Acceptable anti-Semitism in Britain today.

In the wake of the Manchester and London Bridge terror attacks, Theresa May has pledged to open a new Commission for Countering Extremism¹ saying, "Enough is enough.”²

The new Commission would do well to look into the organisers of the recent Al-Quds Day rally held on Sunday, 18 June.³

The Jewish Chronicle (23 June 2017) reported that the police are investigating as a possible hate crime the statement by an organiser of the rally, Nazim Ali of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), that “Zionists” were responsible for the Grenfell fire. He is also reported to have said, “As we know in Grenfell, many innocents were murdered by Theresa May’s cronies, many of which are supporters of Zionist ideology.”⁴

Anti-Semitism on the Streets

Other choice sayings at the march apparently were, “Zionism is a fascist, evil ideology…Everyone knows that Zionist Israel and Isis are the same…We are all Hezbollah.”⁵ To prove this, the Hezbollah flag with its machine gun logo was waved even by children on the march. Hezbollah Military Wing is a banned terror group⁶ and the police are to investigate whether displaying the flags contravened UK terror laws. The organisers of the march apparently support the political rather than military wing of Hezbollah, even though the distinction has been acknowledged by the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to be non-existent.⁷

So, who are these “Zionists” that are being demonised?

Apparently, it is all Jews apart from the ones who reject the state of Israel. The only ‘real Jews’, in their view, are those who attended the march from a tiny fringe group called Neturei Karta (meaning ‘Guardians of the City’⁸) who reject the state of Israel’s right to exist. Since most UK Jews and a large number of Christians support the state of Israel’s right to exist, this logically makes them the hated “Zionists”.

Rewarded at the Ballot Box

Anti-Semitism continues to rise. In addition to overflowing onto our streets, it is being rewarded at the ballot box. Naz Shah, the MP for Bradford West was re-elected, increasing her share of the vote by 10,000 in the election. This was the Labour MP whose anti-Semitic remarks (despite holding a seat on the Home Affairs Committee investigating the rise of anti-Semitism in the UK) caused Ken Livingstone to weigh in on her behalf and pull the plug on his own career, being suspended from the Labour party for bringing it into disrepute with his remarks on Hitler and Israel in a radio interview.⁹

Police are investigating as a possible hate crime the statement by a rally organiser that “Zionists” were responsible for the Grenfell fire.

This led to Shami Chakrabarti’s inquiry into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, which a recent documentary labelled a whitewash.¹⁰ During the inquiry, Jeremy Corbyn was questioned by Shami Chakrabarti as to why he has called Hamas his “friends” and has apparently called for them to be removed from the UK’s list of banned terror groups.¹¹ This inconvenient interview was omitted from the inquiry’s findings.¹² Shami Chakrabarti subsequently received a peerage.

Naz Shah has softened her stance on Israel. However, in Bradford, the Israel Palestinian question with attendant anti-Semitic rhetoric is central to political discourse. Consequently, when she said Israel had a right to exist during election hustings, an audience member shouted “Jew, Jew, Jew” at her, which the authorities are said to be investigating.^13,14

Usurping Spirit of Anti-Christ

The Labour Party has perhaps not been as forceful as it should have been in dealing with anti-Semitism, because it courts Muslim votes. After all, in Britain there are over 3 million Muslims but fewer than 270,000 Jews.

But it is not only the Labour Party that has anti-Semitic elements. Former Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron instigated the barring of former Bradford East MP David Ward from standing for the party in the recent election.¹⁵ The right wing of the Conservative party has also had its anti-Semites, though David Cameron took care to re-position the party away from its “nasty” elements.

This should not surprise us. Anti-Semitism rises because it is the hallmark of the growing spirit of Anti-Christ.

In militant Islam, this jealous, usurping spirit finds its most violent, implacable expression. It is fuelled by an irrational spiritual jealousy that cannot be appeased (Prov 27:4). Only the Holy Spirit can withstand and conquer the spirit of Anti-Christ and in turn counter it with a Godly jealousy that cannot be withstood: “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion” (Zech 1:14).¹⁶

In militant Islam, the jealous, usurping spirit of Anti-Christ finds its most violent, implacable expression. 

Different Fronts, Same Spirit

Anti-Semitism is also rife among Muslims who would not consider themselves to be extremists and we are tolerating it in political discourse.

