A world shaken by earthquakes and violence can soon expect the Prince of Peace

As the Western world wobbles, rumblings of earthquakes are sending out worrying signals in Israel. The two are connected, I believe.

A quick succession of quakes have rocked parts of Galilee, significantly the region where Jesus lived and conducted much of his earth-shaking ministry which changed the world forever.

He warned that his coming again would be preceded by a number of signs including strange weather patterns – and particularly an increase in earthquakes comparable to the onset of birth pains on a pregnant woman (Matt 24:7f). As they become more frequent and severe, we will know his coming is near.

It so happens that a very big one is due in Israel, according to geologists. When a 6.5 magnitude quake struck Galilee in 1837, it killed up to 7,000 people.¹

The Prophet Zechariah actually predicts that a devastating quake will accompany the return of the Messiah to Jerusalem. So we could be witnessing the closing stages of the present age. Are we ready to face the Judge of all mankind? Are we presiding over righteous laws?

The Bible Criminalised

Here in Britain, freedoms won at great cost are being jettisoned in favour of a new intolerance of those who hold the biblical views on which the country’s great institutions were founded.

You couldn’t make it up, but a man was arrested for reading the Bible outside St Paul’s Cathedral (apparently at the instigation of staff there)² where, nearly 500 years ago, the Bishop of London burnt copies of the Bible in protest at the effrontery of William Tyndale in daring to translate God’s word into a language we could all understand (i.e. not Latin). Tyndale was later burnt at the stake, with St Paul’s staff again implicated in this travesty of justice.

We could be witnessing the closing stages of the present age. Are we ready to face the Judge of all mankind?

The man recently arrested was simply reading aloud the King James Bible, virtually the same as the one for which Tyndale was martyred – 80% of the King James New Testament is Tyndale’s work.

It would seem that this incident is related to a case in Bristol early last year concerning the arrest of a street preacher when a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer told magistrates that publicly quoting from the King James Bible “in the context of modern British society must be considered to be abusive and is a criminal matter”.

It is against this background that Christian charity Barnabas Fund is campaigning to ‘Turn the Tide’ against the erosion of religious freedom and calling for a new law to protect it.

Violence and Chaos

Before returning from a visit to the capital earlier this week, I picked up a copy of the London Evening Standard³ and was greeted with the front page headline ‘How do we turn the tide?’ – referring to the latest teenage victim of the violence which has swept the city in recent months.

This is another sign of the end times. For Jesus also said: “Just as it was in the days of Noah [which were marked by violence], so will it be in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:26).

As the paper launched a special investigation into its causes, they are discovering – surprise, surprise – that its roots lie in what police call ‘adverse child experiences’ (ACEs). In other words, in the home, which is what many of us have been saying for decades.

The home is the breeding ground either for good or for evil, which is why it is so important for legislators to place the welfare of the family above all else. But instead the family is under severe attack from all sides.

But there is hope, according to a recent survey⁴ which found, among other things, that teenagers now enjoy spending more time with family. It certainly seems that they are crying out for meaning and purpose; for something bigger than themselves.

The home is the breeding ground either for good or for evil.

Suicide is another big killer among the young, fuelled in part by the superficial hedonism encouraged by the media which soon enough leaves its victims feeling empty and worthless. Violence is even perpetrated on a massive scale in the so-called interests of ‘health’ – nine million babies have been butchered before birth since the Abortion Act was passed more than 50 years ago. And we call ourselves civilised.

Peace, or War?

In addressing the protest against President Trump’s visit to Britain, Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “I wish to live in a world of peace, not of war.”⁵ Quite apart from the hypocrisy of such a statement from someone who has referred to terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah as ‘friends’ and has failed to effectively deal with anti-Semitism in his own party, it betrays extreme naivety. After all, Mr Trump managed to get the world’s most feared dictator to the negotiating table. Was that not a gesture of peace?

Yes, we all want peace, and it is possible, but only through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Yet there is a paradox here which needs to be understood. Jesus came as the long prophesied Prince of Peace (see Isa 9:6) who would ultimately bring war to an end at his second appearance when people “will beat their swords into ploughshares” (Isa 2:4).

