02 Life Encounter: It's Battle Series

Romans 8:31KJV

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

-Sobibor - 1942-1943

- “Escape from Sobibor” – Movie 1987

- Hitler blamed the Jews for all of Germany’s losses in World War I

- Hitler hated anyone and everyone who was not of the "Aryan race"

- Holocaust took 5-6 million people

- Extermination death camp hocusing 700 Jewish workers

- 19 months 250,000 Jews were murdered in Sobibor

- This = 439 murdered every day at Sobibor

Three gas chambers, about 12 feet by 12 feet, each of which could hold about 160-180 people. Carbon monoxide generated by a diesel engine mounted outside was piped into the gas chambers. The killing took between 20-30 min. The corpses were removed from a second door and buried in huge, specially excavated pits. Carts, and later trolleys on a small rail track, were used to carry deportees who were too infirm to walk to the burial pits where they were shot so as not to delay the killing process.

During this time, the death camp at Treblinka had an escape, causing the Commandant at Sobibor to vow (actually threaten) that his camp would never experience the same thing.

Sobibor was surrounded by a triple line of barbed wire fencing and guarded by watchtowers, land mines were outside this area

Sgt. Gustav Wagner: ‘This morning, two prisoners escaped from North Camp. Thirteen other prisoners, no doubt inspired by their idiotic example, also tried to escape. If any of you would like to cheer, go right ahead. There will be no more escape attempts in this camp. I’ll repeat that. THERE WILL BE NO MORE ESCAPE ATTEMPTS IN THIS CAMP!!”

But those who were its captives, the Jewish laborers that had been spared from the ovens, knew that they were on borrowed time and that their only hope was to escape... the only question was how to do it. However, because the Germans would kill an equal number of others whenever a group attempted to escape, the captives knew that if ever an escape was tried, all 600 prisoners in the camp would have to be included... logistically precluding any ideas about tunnels or sneak breakouts. Indeed, to have such a mass escape could only mean that the Ukrainian guards and Germain officers would have to be killed, which many of the Jews felt simply reduced themselves to no better than their captors... thus making it a struggle of conscience. And therein lies the story, with the film being based on a factual account of what then happened at that Sobibor prison.

- Oct 14, 1943

- Approximately 300 prisoners managed to escape, but most were killed later as they fled.

- Those remaining at the camp were quickly liquidated by the Germans.

- All in all, only approximately 50 Jewish prisoners escaped Sobibor

- The escape forced the Nazis to close the death camp, dismantling it and planting a forest to hide what they had done.

- Sin is out to exterminate us

- We are held in it’s extermination death camp

- Jesus has broken through to set us free

- v. 31 What shall we then say to these things....

- This question goes back to Rom 8:28-30

- v.31 If God be for us

- This is not a question but an affirmation — Since

- “IF” A conjunction joining two ideas or thoughts together

- Joining v.28-30 with v.31

- Eight “These Things” words form an unbreakable chain links

Romans 8:28-30 NCV

28 We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan. 29 God knew them before he made the world, and he chose them to be like his Son so that Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. 30 God planned for them to be like his Son; and those he planned to be like his Son, he also called; and those he called, he also made right with him; and those he made right, he also glorified.

❶. WHO IS AGAINST ME?

1. Satan is against me.

- All his force, malice, subtlety, and skill

- He and his forces are against me

1 Peter 5:8KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

2. The world is against me.

- It’s attractions and allurements lies to me

John 15:18-19KJV If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.