Mehmood Naqshbandi, who visits mosques around the country and advises Government and police on Muslim matters, said:

It’s a problem which is endemic in the Muslim community. It’s widespread; it covers generations. It is taken for granted when Muslims are talking to other Muslims, people don’t feel any obligation to hold back from expressing the kind of casual racist views about Jews and about the Jewish community that fits the nasty stereotypes of caricatures of Jewish behaviour, expectations of Jewish conduct and so on. It’s a deep-rooted problem, a problem which is not challenged.¹⁷

Like a hydra, the lawless spirit of Anti-Christ is thrashing violently and emerging on multiple fronts. The enemy is angered by the UK’s impending freedom from the EU bloc and the political, social and ultimately spiritual freedom this could bring. An independent UK need not be constrained by and involved in EU condemnation of Israel. We will not be compelled to send soldiers to fight in an EU army, a force which could be deployed against Israel in future.

Seeing the Bigger Picture

We have won the battle to leave the EU, but the war continues. Yet all who rise up against the Lord and against his Anointed One will ultimately be defeated. Micah 4:11-12:

But now many nations [or gentiles] are gathered against you. They say, ‘Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!’ But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing-floor.

When we oppose God’s people Israel, we fight against the Lord himself, who is the chief of all Zionists and the one who has declared that Zion will be the chief glory of the earth:

Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. (Ps 48:2-3)

When we oppose God’s people Israel, we fight against the Lord himself, who is the chief of all Zionists.

Zion is precious to the Lord:

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. (Isa 49:16)

And it is the Lord who has regathered Israel. His ancient promise in Isaiah 61:4 has been fulfilled:

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

As for us, we declare:

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. (Isa 62:1)

References

1 Peck, T. Theresa May to set up commission for countering extremism. The Independent, 27 May 2017.

2 Rayner, G and Maidment, J. Theresa May says 'enough is enough' in wake of London Bridge terror attack as she confirms General Election will go ahead. The Telegraph, 4 June 2017.

3 See also our previous coverage here.

4 The Jewish Chronicle, 23 June 2017, pp6-7.

5 Ibid.

6 Proscribed Terrorist Organisations. UK Home Office, p10.

7 Ibid.

8 A group of Orthodox Jews, founded Jerusalem in 1938 – see here.

9 See Prophecy Today’s previous coverage of this issue here.

10 Whitewashed by J-TV.

11 Riley-Smith, B. Revealed: Jeremy Corbyn called for Hamas to be removed from banned terror list. The Telegraph, 3 June 2017.

12 Hope, C and Hughes, L. Shami Chakrabarti handed peerage weeks after suppressing Jeremy Corbyn interview from 'whitewash' anti-Semitism report. The Telegraph, 5 August 2016.

13 Murray, D. When did British voters start rewarding anti-Semitism? The Spectator, 11 June 2017.

14 Police probe ‘anti-Semitic’ heckling of Naz Shah for defending Israel’s existence. Jewish News, 3 June 2017.

15 Elgot, J. Tim Farron sacks Lib Dem candidate for 'offensive and antisemitic' remarks. The Guardian, 26 April 2017.

16 See this article from Prophecy Today’s launch issue warning about the rise of antisemitism.

17 Anti-Semitism in the UK: is it growing? BBC Radio 4, 5 March 2015.

What do the Iraq War and the European Union have in common?

A great shaking of the nations is rapidly spreading across Europe following Britain's decision to leave the European Union. In Italy the anti-establishment Five Star Movement has officially called for a national referendum on whether to keep the Euro, which they say simply does not work for Italy and other nations in the south of Europe.

There are similar calls for a referendum in France, Denmark and the Netherlands. Right across Europe there is a sense of uncertainty as the clamour for change rises among those who are suffering from poverty and a sense of injustice.

The Chilcot Report

In Britain it is surely no coincidence that the Chilcot Report has come out within days of the Referendum decision to leave the European Union and the furore that has been created from those who wanted to remain, many of whom are now clamouring for a second vote. In one damning sentence, Sir John Chilcot neatly exposed the gross error of the decision to invade Iraq. He said, "We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted."¹

MPs who voted for the war such as Sir David Amess are now expressing deep regret² and saying that the information they were given was flawed – in other words, they were deceived. The military campaign was successfully carried out but there were no plans for what to do afterwards. With the Iraqi Army, Police and Government all disbanded, Iraq rapidly descended into anarchy, looting and sectarian violence. This continues to this day, with Iraq and Syria immersed in a bloody dispute that is unsettling the whole region, with consequences right across Europe.

