PIECES OF THE PUZZLE - ON THE SUBJECT OF DEMONS

                                        

It was one of those subjects you don’t usually get excited about discussing in a group.  I’m speaking of our recent bible study from Luke, Chapter 8.  The subject was that odd story of the man who had a legion of demons living in him when Jesus came along and cast them out and healed him.  For many people this horrifying example of demonic possession is a pretty frightening subject that they would prefer not to think about. 

At first glance it seems odd and a bit foreign to discover such a bazaar story tucked in among the safe and reassuring passages of so many other happy and joyful scriptural miracles of the Gospel.    On second thought, and after a closer consideration the truths of The Kingdom of God; perhaps the subject isn’t really “odd” at all.  It could be considered another one of the greatest miracles.

I will confess that most of the people I know (myself included) aren’t living in graveyards or cutting themselves with rocks like the man in this story; but the truth is many ARE fighting demons constantly.  Many are not even aware of what is truly happening to them on a daily basis.  They might notice something is wrong, but not understand what is going on.  Some actually realize what is going on and are tired of fighting the battle and have just caved in to their demons.  These are people who are constantly tormented all the time.  They have given up hope.  Seems this was even a problem for Martin Luther at times, but he overcame this by God’s power.  Maybe it isn’t such an “odd” story after all.  Maybe this old story can be applied to our lives today.  Perhaps we should listen more carefully.  Jesus never wasted His words.    Let’s let the scriptures speak for themselves.  Both Mark and Luke were witnesses to this miracle: 

 Mark 5:1-17

5 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. ² When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, ³ and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; ⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. ⁶ Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; ⁷ and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” ⁸ For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. ¹¹ Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. ¹² The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” ¹³ Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.¹⁴ Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. ¹⁷ And they began to implore Him to leave their region.

Luke 8:26-37

²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸ Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰ And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. ³² Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. ³³ And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. ³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. ³⁷ And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.


Would Jesus have stayed longer, had the local people been more welcoming?  I wonder.

The timing of the demoniac crossing the path of Jesus was very interesting.  Jesus had just been on the sea in a storm with the disciples and they had been extremely afraid.  Jesus calmed the storm as well as the disciple’s fears, and they landed safely on the other side of the sea; the side where the Gentiles dwelled.  It is often in times like these when demons chose to show up.  They like to catch you off guard, and they enjoy playing on people’s fears.  

Trauma and traumatic experiences often open the door of our souls to demons.  For most of us who are Christians, God will shield us and not allow them to stay; but that doesn’t mean they will not keep trying to continue their games of torture in the meantime.  We tend to react just like those disciples in that boat did.  So often when we reach the place of fear in our lives, we forget that Jesus is in the boat with us.  More times than not we allow ourselves to become weak and helpless before we even think of calling out His name.  These demonic spirits like for us to stay in this condition, and they sneak easily in when we aren’t filling our hearts and minds with the peace of God instead of the lies of the enemy. 

The disciples had just been through a lot of trauma on that ship at sea.  Fortunately for them, Jesus was there, and brought His peace into the situation, making them stronger instead of weaker as they crossed over the sea and entered the land of the gentiles. 

I love how the passage notes that they “crossed over the sea.”  Those words conjure up images of all the many multiple times God’s people have been in danger and He gently led them out of bondage, through the sea and into the promise land.  We really need to hold on to this image as we live out our lives in today’s world.  We really need to trust in the miraculous delivery of God when we come to those hard, impossible places that we must navigate through in life. We too are on a journey to a promise land, and no one ever said it was going to be easy! 

Undoubtedly this man in the story who was possessed by a legion of demons had been through many hard, dry places in his life; Legion is a Roman word that means “an army of many.”  The actual numbers in a legion varied, but the basic pattern of organization was always the same.  This might matter to you one day should you ever face a legion of demons.  Listen up here!   Satan is very organized and his demons use the same old patterns over and over again.  They are not so smart; they just keep repeating the same patterns.  If you know the usual patterns, you will begin to better understand how they operate. 

In a Roman legion the smallest unit was the tent group (contubernium).  This group was usually composed of 8 men who shared a tent.  They usually had a mule, and they carried eating equipment with them.  The fact that they shared a tent is significant.  I find it interesting how many times our bodies are referred to in the bible as “tabernacles,” or "tents," in other words – “dwelling places.”    Perhaps the “tents” referred to here could mean a man’s body.  This legion of many demonic spirits was dwelling in the tent of a man’s body. 

In a Roman legion, these contubernium were organized into a disciplinary unit called a century.  A century was under the command of a centurion.  The basic fighting unit was a called a cohort and it was composed of six centuries (usually 480 men each plus 6 centurions each).  The legion itself was composed of ten cohorts, and the first cohort had many extra men—the clerks, engineers, and other specialists who did not usually fight—and the senior centurion of the legion, the primipilus, or “number one javelin.”  Are you getting a picture?  These many demons making up the legion were experts in many different fields. 

So, does this mean that all legions of demons are organized similar to the structure of the Roman army?  Who knows?  But it is a thought worth pondering.  It might matter in your approach to receiving discernment from God in casting them out.  The more you understand about what you are facing, the more you will understand what to do.  Look to The Holy Spirit for true answers and guidance.  If you listen to The Holy Spirit you will not need to know all of the facts, because God knows and His Spirit will guide you.  Trust God to lead you.

This legion of organized demons now had this man in the story under a strong bondage.   Can you imagine what he faced every day of his life being subject to an army of many demons living in him?   If they WERE in fact organized similar to a Roman legion it would have meant that each demon involved in the army carried out different functions within the group.  The poor man would have been in a state of constant confusion and chaos.    It was a prison so strong and fortified that this poor man had lost hope and stopped fighting.  What a perfect time for the only answer available to step out of the boat and appear on this side of the sea!  Jesus, the lover of this man’s soul was passing by!   Anytime Jesus is passing by; it is wise to pay attention.

