I hear or read over and over again that we are living in a period in history that bears striking parallels to the period just before World War II. For example, CBN News recently interviewed the producer of “Obsession” for a story we’re doing about this ground breaking documentary. Here’s what he had to say about these parallels:

“The parallel of the time before World War II and today is very striking for a number of reasons. Number one, because just as the radical Islamists have declared war on the West but people don’t want to appreciate it, so also the Nazis declared war on the West and said their intentions very explicitly and people didn’t want to believe it until it was too late. But more than that, it is something that is explicit, they are saying what they want to accomplish and people don’t want to realize it. Now if the West had taken on Adolf Hitler and the Nazis earlier before they had a chance to build up their military and build up weapons of mass destruction, they would have saved tens of millions of people. But instead they went down the path of appeasement and today that again, that path is being desired and sought after by the Europeans and much of America and its not going to work against radical enemies like we are facing today.” Raphael Stone, Producer of the documentary ‘Obsession’

In today’s Jerusalem Post, Michael Freund wrote a column that once again compared our day with pre-World War II. He noted that just like George Bush is vilified today, so too, the great English leader Winston Churchill suffered vociferous criticisms but stood up to the menace of his day, Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Here’s an excerpt:

“He was labeled a "hound," a "fool" and one whose "judgment is always at fault." Denigrated as "hopeless when in power," this wartime head of government was scorned as being arrogant, ignorant and just about everything else in between. His strategic judgment was called into question, his military approach was belittled and maligned, and his own generals even mocked him, accusing him of spouting "absurdities" and being oblivious to detail.

Does any of this sound familiar, Mr. Bush?

The subject of the vitriol described above was none other than the fearless lion of Britain , Sir Winston Churchill. That's right. The man now credited with saving Western civilization from the Nazi onslaught was the target of ruthless censure and disapproval. His critics were fierce and unrelenting, but that did not stop this great visionary from seeing beyond the headlines and standing up for what he knew to be right.

The question now is: Will George W. Bush follow in this great man's footsteps? The threat facing the Western world is no less urgent or grave than it was in Churchill's day. Then the Nazi leader spoke openly of murdering the Jews, and of conquering the world. Now the modern-day Hitler of Persia vows to commit genocide and boasts that the West will soon falter and collapse. The only difference between the two is that while the Fuehrer could merely dream of obtaining an atomic arsenal, the tyrant of Teheran is dangerously close to getting one.

And the only person standing in his way, the one whom God Himself has given the ability to stop him, is none other than the president of the United States .” Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post, November 29, 2006

Finally, on November 13th, Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities and compared 2006 with 1936.

He declared, “It’s 1938 and Iran is Germany . And Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs. Believe him and stop him. This is what we must do. Everything else pales before this.”

Western civilization appears at a crossroads. How it responds to the menace facing it today will affect the future of the world. Thankfully, we can learn from the lessons of history, if we will but listen.