But he also came as one who divides. “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt 10:34). This was a warning that choosing him would cause division even among families because he stands as the ultimate test of whether you are for or against God. He is God come in the flesh. Those who are for God choose him; those who are against God reject him, leaving them as enemies of both God and his disciples.

Jesus came as the long prophesied Prince of Peace who will ultimately bring war to an end, but he also came as one who divides.

And yet he has bridged the gap between sinful man and a holy God by taking the punishment for sin we all deserve. God the Father has heaped all our sins on him so that we can enter his presence free of sin, and at peace with both God and man.

In addition, the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile has been broken at the cross where Jesus died; that is where you will find true peace among men. It is no fairy-tale; I have seen both Jew and Arab embracing one another in reconciliation through their common love for Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, after discovering what he has done for them at the Cross (see Eph 2:14-18).

True Security

Meanwhile, as Israeli residents – especially in Galilee – watch out for further ground movements with a degree of trepidation, we are reminded of what the Prophet Haggai reports the Lord Almighty as saying: “In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations [the Messiah] will come, and I will fill this house with glory” (Hag 2:6f).

The New Testament Letter to the Hebrews reminds its hearers of this word, adding: “The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain” (Heb 12:26f).

The world around us is tottering. But are we secure? Are we living in a world which cannot be shaken because of our absolute trust in the Lord?

Notes

1 Jerusalem News Network, 9 July 2018, quoting the Jerusalem Post. 

2 Barnabas Fund, 10 July 2018.

3 17 July 2018.

4 Conducted by British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

5 Daily Mail, 14 July 2018.

Prophecy Today UK's Managing Editor, Frances Rabbitts, left university two years ago. She looks back at university life and asks: how free are students to speak the truth today?

Last month, pro-life students at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow became the latest casualties of the free speech war raging in our universities.¹

Before them, it was the social science student from Sheffield who was expelled from his course after expressing views on his Facebook page in defence of the biblical definition of marriage.² Before that, it was exposure of 'institutional anti-Semitism' amongst left-wing students in Oxford.³ I could go on.

The New 'Progress'

Much has changed in British universities in the last few decades. Historically, they have had a reputation for being places of radicalism, open debate and free thinking, taking the lead in challenging the status quo. This has often (though not always) been cause for celebration, with student groups contributing to advances in women's educational rights in Britain, and racial civil liberties in America.

Today however, student radicalism is being bent in a new and more sinister direction. Our universities are now leading the way in clamping down on free speech. Left-wing student radicalism now means lashing out against anyone who dares to challenge the hallowed doctrines of secular humanism. They are the new racists, the new sexists, the new homophobes, the new fascists, deserving of being silenced, shunned - even attacked.

So, where once 'thinking outside the box' was championed and celebrated, now it is being demonised and excised, all in the name of progress. Of course, universities are not the only places where this is happening. They are part of a much bigger assault on Western freedoms – but a significant part, nonetheless.

British universities were once known for open debate and 'free thinking' – but now student radicalism is being bent in a more sinister direction.

Censorship Growing

Perceptive web magazine Spiked, which paradoxically boasts a strongly secular humanist philosophy, has long been critical of this growing culture of censorship and intolerance, last year launching the world's first Free Speech University Rankings, using a traffic light colour ranking system.⁴ It found that a staggering 80% of British universities in 2015 had been accused of censoring free speech in some way. Activities such as 'no platforming' (refusing particular speakers), banning specific speech, ideologies or group affiliations, and protesting potentially 'offensive' groups or meetings are all widespread.

This year, the percentage accused of censorship has risen to 90%, with over half of all university institutions in Britain receiving a 'Red' marking (i.e. most hostile to free speech).⁵

Spiked editor, Brendan O'Neill, has described today's student culture thus: "Where once students might have allowed their eyes and ears to be bombarded by everything from risqué political propaganda to raunchy rock, now they insulate themselves from anything that might dent their self-esteem and, crime of crimes, make them feel 'uncomfortable'."⁶ [emphasis added]

In the last year, 90% of British universities have been accused of censoring free speech in some way.

