We look set for a turbulent autumn and a winter of discontent.

Our political masters are back from their summer break, refreshed and reinvigorated and ready to set the world right. But do they come back to Westminster with any fresh ideas, or is it back to the same old policies, antagonisms and graft? Both main parties are riven asunder from top to bottom with division so we look set for a turbulent autumn and a winter of discontent, with the Brexit battle absorbing the Tories and anti-Semitism troubling Labour.

The resignation of Frank Field from the Labour Party whip and the bitter criticism of Jeremy Corbyn by Margaret Hodge are signs of the deep trouble in the parliamentary Labour Party. The outbursts from Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees Mogg and other strong Brexiteers who say that Theresa May’s Chequers plan is dead in the water are all adding to the sense of confusion and turmoil surrounding Westminster at the moment.

Signs of Judgment

But these are classical biblical signs of judgment. Deuteronomy 28 gives a list of curses that would come upon Israel if they turned their backs upon the word of God and got heavily into idolatry and rejection of the truth.

One of the consequences would be “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him” (Deut 28:20). This prophecy was certainly fulfilled in 586 BC when Jerusalem including the temple, the palace and all the great houses of the city were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army.

Coronation Oath

Of course, Britain is not in a covenant relationship with God as was the nation of Israel; but our Sovereign, on behalf of the nation, swore an Oath of Allegiance to the God of the Bible in her Coronation Ceremony in 1953. Since then, as a nation, we have steadily turned away from biblical truth, passing one law after another that is directly against the word of God such as: The Abortion Act 1967, The Divorce Reform Act 1969, The Children’s Act 1989, The Sunday Trading Act 1993, The Gender Recognition Act 2004, The Equality Acts 2010, and The Marriage Same-Sex Couples Act 2013.

"We have steadily turned away from biblical truth"

Warnings

It is simply not possible to do all these ungodly things without bringing upon the nation the retribution we deserve. Another warning in Deuteronomy 28:28 says, “The Lord will inflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind.” We are certainly seeing this among our politicians today. We have had the truth in the Bible for centuries and as a nation we have chosen to discard it and go our own way.

In so doing, Britain, that had been under the protective cover of God for 1,000 years, moved outside that cover of protection and what we are seeing today is the result. There is no greater example of the rejection of the ‘God dimension’ in public life than Jeremy Corbyn’s behaviour in regard to the Jews and Zionism. 

Zionism

Zionism is the recognition of God’s covenant with Israel that is at the heart of our Judeo-Christian faith. The promise goes right back to the time of Abraham: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:2-3).

Has Corbyn never read the Bible? As leader of a major political party in Britain whose Sovereign has sworn on oath to uphold the word of God in the Bible, he surely should have some understanding of what this means and of his own responsibility for upholding biblical truth.

It is a simple historical fact that the people of Israel occupied the land of Israel for many hundreds of years until the Roman army slaughtered half a million Jews and drove the remainder out of the land, destroying Jerusalem, renaming it ‘Capitoline’ and renaming the land of Israel – ‘Palestine’ – ‘land of the Philistines’ – as a deliberate insult to the Jews. That was in AD 135 and they remained scattered across the globe until their land was restored to them in 1948. Until that date the hope of returning to their traditional homeland had been expressed in the term ‘Zionism’ since the 1890s. It was endorsed by British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour in a 1917 Declaration which was endorsed by Lloyd George and Winston Churchill and became part of British foreign policy.

Anti-Semitism

But anti-Semitic prejudice has plagued the British Foreign Office ever since the 1920s and that is what we see reflected in Jeremy Corbyn and his followers today. Their get-out-of-jail-free-card added to the international definition of anti-Semitism this week allowing them to criticise Israel is a pathetic cover for the anti-Jewish prejudice at the heart of their policy. But the prejudice they are trying to conceal is not just a social attitude. It is, at root, a hatred of God and of the Covenant he made with the people of Israel through whom he has given his teaching (Torah) and revealed his nature and purposes in the Bible; and as Christians believe – He has also given us the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Hope

Is there any hope for Britain? Of course there is! Bible-believing-praying Christians should be asking God to use this time of confusion to cause people to recognise our need of God’s help. The 100 young people who have died on the streets of London since the beginning of this year are evidence of a sick society that can only be cured by crying out to God for help. We have reached the stage in the corruption of society that only spiritual revival can cure! None of our problems can be solved by human ingenuity because at root they are spiritual rather than social problems that only God can solve.

