From the Desk of Jeff King

Army of one

A foul odor drifted into the camp of the American 104th Infantry Division. Private John Galione, resting with his unit on the front lines in Germany, told his sergeant the smell troubled him and suggested it was coming from a rumored labor camp in the area. He asked if he could organize a scouting party to follow railroad tracks in the direction of the odor. Permission was denied because of an ambush threat.

With a growing sense of urgency, Galione ignored the order. About 9 p.m. on April 5, 1945, he slipped out of camp on foot and into the blackness of night. Several hours later fatigue, hunger and a nagging leg wound began taking a toll. Just as Galione thought of quitting he felt a nudge from behind. He turned but saw no one. Then the force grabbed his elbows, pointed him in the original direction and gave him another push. Instantly his strength returned and pain disappeared.

Five days later the tracks led Galione to the mouth of a tunnel carved into the Harz Mountains. Hidden inside was the Nazi's top-secret V-2 missile factory. To the right of the tunnel was the Mittelbau Dora Concentration Camp. The discovery by this lone soldier set in motion the liberation of prisoner camps across Europe and impacted the future of America and the world.

Initially, Galione was unsure of what he had stumbled upon, although he was confident the God of Israel had guided him to this location. As he approached the tunnel he spotted a train car filled with naked corpses, which he learned later was bound for the nearby Buchenwald crematorium. Galione was spotted by a German guard and gunfire was exchanged before the guard, for an unknown reason, fled the area. Bullets had whizzed past Galione as he scrambled for cover above the tunnel. He marveled that he was not killed or wounded.

Galione then turned his attention to the camp and came face-to-face with prisoners at the front gate. These emaciated laborers – Jews and non-Jews – worked under brutal conditions in a labyrinth of caves, manufacturing the world's first ballistic missile, which the Nazis planned to aim at Britain and the United States. Unable to break in, Galione left but returned in a Jeep with two other soldiers. Before sunrise on April 11 the men broke the lock and drove slowly into the compound. Twisted, discolored corpses littered the ground. A gaunt prisoner approached the soldiers, pointed to the infirmary and said weakly "there are people in there." The driver pulled the Jeep close to the door, stepped inside and witnessed another horror scene: about a hundred living skeletons lying motionless in beds, barely breathing. "We were so frightened we put the Jeep in reverse and drove out backward real fast," Galione said. "We didn't know what was going on in there and we didn't want to end up like the people we saw. The German guards had abandoned the prisoners, but we didn't know that. To be safe we wanted to bring more men."

The soldiers who joined Galione were from another platoon. Galione, who had walked more than a hundred miles to reach the camp, took a three-hour Jeep ride back to his unit. He told his sergeant he'd located the camp and described the gruesome scene. At first the commander was reluctant to respond because he feared an ambush, but relented and ordered Galione to radio other troops for assistance. "I was so happy," said Galione, who led an infantry division to liberate Dora the next day. "The people were in such bad shape. I don't think they had another day left to live."

The Third Armored Division sped toward Dora to provide cover for the arriving infantry but got lost and located another camp, Nordhausen, by accident. It held more than 400 dying prisoners. When Galione's detachment entered Dora, many battle-hardened soldiers, encountering Holocaust victims for the first time, wept and vomited. Galione said the laborers "looked like the walking dead. They were skin and bones. The people were so happy to see us. They were tugging our clothes, feeling our uniforms between their fingers like they were gold." Some were so weak they died before they could reach the gate.

The Pentagon ordered the immediate search for other prisoner camps, motivated largely by the discovery of Nazi weapons. Galione had beaten the Russians to Germany's rocket technology by mere hours, a coup that helped America grow into a superpower. The missiles and German scientists were transferred to America and the knowledge base helped develop high-tech weapons and the space program. Galione never pinpointed the source of the odor. Camp Dora was ruled out because it was more than a hundred miles from Lippstadt, where the 104th had paused to rest. Galione said he encountered the odor on other occasions near train cars.

