A light to the Gentiles

The nations are clay in the Potter’s hands.

European nations pay for defiance of God’s plan

As Christmas draws near, the gloomy prospects of Brexit proposals are somewhat overshadowing the bright lights of Britain.

Virtual civil war has broken out within the ranks of the political class, but there is a general blindness to the real cause of our troubles, which lies with our relationship – not with Europe – but with Israel.

Nations are trying to tamper with God’s dwelling-place on earth and are suffering serious injury as a result.

As writer and theologian Frank Booth reminded me, after Donald Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017 in recognition of the obvious, European leaders May, Macron and Merkel joined the voices raised against the decision. Look at them now!

Zechariah 12:3 says: “I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock [or heavy stone] for the nations; all who try to move it will injure [or grievously hurt] themselves.”

And Booth asks: “How can anyone who knows the slightest thing about the history of Israel deny Jerusalem as her natural historic capital?”

Signs of the Times

In the bleak midwinter, a popular carol, seems an apt description of the view ahead of us in the UK. But the hymn should also remind us of what life is really about, especially of how – 2,000 years on – we are still profoundly affected by the Christ child who came into the world to save us from our sin.

Bethlehem may have been his birthplace, but Jerusalem – just six miles away – was and is the key to the world’s future. It was there that our Lord died as the perfect sacrifice for sins, where he rose from the dead three days later, where he subsequently ascended to Heaven after appearing to more than 500 witnesses, and where he will return - probably in the very near future judging by the many signs of his coming already being fulfilled.

Nations are trying to tamper with God’s dwelling-place on earth and are suffering serious injury as a result.

The most obvious of these has been the re-birth and rise to prominence of the State of Israel, symbolised in the Bible as the fig tree (see Matthew 24:32-34). The blossoming of the fig tree has come about as a result of the return of Jews from every corner of the world to the land promised them some 4,000 years ago. All the world has witnessed this phenomenon, fulfilling an abundance of ancient prophecies (e.g. Jer 23:7f; Jer 31:16f; Ezek 36:24; Isa 43:5-7).

But as the scriptures also predicted, they would not be welcomed back to their homeland by their neighbours – hence the current upheaval in the Middle East.

So how does this affect the UK and why is this issue – and not Brexit – the source of our difficulties?

Britain’s Capitulation

Britain has been granted the inestimable privilege (by God himself and through international treaties) of facilitating Jewish repatriation. This was thanks to godly men like Wesley, Wilberforce and their evangelical successors, whose influence caused the Government of 1917, led by David Lloyd George, to issue a promise to do all it could to make this possible through what came to be known as the Balfour Declaration (signed by Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour).

Despite later reneging on this pledge and betraying the Jews – even refusing entry (to then British-controlled Palestine) to thousands of would-be immigrants trying to escape the Nazis – we at least got the ball rolling which enabled a reborn Israel to rise from the ashes of the ‘Valley of Dry Bones’ (Ezek 37) that was the Holocaust.

But as we kept caving in to Arab intimidation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict worsened and our great empire – on which the sun never set – began systematically to fall apart in direct fulfilment of Genesis 12:3, promising blessing to those who bless the seed of Abraham and cursing to those who don’t.

In addition, Joel 3:2 guarantees judgment on the nations that have scattered his people and divided up their land. All the talk now is of a ‘two-state solution’, carving up territory designated (both by God and international treaties) as belonging to the Jews.

Jerusalem the Key

Jerusalem is the key to all this. Plans for dividing the city into east and west in order to achieve peace are actually a recipe for further bloodshed, as Israel’s enemies want all of it.¹ The last great war, the Bible says, will be over the status of Jerusalem, not Europe or the Far East.

Australia’s lukewarm attempt to please both sides of the divide by only recognising West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and holding off acceptance of East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital until a two-state solution is found, will cut no ice with God, who spits such lack of commitment out of his mouth as English folk might do with tepid tea (see Rev 3:16).

Australia’s lukewarm attempt to please both sides of the divide will cut no ice with God, who spits such lack of commitment out of his mouth (Rev 3:16).