None of our problems can be solved by human ingenunity.

Shaking the Nations

It is not only Britain that is in desperate need – the USA similarly is going through a time of political and social upheaval with President Trump under siege in the White House, and Democrats and Republicans hurling insults at one another in the run-up to the November mid-term elections.

Germany, Italy and many other European nations are also going through a period of political turmoil; so too is Australia. Throughout the Western world there are many signs that the great shaking of the nations prophesied in Scripture (Haggai 2:7 and Hebrews 12) are coming true in our generation.

We are rapidly moving towards the time when the situation will become so desperate that Christians will be battering the gates of heaven with their prayers calling upon God to send spiritual revival as the only hope of saving the nations from destruction!

Paul Luckraft interviews the author of ‘Signs: The Significance of Biblical Prophecy’.

How does a retired Brigadier come to write a book about the signs of the end times? To find out, I went to visit Neil in his home and learn about his background, calling and how this particular book emerged.

God’s Guiding Hand

Neil would not describe his early life as particularly ‘Christian’, certainly not in the sense of being born again. At boarding school, he experienced the typical way in which ‘church’ was part of school life but there was no personal commitment.

In 1965 he joined the Royal Signals and began a career in the Army, travelling the world and soon rising to the rank of Major. Then in 1987 he decided to leave to enter the world of finance, but this was a bad time for such a move. This was the year of the ‘great crash’ and it was soon apparent there was no future for him there. Looking back, Neil can sense God’s hand in this, directing him back into the Army where God’s plans could more easily be fulfilled.

Amazingly he was not only accepted back with his old rank but was quite quickly promoted to Brigadier, taking on various roles in the Royal Army Pay Corps and the Adjutant General’s Corps. This was the time when the army was downsizing and one of Neil’s tasks was to help army personnel with redundancy packages and pensions. In that sense he was in both finance and military service. God always knows what he is doing!

Breakdown and Breakthrough

However, some aspects of his new role disturbed him, especially when he was asked to teach a certain course that he found difficult and ill-prepared to deliver. His self-confidence, developed and strengthened through his time at school as well as his army days, was being undermined and challenged. A significant change was about to happen. Neil describes this time as one of “breakdown and breakthrough”.

No longer able to cope with life in the way he was used to, he felt desperate - even slightly frightened. He could no longer sleep properly and became ill as a result. One night he knelt by the bed and cried out to God, that if he was really there to reveal himself and help him. After just two hours sleep he woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed. A change had begun.

During a time of ‘breakdown and breakthrough’, Neil became desperate and cried out to God.

Neil realised that any semblance of Christianity in his life up to that moment (his 50^th year!) had been nominal and self-serving. He had been living a self-centred life and expecting God to be part of that. But in a few short weeks, with the help of a house church leader that Neil knew, a spiritual transformation occurred, involving conviction, repentance and being baptised in the Spirit. No longer would God have to serve Neil - Neil would serve God!

Neil's book Signs, reviewed on Prophecy Today earlier this month.‘Active Service’ in Retirement

His new joy led to a renewed confidence, no longer in himself but in God, who told him to stay in the army as a witness. In his remaining years there, God honoured him with more promotions. Becoming a Brigadier actually gave Neil more opportunities to share his faith and even pray for people.

Once he retired in 1998, God found more ‘active service’ for Neil. After two years as a school bursar in the Lake District, he moved to Edinburgh, the home of his late wife. Sadly, she died of cancer shortly after their arrival. Neil stayed in Scotland for a few years, becoming an elder in the Church of Scotland. After remarrying, he ran a Healing Room before returning to Hampshire and joining the Winchester Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

He has served at ‘WinVin’ for some years, including as a trustee, and it is there he started to teach and preach. So how did writing a book become part of his life?

