Friday, March 6, 2015

Sign 36 – Second World War and Holocaust

Year: 1935-1949

The book of Mosiah ends with the death of Mosiah2 and Alma1.
This ended the reign of the kings and began the reign of the judges with Alma2 being the first judge. We begin the reign of Alma2 in the book of Alma in 91 BC (1935). Wars and contentions among the people are covered during the next 15 years which ends in 75 BC (1949). These events are covered in Alma 1 through Alma 28. The events covered in the Book of Mormon during this time period are a pattern of the Second World War and the holocaust when over six million Jews murdered.

Alma 28:2
2 And thus there was a tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the people in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; yea, and tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad.

The greatest battle the Nephites had ever seen occurred during this 15 year period beginning in 91 BC (1935). This is about the time that Hitler came to power in Nazi Germany. The period from 1935 to 1949 was a tragic time for the Jews. Hitler passionately hated them and used them as a scapegoat for his personal conflicts and frustrations. World War Two began in Asia in 1937 as the second Sino-Japanese war and in Europe in 1939 with Germany invading Poland. The Second World War ended in 1945. This is the greatest battle that has ever happened in modern history with over 60 million people killed.

Alma 28:3-6
3 Yea, and also there was a tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi….
4 And now this was a time that there was a great mourning and lamentation heard throughout all the land, among all the people of Nephi—
5 Yea, the cry of widows mourning for their husbands, and also of fathers mourning for their sons, and the daughter for the brother, yea, the brother for the father; and thus the cry of mourning was heard among all of them, mourning for their kindred who had been slain.
6 And now surely this was a sorrowful day….

The atrocity of the holocaust was a great tragedy for the Jewish people. There were about 9 million Jews in Western Europe in 1935 but by the end of the Second World War there were only about 3 million. It was a great day of sorrow with the people lamenting and mourning for their family members who had been murdered.

In 1945 the United Nations was established and in 1948 they created a homeland in Israel for the Jewish people. After nearly 2000 years the Jews had a homeland to which they could return.

Alma 28:3
3 … the people of Nephi returned again to their land.

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