This sad, evil, pagan place on the other side of the sea was where Jesus performed the first of a long string of miracles for this Gentile part of the country.  His witnesses were those twelve (or maybe more at times) raggedy disciples; those peculiar men who had been strengthened enough in the boat to let go of their fear and step out to be the first little church of believers.  I’ve often wondered why it was this particular miracle that came in this particular order.  The miracle that happened after the time of preparing the disciples in the boat and teaching them not to be afraid was a miracle of casting out a legion of demons.  Now that’s a powerful start!   It also gives the church a point of priority. 

When Jesus and the disciples came to the land of the Gerasenes to a place “opposite of Galilee,” as Luke describes it, the demoniac came running up to Jesus. 

It comes to mind that Jesus and the disciples were on THE OTHER SIDE; the side that was opposite to  everything that was familiar and safe to them.  Often we find that dealing with demons means walking through and encountering the unknown, unsafe and unfamiliar.  As they stepped out of the boat following Jesus, the first place they had to walk through was a horrible, evil place.  There is no talk of life and the living on this side of the world.  They found themselves in a graveyard, a place of the dead.   Gone was the beauty and glory of Jerusalem and the excitement and adventure of overcoming in the days spent together in the boat.  They found themselves far from the land of the living.  Nothing was familiar here.  Everything was opposite of what they knew to be good and right and Godly.  They must have wondered why Jesus sent them to this place of all places.

Anyone trying to follow Jesus, trying to step bravely out of the boat, may find themselves in this same place one day.  It happens.  You go on God’s Sabbath to worship and praise and spend time before the Lord thanking Him for all He has done and has been to you.  You find your soul is filled up with the power of God from each of the holy convocations where He meets with His people and inhabits their praises in pure and holy times of worship.  The experience is wonderful!  Just being in the strong pure presence of God with your brothers and sisters is awesome.  Here we see The Church in its truest form, serving like a little cocoon, wrapping its love around true believers, nourishing them, teaching and protecting them and giving them safe harbor and rest each seventh day; so that they may gain the strength and stamina to go out into the world again, carrying the gospel as they go.  The church prepares God’s people to walk among the dead.  Hopefully within the fortified walls of the congregation of God they learn how to pass on the power of God to others who at present can only dream of moving to the land of the living. 

If you are a Christian bent on ministry and carrying out God’s will in your life you too will pass daily through a cruel world of dead men walking; seeking no good.  It is not the fault of these people.  It is the work of our enemy living in and around them.  We must be like Jesus and see beyond their demons and learn to love their souls.  God did not put anyone on this earth to be tormented.  He has a purpose for each life that comes into this world.  Sometimes we can’t see beyond the circumstances, but God can.  We must trust this fact and be bold.  By the blood of Jesus shed for us we all can be free.  Sometimes God uses His people and certain circumstances to bring about His purposes that Satan is always trying to destroy.  My friends remember, the battle has already been accomplished on the cross at Calvary.  Believe me; God is in control of the demons in the world.    

In this place of the dead, among the graves, dwelt that tired man who was less than alive.  Both Mark and Luke clearly described his condition in their writings. 

The people were basically ignoring this man.  They were afraid of him.  The people in this land were going about their day, oblivious to God’s dietary laws, obviously making a very good living by breeding and selling pigs.  

We all have our pigs to sell, don’t we?  Sometimes out there in the world we are encouraged to accept the things that God doesn’t approve of in the name of making a living.   We try to justify this stance and make it appear honorable.   We often compromise our principals and justify our means for doing so by calling it “being responsible.”   Now these are “respectable” sins, but soon we learn that even when our sins are “respectable” in the eyes of some men; they are still sins none the less.  We must seek God’s respect, not mans.  It is very hard to continue to stay holy and clean before God in this world because of all the demons prowling around, twisting and turning the truth of our perceptions until we can’t even see correctly anymore.  Thus was the state of these people.  Thus was the state of the demoniac.  The demons were having a hay day with everyone here.  Some of it was more obvious.  Jesus could see it all.  His eyes are pure and holy.
 

Jesus did not verbally address the obvious problems of the crowd; He just eliminated the problem of all the pigs along with the demons as He cleaned and healed the soul of the helpless man.  Jesus is like that.  He has a way of making everything simple often without even using words. 

The man who came to Jesus obviously was living a horrible life.   Have you ever seen a person caught in a severe pattern of self destruction?  There is no logic to it.  That is usually the first sign that they haven’t decided to let God get involved with their lives yet.  

God is a God of order, not chaos.  He brought order to chaos when He breathed into the deep and the world was first born and shaped.  From the very beginning, God has been about controlling the chaos that Satan tries to orchestrate in our world. 

Over and over when you find out demons are tormenting people you will see a pattern of chaos and disorder in every area of their lives.  They might not be cutting themselves like the man in the story, or running around naked screaming or bruising themselves constantly by rocks; but something is usually clearly off.  They will often seem to be going against every pattern of logic that could help them improve their situation.  

People who care about those tormented with demons will often try to help to no avail.  For some reason the tormented souls will often refuse to listen to those closest to them who have their best interest in mind.  They continue the pattern of self destruction taking all those who step into their path down the hard road with them.  Eventually they end up very broken and alone.   If you’ve seen and experienced this, you might be looking at someone a lot like the man in this story. 

Demons don’t discriminate.  

It can happen to anyone.  

Ordinary, honest, hard working people might suddenly have several demons living inside of them or around about them, controlling them, manipulating them and ruining their lives.  It happens even to good people.  After all, why would demons need to control bad people?  They are already contributing to the work of Satan without even realizing it.  Demons love to conquer the pure of heart the most. 

The only cure for this is for the one who is being tormented to bow at the feet of Jesus and ask for mercy.  

You can’t do this for them.  

You can intercede for them and beg God to speak to their hearts and souls and help them to hear.  You can offer a fast for them and pray for them, but the person being tormented must submit himself to the power of Jesus in order for the demons to leave and stay gone.  

