Original subtitles

(somber music)

(Dietrich sighs)

- Brother?

- Dietrich, do you think he's...

...him?

- If I'm understanding you correctly-

- Think about it.

His hatred for the Jews, God's chosen people.

The swastika, could that be the mark of the beast

as prophesied in Revelation 13?

(menacing music)

♪ Carry me home ♪

♪ Swing low, sweet chariot ♪

♪ Coming for to carry me home ♪

♪ I looked o'er the Jordan and what did I see ♪

♪ Coming for to carry me home ♪

♪ Oh a band of angels coming after me ♪

♪ Coming for to carry me home ♪

- All right, well, how did I do, Frank?

- Not bad for a Frenchman, I guess.

- Oh.

Why weren't you guys singing with me?

- Jean, you know I gotta prepare for my sermon.

- [Jean] Oh.

(piano notes fade)

- Why are all of you here?

What purpose do you serve?

Are you here because you love the Lord

or are you here to impress your neighbors?

We see hungry men on the street

as we walk to church each Sunday,

oftentimes walking past them

without so much as a passing glance.

You see, at one time I was one of those bums,

a street brawling, drunkard before I found Jesus.

That could still be me, a bum...

By definition, being somebody who makes no attempt

to work on himself or better himself.

Could be you someday.

But those who find true grace from the Lord

will soon give up their sins.

(Frank sighs)

- That was really good, Frank.

Well, I understand

you came from a bit of a rough background.

- That's one way of putting it.

Welcome to Harlem. (Dietrich chuckles)

- You know, I feel that many of the students here

are just completely clueless

with respect to what their own beliefs really are.

Not familiar with even

the most basic teachings of the Bible.

They carry out with liberal and theological p,

even laughing at certain references to sin.

(sighs) There seems to be an obsession with, well, things,

material things.

- Things and more things.

And when they get those things, they want more things.

It's much that many of us live like this at home in Paris.

We want grace and Heaven handed to us.

But the cross of Jesus Christ,

that's a totally different story.

- [Dietrich] Frank, what makes you

able to see things so differently?

- I think we can all see that the world is changing.

Evil will raise its head in the darkest corners,

and sometimes we're blinded by light.

God's Word is our sword.

We must wield it faithfully and with much prayer.

- Very true indeed.

- Well, I must get to another meeting.

- Frank, pleasure - [Frank] Pleasure.

- Pleasure.

- Dietrich, hold on.

Let me ask you a question.

With everything that's going on in Germany,

are you really planning on going back?

- Yes, Jean.

I've seen and learned so much.

I'd love to stay longer, but-

- Well, I have heard that there's a growing resistance

to what's taking place in Germany.

Are you planning on being a part of that?

- I need to see it for myself.

You know, with everything going on,

we talk so much about living with Christ.

But, shouldn't we live as Christ, as His disciples?

- People do not wanna pay that price for salvation.

I mean, once they hear it's free, can you blame them?

- Free grace, indeed.

Wasn't free for Christ.

Romans 3:25 teaches us that when sinners come

do they repentant faith in Christ Jesus.

Their past sins are forgiven.

Not that all the present or future sins

are automatically forgiven

without further genuine confession and repentance.

- Really, Dietrich.

Well, you're not gonna make many new friends

with such take on that passage.

And sadly, I don't have that passage cataloged in my mind,

but are you sure that's what it says?

- Sure.

Simply says that in the forbearance of God,

He declared His righteousness,

the remission of sins that are past.

It does not say past, present and future,

and it certainly doesn't say

sins are forgiven automatically.

- Okay, I see.

(Jean sighs)

Oh boy, you've opened up a can of worms with that, my friend.

I could discuss that all night and I know we need to leave,

but I'll give you this, though,

that I really do need to take seriously,

continual daily repentance from sin.

- We all do, my friend.

(Dietrich sighs)

Well, Jean, what are you to do

now that our travels have come to an end?

I can not tell you what they meant to me.

- Oh, and to me.

I'm to return home as well to France,

which seems there is much to do

in both of our home countries, isn't there?

- Indeed there is.

Let's meet up again someday soon, God willing.

- No doubt, my friend. Godspeed.

(tense music)

- Dr. Barth, thank you very much

for taking the time to meet with me.

I've been an admirer of your work for quite some time.

- Well, you've made quite a stir yourself, Bonhoeffer.

Professor von Harnack mentioned you

in one of our ongoing debates,

I'm told that you earned your doctorate at 21,

summa cum laude no less.

- Have you to thank for that achievement.

- Really?

- Your words on the Epistle to the Romans:

that for one to know anything about God,

one must rely on revelation from Him through Scripture.

I wrote my thesis on that very basis.

- My boy, the fact that you earned

any degree at all under Professor Seeburgh

with his dogmatic theology

is revelation of God in itself.

- Well, Dr. Barth, in the end I took a narrow

and historic approach to my burning question:

What is the church?

Not a historical entity nor a religious institution,

but the body of Christ in the community.

- I must confess,

I marvel that not only most of our pastors,

but many of the sharpest minds in our seminaries

still do not comprehend this basic truth of Christ's church.

That the church is not a structure,

a denomination, but is the body of Christ

in the community, as you said,

the very earthly historical form of existence

of Jesus Christ Himself.

- I fear Dr. Barth, that,

many of the traditions and institutions we've inherited

have clouded such basic scriptural reality.

(sighs) And the consequences we see today

in a country with the most

pristine cathedrals in the world

yet (sighs) such vacuous souls filling the pews.

- It's the carnal lukewarm church, Bonhoeffer.

The very opposite of the church of Jesus Christ,

which is the living community, the living Christ,

a dynamic community of men and women

whom God makes to live the life of grace,

whom God directs through Word and Spirit

in view of His kingdom.

God's kingdom, not man's lifeless religion

based in his vanity,

lust for power and influence and even desire for riches

if one can fathom, using the Son of God in such a manner.

Religion is unbelief.

Religion is a business, the business of the godless man.

Religion is the signature of human crises.

- Respectfully, Dr. Barth,

Christianity is itself a religion, is it not?

Or James himself refers to pure and undefiled religion

as if a good form of religion indeed exists.

- Man's religion, the religion of man, Bonhoeffer,

not the religion of Heaven,

which promotes the selfless life of caring

for orphans and widows in their distress

and keeping oneself unstained by the world.

Perhaps in our own lifetime,

you and I will see the juxtaposition

of the religion of Christ Jesus

and the religion of godless man

in ways we had never fathomed.

