such persecution is man's hatred of God. Anti-Semitism is merely an expression of mankind's hatred of God and anything that reminds man of what God requires of His creation. The law given at Sinai embodies what God expects of humanity. And the agelong hatred of the Jews reflects that deep-seated feeling against that law. The Jews, being descended from Judah, one of Jacob's 12 sons, are the only remnant of ancient Israel retaining any of the elements that identify them as a tribe of the ancient people of Israel. The seventh-day Sabbath is a critical key to that identity. Try telling your neighbors that they should be keeping the true Sabbath and see what kind of reaction you receive.

We have covered this subject at length in a past article in World News and Prophecy. Be sure to read, "The Rising Specter of Anti-Semitism."

Seminar Videos

We have a new series of videos from recent World News and Prophecy seminars archived to our Web site. The most recent is one titled "Islam and the Clash of Civilization" done by Melvin Rhodes. You can view the video or download an MP3 audio file for your digital player. Check back over the coming weeks for new videos.

Until next time, keep watching.