While this position might be seen as a step in the right direction, Australia’s Pentecostal Christian Prime Minister Scott Morrison should note what has happened to Britain, Germany and France since Donald Trump’s brave decision to move his embassy to Jerusalem.

Taking their cue from the politically correct secularists, May, Merkel and Macron defiantly refused to follow Trump’s example, and all three are now in grave difficulties.

Open warfare over Brexit threatens to bring further chaos to Britain including the distinct possibility of a Government led by Jeremy Corbyn, an ally of terrorist groups wishing to obliterate Israel and who shows no sign of lancing the boil of anti-Semitism within his party.

Merkel, meanwhile, has a fragile hold on power as Germans express great frustration with the problems caused by mass immigration, and deadly street riots – led by a movement reported to be grossly anti-Semitic – have erupted in Paris in protest at Macron’s ‘reforms’.

Reaping the Whirlwind

Such a triple calamity can be traced back, quite simply, to defiance of the God of Israel and of his commandments which have formed the basis of Western civilisation.

We are reaping the whirlwind of anti-Semitism and godlessness after shamefully turning our backs on the God who bought our redemption when his Son was brutally murdered in his very own city (Ps 48:1-3).

The Bible is clear that our security as nations and individuals depends on our attitude to Jesus, to the Jews and to Jerusalem (John 3:16; Gen 12:3; Ps 122:6).

References

1 See also Senior Palestinian negotiator: all of Jerusalem on table, World Israel News, 18 December 2018.

Further shameful acts exposed as Prince makes historic visit to Israel

As evidence has come to light of further shameful acts of anti-Semitism carried out by British officials during its charge over the territory formerly known as Palestine, it is hoped that next week’s Royal visit to Israel will help heal the wounds of those who suffered.

I reported last month on a special ceremony held near Haifa at which UK representatives shared a ‘declaration of sorrow’ for the way our country treated Jews in the years leading up to the re-birth of their nation in 1948.
A more detailed report of that 11 May event has since come into my possession¹ and I am thus able to reveal – exclusively - some shocking facts shared by Holocaust survivors and others attending the ceremony, organised by Love Never Fails, an alliance of Christian groups supporting the Jewish state.

Atlit detention camp (now a museum). Photo Gemma Blech, courtesy Anne Heelis.It took place at Atlit, a former detention camp where Jewish refugees were held as part of British policy to limit immigration to the region, adding further trauma to a people who had already suffered terribly under the Nazis.

Granted a League of Nations mandate to prepare a safe homeland for Jews, Britain instead interred them behind barbed wire complete with watchtowers.

Harrowing Stories of Betrayal

Among those who shared their harrowing stories of the time was Hannah Avrutsky. A survivor of the notorious Warsaw ghetto,² she was hidden in a monastery before being smuggled to the Exodus ship bound for Israel in 1947, only to face a British naval blockade and be sent back to a Displaced Persons’ camp in Germany, where so many of her people had been murdered!

Ben Zion Drutin spoke of being hospitalised after being wounded by the British on board the Exodus and then held in Atlit for six months.

Arie Itamar, who was eight years old on the Exodus, compared Israel to a “betrayed lover” during the Mandate.

Granted a League of Nations mandate to prepare a safe homeland for Jews, Britain instead interred them behind barbed wire complete with watchtowers.

Pinchas Kahane spoke of his parents’ escape from Auschwitz, his birth in a Cyprus detention camp and how Britain prevented them leaving the camps until February 1949, well after the establishment of the State of Israel.

Dr Miri Nehari, whose father had been a leader in mobilising the escape of Jews from Europe after the Holocaust, read out a British telegram to the Polish Government-in-exile asking them to close the borders to escaping Jews.

Brits and Israelis together at the Atlit meeting. Photo courtesy of Anne Heelis.Zehavit Blumenfeld, whose 70^th birthday has coincided with that of Israel’s, said: “I do not forget, but I forgive.” She was born in the Cyprus detention camps where 53,000 Jewish refugees from the Holocaust were interned by the British.

She and others were moved by the warmth and sympathy of the Christians who came to express their sorrow and hope that Prince William’s visit will be an important step towards reconciliation.