Well, enough of the ramblings of a seasoned theologian

with too much time to think.

Tell me, how did you find your time in the United States?

- Both awe-inspiring and dreadful at the same time.

As far as Union Seminary is concerned,

there's no theology there.

Students are completely intoxicated

with liberal and humanistic thinking.

- So I'd heard.

Oh, who is that famous liberal preacher there in New York?

- Harry Fosdick, yes.

(sighs) I'm surprised by him.

However, while I was there,

I visited my friend Frank Fisher's church in Harlem.

There's an appreciation for God's grace like no other.

There, I saw an oppressed race

preach with such passion and desperation.

One couldn't help but be overwhelmed with the Spirit of God.

- Always the case throughout history, isn't it,

that the oppressed are the most passionate.

So what will you do

now that you're back in Berlin, Dietrich?

- (sighs) Hmm.

I see Germany standing

at a tremendous turning point in history.

Such unrest and turmoil, without true leadership.

This mighty oak of a nation will rot at its root.

(Dietrich sighs)

What may come, I do not know.

But I do know this:

The church cannot be lost.

We must stand up, speak, and unify the German reformation

as did the great Martin Luther.

- All the best to you, Dietrich.

Go with God.

(hopeful music)

- Last week, we learned all about The Lord's Prayer

in Matthew chapter six.

Would any of you children

like to recite it from memory for the class?

- I will.

- Go right ahead, Elsa.

- (clears throat) Our Father, which art in Heaven,

hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come;

Thy will be done; on earth as it is in Heaven.

And give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power

and the glory, for ever.

Amen.

- That's wonderful, Elsa.

- [Lucas] Mr. Dietrich?

- [Dietrich] Yes, Lucas.

- What does "Thy kingdom come" mean?

Is Jesus talking about when Germany had kings?

Some people say that Germany should have kings again

and rule everyone, but my father says that's reeeeeally stupid.

(children chuckle)

- Dietrich, it looks like Jacob may have an answer.

- Jacob.

- Lucas, this is a good lesson, I think -

- in not reading something

into Scripture that's not there.

Like Mr. Dietrich has taught us,

the passage just says,

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done."

It does not say anything about Germany, only God.

So we know it's only talking about the kingdom of God

and no kingdom here on earth.

And as a Jew, I'm grateful that His kingdom

is not just the German people.

In God's eyes, no people group is better than any other.

He loves us all equally and sent Jesus to die for them all.

- Jacob, that was a wonderful answer.

It's clear you've grown quite a bit

in your personal devotion to reading

and understanding the Scripture.

Please now, would you lead the class

in the hymn you've prepared?

- Oh, Mr. Dietrich, I have one more question.

- [Dietrich] Yes, Elsa.

- Are you and Miss Elizabeth courting?

(children giggle)

- Go ahead, Jacob.

♪ A mighty fortress is our God ♪

(solemn organ music)

♪ Amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪

♪ That saved a wretch like me ♪

♪ I once was lost, but now I'm found ♪

♪ Was blind, but now I see ♪

♪ Through many dangers, toils, and snares ♪

♪ I have already come ♪

♪ 'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far ♪

♪ And grace will lead me home ♪

♪ When we've been here 10,000 years ♪

♪ Bright, shining as the sun ♪

♪ There's no less days to sing God's praise ♪

♪ Than when we first begun ♪

(tense music)

- What is the church, I ask you.

Can you answer?

In this time, I hear people asking

if we still even need the church, whether we still need God.

This is wrong.

The church, according to the Word of God,

is the body of Christ.

The church exists and God exists.

And we are asked whether we are willing to be of service,

for God demands our obedience.

(Dietrich sighs)

Mark my words, the Protestant church is in the 11th hour

and it's as high time that we realize this.

Here you sit on this glorious reformation Sunday

and act as if we are in celebration

when in fact we are at a funeral.

The fanfare of trumpets

is no comfort for a dying man, I tell you.

We are in a time

when the church is going to be used by politicians

and attacked by the corrupt clergy

and we must be ready.

Do not be the sheep grazing comfortably,

because the only shepherd we currently have is the wolf.

(tense music continues)

Remember this, the church is only the church

when it exists for others.

Not dominating; but helping and serving.

It must show men of every calling

what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.

Let us pray.

(tense music continues)

- That was quite the delivery, Dietrich.

Clearly, you're not running for office.

- It's time for fire and brimstone, Elizabeth.

Do you disagree with my message?

- No, my dear.

I've just never seen you so, what's the word?

Desperate to be heard.

- Let's sit here.

I fear that we're in desperate times.

We could lose the church as we know it,

so yes, people need to wake up,

stop playing church and be the church in Christ.

- Dietrich, something has changed.

What is it? Please tell me.

- (sighs) In the beginning,

I approached theology as my father approached neurology,

as my brother approached chemistry,

as a science backed by facts.

- And now?

- (sighs) Something happened

while I was in the United States.

I saw two polar opposites of Christianity.

One was empty, it was vain, futile.

It's, uh,

cheap.

It was cheap grace, accepted so easily it was sickening.

The other, it was as if God himself

were in the room at the very moment.

- Go on.

- It's as if I've just discovered the Bible.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you have preached from the Bible

hundreds of times.

- Yes, but not as a Christian.

All that time I was turning the doctrine of Jesus Christ

into something from my personal advantage.

- That's beautiful.

God is alive in you now.

- Everything is different now, Elizabeth.

I feel-

- Born again? - (chuckles) Exactly.

I want this for everyone.

If Adolf Hitler is elected as chancellor,

Germany, and the church as we know it

are in for historic change.

We must take some kind of action.

- Well, what do you propose?

(Dietrich sighs)

(melodious piano music)

- Bishop Heckel offered me pastoral duties

for two German congregations... in London.

- London?

(tense music)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

I have endured your travels to Spain, Rome, the US,

and now you want to cross the English channel?

How much more do you expect me to endure?

Besides, how can you help the church of Germany from there?

(melancholic music)

- My dear Elizabeth, you know I love you.

With all my heart and soul.

But this I must do.

I truly hope one day you'll understand why I had to leave.

But my heart will never leave you.

(melancholic music continues)

(Dietrich sighs heavily)

- There you are.

So it's true, you're leaving us for London.

- Yes, I feel that there's more growth

and opportunity to ask questions.

- You can't ask those questions here?

- With so many churches falling under the will of Hitler

rather than standing for the righteousness of Christ?