If you are praying for a person tormented by demons, ask God to soften their hearts and make them aware of His will for them.  Ask for mercy and forgiveness for them.  Then ask God to lead them to the right person that is willing to do battle for them in His army.  It may be you, if it is; you should be ready.  Be filled up to the brim with God’s Holy Spirit.  Be walking and talking with Jesus every day.  Be strong in prayer and obedience.  Be fully confessed of your sins before God.  Be strong and courageous and covered in the blood of Jesus.  This isn’t a place for the weak to visit.

Most of the time the wounded and hurting people caught up in these situations are not even consciously aware of what is going on.  They just know something is terribly wrong, but they can’t figure it out.  It takes Jesus coming along, passing their way, entering into the land of the dead where they are living out their lives.  He may pass by through you. 

How does this happen today? 

If Jesus is living in you, He is passing through the land within you.  Through you He is protecting and defending others as you pass through the land of the dead and hopeless of this world.  You are taking Him with you everywhere you go.  You are simply the vessel for other people’s healing; a connection to God for them when they are hopeless and have truly lost their way.  You are a disciple who has been delivered from fear.  You are able to step boldly out of the boat of the church into an opposite world that is in great need.  

You are crossing the sea to the other side every time you leave the comfort and peace of the worship inside the church.  Be prayed up and be aware.  Get refueled every Sabbath.  Keep The Holy Spirit abundant and overflowing in your spirit.  Don’t fall.  Make careful prayerful steps down the path of light.  Don’t forget to stay behind the footsteps of Jesus on your journey.  That is your place of safety.  If you forget Jesus, you put yourself and others in jeopardy of falling into the same life that the man in the story fell into. 

It is only the power of Jesus that saves us and makes us whole.  So; take Jesus with you where ever you go, and let Jesus use you as an instrument to do His work, which sometimes means casting out legions of demons.   

Believe it, demons exist, but believe more that Jesus exist!

Working right along with Jesus are legions of Angels!  His army is much stronger than Satan’s.  Jesus has overcome the world and the demons must bow at His feet.  God has given Him all authority over Heaven and Earth.  Jesus has given His church that same authority.

Does that frighten you? 

Maybe it is a wise fear that will provoke you to call Jesus into the situation, just like the disciples in the boat as they went through the storm before they encountered the land full of demons.  God conquered their fears first; then He sent them out to use His power.

Always remember WHO is in charge.  Those who remember to keep the power of God alive and dwelling within them have the power to overcome all demons and the demons will tremble at their command.   This is because they know WHO has the power and it is God, not their weak human flesh.  This is because those who know Jesus will be prepared from their time in the boat, and they will be quick and sure to follow the example that Jesus showed them through this odd little often ignored story.

Once again I tell you, the man was living among the dead.  Have you ever found yourself living among the dead? 

Do you hang out with people who don’t have the living power of God dwelling inside of them and think that they will bring you out of your misery?  Well, they can only take you further down to the pits of hell.  Misery loves company.  Choose your companions wisely.  If you spend your life hanging out among the dead you are going to begin to collect demons.  That is where they dwell.  They can’t dwell in the people who have the living power of God inside of them. 

If The Holy Spirit inhabits your soul there will be no room for the demons.  Stay filled up!  This man in the story didn’t make very wise choices in friendship.  He chose the dead instead of the living.

It would have been okay for him to go out there hoping to help those who had the sad life among the graves, but that is not what he was doing.  He was there to become like them, to live their sad lifestyle until it destroyed him.  If you venture out to a place full of spiritually dead people, give your testimony, pray for them, ask God to remove their demons, ask God to remove the curses they leave like a trail behind them.  Love their souls and pray for them, but move on out of the land of the dead afterwards.  

Come back into the fold to be refilled with life.  Come back to the land of the living where your people dwell.  Come back to the place of God’s presence and avoid the demons unless God specifically tells you to go there.  He will need for you to do this at times, but when your mission is done, come home to The Church, the place where God has put his name and the place that is about LIFE and not death.  If all goes well, you will be bringing those with new life back with you. 

If the demons are truly cast out, the people seeking help will be re-clothed.  The robe of the blood of Jesus will cover them, and they will come and sit at His feet and worship with you.  It is up to them to decide. God does not twist people’s arm to make decisions.  He allows free will.  He wants true love, not desperate love that comes and goes with every circumstance in life.  You cannot decide for anyone else.  Every man must choose for himself.  

This man knowingly and intentionally kept inflicting wound upon wound upon himself.   We do that when we don’t turn to God and ask forgiveness for our own sins, and that opens the door wide for demons to dwell. 

Why I don’t know, but often we who know better just keep returning to those same old sins, inflicting wound upon wound, knowing we do wrong and knowing that we aren’t following God, until we reach the place where we let too many demons come upon us.  

This sad state is often found even among the faithful of God who attend church regularly.  If you had a demon detector that made the demons people bring in the door every Sabbath show up, you might be surprised and even afraid to sit on your favorite pew.   Leave them alone until the time it right, they are seeking Jesus and that is the first step.  When people truly begin to worship and praise God; the demons will flee of their own accord. 

This was the state of the man who came to Jesus in the story.  He had opened too many doors and too many demons had taken over.  He was in a very helpless state.  They now controlled him; and he thought it was useless to fight them anymore.  He gave himself over to them and they just became stronger and stronger.  The passage tells of how strong they were.  Someone had tried to bind the man to keep him from inflicting pain upon himself.  He had broken the binds.  Someone had shackled him and he had even broken the shackles.