The testimonies concluded with stories of British collusion with Arab terror during the Mandate. Noam Arnon, representing the Hebron Jewish Community, spoke on behalf of those who had survived the 1929 massacre there, outlining British complicity.

Zehava Fuchs witnessed the Hadassah convoy massacre as a girl in 1948 when the British had deliberately not intervened to rescue Jewish passengers – 78 people, mainly doctors and nurses, were killed in the attack by Arab terrorists. Zehava is still unable to attend a barbeque as it reminds her of the smell of burning flesh.

Declaration of Sorrow

Rachel Rust, daughter of a former British officer who served in Palestine, confessed her deep sorrow at the cruel treatment handed out by the British army.

On a positive note, Rita Offenbach shared how her mother was among 180 Jewish fighters rescued after being besieged by Arabs attacking their convoy. Another paid tribute to British officer Orde Wingate who is still much loved in Israel for having laid the foundations of the Israeli Defence Force in creating special night squads.

The declaration of sorrow read, in part: “We grieve that [Britain’s policies] led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews who could have escaped Hitler’s ‘final solution’ if the gates to their ancient homeland had been fully open.”

Many Israelis are still waiting to hear an apology from Britain for her betrayal of Israel. There is still a need for much repentance and reconciliation.

Film-maker Hugh Kitson³ expressed sorrow, not only for the failures of the Mandate but also for the fact that today’s British Government fails to recognise Israeli sovereignty over their own capital city.

Many Israelis are still waiting to hear an apology from Britain for her betrayal of Israel in breaking a pledge to prepare a safe refuge for the Jewish people. Israel came into being without our help in the end, but not before many lives were unnecessarily lost due to the delay. There is still a need for much repentance and reconciliation.

Hope Persists

Prince William is scheduled to touch down on Monday for the start of the first ever official visit to Israel by a British Royal, during which he will pay his respects at the tomb of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece, who hid a Jewish family from the Nazis during the war. It is hoped that the visit will mark a turning point in Britain’s relationship with Israel.

It is certainly encouraging that, according to a senior Conservative source, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid will take steps later this year to fully ban Hezbollah, one of Israel’s most implacable enemies. Since banning the terrorist group in 2008, Britain has continued to recognise its political wing – a distinction not even accepted by Hezbollah, a heavily armed proxy of Iran which has held successive London rallies against the Jewish state.⁴

Also encouraging is Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s condemnation on Monday of the United Nations Human Rights Council over its long-standing anti-Israel bias, demanding the Council drop a controversial agenda item placing Israel under intense scrutiny.⁵

These are indeed steps in the right direction, and we trust and pray that the Duke of Cambridge will encounter true peace as he walks in the footsteps of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

References

1 My thanks to Rosie Ross, Israel’s Love Never Fails representative, for the Atlit report, and to her colleague Anne Heelis for passing it on to me. Further signatures to the declaration can still be made at www.nachamuami.com.

2 Where Jews were herded into a cramped, unsanitary location as a staging post for being transported to death camps.

3 Hugh Kitson’s latest documentary Whose Land? explores Israel’s historic and legal rights to their land.

4 Jerusalem News Network, 18 June 2018, quoting the Jewish Chronicle.

5 JNN, 20 June 2018.

Paul Luckraft reviews two DVDs ahead of the centenary of the Balfour Declaration this coming week.

The Forsaken Promise: Centenary Edition (Hatikvah Films, 2017)

To coincide with the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, Hatikvah Film Trust have issued a shorter version of The Forsaken Promise (originally 4 hours along across two discs, first published 2007). This is an excellent resource for those who have no or little knowledge of the aftermath of the Balfour Declaration, when Britain repeatedly reneged on its commitment to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine and failed to administer the region as the Mandate required.

The new disc can more readily be used in group discussions or even given away to those who want to discover how events played out in the vital period from 1917 to 1948, when the current state of Israel came into existence.