- Then why not stay and fight?

I can protect you.

- It's not about that.

It's about revelation, not religion.

I learned that from you.

- My own words used against me.

Dietrich, you know that I support you,

but I truly feel you're running away.

- How can you say that?

- [Barth] The fight is here.

- The fight is everywhere.

- We are losing the church to the Nazis.

Dietrich, the German church

has been led into a sort of dreamy state.

And in that dream, the German people,

German Christians, have dreamt

that something like a new revelation

from God has taken place

in what Hitler thinks and says, wants, does.

Does it not bother you to see a pastor

with a swastika on his arm?

Or that Hitler thinks of himself as a new messiah?

- Of course it bothers me.

But the answers are no longer here in Berlin.

You think I'm running away,

but I tell you I'm seeking answers

the only way I know how, in the desert.

- Reasons and excuses.

You may have, I suppose, to abandon your post

and waste your splendid theological armory

while the house of your church is on fire.

- Each train follows its own track.

If you board the wrong one, it's no use running along the

corridor in the opposite direction.

- I just hope your train's on the right track.

I'll be here for you.

- I know.

And I thank you, Dr. Barth, for everything.

I cannot tell you what your works

and mentorship meant to me.

I guess when all is said and done,

the life of faith is nothing,

if not an unending struggle of the spirit,

with every available weapon against the flesh.

- I understand.

May God be with you.

(Dietrich sighs heavily)

- Father, You have called us to be ambassadors for Christ.

Here in the streets of London,

all are running after the latest sensations,

the excitement of the evening in the big city.

(sighs) Sunday morning, they make the church a playground

with all sorts of trade and entertainment

instead of a place where Your Word is obeyed.

(Dietrich sighs sharply)

(Dietrich sighs sharply)

Father, will I offend Your people if I speak this to them?

(Dietrich sighs)

Yes, Lord.

Not to speak is to speak.

Not to act is to act.

(Dietrich sighs)

What shall we say then?

Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

God forbid, how shall we, who are dead to sin,

live any longer, there...

(Dietrich sighs heavily)

(Dietrich sighs)

Come on, Dietrich, calm down.

(Dietrich sighs)

How would you wanna be preached to?

Kindly, patiently, lovingly.

You care for these people. you're not angry at them.

Yes, Father, silence in the face of evil is itself evil.

You will not hold us guiltless.

(Heckel claps)

- That was quite the sermon, Dietrich.

- [Dietrich] Bishop Heckel, what a pleasant surprise.

I was not told that you were coming.

- I am not here in any official capacity.

Germany is changing quite rapidly, Dietrich.

Not all forms of communication are quite trustworthy

as you well know.

- What's the matter? Something wrong?

- Your voice.

It's causing quite a stir amongst your fellow theologians.

- In what way?

- Are you aware that I've been placed in charge

of the German Evangelical Church's foreign affairs?

It is important that things run smoothly.

- Of course, I'm sure you're here to help me out.

- Sarcasm is not necessary.

I am here unofficially to tell you

to abstain from any and all ecumenical activities.

(tense music)

- Or what?

- Best case: You will be identified as a pacifist,

an enemy of the state,

banned from teaching in any German theological facilities.

Worst case...

- I thank you for your warning, sir.

You've given me a great deal to think about.

What is the cost of discipleship?

You inspired me no doubt, Bishop.

- I'm glad that you understand.

- I will not abstain.

I will embrace Christ's words

and embed myself in the Sermon on the Mount.

I will seek answers.

Good day, sir.

Thank you.

Oh and, Bishop Heckel,

when Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.

Not bow down to tyrants, that he may live.

(tense music)

(Dietrich sighs)

Thank you, Father.

I know what I must do now.

I cannot do Your work alone.

I must have others who also bask

in the glory of Your guidance.

Father, please send me those who wish to gather

and restore the path.

That we may follow Your grace

to draw in the church against the evil that is to come.

(somber music)

Right.

Ha, it's perfect!

We'll call it Finkenwalde Seminary.

- Herr director, you can't be serious.

This place is a pigsty.

- Nonsense Inge, getting on our hands and knees

to clean this place up will instill a little humility,

which I can already see is much needed.

- We need more than humility.

We need carpenters, or a bulldozer will work well too.

- This place is not what I was expecting at all.

- Where will we sleep? How will we bathe?

What about food? Where will we wash our clothing?

This is a disaster.

- Are you all quite finished?

Your remind me of the students in New York

living in cheap grace

You know what cheap grace is?

Wanting everything without sacrificing anything.

Let's clean up.

We'll have the place livable in no time.

(whimsical music)

And if we finish soon,

we can play a game of football in the park, yes?

While we work, let's not forget,

Jesus got His start as a carpenter.

- We're not Jesus.

- But you'll be a little closer to Jesus

by the time I'm through with you.

(whimsical music continues)

(knocking on door)

- Eberhard, your timing is perfect as always.

You managed to avoid the cleaning.

- Of course.

- We'll find something for you to do.

- Sure.

Where is Herr director?

- I'm the director. Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Welcome to Finkenwalde.

However, from now on you can call me Brother Bonhoeffer.

Come, let's get to know each other better.

The rest of you can step outside for some fresh air.

- Herr dire-(sigh) Brother Bonhoeffer,

you seem far too young to be leading a group of students.

- That may be, but we'll talk about me some other time.

Tell me about yourself.

- Well, sir, I'm from a small village in Saxony named Zeist.

Never had much but wanted for nothing.

My father was a pastor

and I grew up wanting to follow in his footsteps,

not only to preach, but also to reach people for God.

You see, people must understand

that the road through the narrow gate

is the only road that truly matters,

and we must surround ourselves with like-minded believers.

"Where two or more are gathered in my Name,

there am I with them."

- Well said, Eberhard.

That is exactly what we hope to learn here,

to walk through the narrow gate of Christ.

Tell me, Eberhard, you like music?

- Well, of course.

In fact, I've just learned Adam Gumpelzhaimer's "Agnus Dei".

- Ah, Gumpelzhaimer on piano.

I consider myself a Bach aficionado.

I'll play to a Gumpelzhaimer any day.

With your appreciation for music and the Word of God,

we'll get along just fine here.

Dear brother, how about we pray?

(lighthearted music)

Good morning.

I trust you all slept well?

- Herr Dir, Brother Bonhoeffer,

how well can one really sleep on a hay mattress?

- You mean in the middle of a dust storm whenever we move?

Not mentioning Inge's snoring.

- I do not snore.