This is what happens when you know you are giving in to your demons and you decide to ask a weak Christian who hasn’t spent much time before God earnestly seeking His will to pray for you about this.     They have a little power because they are covered in the blood of Jesus; so they can pray a little prayer that will temporarily bind the demons, but then the demons will break the binds and the process will start all over again.  Maybe another demon will join them, and it will become twice as strong as before.  The demon possessed person must seek Jesus!  The person praying with them must be strong in The Lord and be walking in purity and truth before The Lord.  Discernment matters.  If you are in a weak spiritual state, please excuse yourself from praying against demons.  It will only harm the person needing help. 

The passage says there were shackles put on the man and they were broken too.  Shackles are thick locked chains that can’t usually be broken, but the demons were so many that they were broken.  An army of demons can easily break shackles; but one word from Jesus can stop them in their tracks! 

So let me say it another way, for emphasis:  How do you get rid of an army of demons? 

Good question!  YOU can’t, but Jesus CAN.  You ask Jesus to pass through the area and cast them out and send them where Jesus wills for them to go, never to return.  Jesus has the power to do this.  If He dwells inside of you and you are truly submitted to His will, you can request this and it will happen. 

So Jesus passed through the land and the man became aware of him.  The demons inside of the man were under the authority of Jesus and they knew it.  They FEARED Him.  They knew He had the power to cast them into utter darkness into the abyss forever.  They bowed before Jesus and pleaded for mercy.

When they bowed before Jesus we are told that He told them to come out of the man and He asked them what their name was.

When you are confronting another person’s demons and trying to help them, be sure Jesus is there with you.  Stay prayed up.  If you know and feel the power of Jesus in you, command the demons to bow before Jesus.  Then do what Jesus did.  Ask them their names.  You have to know how many demons you are dealing with.  It isn’t impossible to deal with many demons. In this story Jesus was dealing with a legion!  Can you imagine how long it must have taken just for all of them to tell Jesus their names? So many names bowing before The King of Kings, waiting in fear to see what He is going to do with them! 

My friends, it is important to understand something.  Legions of demons are the reason this country is in the shape it is in.  Armies form principalities.  We are told to pray against the principalities of the devil. The church isn’t on its knees enough for bringing those demons to bow before Jesus and name who they are and what they are up to.  

We are guilty of remaining lukewarm.  We are guilty of carrying around our own demons and letting them prevent us from casting the demons out of others.  If you have been doing this – confess your sins to God and beg for mercy and forgiveness.  You can cast the demons out of your own life.  They should have no power over you.  Every time you confess and God grants forgiveness they have to leave.  Don’t let them accumulate until you allow a legion!  Get rid of them.  

Most of the time people are only tormented by demons that come and go.  Real possession is rare, though it can happen.  These weak little demons are so insignificant before the throne of God.  Use the authority Jesus gave you when He died for you and allow His blood to cast them out. 

Then; when you are clean and filled up with the Holy Spirit until it spills out and runs over, join the REAL army.  Go help clean up the legions that are attacking the church, our land, our nation, and the nations of the world.  

Seek The Kingdom of God every day.  

Get that army of demons to bow before Jesus, get them to say who they are.  Ask Jesus to send them to the place He chooses to send them.  If the whole church would stand up and do this, we would not have the problems we have today.  We would only have a clean, pure, loving home here on earth where we are waiting on our Bridegroom to come for us.  Our dwelling place would be prepared and ready for the King of Kings, and He would return to find his true love waiting, clean and ready for service before Him.  The church needs to get this picture.

It has always puzzled me as to why Jesus honored the request of the demons and sent them into a herd of swine, and why the demons even wanted Him to do this.  Why did He have mercy on those demons and not send them straight to the abyss?  When they went into the swine and the swine ran off the cliff and died, what happened to the demons at that point? 

There is definitely another lesson to learn here.  The people of the region were allowing sin to exist and run rampant among them.  They had not taken control of the area and had not put their land under the Kingdom Authority of God; hence the demonic activity freely ruled the land.  Did they repent when they saw the miracle of Jesus?  NO!  They were simply fascinated that it happened.  They were probably disgusted that they lost their investment in the pigs.  

They considered it, became fearful and asked Jesus to leave.  Can you imagine that?  Yet, it happens in churches across America everyday!  People come and sight-see.  They observe great miracles done in the name of Jesus.  And they walk away and go right back to their homes full of sins and demons. 

Will America ever get this? 

The people of the land in this story were not a bit changed when Jesus, The Son of God, passed by.

So, who was changed? 

The only one in that whole land that changed was the man that Jesus healed. 

One man.  I am reminded of The Good Shepherd who leaves the many to go and save the one.   

It was said that the local people were amazed to see the man clean and clothed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, begging to follow Him and go with Him.   

Isn’t that us all after Jesus comes and cleans up our demons?  He cleans us and clothes us with the robes of righteousness.  He covers us with His cloak, that cloak of the wedding feast that will allow us the grace to enter the Father’s banquet one day.  We find ourselves sitting at the feet of Jesus, hungry and thirsty to know more of HIM.  We find ourselves completely in love with him, wanting to go where He goes and do what He does. 

He didn’t allow the man to go with him.  Jesus needed that man right were he was.  It was now up to him to live out a life before God that would bring all the other people to know the truth of The Kingdom.   

We are in the same situation.  We long to be in our heavenly home, but for now, He looks at us and smiles and tells us to go home and tell others what God has done for us, just like the man in the story.  Jesus goes on to prepare a place for us in Heaven that the Father will one day bring down to earth for The Kingdom of God where Jesus will reign as King of Kings and we, His Bride, will be beside Him forever.  We have a lot to look forward to!  In the meantime, we have a lot of work to do.  It is a privilege not a task. 

The healed man did just the right thing.  He went off to tell others what God had done for him.  The demons no longer had any power over him; and he had been granted the blessing of a life with God for eternity.   

It was the greatest gift the man could ever receive.  

Will you receive it too?  

Will you join the family and come into the Kingdom today?  I promise you, all demons will flee and your life will be changed forever. 

SEASONS - REMEMBERING THE BEGINNINGS OF THANKSGIVING

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I find myself in a continuous pattern of thankfulness as we go through the calendar months of October, November and December in America. 