The DVD has eleven sections which means it can be used selectively if time does not permit a full showing, or paused at suitable moments to allow group discussion. The opening seven minutes set the scene well and would be a good way of opening up such a discussion. After that we start to see how things went wrong as Britain failed to live up to her promises. The presentation covers events from the San Remo meeting of 1920 to the British withdrawal in 1948, including the Hebron Massacre (1929), the White Paper of 1939 and the appalling incident of the Exodus ship (1947). Some of the scenes are quite disturbing and would need to be handled sensitively in a group context.

The DVD ends with an interview with Derek Prince in Israel, whose forthright words leave us in no doubt about the seriousness of Britain’s actions and attitudes during this vital period in our history and that of the Jews.

The Forsaken Promise: Centenary Edition (44 minutes) is available from AO Vision for £5. The original edition is still available from the publishers for £15.

The Destiny of Britain (Hatikvah Films, 2007)

Also available from Hatikvah is The Destiny of Britain, a prequel to The Forsaken Promise. This has not been reduced in length and remains in a two-disc format, with the main presentation (on Disc 1) being in two parts totalling 107 minutes. Disc 2 features several extended interviews with participants in the main presentation - a chance to hear at greater length what these experts had to say before it was edited down for Disc 1.

Presented by Kelvin Crombie, this is story of how Britain’s Christian heritage and her geo-political objectives in the Middle East combined in the period leading up the Balfour Declaration.

Britain played a key role in the restoration of the Jewish people to their biblical homeland and this DVD acts as a positive counterfoil to the more shameful episodes that followed the Declaration. Here we learn about how God placed many strong Christians in positions of influence in order to bring his purposes to fulfilment.

Knowing our history is central to understanding our present and likely future. This DVD provides key information to that end.

The Destiny of Britain: Decisions that Shaped an Empire (107 minutes) is available from Hatikvah Films for £10.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Israel: A Sign and a Wonder' by Andrew Baguley (RoperPenberthy, 2015)

This is Baguley's second book, in which he moves on from considering the threat of Islam to the wonder of Israel, past, present and future. The author states his reason for writing this book (as well as the previous one) is that God spoke to him in 2014 and told him "to write both books as readers [primers] for the Church" (p20). He adds his personal concern is the lack of biblical knowledge and the apparent indifference of a large part of the Church to Israel, the Jews and God's love for this chosen nation.

Coverage of History

Although Israel: A Sign and a Wonder is twice the length of his first book, it is relatively compact and concise while providing a large amount of factual information. The initial chapters cover the birth and later re-birth of the nation, plus the three main covenants (Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic). His claim is that "Covenant theology is important to grasp as arguments over which are conditional or unconditional lead some Christians to the view that Israel has been replaced by the Church as 'the New Israel'" (p37-38).

The next chapter is a brief biblical history of Israel but although it contains some useful timelines the author admits it is "very difficult in a short summary such as this to include every point that scholars and theologians would regard as key points" (p45). In which case, why try?! But this is only a basic reader and the author is merely trying to point out God's patient preparation and protection of his people in readiness of greater things to come.

This is a relatively compact and concise book, while providing a large amount of factual information.

Tracking Recent Anti-Semitism

The next two chapters are equally brief accounts of the 'silent' period between the two Testaments and the time of Jesus. The latter includes outlines of the other religious groups operating then, together with the various Messianic beliefs and expectations.

These are followed by two chapters on Christian Zionism, anti-Semitism and Replacement Theology. Again, much better treatment can be found elsewhere, though he does provide some good contemporary evidence of the more recent outworkings of Replacement Theology - for instance the Church of Scotland's report The Inheritance of Abraham (2010) and the launch of the Kairos Britain Network of Churches at the Greenbelt Christian youth camp in 2014. New information of this kind is always a useful addition to what is already known.

Indeed it is in discussing recent issues and events that the strengths of this book are found, as the next chapter on the contemporary history of Israel demonstrates. The author helps us discern truths and realities from the myths and fabrications that have arisen concerning the Palestinians, the Occupied Territories and the various wars and intifadas.