- You sure do. - [Inge] I do not.

- I woke you up twice.

- Enough.

Yes, we're at a loss for some comforts,

but you may as well get used to it.

A time may be coming when our time here at Finkenwalde

we feel like a stay at the Taj Mahal.

Now, above all we'll embrace servant leadership

amongst ourselves, me included.

We'll help and encourage each other daily.

Any questions about this?

Let us begin our worship.

♪ O Lord, my God ♪

♪ When I, in awesome wonder ♪

♪ Consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made ♪

♪ I see the stars ♪

♪ I hear the rolling thunder ♪

♪ Thy power throughout the universe displayed ♪

♪ Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

♪ Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

♪ When Christ shall come ♪

♪ With shout of acclamation ♪

♪ And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart ♪

♪ Then I shall bow ♪

♪ In humble adoration ♪

♪ And then proclaim: My God, how great Thou art ♪

♪ Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

♪ Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

♪ How great Thou art ♪

- Let us pray.

(soft guitar music)

- Herr Bonhoeffer,

I think this is for you.

- Oh thank you, Inge.

- [Elizabeth] Dear Dietrich,

I am writing to tell you that I have met someone.

Even though I still have a deep affection for you,

I am sure you know deep down that we are not meant to be.

I wish you the best.

(forlorn piano music)

("Roll Jordan, Roll")

♪ They will surely help ♪

♪ Help you to live right ♪ ♪ Live right ♪

♪ Help you to stay right ♪ ♪ Stay right ♪

♪ Help you to die right ♪ ♪ Die right ♪

♪ And cross the river of Jordan ♪

♪ Well, now roll Jordan, roll on ♪

♪ Roll, Jordan, roll ♪ ♪ Well ♪

♪ I want to go to Heaven when I die ♪

♪ To hear ol' Jordan, roll ♪

(music stops)

- Brother Bonhoeffer, shall we listen to the May Day speech?

- I suppose we should, Inge.

(Hitler speaking in German)

(people speaking in German)

"Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil!"

(Dietrich sighs)

Brother Eberhard, what do you think of the Fuhrer's speech?

- This man is no doubt the devil himself,

a wolf in sheep's clothing

disguising himself as a Christian.

I remember clearly in one of his early speeches,

he repeatedly refers to Providence,

the Almighty, and the Lord

as if it was his God-given authority

to save Germany from the Jews

or even Christians who opposes tyranny.

As you know, he's already sent his goons

to intimidate the leaders of our Confessing Church movement.

And why?

Just because of our desire to follow the teachings

of our Lord Jesus Christ

and place Him rightfully at the head of the church?

Hitler's clever, I'll give you that.

Posing himself as some sort of messiah for Germany.

At best, he's a false prophet.

- Oh no, I loved the Fuhrer.

I thought he was wonderful.

- But, Brother Bonhoeffer,

surely you don't believe that German volk

are not to defend our country.

- From what?

Even if there were a legitimate threat to our nation,

which there is not, I certainly would not defend the nation

at the expense of Christ's church.

This blasphemer is slowly shrinking

the body of Christ out of Germany altogether.

(Dietrich sighs)

Do we need to remind you all why we are here?

The Confessing Church is our only hope and voice

against this tyrant and the gullible German Christians

that have aligned themselves with him.

They kneel at the altar in pulpit of Hitler's Reichkirche.

(Dietrich sighs)

Don't you see?

There's only one altar, the altar of the Almighty God,

for whom all creatures must kneel.

Whoever seeks something other than this

has no place in the house of God.

There's only one pulpit.

And from that pulpit,

faith in Christ alone will be preached.

However well-intentioned we think it is,

there can be no other faith and no other will

than the Will of God.

Perhaps you have heard of this new teaching

calling sinners to be converted to Christ

by accepting Jesus.

Now, before I share my thoughts,

I'd like to pose the question to each of you.

Is the idea of accepting Jesus

in accord with Scripture and plain reason?

- Well, Brother Bonhoeffer,

the only question I ask in response would be,

are wicked sinners in any position to accept a holy God?

It'd be more reasonable

that God be the one who accepts repentant sinners

in Christ by faith.

To teach otherwise would seem

to seriously distort the true gospel.

- Yes, Brother Ernst,

but isn't accepting essentially the same thing as receiving?

And doesn't John teach that,

"As many as received Him,

to them He gave power to become the sons of God,

even them who believe on His name,"

and, "He that hath received his testimony

hath set his seal that God is true."

Even though the words "accept Christ"

do not appear in Scripture,

the idea sure seems to be there.

- I see your perspective.

It seems you both make valid points.

- [Eberhard] Brother Bonhoeffer?

- [Dietrich] Yes, Eberhard.

- Perhaps there's truth to what they're both saying.

The idea of accepting Christ does not appear unscriptural.

But what one means by saying it that way

could make all the difference.

If by accepting Christ you mean, as you say, "cheap grace"

or saying a little prayer of acceptance of Jesus

and then going about living however you'd like thereafter,

well, that would of course be wrong.

But if by you mean as you also say "costly grace",

the kind as Titus teaches, instructs us

to deny ungodliness and worldly lust,

then it would be scriptural.

- Hmm.

I must say, you all make me extremely proud.

I'm grateful to our Lord

for our time here at Finkenwalde.

I cannot imagine spending my time

with a finer group of students.

Hope to do so for many years to come.

What I hope our discussion here today ultimately will do

is to help you all to see not only the power of the Word,

but how important it is to take God's Word as is.

Let's take a few moments to see what the Bible has to say.

Inge, please read for us from Ephesians 1:6.

- "To the praise of the glory of his grace,

wherein God hath made us accepted in the beloved Christ."

- You see, it is God who accepts those who repent

and believe on Christ.

Ernst, please take us to Acts 10:35.

- "But in every nation whoever fears the Lord,

and works righteousness, is accepted by the Lord."

- Thank you.

The Bible clearly teaches that those who believe on Christ

and fear Him are in fact accepted by God,

not the other way around.

Remember, Acts 16:31 teaches that salvation only comes

by genuine faith.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,

not accept the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

It is rather obvious that anyone

can accept something or someone,

yet not believe in either at all.

Accepting or receiving the salvation of Christ

simply cannot happen

apart from genuine belief and repentance,

as we learn from other Scriptures.

Does that make sense?

- Interesting.

That does make sense.

- And let's not forget what I have taught you all here

from the very beginning:

that faith is only real when there is obedience,

never without it;

and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience.