Discovering Bible Prophecy

Neil offered to teach on the end times at WinVin but was initially turned down. However, six months later the leaders changed their mind and approached him to put on a course. This he did willingly, not because he knew all about it but because he was intrigued by the topic and wanted to find out more. Prophecy was a key part of Scripture, so why was it either ignored or badly understood?

Neil already knew the Bible was God’s truth and his regularly study in the Word (with the help of Grudem’s Systematic Theology, among other aids) had given him the grounding to tackle something as daunting as the end times.

Neil’s new joy led to renewed confidence – no longer in himself but in God.

Neil also already had a significant advantage, namely a clear understanding of the Jewishness of Jesus and the importance of Israel and the Jews. He had no need to repent of Replacement Theology or re-adjust his thinking in this respect. God’s word had spoken to him and Neil knew what had to be taught.

After 18 months of teaching through the various topics on the end times, Neil realised he now had a wealth of material, both on his computer and in handouts. What to do next with all this? Why not write a book? He had written articles before for a military magazine, so he had some experience in this field, but this was a new venture altogether. However, he believed this was what God wanted, so in 2012 he started turning what he knew into book form. Focussing on writing for just one day each week meant it took him 18 months to produce the first draft. But then what?

Completing the Journey

God had it all in hand, and led Neil to the right people to help him, from editing the first draft through to the final process of publishing. After being rejected by one publisher, he decided to go down the road of self-publishing, choosing Kingdom Writing Solutions as the means of doing this, and Amazon for the sales side via print-on-demand and an e-book. This all worked out smoothly, which was a great blessing.

Would he write another book? Perhaps, but only if it was clearly what God wanted. Meanwhile, Neil does continue to teach his course, or a revised shorter version of it, on a regular basis. His story is a further example of someone being led by God through life and finding new fruitfulness in the latter years, an encouragement to us all.

Find out more about Neil’s book ‘Signs’ by clicking here.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Signs: The Significance of Biblical Prophecy' by Neil Mackereth (2015).

This is an accessible introduction to what the Bible has to say about the climax of history and the end of the age. The author explains that, having been asked to run an 'end times' course in his local church, he then felt called to turn the material into a book.

As a retired Brigadier with a background in communications and administration, he admits he is no academic and that at the start he realised just how little he knew. But as his research grew and he gained a new awareness of what the Bible says about the amazing signs God has given, he became more and more absorbed and determined to enthuse others too.

He explains his aim in writing the book (his first) is "to examine a number of signs of our times as well as biblical prophecies...[and] let you – the reader - conclude whether or not prophecy is being fulfilled in our day" (p9).

Structure and Approach

The book is in five parts. The introductory section provides guidelines and ground rules to help establish a level of objectivity, and includes consideration of the pitfalls and challenges to an impartial approach to the topic. There follows an overview of the histories of Israel and Babylon, and an assessment of where we are on the timeline of biblical prophecy.

The final sections focus on more specific aspects of end times prophecy and the significance of current events in relation to these prophecies, together with a consideration of what is yet to happen.

Neil's research into the end times gave him a new awareness of what the Bible says and a determination to enthuse others about the topic.

Overall the book is well-written with an easy style that encourages you to read on. The structure of the book is clear and well-organised. The 22 relatively short chapters each begin in a way that draws you in, either via an interesting fact, a challenging question or a humorous observation. The author's background in communication perhaps helps here!

A key feature of the earlier parts of the book is 'the miracle that is Israel' - regarding both its history and its re-birth. There is a clear rejection of Replacement Theology and a sense of Israel's destiny – which accounts for its miraculous survival. He provides a measured consideration of the blossoming fig tree, both in terms of the birth of the state in 1948 and the increasing growth in Messianic Jewish believers in Israel and Judaism worldwide. His handling of this 'sign' gives confidence in his ability to tackle these topics generally.