The son of an Italian immigrant, Galione had always prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but did not acknowledge Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah until the 1970s. He returned from the war undecorated because his story was silenced by the Army. But God honored him a different way – seven children and grandchildren were born on the liberation dates of concentration camps that had sent Jews and non-Jews to Camp Dora – Nordhausen, Buchenwald and Dachau. One of his daughters was born without vital signs but revived by a doctor. It was April 15, the anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald and Nordhausen.

According to another daughter, Mary Nahas, her father believed God had spent a lifetime building a memorial through these births. Galione wanted Holocaust survivors to know that the LORD was behind their rescue and that He loved them and never wanted them to suffer and die in camps. Galione confided to a family member before his death in 1999 at age 80 that his one regret was not arriving at Camp Dora sooner to save more prisoners. With her father's permission and a signed affidavit from his sergeant, Nahas broke the silence by writing a book entitled The Journey of Private Galione. She was interviewed by Sid Roth on the radio in March. You can listen here.

Yeshua stood still

Yeshua of Nazareth passed many people as He climbed the road to Jerusalem in the final days of His earthly life. But one voice in the crowd froze Him. A blind man near Jericho, hearing a multitude pass by and learning that the party included Yeshua, cried out, "Son of David, have mercy on Me!"

He was using code, as it were, to let Yeshua know he recognized and received Him as Messiah. The Greek word for "cried," boao, implies a shout for help. Luke 18:40 describes the response: Yeshua stood still and commanded the man to be brought to Him. As far as we know, no other person was called out. Yeshua was stopped by a simple, sincere appeal for mercy. Within days He would fulfill God's ultimate expression of mercy, offering Himself as a Passover sacrifice for the sin atonement of mankind.

The blind man had 20/20 vision spiritually. Moved by his faith, Yeshua granted his request to have his physical sight restored. The man expressed his gratitude by following Yeshua and glorifying God, the same heart response we find in Psalm 86:12-13, "I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me."

Yeshua today sits at the right hand of the Father. We can assume He is quite busy interceding for believers, receiving worship in heaven and preparing for His return to earth as Davidic King. But when someone on earth cries to Him for mercy, I believe His response is the same as it was in Jericho. Moved with compassion, Yeshua stands still and fixes His gaze on the person with spiritual eyes.

Soul searching

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Street evangelist Ray Comfort has a heated exchange with a non-Christian over the merits of the Ten Commandments.

Snapshots from our exodus (vacation, actually) to Southern California during Passover week:

• Street evangelists were witnessing at Huntington Beach with great urgency. Two pastors stood on a street corner sharing the gospel with teenagers, who looked distracted and disinterested. Alisa and I sensed a spiritual battle raging in front of us. We introduced ourselves to the pastors when they were finished and offered encouragement. We told them the LORD was very pleased with their labor. Pastor Mario said they've been spit upon, punched and cursed, yet a few have been saved and discipled.

We returned three days later and saw Ray Comfort ministering at the Huntington Beach Pier. He stood on a box with a microphone positioned a few feet away, facing the crowd. He invited individuals to come forward and challenge him on issues of faith. Some railed against God. Comfort rebuked one man for blaspheming. At least some hearts were ready to receive God's mercy; Comfort baptized new converts in the surf that afternoon.

• Attended a Passover seder in Anaheim, hosted by Ben David Messianic Congregation. More than 200 attended. The speaker, Doug Friedman, reminded us that just as the Israelites were delivered from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, we are delivered from another form of slavery – sin – through the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua.

• The previous night we had "church" in the middle of Downtown Disney, an outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex next to Disneyland Resort. We had paused to listen to world-class violinist Drew Tretick when a member of his support team, a woman in her 40s, approached and asked if I was a pastor (she remembered us from a previous visit when we had talked with Tretick during a break). I said I had no ministry title or credentials, but the woman, also a Christian, felt safe enough to open her heart to us. She confided that two brothers were unsaved and struggling in sin. We told we'd pray for her family and believe for a breakthrough. The LORD quickened Jeremiah 32:27 and I shared with her His words – "Is there anything too hard for Me?"