(door creaks open)

- How's your little seminary working out for you now?

- Halt!

- Ah, these must be your little songbirds, I presume.

- Brother Bonhoeffer, we're so sorry.

- There was a newspaper man posing himself

as someone interested in the Confessing Church.

He asked so many questions.

- We talked about the May Day speech.

He agreed with your stance

and asked for a photograph with us.

- It was a trick, sir.

(Heckel laughs)

- Oh Bonhoeffer, I can assure you

there was no trickery involved.

You see, I, too, have friends

amongst your ecumenical contacts

as well as your family members in the Justice Department.

- You can't do this. It was a trick.

Let my brother go.

(commandant fires gun) (people gasp)

- I feel compelled to draw the attention

of the Provincial Church Committee

to the fact that this incident

has brought you, Bonhoeffer,

very much into the public's eye.

No doubt they will want to disassociate themselves from you.

- Bishop Heckel, you and I both know

what the Scripture says,

"Do not give to dogs what is holy,

and do not cast your pearls before swine,

unless they trample them under their foot

"and turn to attack you," don't we?

No man can serve two masters.

Are you a follower of the Fuhrer

or are you a follower of Christ?

- Enough! (dark music)

How dare you question my loyalty?!

As you, Bonhoeffer, have been accused as being a pacifist

and therefore a potential enemy of the state.

You will no longer teach German theology.

Finkenwalde is hereby closed!

I will teach you who your master is.

- Maria, what are you doing here?

- I just wanted to see you before your travels.

- Oh, I'm so very glad to see you.

How's your mother and father, your brother Max?

- They are well.

Mother is still the boss of the house,

and father is utterly beside himself

over the chancellorship of Adolf Hitler as you can imagine,

and Max is a lieutenant.

He's serving on the Eastern Front and I fear for him.

- Well, to start, I'm of the same mind as your father.

We're in a terrible state, Maria.

To be honest, I pray for the death of our nation

as I feel that is the only way for Germany

to pay for all the suffering

it has caused throughout Europe.

Hitler must be stopped at any price.

- Dietrich, about our engagement.

Do you think it's the right time?

- Right time?

There is no better time than a time like this.

By the grace of God,

we can be an encouragement to each other,

the very least through prayer, our devotion to the Lord.

- You're right, Dietrich.

We can trust in God, can we?

Oh, I really must go.

You know how grandmother is about punctuality.

But I will tell her I sat with you.

She still talks about the fire with which you preach.

- Yes, of course I understand.

Please give her and your family my love.

Hopefully, we'll see each other again very soon.

- I'm counting on it, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

And I don't like to be stood up.

I can't wait to hear about your travels.

- [Dietrich On Radio] "This is why we must protect our youth"

from the manipulations that they're pressured to follow.

As Christians, we must protect the innocent

and must not allow us to be guided into the darkness,

but to look to God and guide us all to the light,

away from the Fuhrer.

The fearful danger of the present time

is that above the cry for authority,

be it of a leader or of an office,

we forget that man stands alone

before the ultimate authority,

and that anyone who lays violent hands on man here

is infringing eternal laws

and taking upon himself superhuman authority

which will eventually crush him.

The leader points to the office,

but leader and office together

point to the final authority itself.

Leaders or offices which set themselves up as gods, mock God

and the individual who stands alone before him,

"and must perish..." (radio crackles)

- What happened?

(pensive music)

- There's nothing wrong with the radio, my dear.

Let's not listen anymore.

Let's go for a walk.

(pensive music continues)

(Dietrich sighs heavily)

- Hello, Dietrich.

I didn't expect you'd be very happy to see me.

Before you ask, your sister doesn't know that I'm here.

I know how you feel about putting the family at risk,

but I must speak to you.

- Now is not a good time.

- We were afraid the Gestapo got you.

I mean, between Finkenwalde and the speech?

- Gestapo did not stop the speech.

- Then who? - I don't know.

Could've been a misunderstanding for all we know.

- [Hans] Seems to be an awful lot of those lately.

- We must do something.

- It is a hard path you walk.

- As a Christian?

- [Hans] That, too, but as a pacifist.

- I'm getting really tired of that word.

I'm not a pacifist.

I simply follow the words of God.

And the Word of God says not to be overcome of evil,

but to overcome evil with good.

Besides you can't meet the violence of wicked men

with the same violence.

- Sometimes.

But maybe sometimes God turns a blind eye

to what needs to be done.

- How dare you? God is everywhere.

- Just stop.

I'm not here to listen to one of your sermons.

- Well, then you've seen that I'm all right, so go.

- Tell me this.

How is a Christian to behave?

We only have so many cheeks.

And dealing with a mad man, do we just sit and watch,

pray that someone less godly takes care of us?

- No, we do not sit by.

That's not the role of a Christian.

But committing murder

goes against one of the greatest commandments.

- That mad man doesn't care about the innocent

or the commandment of God;

just the commandment of the Fuhrer.

(pensive music continues)

- Then something needs to be done.

- There is a plan in the works.

- Why are you telling me this?

- 'Cause as a family we are involved, but we're not alone.

We have the support of Admiral Canaris.

(Dietrich scoffs)

- You can't be serious.

Canaris, the admiral?

(scoffs) Isn't he a devotee of the Fuhrer, Jew hater?

- Yes.

- Canaris is the chief intelligence officer of the Abwehr,

but he's also a double agent.

Dietrich, this information can put you in danger.

It may even cost us our lives.

- It's one thing of it's my life we're talking about.

You're talking about... Everyone.

Now we're not asking you to be a part of it,

only to understand what's happening,

especially with the Gestapo watching.

You'll be on their list after the fact.

- I...

(Dietrich sighs)

I don't know what to say.

What about my sister?

- Don't worry.

I'll take care of her.

(somber music)

(Dietrich sighs)

(Dietrich huffs)

- Father, do we simply do nothing but pray?

Do we just turn our other cheek?

(Dietrich sighs)

What must I do?

"Defend the orphan and fatherless;

do justice to the afflicted and needy.

"Free them from the hand of the wicked."

Free them from the hand of the wicked.

Lord, give me the strength to do just that.

(knocking on door)

- [Wilhelm] Excuse me, sir.

I was informed that you might be of service.

- And who might you be?

- [Wilhelm] My name is Wilhelm Schmidhuber.

I'm part of a network that's working to help those in need.

- Please come inside.

- Herr Bonhoeffer, I understand that you're aware

of a plan in the works.

- Pardon me if I don't discuss that with you.