Selective Persecution

This growing culture of censoring the 'uncomfortable' often comes in the form of blanket bans on 'homophobic' speech, 'extremist' behaviour and any form of 'harassment', as well as generic official commitments to 'dignity', 'equal opportunities' and 'respect'.

What this translates to in real life, however, is highly selective – certain belief systems and perspectives are attacked whilst others are allowed to go free. For instance, the National Union of Students has been criticised for freely condemning both Israel and UKIP, but refusing to condemn Islamic State for fear of being branded Islamophobic.⁷

Unsurprisingly, a common theme of this selective outrage against the 'uncomfortable' is a large-scale attack on biblical values (especially on gender, abortion and marriage), Jewish groups (under the banner of anti-Israel sentiment) and Christian Unions.

In many institutions, Jewish students now experience harassment and bear the brunt of aggressive anti-Israel protests as a new norm.⁸ In April the NUS hit the news again, not least because of anti-Semitic remarks made by its new president.⁹ As regards pro-life, the latest incident in Glasgow is not the only recent example of anti-abortion groups experiencing censorship on campus – the same thing happened in Dundee in 2014.

Campus censorship is highly selective – and is frequently characterised by attacks on Jewish and Christian groups, and biblical values.

How the Tables Have Turned

Most Christian students are fully aware that living their faith out on campus is a battle. But it is more than just a battle for them as individuals (important though this is). They are part of a much larger and longer-standing war for the minds of British young people.

How did we get here? I want to suggest that the tables have turned in our universities because the enemy finally has them right where he wants them: by and large, they have become dedicated temples to secular humanism, churning out generation upon generation of converts trained to think, write and work accordingly.

Decades ago, when the status quo in Britain was broad adherence to Christianity (if only cultural) and most people had been brought up within a biblical value system, it was in the enemy's interests to challenge these widely held beliefs where possible – including in universities, through such vehicles as 'free thinking' and 'dissent'. Now it no longer works to his advantage to encourage thinking (or believing) outside the box – because Britain's cultural 'box' is no longer Christianity, but secular humanism.

It is no longer in the enemy's interested for universities to challenge the status quo in British culture – because the status quo is no longer Christianity, but secular humanism.

So, instead of universities being centres for challenging the status quo, they are now strategic hubs for its defence. The goal is to consolidate its hold, either by keeping God behind closed doors, a matter of private, individual significance not for public consumption, or by trying more overtly to silence biblical truth on campus.

The Truth is Uncomfortable

Perhaps all of this should be no surprise. With no apology to the campus police, the gospel is an uncomfortable message. We bear it on behalf of the Lord Jesus, who declared that it would naturally cause division between those who accepted it and those who did not (Matt 10:35-36). But those who are willing to be made uncomfortable by its truths will ultimately be blessed with the true comfort of the Holy Spirit.

So, this is not a time to be passive. If you know any Christian students, or have them in the family, I encourage you to pray with them and support them in their faith regularly – intercede for them, that God would empower them to live and speak in a truly counter-cultural way. Encourage them to stand with Jewish students experiencing persecution. And help them to petition the Lord for wisdom about how to rally together and speak out, that the truth might be heard.

They are on one of many front lines in this country – but this is an opportunity for witness as much as it is a threat of social martyrdom. Pray that their freedom in Jesus would be so attractive that every 'casualty' in this war would lead to many others finding life.

References

1 Pro-life students refused funding at Scottish university. The Christian Institute, 12 April 2016.

2 Christian student to seek further action after expulsion from university course. Christian Concern, 8 April 2016.

3 Simons, A. It's time we acknowledged that Oxford's student left is institutionally anti-Semitic. The Guardian, 18 February 2016.

4 Free Speech University Rankings, Spiked Online.

5 Ibid. See specific university rankings here.

6 O'Neill, B. Free speech is so last century. Today's students want the 'right to be comfortable'. The Spectator, 22 November 2014.

7 Rickman, D. NUS will condemn Israel and Ukip but not Isis. The Independent, 2014.

8 E.g. see Firsht, N. When Anti-Zionism Slips Into Anti-Semitism. Spiked, 19 February 2016.

9 University students threaten to split from NUS. BBC News, 22 April 2016.