As in the Days of Noah...

In the third section, the author is aware of the need to handle Old Testament prophecies as a mix of forth-telling and foretelling, which he generally does well. It is rather surprising, therefore, that his view of Satan is unconventional. He rejects the common view that Satan is a fallen senior angel whose pride caused him to rebel against God, commenting that "As far as I am aware there is no Scriptural foundation for this theory." What he does believe about the person and origins of the enemy remains unclear. Instead the chapter diverts to a discussion of the Temple Mount.

Much better is the following chapter on 'The Days of Noah', which contains an excellent critique of modern society and its obsession with political correctness. His phrase "the pervasion of perversion" (p121) is both telling and memorable.

In the fourth section we move from a wider reflection to a narrower focus on what he calls the "centre line for examining End Times prophetic scriptures" (p125), namely Matthew 24. He promises us a narrative summary of this chapter but this is too brief to be called a summary. Rather, it is merely an outline before we move on to sample a few more prophecies and relate them to current affairs. In other words, what are the signs of our times?

A key feature of the book is 'the miracle that is Israel' - regarding both its history and its re-birth.

Within this section the author provides a useful recap of certain key themes, such as the anti-Christ, the one world order, the centrality of Jerusalem and the possibility of a re-built Temple. There are, as would be expected, several pages devoted to the Book of Revelation, where he stresses that the objective of the book is an unveiling of Jesus rather than of events or a timetable. This is a useful reminder that the most important prophecy of all is that Jesus will return. The Lamb has won, and will reign on earth as King!

Where Next?

Part five asks the question 'What next?' What do recent trends suggest about our immediate future? These are thoughtfully examined without trying to confirm any particular theory or theology. Rather it is a case of 'let's look and see what we can see.'

The Middle East is a key focus of attention, as is the theme of false teachers and prophets. In one chapter we are led to consider "the rise and spread of radical and very militant versions of Islamic ideology" (p186) and ask to what extent this is apocalyptic. This topic is handled very well and is up-to-date enough to include ISIS and its prophetic significance. Is ISIS a sign of our times - and where might it lead? The gentle conclusion is "Only time will tell" (p192).

The author is aware of the need to handle Old Testament prophecies as a mix of forth-telling and foretelling.

The book closes with two useful appendices. The first is a glossary of end time terminology; the second provides some background notes on Islam (mainly on the difference between Sunni and Shi'a).

Overall this is a book well worth investing in, and reading again and again as a refresher on this important topic.

Signs (208 pages) is self-published and available from CFI for £9, or from Amazon.

Now the blood moons have passed, where are the world-changing events that many thought would accompany these celestial signs?

Blood Moons and the Shemitah Year

On September 28, the final of the tetrad of 'blood moons' was visible across the world. The blood moons were considered significant because they coincided with God's 'appointed times' (moedim), the biblical feasts of Passover and Tabernacles, two years in a row.¹

In addition, 2014-2015 was a Shemitah (meaning 'release') year. Every seventh year Israel's land was to lie fallow and debts were to be released.² Added to that, a Jubilee year is thought to begin (calculations of years are uncertain³) in September 2015 at Rosh HaShanah (Jewish New Year, the biblical Feast of Trumpets).⁴

America or Israel?

Yet the financial collapse leading to global catastrophe that many anticipated has not occurred - at least not yet! It may be that with hindsight we will see how current events from this period set in train future cataclysmic events.

In the meantime, much has been made of signs of judgement for the United States. As a nation founded on biblical principles, "under God", by its Pilgrim Fathers seeking Christian freedom, its rejection of God's word on marriage and the erosion of biblical values in public life are thought to have invited God's judgement. This focus regarding the blood moons themselves may be misplaced since signs in the moon relate to Israel, according to Jewish tradition, not to the Gentiles.

Much has been made of the blood moons as signs of judgment on America, but this focus may be misplaced - since signs in the moon traditionally relate to Israel .