The financial corruptions of the Palestinian Authority regarding foreign aid are spelled out, and we are shown how the UN Security Council is heavily biased against Israel, especially in its Resolutions which the author denounces as "part of an enormous propaganda machine created to convince naïve citizens around the world" (p92). The section on the EU and Israel is equally forthright and we are left in no doubt about Israel's current plight. He concludes that the "present history of Israel is...being shaped by the attitude and actions of the international community towards both it and the PA and the rise of Muslim extremism" (p97).

It is in its discussion of recent issues and events that the strength of this book is found.

Looking to the Future

The final chapters look ahead to the return of Jesus to the land of Israel with all that this entails for the Jewish people and Jerusalem. The author holds to a pre-tribulation rapture position, admitting "I think that the Bible is clear on this in both Old and New Testaments" (p63). He doesn't go much further than this -but then this is not his main point and those who disagree with him can still benefit from what he has to say. Whether or not the Church has already disappeared is secondary to his main points on the purpose of the return of Jesus regarding Israel, the Jewish people and their ultimate restoration.

Baguley has good sections on the centrality of Jerusalem in the future and the return of the Jews (aliyah) in recent times. He states that since the emergence of modern Israel "God has done many mighty miracles, not only in the lives of the people, but also in the land which has amazingly blossomed in the hands of the Jewish people" (p113). He points to the 150 Messianic congregations as a spiritual fulfilment, especially as these continue to grow and be added to regularly with the number of believers estimated to be 20,000-30,000.

Basic, But Heart-Warming

Overall, Baguley has achieved his aim of providing a basic reader. Most of the information may be found elsewhere, but as a primer for those needing an easy way in to these topics he has provided a useful resource. In his conclusion he admits the controversial aspects of some of the theology expressed in the book but his main purpose is that we should not be ignorant of Israel's place in God's affection and plan of salvation. His prayer is that "our hearts have been warmed by the knowledge of Israel's soon salvation" (p135). Amen to that!

Israel: A Sign and a Wonder (144 pages) is available from the publisher for £6.99 + P&P.

Clifford Denton explains how closer integration with Europe would threaten this 'voluntary covenant' with God.

A pivotal point in the debate about Britain's relationship with the EU must be our Coronation Oath, which sets us apart as a nation of declared intention, seeking to live under the rule and protection of Almighty God. With the Bible at the foundation of our laws, setting a protecting boundary for the free and open proclamation of the Gospel in our nation, with thousands of years of history to get us to 2 June 1953, the Queen led the way in commitment at the Coronation service in Westminster Abbey.

Britain has long been betraying this corporate Oath, with law changes that depart from the ways of the Bible. We also believe that the Oath has been compromised by each successive closer merger with the EU, which has no such constitution as ours, being secular and humanistic at its heart.

We reproduce below, with minor editing to bring it up-to-date, an article on this topic that was published in Prophecy Today in 1989.

THE CORONATION OATH: UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD FOR EUROPE

Is it a fanciful view of Britain's status before God to see it in covenant terms? God alone knows if that is how he sees his longstanding relationship with us. Nevertheless, so strong was our view of what the Coronation Oath meant that we used the following strapline for the article: "Britain has entered into a 'voluntary covenant' with God, through the Coronation oath. Clifford Denton explains how closer integration with Europe would threaten this unique status."

This is what we published back then. Did we foresee something of immense importance that was not being heeded at the time and that has even greater relevance now?

"What makes Britain special?" we also asked. Have we really been a nation that has been blessed and used by God? We went on to explore these questions, and we would do well to consider them again today in relation to the EU Referendum.

A key to understanding the answers to these questions is in the Coronation Oath. This Oath presents a 'voluntary covenant' with God, and attempts to offer God a framework through which he can help us to manage our affairs according to the teaching of the Bible.

This is not the covenant that God made with Israel. No nation can replace Israel as a covenant nation - but Britain has probably done more than any other Gentile nation to live in a covenant relationship with God. Surely God has helped, blessed and protected us over the centuries, despite our gross imperfections, because of this.

Britain has probably done more than any other Gentile nation to live in a covenant relationship with God.

Strangely, while this oath should be a central issue to consider in our decisions relating to Europe, it is hardly being discussed at all. Most decisions relating to national sovereignty are concerned with self-government rather than the Government of God.