After fellowshipping for a half hour she excused herself to assist Tretick, who also is a believer. We moved a few feet to our left and stood in the crowd as Tretick began playing again (he includes the movie theme from Schindler's List in his music set, which I appreciate). Suddenly we felt someone brush against us from the back. Our new friend had nudged between us. We responded by leaning into her. Yeshua used us as His arms to remind this precious one that her future was secure in Him.

The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Behold the Lamb

On the Biblical calendar, today is the anniversary of Yeshua's triumphal entry into Jerusalem aboard a donkey. He arrived on 10 Nisan, five days before the start of Passover. Over the next four days the sacrificial lambs, including Yeshua, would be examined for defects or blemishes, conditions that would disqualify them as offerings. No fault was found in Yeshua among the Pharisees and the Roman governor Pilate, although He was falsely charged with blasphemy in a kangaroo court.

Yeshua was crucified on 14 Nisan by Temple guards – not Romans – while the Passover lambs were slaughtered in Jerusalem. After sacrificing the last animal the high priest would walk into the court and declare with outstretched arms, "It is finished!" Yeshua's last words, with arms outstretched on the tree, were "It is finished!" God's great plan of redemption was complete. Messiah arose three days later on 17 Nisan, a Saturday. Because these dates change year to year on the Gregorian calendar, resurrection day in 2008 falls on Tuesday, April 22. Most Christians observed Messiah's death and resurrection three weeks ago on Easter, a violation of God's appointed times. Most Easter customs – sunrise services, bunnies, colored eggs, Easter lilies and hot cross buns – are rooted in paganism. Easter is the name of a fertility goddess.

In preparation for the first Passover in Egypt, Moses commanded Israelites on this day – 10 Nisan – to take an unblemished male lamb into their home for four days. The lamb would be slaughtered on 14 Nisan and its blood applied to doorposts, marking the home so the death angel would "pass over" the family and spare its first born. The four days gave family members time to grow attached to the animal and impress upon them the costly nature of the sacrifice – innocent blood shed for them.

Jews in Jerusalem had four days to grow attached to Yeshua after He entered the city on 10 Nisan. Although the corrupt priests were intent on killing Him, the Lamb of God won the affection of many. A great multitude lined the road with tallits and palm branches to greet Messiah. Children shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David!" – a Messianic name – after Yeshua drove out money changers from the Temple. Hosanna means "please save" or "save now." To avoid an uprising of the people, the religious leaders held Yeshua's trial, or "inspection," illegally at night. But the priests were unwitting pawns in a battle for men's souls. God had planned this Passover sacrifice before time began, leaking the information to Abraham in Genesis 22:8, "God will provide Himself a lamb." Another translation from the original Hebrew renders this verse, "God will provide Himself AS the Lamb." By receiving Yeshua and applying His blood to the doorpost of our heart we are spared spiritual death and eternal separation from Him.

Still waters

Heaven and earth touched briefly today at Lake Cassidy. I snapped this photo while biking the Centennial Trail, which follows an abandoned rail line through wetlands north of Seattle. The water was so still it served as a mirror, reflecting the pale blue sky and broken clouds in crisp detail.

The view was surreal, like pictures you see of earth shot from orbiting spacecraft. I felt like I could reach out and touch the sky. Except for the three ducks I flushed out of a thicket of reeds, I was the lone spectator. My soul became as still as the water. Stress and anxiety drained from me. As I walked back to my bike, I turned for one last look. It was gone. A gentle breeze had broken the glass-like surface of the lake. It was if God had brushed the water with His hand, erasing this fragile work of art. As I stood on the wooden dock Psalm 23 drifted into my heart:

The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul.

Here I am

You call the stars each by name. The keys of hell and death are in Your hands. You regard the nations as less than nothing. Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who can contend with You? When I consider Your ways I am filled with the awe and wonder expressed by David in Psalm 8:4 – "What is man you You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" We are specks of dust, small and insignificant. Yet for reasons not fully understood by us You seek us out. You offer redemption freely to mankind but at great cost to You – the life of Your Son.

Words escape me. Strength has failed me. Abba, I bow before You and cry softly, "Here I am."