The Talmud (containing the wisdom of the sages of Israel) considers that signs in the sun are for the Gentiles and signs in the moon are for Israel, since the Gentiles reckon their calendar by the sun and Israel's calendar is lunar:

Our Rabbis taught, When the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for idolaters; when the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel, since Israel reckons by the moon and idolaters by the sun. If it is in eclipse in the east, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the east; if in the west, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the west; if in the midst of heaven it is bad omen for the whole world.

If its face is red as blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world; if it is like sack-cloth, the arrows of famine are coming to the world; if it resembles both, the sword and the arrows of famine are coming to the world...Thus saith the Lord, 'Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the nations are dismayed at them, the idolaters will be dismayed, but Israel will not be dismayed.' [emphasis added]

The last part is a quote from Jeremiah 10:1, reminding Israel that God is in charge of their future and that they do not need to fear heavenly signs.

The Coming Sword

Accordingly, not everyone sees the blood moons as a sign of trouble. One Messianic leader in Israel, Bob O'Dell, who has studied the blood moons extensively says that the blood moons are "bread crumbs in the sky", left by God to remind the Jewish people that he has not forgotten his covenant to restore them to the land of Israel. Thus, they should be a cause for celebration for the Jews, rather than fear. He has proposed a theory that the chronology of the Exodus from Egypt fell on the dates of a blood moon tetrad.⁵

However, the 'sword' did come to Israel and its diaspora during this lunar tetrad period. In July 2014 the Israel-Gaza conflict took place, leading to an upsurge of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe. The worst incidents took place in France, culminating in January 2015 with the kosher supermarket hostage crisis following in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Whilst the blood moons may signify God's faithfulness as well as coming trouble, 'the sword' has come to Israel during the recent tetrad period.

Signs for the Gentiles

The Gentiles are not left out of this picture though. The latest tetrad of blood moons was also accompanied by signs in the sun. In 2014, the Passover and Tabernacles blood moons were followed by a partial solar eclipse and, in 2015, the Passover blood moon was preceded by a total solar eclipse and the Tabernacles blood moon was preceded (just before Rosh HaShanah, the biblical Feast of Trumpets) by a partial solar eclipse.⁶

What do these signs in the sun mean? Certainly, there is plenty to concern us in the Gentile world. The migrant crisis has worsened significantly during this period, presenting a Gentile mass movement of Exodus proportions. In the stock markets, the most significant event has been what a Beijing spokesman called 'Black Monday' on 24 August 2015, causing hundreds of billions to be wiped off global financial markets and a plunge in oil and gold prices.

The recent 'signs in the sun' perhaps signify that Gentiles are not being left out – with events of global concern including the European migrant crisis and economic problems in China.

In our own nation believers are interceding, pleading for God's mercy in prayer groups up and down the land as we slide into further spiritual torpor and decline. At the prophetic gathering in October 2014, at which Prophecy Today online was announced, a lady received a picture of a sword over Britain. Another participant entered into travail and deep sorrow through the Holy Spirit for Britain's state. Our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Clifford Hill, linked this to the great shaking prophecies received at Mount Carmel in Israel in 1986.

'First to the Jew...'

However, it is in Israel that trouble has arisen most swiftly since the final of the tetrad of blood moons at the Feast of Tabernacles – "first to the Jew".⁷ There is talk once again of a third intifada. Terror has struck Israel's streets in an unprecedented form. Random stabbings, shootings and vehicles driven into crowds are the new and terrifying weapons being used by Palestinians. Formerly bustling public spaces have been deserted, children have been kept home from school and extra security guards have been deployed on buses.

It is in Israel that trouble has arisen most swiftly since the final blood moon of the tetrad, with a sharp rise in terror attacks and talk of a third intifada.

On 17 October, Palestinians set fire to the compound containing the tomb of the patriarch Joseph, where Jews go to pray. This was doubly calculated to offend as it was set ablaze on Shabbat (during the early hours of Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath).