(quirky music)

So what do you wanna blow up?

- Nothing, no.

I think I've figured out a way

to help some of the Jews leave the country secretly.

But with the current environment, I need someone who-

- Isn't Jewish? - Yes. (chuckles softly)

Sir, will you help us?

(pensive music)

(Dietrich sighs heavily)

I assume that's a yes.

We'll meet again then, Herr Bonhoeffer.

Thank you.

Have a good day.

- God, I need Your help.

(hopeful music)

- Ah, the Gestapo has no boundaries

with this seemingly daily issuance of new orders.

Outlawing church conferences, it's absurd.

- I'm forced to preach ever further

in the depths of secrecy.

They're choking the life out of me.

They're giving me no choice but to go underground

and into obscurity.

- Dietrich, I may have a solution.

You could join the Abwehr, the Nazi intelligence.

- The Abwehr! How is that a solution?

- Hold on, Eberhard.

Go on, Hans.

- You would have the protection of the Abwehr,

the protection of the very Reich itself.

You could essentially perform pastoral work

and continue writing

all while under the guise of Nazi intelligence.

- So he would officially work

as a member of Nazi intelligence,

but unofficially it would be a front for his real work

as a conspirator against Nazi regime?

- It's brilliant.

- You continue to work as a pastor

but also as an underground agent for us.

- It's really quite perfect.

Dietrich would get to maintain

his credibility in the church community this way

all the while helping our cause.

(Dietrich sighs)

- I see.

This just might work.

God, have mercy on us all.

- But of course you must know

he who has the courage to act

will likely go down in German history as a traitor.

- But if he fails to act,

he'll be a traitor before his own conscience.

(tense music)

(knocking on door)

(dramatic music)

- Dietrich, allow me to introduce Admiral Canaris.

- [Dietrich] Welcome, sir.

- Admiral Canaris, Wilhelm Schmidhuber.

- Good to have you on board with the operation, herr.

- [Wilhelm] It's an honor to serve you, sir.

(dramatic music continues)

- Herr Schmidhuber, we will need your financial expertise

for this operation, hmm?

Hans, I feel the current decree

requiring all Jews to wear a yellow star in public

has moved Germany to an unthinkable low.

- [Hans] Yes, Admiral,

many are afraid to come out of their homes.

- Hmm, at present, we must get

a group of seven Jews into Switzerland.

Dietrich, we need you to do it, hmm?

Though, Herr Schmidhuber doesn't seem comfortable with this.

- Sir.

- [Canaris] What do you say, Wilhelm?

- If I may, I am not sure

that Dietrich is the right Abwehr agent for this.

- Nonsense! He's the perfect agent.

He's a pastor, is he not?

- [Wilhelm] Yes, sir.

- In order to do this, we must appeal

to the Federation of Swiss Churches

and Dietrich is the only person that has church contacts

within the Federation that we can appeal to.

- Admiral, with all due respect, I must agree,

but this will prove very difficult.

One mistake and we'll all hang!

First, I've got to get them off the deportation list,

make them Abwehr agents,

and essentially convince the Swiss

to let them in the country!

The Swiss are neutral in this war.

- Which is where Dietrich comes into play.

He can leverage his ecumenical contacts

along with Karl Barth to urge the Swiss.

It's the only avenue we have, Hans.

- Wilhelm, the Swiss will require a heavy price.

We must secure foreign currency to send them

because these men and women

can't work in Switzerland.

There can be no trail!

- We can arrange it, no matter the amount.

- Good.

(tense music)

- [Gestapo Officer] Halt!

(Wilhelm groans)

(Wilhelm speaks indistinctly)

(Wilhelm groaning)

- Wilhelm Schmidhuber!

(pensive music)

Upstanding German citizen.

Trusted intelligence agent.

Ah, a Jew lover.

And it says here you've been helping them leave the country.

- Tell us, Wilhelm.

Who organized the currency

and the transportation of these seven Jews into Switzerland?

- Wilhelm, let's see.

You live with your sister Marie.

- And where do your parents live again?

They're very dear to you now, aren't they?

(Wilhelm grunting)

- Yes, they live at 512 Staussenverg, Berlin.

Your sister Marie works at the university,

leaving every morning at 7 a.m.

Your father and mother open their store

at 9 a.m. every morning.

Does that sound about right?

(Marie cries)

- Marie! Okay, okay! (panting)

It was Hans Von Dohnanyi

and Admiral Canaris.

- Canaris?

- They arranged for the transportation

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

He used his church contacts in Switzerland-

- Who is responsible for smuggling the currency?

- [Wilhelm] No, no, please.

- Who was it?

- It was me! It was me!

- [Marie] Wilhelm! Wilhelm!

(Wilhelm sobs)

(phone rings)

- Hello?

Mother! Father!

- Dietrich? Why so frantic?

- The Gestapos are at Hans'.

(Paula gasps)

- Paula, grab Dietrich's coat.

He must leave before they get here.

- Father, I can no longer run.

It will only bring more trouble on the whole family.

There's no end to what they'll do

to get information from you.

- [Gestapo Officer] Hands up!

(tense music)

- Listen to me. Keep your mouth shut.

Only answer what they ask and keep things simple.

- I will not lie and I will not cower to these men.

- They will surely shoot you.

- They have no case.

- They see you as a refusing conscription

and possibly a traitor.

- I've only done what is right.

- You helped Jews.

- I help anyone who needs it, regardless of who they are.

- Well then you better help yourself.

- All rise!

Heil Hitler!

- In the case of Bonhoeffer versus The Third Reich,

are these the charges?

- Your lordship, the prisoner is guilty of high crimes

against the Fatherland and the Fuhrer himself.

- Prosecutor Roeder, state the charges.

- Herr Bonhoeffer was ordered

not to write or speak in public.

On multiple occasions, he violated that order.

He incited movements against the government,

evaded the draft,

and aided in the fraudulent smuggling of Jews.

All in all, he's a threat to not only German citizens,

but our Fuhrer's efforts.

His activities clearly prove to your lordship

acts of treason.

- But we were informed of these charges!

- The charges are either true or they're not.

- Your lordship, I was not prepared

to defend against these charges.

- Then perhaps Herr Bonhoeffer

should've retained a better defense lawyer.

How does the defendant plea?

- [Dietrich] Innocent.

(gavel pounds)

- As a point of order, I must call attention to the fact

that at one time Herr Bonhoeffer

was a promising young minister.