It all starts with the Hebrew Festival called The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot, which has already come and gone for this year.  Each year at this festival my heart is overwhelmed with Thanksgiving, then follows America’s Thanksgiving Holiday bringing more reminders of thankfulness.  I’m often reminded that Sukkot probably was the first original form of a Thanksgiving celebration. 

Among the many, many things I am grateful for this year is the fact that we have a God Who has perfectly orchestrated the history of our country, making our American roots beautiful and unique.  My eyes are opened to this fact every time I look at the similarities between Sukkot and The American Holiday of Thanksgiving. 

The Hebrew Feast of Tabernacles or Booths begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after the crops are all gathered in for the winter.  So  we see this similar pattern already in that this too  is a fall harvest activity, very much in the nature of The American Thanksgiving holiday.   

God instructed the Israelites to observe the Feast of Tabernacles by building and living in temporary booths for seven days so that they would remember the exodus from Egypt when they lived in tents, or booths, in the dessert.  It was to help them to remember how God dwelt among them and tabernacled with them as they sojourned to a new land.  In other words it was a time to remember all the good and great things that God had done for them. 

Exodus 25:8 speaks of this:   “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” (NIV)

There were also other reasons for dwelling in booths near the threshing floors.  Threshing floors were the place of the harvest.  The harvest was income.  The threshing floors were always in danger of being robbed.  This was less likely to happen if someone was sleeping in a temporary booth in the fields until all the 
grain was removed.  It was customary for the family to move out to the vicinity of the threshing floor in order to work together as well as to protect the harvest.  

The mother would prepare meals there in the shade and she would take her turn with the father and the children to ride on the sledge.  

This was what was going on when Ruth approached Boaz.  He was sleeping in a Sukkah near the threshing floor guarding the grain.  

The ancient people gladly added God’s instructions for the Holy Days to this tradition, and they turned this time into a joyous celebration full of Thanksgiving. 

 Isn’t that just like our Great God to turn dread and fear into a time of celebration and joy?  He is a God of great reversals. 

We look at the Hebrew people dwelling in booths during The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot and we can't help but think of the lean-tos on the sides of the first log cabins that the settlers built.  They were temperory dwellings with three sides and a door.  They were often the shelter offereed to strangers passing through to spend the night.  They were a form of exteneded hospitality, just like a sukkah has come to be in today's celebrations.

Historians now note that the first Jews arrived in America with Christopher Columbus in 1492.  Jews newly converted to Christianity were also among the first Spaniards to live in Mexico with Conquistador Hernando Cortez in 1519.  In North America in 1654 Jews arrived in New Amsterdam which later came to be known as New York.  There were 23 Jewish refugees from Recif, Brazil. 
 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)

The Hebrew feast is celebrated by a full week of rejoicing, dancing, singing and feasting and is called “The Season of our Joy”.  Many of us gathering for Thanksgiving in America find ourselves doing the same things with all the same intentions in our hearts.  We too find our year coming to a close and are looking at the harvests of our lives for this season.  We are thankful for the ways that God has chosen to bless us. 

There seems to be a widely held opinion that The Pilgrim/Puritans based Thanksgiving on their knowledge of The Feast of Tabernacles.  The Puritans were great followers of the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Bible was the Puritan’s most important guide to living.  They could have noticed the description of The Feast of Tabernacles found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and followed this pattern for their own celebration.  Also, there could have been some Jewish believers among these first settlers who might have been keeping these traditional feasts all along.  There was a group that moved to the Netherlands before joining the pilgrims from England as they began their journey across the sea.  These had lived among the Dutch and had associated with Jewish believers in that land who would have kept the festival of Sukkot. 

It is extremely clear that the laws of the first colonies were based on biblical principals from the scriptures.  The New Haven legislators adopted a legal code called the Code of 1655 that contained 79 statutes.  Half of these 79 statutes included biblical references, and it is very clear that they came from the Hebrew bible.  The Plymouth Colony had a similar law code, and so did the Massachusetts Colony.  In 1641 the Massachusetts Colony adopted The Capital Laws of New England.  These laws were based almost entirely on the Mosaic law. 

It is highly possible that some of our American heroes might have been from people of Jewish roots who had come to the shores of America long before the Mayflower ever sailed.   

Already living in the land at the time, they may have been among those who came to the aid of the pilgrims that first year.  Many wanted to turn these Jewish brothers away and chase them out of the area, but The Dutch West Indian Company depended heavily on their investments and helped them to stay.  By the time of The War of Independence, there was an estimated 2,000, mostly Sephardic Jews living in America.  Their contributions to the causes of the country were very significant.  Not only did they fight alongside of the Patriots, but these Jews provided great financial contributions in the years after the first colonies arrived.  One of the greatest among them was Haym Salomon, who lent a great deal of money to The Continental Congress in the last days of the war.  He was never paid back a dime and died bankrupt.

There was also a well known metallurgist named Gaunse who had come to America with a Spanish expedition from the Queen of England.  Jews were not allowed to go to the colonies at that time, but this man was so knowledgeable about copper that an exception was allowed in his case. 

So it is highly possible that some Jewish thoughts were floating around among the colonies.  This coupled with the strict interpretations and emphasis on the scriptures might have contributed to the first Thanksgiving celebration.

Their feast was held after their fall harvest, just as the one the Hebrews held.  

The chain of events leading up to the first Thanksgiving in America is amazing when you think about it.  The Pilgrims too had made a great exodus to come to a new place where they would be allowed to worship God as they chose to do, in the way that they thought God intended.  The Israelites crossed the Red Sea; the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean.  Both journeys were filled with dangers and perils.  Upon arriving at their destination both groups experienced apprehension and adjustments.  They had to gather their courage to be brave in an unfamiliar land, and they had to learn to get along with strange people who had totally different cultures.  Both brave groups of people had to learn how to live in peace and harmony with those around them even if they had great differences in lifestyles.  For these Pilgrims America had become The Promised Land.   So it was that they recognized and followed the customs of the Israelites who had for many years given thanks for abundant harvests in the eight day celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. 

