If you grew up during the Cold War, you know about the Berlin Wall. After World War II, the political ideologies between the USSR and most of the West became more and more at odds. Finally, Communism overtook Eastern Europe and most of Asia. Nikita Kruschev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party in the USSR, made it plain that their goal was to completely conquer the rest of the World. We all grew up a little anxious. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, which we explored in another post, we were a hair's breadth from World War III. All of the school children in my Florida county wore dog tags, had a stash of canned goods with their names on it in the classrooms, and practiced diving under their desks whenever a plane flew over. Many of our neighbors built bomb shelters in their backyards.
One of the symbols of Communism and the terror it caused was the Berlin Wall. After the war, Germany was divided into East (Communist) and West (free) sections. And the capital city Berlin was divided into four zones, three controlled by western powers and 1 by the Communists. After East Germany lost 1/6 of its population (4 million) to those who were escaping, the leaders decided to build the wall. It went up in one night, August 12-13, 1961, first as strands of barbed wire. As time went on, buildings were torn down to add two concrete walls, dog runs, bright lights, even mine fields, and "the order to shoot" was given to the guards. The wall ran 155 km in length straight across the city center and around West Berlin. At least 140 people died trying to cross the wall. 70 tunnels were dug, only 19 of which were successful, but over 300 people managed to escape that way.
The Berlin Wall stood for almost 30 years. Along came Mikhail Gorbachev, and a new policy called glastnost, a new openness in Soviet government. A few people were no longer terrified to say a few things against the system. Still, many were afraid to cause trouble. Perhaps it was the leftover fear from the Cold War, but perhaps it was just the usual fear that leads to something called "diplomacy," which too often means compromise. Finally an American president stood up to the system he dared to call an "Evil Empire." In a speech in Berlin on June 12, 1987, Ronald Reagan said:
"Behind me stands a wall that circles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe…Standing before the Brandenburg Gate,every man is a German, separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to l ook upon a scar---As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind…
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate.
"Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
The fall of the "Iron Curtain," as Communism had begun to be called, began 2 years later, and the wall was down by 1990. Most historians say this speech helped to that end, even though many of his own advisors tried to stifle President Reagan, even on the very day he gave it. To the East Germans it was liberation.
Christians are aware of another Wall that has come down, a wall Jesus himself brought down. Wherefore remember, that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, [so] making peace Eph 2: 11-15.
The wall between Jew and Gentile was a wall far larger than any other has ever been. It began back in Genesis as God whittled down the population into the one group through whom the Messiah would be born. Nation after nation was rejected and the Jews, rather than being the light to the Gentiles, did their best to alienate themselves from them, creating a hatred that lasted through the centuries. Now Christ has torn down that hated wall and made freedom available to all--the greatest freedom we can imagine—freedom from sin and death. I am one of the liberated, and perhaps you are too.
People today may have forgotten the horror of the Berlin Wall, but the destruction of that other wall should never be forgotten, and no one, regardless his race, gender, or status in life should be denied the description "child of God." Praise God for tearing down the Wall and making us all one new people. Let no one separate us from each other again.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for as many as were immersed into Christ put on Christ; there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither servant nor freeman, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus; and if you [are] of Christ then you are seed of Abraham, and heirs according to promise Gal3:26-29.
Dene Ward
One of the symbols of Communism and the terror it caused was the Berlin Wall. After the war, Germany was divided into East (Communist) and West (free) sections. And the capital city Berlin was divided into four zones, three controlled by western powers and 1 by the Communists. After East Germany lost 1/6 of its population (4 million) to those who were escaping, the leaders decided to build the wall. It went up in one night, August 12-13, 1961, first as strands of barbed wire. As time went on, buildings were torn down to add two concrete walls, dog runs, bright lights, even mine fields, and "the order to shoot" was given to the guards. The wall ran 155 km in length straight across the city center and around West Berlin. At least 140 people died trying to cross the wall. 70 tunnels were dug, only 19 of which were successful, but over 300 people managed to escape that way.
The Berlin Wall stood for almost 30 years. Along came Mikhail Gorbachev, and a new policy called glastnost, a new openness in Soviet government. A few people were no longer terrified to say a few things against the system. Still, many were afraid to cause trouble. Perhaps it was the leftover fear from the Cold War, but perhaps it was just the usual fear that leads to something called "diplomacy," which too often means compromise. Finally an American president stood up to the system he dared to call an "Evil Empire." In a speech in Berlin on June 12, 1987, Ronald Reagan said:
"Behind me stands a wall that circles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe…Standing before the Brandenburg Gate,every man is a German, separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to l ook upon a scar---As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind…
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate.
"Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
The fall of the "Iron Curtain," as Communism had begun to be called, began 2 years later, and the wall was down by 1990. Most historians say this speech helped to that end, even though many of his own advisors tried to stifle President Reagan, even on the very day he gave it. To the East Germans it was liberation.
Christians are aware of another Wall that has come down, a wall Jesus himself brought down. Wherefore remember, that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, [so] making peace Eph 2: 11-15.
The wall between Jew and Gentile was a wall far larger than any other has ever been. It began back in Genesis as God whittled down the population into the one group through whom the Messiah would be born. Nation after nation was rejected and the Jews, rather than being the light to the Gentiles, did their best to alienate themselves from them, creating a hatred that lasted through the centuries. Now Christ has torn down that hated wall and made freedom available to all--the greatest freedom we can imagine—freedom from sin and death. I am one of the liberated, and perhaps you are too.
People today may have forgotten the horror of the Berlin Wall, but the destruction of that other wall should never be forgotten, and no one, regardless his race, gender, or status in life should be denied the description "child of God." Praise God for tearing down the Wall and making us all one new people. Let no one separate us from each other again.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for as many as were immersed into Christ put on Christ; there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither servant nor freeman, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus; and if you [are] of Christ then you are seed of Abraham, and heirs according to promise Gal3:26-29.
Dene Ward
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