We think all was well

until his travels outside the Fatherland

where his ideals became corrupt.

Therefore, I call Bishop Theodore Heckel to take the stand.

(tense music)

You know the defendant?

- Yes, I know him very well.

I even tried to help him

and thought of him as a young protege.

- Please, tell us how we came to be here today.

- Well, I first saw him going astray

after he returned from America.

He seemed fascinated by the,

well, for lack of better description,

the poor and downtrodden American society.

- And who would that be?

- The Blacks and the Jews.

- So, he has a long history of defying the powers that be?

- Yes.

Even when I went to Finkenwalde

to try and talk some sense into him, he was defiant.

He refused to teach the instructions

of the Fuhrer's church,

but insisted on teaching his own views of the church.

(gavel pounds)

- Court's adjourned.

- [Gestapo Robby] All rise!

(tense music)

- Why wouldn't you let me talk?

- You're doomed.

If I allowed you to testify,

they'd take you out and shoot you.

The bishop buried you and the reports sealed it.

- They were lies.

- We can only hope for a fine or local confinement.

- I demand to speak! - No!

(tense music)

- All rise!

Heil Hitler!

- After carefully studying the evidence

and looking for the best interest of the Fatherland,

I have reached a verdict:

guilty on all counts. (gavel pounds)

Do you have something to say, Herr Bonhoeffer?

- Trust me. (whispers) - Yes, I do.

The only thing I'm guilty of

is living my life as a disciple of Christ.

It is not the law of man that rules this land or my heart,

but that of God, and His Word, alone.

And His Word tells us not to fear those whom kill the body,

but are not able to kill the soul:

but rather fear God who is able to destroy

both soul and body in hell.

You pass judgment on me,

but you will be judged by a higher court!

(judge scoffs)

Man's sins will not escape the judgment of the Almighty.

The Lord God of Germany

will most certainly hold the Third Reich

to account for its murders.

- How dare you accuse our Fuhrer

and threaten our Third Reich.

Your role is why you are here, not your beliefs.

Going against the Fuhrer and Fatherland, that is your crime.

(tense music)

- We were Christians once.

Now I fear we're more lost than the children of Israel.

- Enough!

I sentence you to Tegel prison,

and your case will be subject for further review.

(gavel pounds)

- All rise!

- What does that mean?

- Your life, maybe.

(tense music)

- Corporal Knoblauch, may I trouble you

for some pen and paper?

Today is day 10 and as per the prosecution and Mr. Roeder,

I'm able to write my family today.

- Remember, Roeder and I read all correspondence

coming and going.

Be careful what you write, pastor.

You, Mueller and Dohnanyi are

interested parties here at Tegel.

- Well, that is good information to have.

Thank you.

How do you know that I'm a pastor?

- You were with my cousin, Inge Karding at Finkenwalde.

- Inge is your cousin?

- Ja, Ja.

- May I ask, how is Inge?

- Inge was assigned into service

of the 15th Medical Battalion,

but she died in an air raid last year.

(Dietrich breathes heavily)

(melancholic music)

- I...

Very sorry to hear that, Corporal Knoblauch.

- Ja. (talks faintly)

- I was very fond of Inge.

(melancholic music continues)

(soft piano music)

"Dear parents, I want you to be quite sure I'm all right."

I'm sorry I haven't written to you

in these first 10 days but that rodent Roeder,

that prosecutor Roeder would not allow me pen and paper.

Strangely enough, the hardships one normally associates

with prison life are hardly worse

than some have it in the closed ghettos of Germany.

The bed is no worse than what we endured at Finkenwalde,

though it is somewhat cold

and the crying desperation all around me robs me of sleep.

I am surprised to have had

no craving for tobacco since arriving.

I am given no reason for my incarceration

and I believe I'll be released shortly.

In short, the only thing that bothers me

is that my condition keeps you from peace of mind.

I worry about Maria as well.

She is young and her imagination will get the best of her

so please keep her calm.

I can only write one letter today

so please tell her that I love her.

I'll write her when I'm allowed next.

In the prison yard, there is a thrush who sings beautifully;

it's the little things that mean the most right now.

I am sorry for any worry or anxiety I've caused you.

I am thinking of my family and friends

with gratitude and love.

"Your loving son, Dietrich."

(Knoblauch talks faintly) - Herr Bonhoeffer!

(cane knocks table)

So has your little stay here at Tegel

jogged your memory at all?

- I'm not sure what you're referring to.

- Tell me again why a pacifist pastor

would join a German military intelligence?

- Well, to start, Bishop Heckel and his men

branded me a pacifist and enemy of the state!

I'm a proud German.

And when my brother-in-law Hans

suggested that I help the Abwehr,

I saw that as an opportunity to help our nation.

(Roeder chuckles sarcastically)

- And just how does your theology help in Abwehr affairs?

- I have many connections to churches throughout Europe.

I saw it as an opportunity to rehabilitate myself

in the eyes of the authorities and the Fuhrer.

- Right, once a pacifist,

always a pacifist in the eyes of the Reich!

- If that were the case,

why would I abandon my responsibilities in America

to return home before the war broke out

where I would most assuredly be called into service?

Why would I choose a future bride

from a family that has lost uncles, brothers and sons

and has achieved some of the highest honors in wartime?

- Ha! All very well thought out points, Bonhoeffer.

To answer you, I'm not sure,

but rest assured I will find out.

You, Mueller and Dohnanyi reek of wrongdoing,

and not just those of those

seven stinking Jews in Switzerland.

I will root you out of your rat-infested holes

if it's the last thing I do!

For a man of God, you're a very good liar, Bonhoeffer.

You should've been a lawyer.

- Last chance, Dietrich.

I can get you out of here.

- It's all right.

May the Will of God be done with my life.

(melancholic music)

(keys jangling)

My family! Glory to God!

Father!

Brother.

- [Eberhard] Brother.

- Glory to God?

No thanks to your old pal Roeder?

It was I, I believe, who ushered your family in, no?

(Dietrich sighs)

- Thank you, as well, Roeder.

It seems you have a heart after all.

Though somehow I doubt it.

- Say what needs to be said, we haven't got all day.

- Dietrich, have you been eating enough?

We brought you some food.

- Mother, I'm fine.

My soul is so full I have no need of food.

Eberhard, look at you.

You look great, old friend.

- I brought you the book you asked for.

- Thank you.

- We bought you the clothes that you requested as well.

And your mother's right, you're far too thin.

- Where is Maria?

- Maria fell a little ill.