The land of England where the colonist hailed from originally had a custom to observe a Harvest Festival, but the Pilgrims had not associated themselves with their homeland’s festivals because of their many pagan customs.  Once they arrived in America, they made every effort to observe things in their days that were accurately associated with God.  They were more concerned with religious matters than politics or social issues.  It is also thought that they adopted a Sabbatarian view of observing the Sabbath from sunset on Friday till sunset on Saturday.  They were heavily influenced by preaching and teachings on Millennialism.  They believed there would be a “Golden Age” or “Paradise on Earth” in which Christ will reign for 1000 years prior to the final judgment of mankind.  This all plays into the theology of the Christian symbolism in the celebration of Sukkot, which many Christians today live out once a year in sort of a “dress rehearsal” of The Millennial Kingdom of Christ.  These fundamentals of Christian doctrine are now commonly taught practices and observances in most evangelical based churches of faith today. 

The Puritans chose to separate themselves from The Church of England based on the following scripture passage:  “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:22-23). 

These Puritans/Pilgrims did everything according to the truth they found in the scriptures.  They followed The Word of God in a strict and detailed manner.  In other words they believed in living out the scriptures in their daily lives.  The passage said to “flee” when you are persecuted for worshiping God; and so they did.  On a ship called The Mayflower.  102 passengers began the long voyage.  Though the mast of their ship broke in a severe storm, they were able to repair it and eventually found themselves on the shores of Provincetown Harbor, Massachusetts.  When the mast was broken there was discussion of turning back.  Everyone decided to take the risk and keep going forward. The first use of the word “Pilgrims” appeared in William Bradford’s writings ‘Of Plymouth Plantation.’  In his writings he used the imagery of Hebrews 11:13-16 for those who had an opportunity to return to their homelands but instead longed for a better, heavenly country. 

There was nothing in this new land that required the education of the founder’s children.  Yet, these brave people felt education was very important and established their own unique system of studies.  John Winthrop declared that their schools should be the beginning of “A City Upon A Hill” that all the people turned to for education and learning.  The founders were not amateurs; most of them had attended either Oxford or Cambridge and before coming to the new land they had communicated with intellectuals throughout Europe.  Eventually the school they established became known as Harvard University.  My point in explaining this is to express that these were well educated men, highly capable of discerning mistakes and blunders of bad choices and totally capable of interpreting the scriptures with great intellect.  They had something special that many others did not, however; they had heart and passion for the fruit of their intellectual endeavors.  Oh that Harvard would return to its original roots.

So we see that even in the field of education, these very educated and knowledgeable men –patterned their lives after the culture of The Hebrew people and their stories that are played out in our Bibles.  Think of the similarities that we have discussed so far.  They both were people who set themselves apart in order to worship God in the way they thought He desired to be worshipped.  The Pilgrims considered the scriptures found in Deuteronomy 14:2: 

"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." (Deuteronomy 14:2)

The Pilgrims chose to pattern themselves after the nation that God chose and put His name upon; The Nation of Israel.  This being true, it is highly possible that these well learned men studied and followed the feast and festivals of God found in our Old Testament scriptures.  Perhaps they had read and understood the significance of Deuteronomy 6:3: 

"Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you - ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’" 

That first winter proved harsh and forbidding.  There were many illnesses and they were to the point of starvation in the first settlement.  They found the Hand of God was with them as they learned to get along with an unusual culture of people who were already living on the continent.  They cooperated with these Indians and combined their resources.  This is how they were able to rise above their problems.  They were humble before God and were willing to learn new things, and most of all they were willing to reach out and receive and return love from those that were not familiar to them. 

As we keep looking at the patterns of that first Feast of Tabernacles of the Hebrews and also observing our national ancestors, we see so many parallels.  It has been discovered that some of the Jewish New “Englanders kept track of these historical parallels too; that both people groups were persecuted for their beliefs, left their homes and came to a new land, survived the first year and celebrated a time of Thanksgiving before God after their Fall Harvest. It seems that William Bradford, who was the first governor of the Pilgrims proclaimed the first Thanksgiving by using the Scriptures – both from the Old and New Testaments for guidance in governing the colony. 

So we conclude that the hard and dangerous journey that led to Plymouth Rock, in a very real sense began with that earlier migration from Egyptian slavery toward Mount Sinai and led onward toward Ellis Island, and every other landing place where the later generations of pilgrims arrived at on these shores.

Today, as we approach Thanksgiving once more, the journey continues for America, for each of us, in our own lives and for all the people of our country as a whole. The Pilgrims were the first to sense that America had a unique destiny in human history.  Governor Bradford wrote, ‘just as one small candle may light a thousand others, and loose none of it’s own light, so too will we — but few in number — become a beacon for all people!”

May Governor Bradford’s words once again be so.  We Americans stand at a critical crossroad in our nation’s life. The challenge of keeping our freedom and liberty, of being able to work to provide for our families and the fight for living and raising our children in a godly manner and worshiping in a land that provides freedom and justice for all people to pursue and fulfill their dreams is still unrealized, even after 393 years since the Mayflower found its way to a safe harbor.  We too, may well have some dangerous seas and painful trials ahead of us, before we can gather with all our neighbors in a pure celebration of Thanksgiving once more.  But the example of our Pilgrim ancestors can continue to inspire and guide us as we reaffirm the freedom of conscience and independent spirit they stood for.  Let us all strive to again be “one nation under God” and  continue our quest for peace on earth, good will to man.

PIECES OF THE PUZZLE: WHY DID COLUMBUS SAIL THE OCEAN BLUE?

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

This article was written three years ago.  I found the facts fascinating then, and now I find them even more fascinating. 