Yet, an alliance with the powers of Europe on financial and political grounds represents a betrayal of the Coronation Oath and a betrayal of God himself, for there is no similar covenant within the constitution of Europe.

Historical Background

The Reformation of the 16^th Century freed Britain of papal control, but the reign of James II (beginning in 1685) threatened to undermine the Protestant framework being formed in British institutions. James' commitment to Catholicism was resisted by some prominent national leaders and this finally led to an invitation for William of Orange to come to Britain in 1688 and redress the nation's grievances.

James fled to France and this was interpreted as an abdication, whereupon a new Parliament was formed and William and Mary (James' Protestant daughter) were offered the Crown. This bloodless revolution was called the 'Glorious Revolution' and became the means by which a more secure Protestant Government could be established in Britain in the framework of (as far as a Gentile nation can go) a voluntary covenant with God.

The Bill of Rights of 1689 ensured that no future monarch could be Roman Catholic and ensured that the monarch would not have unconditional powers. The Government of Britain was put in the form of a contract between the monarch and the people through representation in Parliament.

In 1689, the Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights established a secure Protestant Government in Britain, in voluntary covenant with God.

The Coronation Vow

The Coronation Oath, made law in 1688 and taken first in the Coronation of 1689, was in the form of a vow made before God to govern Britain according to God's laws and in accord with the true profession of the Gospel. The Coronation of every monarch ever since has been a Protestant Christian service centred on this Oath. The promises made by the monarch are contained in the following words, according to law:

The Archbishop or Bishop shall say: "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this kingdom of England and the dominions thereto belonging according to the statutes in Parliament agreed on and the laws and customs of the same?"

The King and Queen shall say: "I solemnly promise so to do"

Archbishop or Bishop: "Will you to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all your judgements?"

King and Queen: "I will".

Archbishop or Bishop: "Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the gospel and the Protestant religion established by law? And will you preserve unto the bishops and clergy of this realm and to the churches committed to their charge all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain unto them or any of them?"

King and Queen: "All this I promise to do".

After this the King and Queen laying his and her hand upon the Holy Gospels shall say: "The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep so help me God".

Then the King and Queen shall kiss the book.

These words are taken directly from the Coronation Oath Act of 1688. The monarch cannot be crowned until and unless these promises are made.

Queen Elizabeth II

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth on 2 June 1953 was a solemn occasion. The young Queen went through the Christian ceremony with full conviction of what she was doing before God. Many of us were children then, and there was not the same ease of media communication as there is today, though the use of television was growing quite fast.

Thus many of us did not see beyond the royal splendour of the day to the heart of what was going on, but the Queen made her promises before God, was anointed with oil for the Holy Spirit to come upon her, took communion and was then crowned. The record of this has been kept in heaven as well as at the BBC. We are in a covenant with one another and with God because of this. This is true for all people in Great Britain.

Queen Elizabeth made her coronation vows with full conviction of what she was doing before God. The record has been kept in heaven as well as at the BBC.

Affirming the Promise

For example, every Member of Parliament makes an oath or affirmation of allegiance to the monarch. The wording of the oath is: "I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God."

This promise is the counterpart to the Queen's Oath so that she and the Government together can seek a way of establishing God's rule within the nation, our God being the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and no foreign god or new age idol.

Similarly, every time the national anthem is sung there is a reflection of the people's allegiance to the Queen and all that the Coronation Oath is intended to convey, and whenever allegiance to the Queen is promised (as, for example, in the promise of Scouts and Guides) acceptance of the Coronation Oath is implied. How many fans at our great sporting events realise that when they sing the National Anthem they are praying a prayer to God? God knows what is intended, even if the words have become empty to most of our nation!

Protection by the Grace of God

So, the British nation has established a framework of government which binds together monarchy, government and state church, also drawing in the allegiance of the people, which reflects what we are calling a voluntary covenant with the living God.

Even though we have had this framework, we have not been a perfect nation by any means, yet surely, by the grace of God, we have been a protected nation for many years. The grace of God is always beyond the bounds of our deserving. We have done a little and he has done much.