- Dear, nothing serious I hope?

- No, no, nothing serious, just a cold.

- Mother, please send Maria my love.

Tell her not to worry, we'll see each other again very soon.

- Farewell, my dear brother, we'll meet again soon.

(ominous music)

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you are to be transferred

to the concentration camp in Buchenwald

and thereafter to Flossenburg,

where you will face execution by hanging.

Heil Hitler!

- Heil Hitler!

- Jawohl!

(ominous music)

(Dietrich groans)

(Dietrich pants)

(gun fires)

(Dietrich gasps)

- "Yea, though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup overfloweth.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

"all the days of my life-"

- [Gestapo Philip] Heil Hitler!

- "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

- That was Psalm 23.

You see, I'm also a Christian, loyal to my Fuhrer's church.

How nice of you to join us.

- As though I had a choice.

- We always have choices.

Please sit.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

I've learned a lot about you.

Dare I say, I find you fascinating?

- That makes two of us.

- I can see that your body is breaking down,

but you kept on teaching

and promoting your own idea of church,

against the teaching of our Fuhrer's church.

I take that as an act of defiance!

- Take it however you wish.

I answer the call of God.

That's the law I follow.

I reach out to those who need and want my guidance.

I shine light on that which is dark.

The narrow path is a tough one

and we all need help from time to time.

- [Koch] So, you're still a Jew lover.

- I know you won't understand this,

but I love God and do His work.

That means helping those in need, not judging them.

I leave that to God.

- I really can't figure out if you are just naive or insane.

- What? Killing me is your solution?

- The final solution was given by the Fuhrer.

His vision is clear.

Here and now.

Here and now.

- You've gone far beyond the cheap grace I oppose

into something else, fake grace.

- And what is that? What is that?

Cheap grace, that is.

- Cheap grace is grace sold on the market

like cheap-jacks' wares.

Grace without discipleship, grace without the cross,

grace smiling at sin but empty religion.

- [Koch] And what about fake grace?

- You follow a man.

Even a religious man.

But still, just a man, like your Fuhrer,

wrapping God's grace to Germany in a blanket of hate.

Turning God's mercy into murder.

- So, is God going to save you?

- Whatever happens to me is the will of God,

for He sent His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

to die and guide us, for we were so lost.

Without His sacrifice, we'd all be lost souls.

- It sounds like you think of yourself

as the new Son of God.

- No, just a follower of the true way.

I have seen the glory of God.

(melancholic piano music)

- You're not afraid of death, then?

- (sobs) I'm afraid of dying.

Afraid of the pain and suffering.

I've seen what it's done to so many here.

I'm afraid of the torture.

I'm afraid of leaving those I love behind.

(Dietrich sobs)

But I embrace it, because I know thereafter

I'll have eternal peace at the hand of God,

never wanting or hurting again.

Basking in the truth of God, more alive than I am now!

The pain and suffering are only temporary.

Like a child that is born in pain to a loving mother

so I'll be born again to the loving arms of the Lord.

I know Who will await me.

Do you really think Hitler will await you?

For your sake I hope not,

because that will mean you'll have followed him into hell.

- Guard, take him!

- [Dietrich] Repent of your sins

and put your faith in Jesus Christ before it's too late.

You can remove me but you cannot remove the words

that I have spoken.

They will haunt you until your last breath.

I will embrace it.

- Take him to the yard!

- [Dietrich] Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

- Karl, did you check the mail

for news from Sabine today about Dietrich?

- Yes, my dear, no news today.

- Here, have some tea.

You know, it's unbearable enough

to know that we lost Walter, Klaus, and Rudiger.

(Paula sobs)

- Perhaps no news is good news, my dear.

Shall we listen to Bishop Bell?

- I suppose.

(melancholic piano music)

- [Radio Announcer] Good afternoon, brothers and sisters.

Just days before the defeat of the Nazis,

our brother Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed at Flossenburg.

(Paula gasps)

(Paula sobs)

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- But if he fails to act,

he'll be a traitor before his own conscience.

Brother?

- Dietrich, do you think he's

him?

- If I'm understanding you correctly-

- Think about it.

His hatred for the Jews, God's chosen people.

The swastika, could that be the mark of the beast

as prophesied in Revelation 13?

I've even seen brown shirts with it

tattooed on their forehead!

And how long before anyone will be able to buy or sell

without full allegiance to the Nazis?

And my goodness, Bishop Heckel and his ilk

are certainly in the running to be the false prophet!

So quickly bowing to any and all demands of this serpent

by mere mention of loyalty to country.

We know Scripture says there will be a great falling away,

and if this is not it, I truly do not know what is.

Could Hitler be... The Antichrist?

The man of lawlessness from Second Thessalonians?

Of course he could be,

all the signs certainly point in that direction.

- And his ambition is only growing.

He's already spewing about the Third Reich

ruling the world as the Antichrist will!

How is well over 90% of the church

deceived by this blatantly anti-biblical,

anti-Christ teaching?

We're letting them shut our churches down

by mere oral decree in the name of our own safety

from the virus of biblical teaching!

The German Christians are wholly deceived,

and they applaud it and welcome their own deception.

A very basic understanding of Scripture

is all that's needed to dismantle these lies

and stand against this tyranny.

- And that, my friend,

is why I spent so much of our time at Finkenwalde

teaching the importance of reading

and understanding the Scriptures

and taking God's Word as is.

The church has no clue what the truth is

because they do not know what the Bible teaches,

because they do not read It.

(Dietrich sighs heavily)

Now, let's say Hitler is not "the" antichrist,

only "an" antichrist, and this is not the end,

although if I were a betting man,

I would certainly bet that it is.

How are we and future generations of believers

to protect ourselves from deception

into receiving an or the antichrist and receiving the mark?

- Our people are destroyed by lack of knowledge.

- Hosea, exactly.

We and our future generations of believers

must not blindly accept man's interpretations of Scriptures.

Be they even from so-called theologians or scholars.

I John 4 warns us to test the spirits,

especially the spirits

behind those false teachers and preachers

who secretly bring in destructive heresies.

Not to mention that our Lord warns us four times

in Matthew 24 alone, not be deceived by those

who claim to come in His name

but to judge them by their fruits,

as He said in Matthew 7.

You know, brother, when Christ calls a man,

He bids him, come and die.

But if we do not know His Word...

(soft piano music)

- We'll be embracing demonic lies,

and bowing to antichrists, that we may live.

(soft piano music continues)

(melancholic piano music)