Do you realize how many times the Jewish people and the Christian people have been driven out of their lands and homes because of their belief in God?  

It has happened continuously, over and over in the history of mankind.  If you begin to study this history, you also begin to see how the hand of God has worked in these things, despite the tragedies that took place.  

One example is that of the Alhambra Decree that drove the Jewish people out of Spain.  If you study the writings of modern day Spanish scholars, you uncover amazing truths about how history in American evolved.  You will hear of many things that are not recorded in the typical American History books or taught in American schools.  

Pondering  the Alhambra Decree and the devastation it must have brought to the Jewish community as they were driven from Spain has allowed me to stumble across some very interesting observations. 

I am so excited to share these historical possibilities with you.  Am I sure they are all completely true?  I will let you know the facts I have found, and you may decide that for yourself.  I never claim to be an expert or a perfect historian, so be sure to do your own homework and research all of the facts.  Ask God to reveal only the truth to you and know I am presenting the truth here as best I can discern it from my own limited research.  I have found it all very fascinating! 

As a first note, and just to make sure we set the record straight, after all these years, The Alhambra Decree, the Edict of Expulsion that ordered the Jews from the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon was formally revoked on December 16, 1968 after the Second Vatican Council. 

It is nice to clean up history this way.  It was a pleasant gesture of good will from the descendants of ungodly men, but as you know all of those who suffered and were affected were long dead and gone by the time of this apology.  

It appears from certain documents that Christopher Columbus signed his last will and testament on May 19, 1506, and in this document he made five very curious and revealing provisions.  Two of his wishes were that there would be a tithe of one-tenth of his income to the poor, and to that an anonymous dowry would be provided for a group of poor girls.  These requests were typical Jewish customs of the times. 

He also decreed to give money to a Jew who lived at the entrance of the Lisbon Jewish Quarter.  

In Simon Weisenthal's book, "Sails of Hope," he argues that Columbus's voyage  in which he discovered America was mostly motivated by a desire to find a safe haven for the Jews in light of their expulsion from Spain.  

In order to get the vision of this surprising discovery; we must trudge back through the paths of history.  

It seems that it all began in the 8^th century, when the Muslims had occupied and settled most of the Iberian Peninsula.   The Jewish people had lived in this region since Roman times and were called “The People Of The Book.”  They were given special status and even thrived under the Muslim rule.  The Jewish settlements flourished with learning and commerce until Iberia began to be reclaimed by Christendom and The Catholic Church.  Hostility toward the Jews gradually became more and more pronounced until it escalated in brutal episodes of violence and hostility.   Thousands of Jews escaped this violence by converting to Catholicism.  Many of these conversions were false moves, just done in order to save their lives, but not done from the heart or the head.    

From the 13th to the 16th centuries many European countries expelled the Jews from their territory, with Spain being preceded by England, France and German lands, among many others. So Spain does not provide any exception to a tragic history of the life of Jews among Christian nations.  

Then we move forward in time to the days of the reign of Ferdinand II and Isabella I.   This royal couple formed a union of the crowns of Aragon and Castile.  In 1948 King Ferdinand established the Spanish Inquisition in Aragon.  By the victory of the Battle of Granada Isabella took control of a large Jewish and Muslim population.  The Alhambra Decree was issued, and much persecution began.

Imagine yourself as a Jew living during the time of these Crusades.  How tragic life must have seemed for them.  During the same time in a small town called Genoa, Italy; lived a boy named Christopher Columbus.  Imagine how he came to be there.  His first language was Castilian Spanish.  About one hundred years before his birth many Jewish people had been forced to leave Castile.  Large numbers of these refugees had come to Genoa, Italy.   14^th Century Castilian Spanish is the “Yiddish” of Spanish Jewry,  and is also known as “Ladino.”  This was the native language spoken by Christopher Columbus.   

Forget all that you have been taught in elementary school for a moment, and imagine the life of the young Christopher Columbus.  Perhaps, by leaving all previously taught knowledge, you might even be able to see him as a young boy of Jewish ancestry  growing up in Genoa, Italy, like many other young boys of Jewish ancestry at that time.  What would your life have been like?   

When the new king and queen came into power over the area the Jews were forced to renounce Judaism and embrace Catholicism.  The people who decided to do this were called “Conversos” or Converts.  The people who were already Catholic liked to call them “new converts” in order to distinguish them from themselves. 

If your Jewish family stayed true to the Jewish traditions under this rule, your life might have been lived secretly, and your religious beliefs might have been hidden from the government.  That is, if your family held to the “Marrano” traditions of that time.  The “Marranos,” (another word for “swine,”)  were those who faked a conversion to the Catholic Church, practicing Catholicism outwardly while covertly practicing Judaism.  Tens of thousands of Marranos were tortured in the Spanish Inquisition.  They were pressured to offer up the names of friends and family members who were ultimately paraded in front of crowds, tied to stakes and burned alive.  Their land and personal possessions were then divvied up by the church and crown.  

 History tells us that Granada was the last Muslim stronghold in the Iberian Peninsula at the time.  The other countries around it had been united by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, who had converted them to Christianity under the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.  Granda fell too in the year of 1492, when Christopher Columbus had grown into a young man.  This brought an end to the Muslim domination of Spain that had lasted nearly 800 years.  Spain returned to being a completely Christian country.    What if Christopher Columbus had secretly been a young Jewish man living in a former Muslim country that was now being completely converted to Christianity? 

All of the kingdoms in the area under Ferdinand and Isabella came to be called Spain.  Ferdinand and Isabella decided to throw all the Jews out of Spain.  They were not just targeting Jews who had never converted to Christianity anymore.  These Monarchs proclaimed an Edict of Expulsion and signed it into effect on March 31 of 1492.  They did not want the Jews left in the country to re-Judaize the converses.  Also, Jewish money was now needed to rebuild the kingdom after the costly war against the Muslims.  Instead of taxing the Jews, they thought it easier and faster to just expel them all at once and to confiscate the wealth and property they would leave behind. 