Across Europe there is a sense of uncertainty as the clamour for change rises among those suffering from poverty and injustice.

No Follow-Up

There is a strange connection between the Referendum campaigners and those involved in the Iraq war – neither of them had any plans for follow-up!

In the week following the Referendum, none of the leaders of the 'Leave' camp came up with any clear plans for the future. The Government, who campaigned for 'Remain', also had no plans for what would happen if the country voted to leave. The Prime Minister resigned; the parliamentary Labour Party became immersed in a leadership struggle. So we have had no stable Government and no effective Opposition! None of our political leaders have been able to give a clear direction for the future.

This has not only unsettled the stock exchange and financial services, it has unsettled the whole of the United Kingdom (particularly Scotland and Northern Ireland) and has also sent shock waves right across Europe.

Deception and Destruction

There is a verse in the Bible that aptly describes what is going on today. It speaks of the day when God will shake all the nations because of their sinfulness. It says "He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray" (Isa 30:28). This chapter in Isaiah begins with the words "'Woe to the obstinate children,' declares the Lord, 'to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin.'"

Both the war in Iraq and the European Union fall into this category. Both were conceived in deception. False information was given to the people so that decisions were made without understanding the long-term consequences. The European Union was presented as a trade alliance for economic co-operation – not a 'United States of Europe' in which each country would lose their national sovereignty, with Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies, a common law, a common currency, a common army and a common [anti-Israel] foreign policy.

There is a strange connection between the Referendum campaigners and those involved in the Iraq war – neither of them had any plans for follow-up!

The war in Iraq was said to be to destroy the weapons of mass destruction held by Saddam Hussein which were said to be a threat to the peace of the Western world, but its real intention was regime change – to get rid of Saddam Hussein and replace him with a form of Western democracy which Western leaders hoped would provide an ideal type for the whole Arab world! This reveals their utter ignorance of Islam and Islamic culture!

Recipe for Revolution

When a project is born in lies and deceit, it is doomed to failure. "Woe to those who carry out plans that are not mine," says the Lord. If we human beings deliberately choose to ignore basic standards of honesty and righteousness, turning our backs upon the word of the Lord, we inevitably bring judgment upon our actions. The terrible consequences of the Iraqi war are still being seen and felt right across Europe, every day of our lives.

Similarly, the consequences of the European Union with its open borders and its common currency have created enormous poverty and suffering for millions in some parts of Europe whilst providing vast wealth to others. This is a recipe for revolution – it creates an enormous 'us and them' situation, wherein large parts of the population suffer a sense of injustice and deprivation which eventually build up pressures of social unrest that explode into violence.

Both the war in Iraq and the European Union were conceived in deception – and projects born of lies and deceit are doomed to failure.

Right across the world today the nations are suffering the consequences of unrighteousness. We are part of the generation that has ignored the simple truth of the proverb "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Prov 14:34).

The great shaking of the nations prophesied in Scripture is to provide a strong warning of the danger that lies ahead if we continue along the same path. The great question facing humanity today is whether or not we will heed the warning signs and seek the wisdom of the Lord for the way forward – seeking his plans, which are for our good – for blessing and hope, not for harm.

At a Crossroads

PA/PA Wire/Press Association Images.

Britain stands at a crossroads. Will a righteous Government be appointed to lead the nation into the future? I was attending a meeting of the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group yesterday, when the Conservative MPs were voting for their new leader. Much depends now on how the Conservative Party members vote for our next Prime Minister.

Will they vote for Theresa May, the present Home Secretary, who is said to be 'a safe pair of hands' – in other words she will continue following the same secular humanist policies that have been pursued by her predecessors (in Westminster she is said to be the one who persuaded David Cameron to change the law on marriage, telling him that it would make him popular with the LGBT community) - or will they vote for Andrea Leadsom, a Bible-believing Christian who regularly attends a prayer group and is not afraid to declare and defend her faith in public?

We ask that you join with us at this time to pray that the right choice for our Prime Minister be made on 9 September – that God's will be done. This is a crucial time in the history of our nation.

References

1 Sir John Chilcot's public statement, 6 July 2016.

2 Letters to the editor: We must learn lessons of Chilcot. London Evening Standard, 7 July 2016.