In the Garden of Beasts: Do we learn anything from history? Regarding Iran, apparently not.

This is a fascinating portrayal of Germany's slow descent into terror and atrocity. The story begins in 1933 and is told through two lives: William Dodd, America's first ambassador to Nazi Germany, and Martha, his daughter. Dodd is an unusual pick for ambassador since he's not a member of the wealthy, good-old-boys ambassadorial club, and has great difficulty getting everyone except Roosevelt to see what is developing in Nazi Germany (unfortunately Roosevelt can't act because of political pressures). 

Martha, on the other hand, is blinded for almost a year by the glitz, glamour, and power of the Nazi regime, and fails to see the evil lurking in its heart. She throws herself into multiple affairs, including one with the head of the Gestapo and one with a Russian spy, and indulges in the society of the wealthy and well-known in Nazi Germany. The contrast between the two main characters is a powerful testament as to how so many people could fail to see the danger Nazi Germany posed to the whole world.

They witness the Night of the Long Knives and see a lot of their friends killed or gone into hiding or exile.

When the Dodd's first arrived in Germany, Hitler's power was not yet complete, the major obstacles being President Hindenburg and the army. In addition, there were rivalries and overlap among the SA (Storm Troopers under Ernst Rohm), the SS (security forces), and the Gestapo (the secret police). Any delusions of the world community that Hitler would follow rules of law and be confined to his duties as chancellor came to an abrupt end on the night of June 30, 1934, when he rounded up several hundred officials and others who he deemed to be a threat, including Rohm, and had them summarily executed. Even then, Hitler was able to convince the vast majority of Germans that his actions were in their best interests.

There are striking similarities between Hitler's rise to power in Germany and current day Iran led by the mad man, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Hitler pretended to be a man of peace so he could buy time to rearm and prepare for war. That's exactly what Ahmadinejad is doing in Iran. He puts up with our stupid, toothless, ineffective economic sanctions and the sanctimonious talk from Sec. of State Hillary Clinton just so he can buy time to pursue his nuclear capability. He has succeeded and we have failed. As of this week, he proudly displayed for the world, Iran's first nuclear rod and the ability to now make nuclear weapons.

On May 12, 1934, Hitler's  propaganda minister, Goebbels, delivers a speech where he called Jews “the syphilis of all European peoples.” Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted that Israel and all of its citizens be annihilated and offered assistance to anyone who would do the job. 

Hitler ranted, but the world scoffed. Few imagined that Hitler could be serious about his plans, even as the Third Reich increasingly institutionalized Jew hatred in law; later, few believed the reports emanating from Germany in the1940s that Hitler was systematically slaughtering the Jews.

Today, Iran’s leaders are pursuing nuclear weapons while threatening to wipe out Israel, referring to the Jewish state in the vilest terms. Most recently, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, endorsed a doctrine that explains why it’s “legally and morally justified” to eliminate Israel.

“Israel is a cancerous tumor in the Middle East…” says a recent article by one of Khamenei’s top advisors, which he has endorsed and which has now appeared on many Iranian government and military websites. “The first step should be the absolute destruction of Israel. To this end, Iran could make use of long-range missiles. The distance between us is only 2,600 [kilometers]. It can be done in minutes.”

It has been observed that for evil to win all that needs happen is for good men to do nothing. That was what the United States government did, at least officially, for much of the lead-up to World War II. Too often chances to speak out and try to stop the madness that was engulfing Germany were ignored. Too frequently the atrocities were overlooked. Too many times our response to the crisis over there was nothing, nothing, nothing... and that's exactly what we are doing today: NOTHING! And, when Israel makes overtures towards self-defense, our esteemed president and secretary of defense throw Israel under the bus, or go so far as to reveal Israel's time-table for attacking Iran. 

Obama has been so conciliatory toward Iran, trying to "make nice" and win them over with his sweet talk  and supernatural ability to pick the winning team for March Madness. Yet, all the while behaving in a hard-nosed, disinterested and arrogant manner towards the one democracy in the U.S., the one authentic U.S. ally in the Middle East, Israel. With friends like Obama, Leon Pannetta and Hillary Clinton, Israel really doesn't need any enemies. 

Why do the nations rage? And who are they "raging" against?

As we embark on 2012, the question that needs to be asked is: "Why do the nations rage?" What nations you ask? And who are they "raging" against?

I'm referring to Psalm 2:1-3 (GW) 

¹ Why do the nations gather together? Why do their people devise useless plots?
² Kings take their stands. Rulers make plans together against the LORD and against his Messiah by saying,
³ “Let's break apart their chains and shake off their ropes.”

In 2012, we face greater turmoil and instability in our world than at any time in recent memory:

• Iran launched two long-range missiles this week and in recent days has threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz through which 40 percent of the world's oil is shipped. All reports indicate that within a year, probably this year, Iraq will have a nuclear weapon. I wonder what they'll do with that? Watch for Israel to bomb Iran this year which will probably create a major Middle East conflict which will no doubt draw the 

U.S.into its web. Also, watch for oil prices to skyrocket as we are punished" for siding with Israel in this conflict.

• North Korea: New leader and everything is up for grabs as far as whether North Korea will keep a low profile in utter darkness or if they will make some noise and do some saber-rattling, something they do every time they need some $$$ from the U.S. and S. Korea.
• Egypt: The Arab Spring is now a cold winter with the Muslim Brotherhood pushing its way to fill the power vacuum. This means greater instability in the region and increased fears and concern for Israel.
• Syria, Libya, Iraq, Pakistan and Russia all present potential problems as they jockey for power and align against Israel and the U.S.

Who are these nations "raging" against? They are raging against the Lord--against God Almighty. They are raging against His authority and sovereignty. They are aligned against God's Anointed who is Jesus, the Messiah. They are also aligned against Israel, the apple of God's eye.

Psalm 33:8-11 reminds us that God is in control of the nations:

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him!
For He spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.

What God says will certainly come to pass. Psalm 2:4 says that God sits in heaven and laughs at the nations and holds them in derision. The prophet Isaiah said that "All the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are accounted as the dust on the scales."

So here is the take away from all this: The Good News is that even when our State Department is "clueless" (which is so often the case), our God is not. He has determined the boundaries for every nation and knows how long each leader will be in command, and how long each nation will survive. There is no decision made by any nation that catches God by surprise.

Just as God told Moses what Pharaoh would do and that he would let the children of Israel go, as well as telling him beforehand that the Egyptian people would want to heap all their possessions upon the Israelites as they were leaving Egypt. God knows exactly which nations invent, produce and develop.

He knows all about the monetary crisis in Europe and knows exactly how it will pan out. He regulates uprisings and revolutions. Yes, God is sovereign over every nation and people group on this planet, as well as over the climate. He is not worried about global warming and knows that we can't destroy this planet by our own efforts. As the Apostle Paul declared in Acts 17:24, He is "Lord of heaven and earth."

So regardless of what happens this year, know this: God is in control. Nothing is going to catch Him by surprise. He is accomplishing His will and good pleasure in nations and people, in you and me.