We have not been a perfect nation – but because we have had this national framework, we have been a protected nation for many years.

He took us through world wars, helped us become a prosperous nation, and gave us opportunity to reflect his ways to the world through our educational, governmental, financial and social systems as well as through the Church, which was once strong and which has known God's true revivals.

Fall from Grace

God's protection has not gone completely, but surely we are on the brink of disaster. In one generation we have turned away from the absolutes of biblical truth and law and entered an age of relative morality.

Our law structure once reflected God's laws as they are understood from the Bible, thanks to the dedicated and faithful work of many national leaders over the years. But now, our nation is reaping what has been sown through the liberalising of laws. Pornography, adultery, greed, injustice, violence, abortion, degrading sexual practice, divorce and every form of sin is rising (to which, in recent days, we can now add the re-definition of marriage away from God's order).

Contrasting the Coronation Oath with European Rule

In addition, we are now at a decision point regarding deeper alliance with the EU. The Coronation Oath represents a framework of government that is open to God's ways and to his direct help. Europe has no such framework of government.

In one generation Britain has turned away from the absolutes of biblical truth and law, and entered an age of relative morality.

Many people suspect that the religious powers all over Europe will eventually be drawn into the alliance, becoming part of a humanistic economic and political system which will reflect a seductive and anti-Christian religious and spiritual power. Whether this is true or not, we must either change the Coronation Oath or betray it in order to make firm alliance with the powers governing Europe in our present-day.

Even though the Oath was made in 1953, all that it represents is still in full force today. Surely God is more aware of this than we are. Thus, as far as all our unrighteousness is concerned, the time of judgment draws near. As far as Europe is concerned, we must attune ourselves to God's perspective on this key issue, before we risk betraying he who has protected us through the years.

What Should We Do?

The Coronation Oath belongs to the fabric of our national life – we are all involved. We must consider together just what we have offered to God through the institution of monarch, church and state.

But when it comes to the breaking of the Oath, who is responsible? This is a more complex question than we might think. It is not just the Monarch. It is also the Government, along with all who elected the Government. It is also the Church, standing by while our oaths to God are betrayed in the reversal of godly laws and false alliances with other powers. Surely the Queen should also lead the nation into repentance and the church should rise up as the conscience of the nation.

When considered in these terms, it seems almost impossible to achieve a reversal of our decline. Yet surely we know that with God all things are possible, and we have a responsibility to respond at this crucial time in the nation.

It seems impossible to achieve a reversal of our national decline. But with God, all things are possible – and Christians have a responsibility to respond at this crucial time.

The fact that God has preserved Britain as an individual nation, with its own governmental systems, for so many centuries, should be a prompt for us to reconsider any deepening alliance with Europe. We should reconsider what the Coronation Oath represents so that we might preserve and develop our heritage before it is too late.

When the bottom line is drawn it is neither the monarchy nor Europe that is the first consideration. It is the laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel that matter. The Coronation Oath has been the vehicle for their preservation whereby, within a framework of godly laws, there has been a freedom and protection for the true Gospel to go forth across the nation. This is what God has blessed and this is what we are about to give up for financial gain and political advantage within the framework of an ungodly and humanistic empire that is developing in Europe.

We believe that the spiritual powers behind the EU will attack every aspect of our godly heritage, including the British monarchy, to bring it down so that the Coronation Oath will fall with it.

Those who understand these things from a spiritual as well as practical perspective must stand together, because our spiritual adversary has already many people in high places who will use powers of finance, media and politics to drive us into Europe in betrayal of our promises to God. The flattering promises of electioneers who emphasise alliance with Europe will reflect this too. We can expect the powers at work to be both humanistic and seductive.

Endnote

The above article was written when the debate was whether the UK should abolish the Pound and adopt the Euro. The argument remains fresh for this new debate as to whether we should remain in the EU or leave - an opportunity that was barely plausible in 1989.

This week, during which has been the anniversary of the Queen's Coronation Oath, let us prayerfully weigh these things. Should we, despite all else, realise that this opportunity to leave the EU once and for all, though brought about by men, has been given us through the gracious working of Almighty God?