 Some scholars now believe that Christopher Columbus sailed to America to protect and find refuge for his Jewish brothers and sisters at the time of the Alhambra Decree during the Crusades.  Pope Urban II declared the Crusades on the 9^th of AV in 1492; which displaced many Jewish people from their lands.  Countless Jews were tortured and murdered on this day.    On the very same day, Columbus left on his route through the West Indies, and there is much evidence from history to reference that the Jewish people were established in America even before the pilgrims! 

What an astonishing discovery!  These facts are not at all in keeping with what I learned in my old history classes in elementary school growing up.  We were taught that Christopher Columbus set out from Spain to discover new lands for the Spanish throne.   There was no mention of his being Jewish, and actually no mention of the good King and Queen not liking the Jews because they were Catholic.  We were simply told that the Queen was a “Christian.”   We were actually told that Christopher Columbus was an Italian from Genoa, and that the good queen and king backed his adventures with their funds. 

Recently a number of Spanish scholars, such as Jose Erugo, Celso Garcia de la Riega, Otero Sanchez and Nicholas Dias Perez, have concluded that Columbus was a Marrano, whose survival depended upon the suppression of all evidence of his Jewish background in face of the brutal systemic, ethnic cleansing due to the Alhambra Decree.

There is documented evidence that Columbus's voyage was not as it is commonly believed, funded by the deep pockets of Queen Isabella, but rather by two Jewish Conversos and another prominent Jew.  Louis d Santengel and Gabriel Sanchez  are said to have advanced an interest free loan of 17,000 ducats from their own pockets to help pay for the voyage.  

Some historians now believe the first two letters Columbus sent back from his journey were not to Ferdinand and Isabella, but to Santangel and Sanchez, thanking them for their support and telling them what he had found.  This evidence seems to bear out a far more complicated picture of the man named Columbus.  As we witness bloodshed the world over in the name of religious freedom, it is valuable to take another look at this brave soul who sailed the seas in search of such freedoms and landed in a place that would eventually come to hold such an ideal at its very foundation.

Some even believe it could be possible that Christopher Columbus was actually on a quest to liberate Jerusalem from the Muslims.  We cannot know for sure.  If this is all true, it would be because his true identity was being hidden. 

On the document of his will Columbus marked a triangular signature of dots and letters that resembled inscriptions found on grave stones of the Jewish cemeteries in Spain. He ordered his heirs to use the signature in perpetuity.  According to British historian Cecil Roth's "The History of the Marranos;"   the anagram was a cryptic substitute for the Kaddish, a prayer recited in the synagogue by mourners after the death of a close relative.   It is also stated that Columbus left money to support the crusade he hoped his successors would take up to liberate the Holy Land.

Many of the letters Columbus wrote to his son were later found and each of them contained the Hebrew letters bet-hei, which means "with God's help."  This was a custom of observant Jews for centuries; to add this blessing to their letters.  No letters written to others outside of the family bear this work.  

Scholars also point to the date on which Columbus set sail as further evidence of his true motives. He was originally going to sail on a day that happened to coincide with the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av.  Columbus postponed this original sail date by one day to avoid embarking on the holiday, which would have been considered by Jews to be an unlucky day to set sail.  That made the timing of the actual day he did set forth the very day that Jews were given the choice of converting, leaving Spain, or being killed.

Most seem to agree that there's hardly a question that Columbus's voyage to America was spiritually linked to the expulsion. Just as one of the greatest Jewish communities of Medieval Europe was being destroyed, God was opening up the doors of what was going to eventually become the greatest Diaspora refuge for Jews in history -  a place called America.

Is this replacement theology in the making?  Not at all!  It is just the continuing of God’s long, unending story.  In this it has been stated that “before God made the disease, He made the cure.” 

Another interesting fact is that though we can’t prove exactly that Columbus was Jewish, we can know that the tools that he used in his journey were all made possible by Jewish inventions, such as the tools of the navigators called the quadrant and the astral lobe.   All that were used during this period of history were of Jewish manufacture.  In fact, the quadrant then in use was called “Jacob’s Staff,” it was invented by Rabbi Levi ben Gershon.  The atlas that Columbus used was known as the Catalon Atlas. It was the creation of the Cresca Family who were Jews from Majorca, Spain. Not only was the Catalon Atlas considered the greatest and most significant collection of maps at the time, it had no competition to speak of.  Jews had a virtual monopoly on map making because they had gained valuable information from Jewish merchants from all over the known world all throughout their history to that point. 

Another thing we must consider in this fascinating history is the fact that Spain, having discovered and colonized the new World, should have been the wealthiest of countries, but in fact was bankrupt within one hundred years of the expulsion. Turkey, who welcomed the Jews who migrated there from Spain, on the other hand, prospered. The Ottoman Empire became one of the greatest powers in the world. The next two sultans, Selim I and Suleiman I, expanded the empire as far as Vienna, Austria.

One has to recall the blessing of Abraham when considering these facts.   God had given Abraham and his descendants a special blessing:  "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and through you, will be blessed all the families of the earth." (Genesis 12:3)

To quote Thomas Newton-The Bishop of Bristol (1704-1782):

The preservation of the Jews is really one of the most single and illustrious acts of Divine Providence... and what but a supernatural power could have preserved them in such a manner as none other nation upon earth hath been preserved. Nor is the providence of God less remarkable in the destruction of their enemies, than in their preservation... We see that the great empires, which in their turn subdued and oppressed the people of God, are all come to ruin... And if such hath been the fatal end of the enemies and oppressors of the Jews, let it serve as a warning to all those, who at any time or upon any occasion are for raising a clamor and persecution against them.

This is the pattern of history that continues to repeat itself over and over.  

You can literally chart the rise and fall of empires by how they treated the Jews.