The catalyst for the current crisis was in July when Jewish worshippers tried to go up on to the Temple Mount for Tisha B'Av (meaning the 9th of the month Av, which is a day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples). Muslims worshippers repelled them and soon after Israeli police went up on to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to remove weapons being stockpiled there. It was thought the intention was to attack thousands of Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall below gathered for Tisha B'Av. Stones, Molotov cocktails and firecrackers were discovered inside the Al Aqsa Mosque. As the police entered the Temple Mount they were met with Muslim rioters.⁸

The Blood Moons and Temple Mount

There is a precedent for violence over the Temple Mount following the occurrence of blood moons.

The last time blood moons coincided with both Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles was in 1996⁹ (also the year that Benjamin Netanyahu first came to power). A new exit was opened from the Western Wall Tunnel on to the Via Dolorosa in the Arab quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, so that visitors could leave the tunnel without having to retrace their steps from the entrance by the Western Wall.

The Palestinians were incensed, believing this to be a sign of major excavation under the Temple Mount that would destabilise the foundations of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, both of which stand on the Temple Mount. This led to the worst violence in Israel since 1967 and the Six Day War. Again, Joseph's tomb in Nablus was an easy target for violence, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

The last time blood moons coincided with Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles was in 1996 – when Israel experienced the worst violence since the Six Day War in 1967.

Each time violence flares, Israel and the Palestinians come under pressure to renew peace talks. The Temple Mount is the eye of that storm, being the touchstone of faith for Jews, as the site of the biblical second Temple and their most important religious heritage site, and for Muslims, who deem it their third holiest site. For Christians, it is thought by many that Jesus was crucified somewhere on Mount Moriah (an area larger than the Temple Mount), where Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, since it links to Abraham's description as being the place where God provided sacrifice: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided" (Gen 22:14).

Jerusalem an Immovable Rock

The United States and the UN have not tried to push for any further progress regarding the status of Jerusalem because it is the hottest religious and political coal of all. The Lord has decreed that Jerusalem will be a cup of reeling or staggering for those who come against it and an immovable rock (Zech 12:2-3): "All who try to move it will injure [lit. rupture] themselves."

He promises to protect all those living in Jerusalem and destroy the nations that attack his city (Zech 12:8-9) because his ultimate purpose must be protected, which is to pour out on his re-gathered people Israel glorious repentance and grace:

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

God has promised that Jerusalem will be an immovable rock for all who come against it.

No Need to Fear

We need not fear signs in the heavens because the Lord has decreed Jerusalem's future. As the Talmud reminds us, quoting Jeremiah (10:1):

Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the nations are dismayed at them, the idolaters will be dismayed, but Israel will not be dismayed.

Whatever happens, those who have joined with Israel by faith in their Messiah need not fear because the Lord promises: "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you" (Is 54:10).

So as we wait for the Lord's return, let us be faithful in praying for the peace of Jerusalem in the words of Psalm 122:

May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you.' For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity. (Ps 122:6-9)

References

1 Biblical references to blood (ie red) moons: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2:31), which is quoted by Peter in Acts 2:20 and echoed in Revelation 6:12: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood."

2 Lev 25:3–6.

3 Lev 25:8-13. Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs writes, "...there is considerable doubt whether the present identification of Sabbatical years is correct and whether the count begins again on the jubilee year, the fiftieth, or on the next year, the fifty-first after the previous cycle." Jacobs, 1995 Sabbatical Year (Shemitah) and Jubilee Year (Yovel). My Jewish Learning. Re-printed with permission from The Jewish Religion: A Companion (OUP).

4 The year 5775 in the Jewish calendar is the Shemitah year and 5776 thought to be the Jubilee year.

5 Forman, A. Blood Moons: Everything You Need to Know. Israel Breaking News, 22 September 2015.

6 Stucken, P. Signs of the Times. Operation Exodus website.

7 Rom 1:16 and 2:9.

8 Temple Mount Erupts in Violence. Israel Today, 26 July 2015. See also Clashes erupt at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa on Jewish holiday. Al-Jazeera, 26 July 2015.

9 27 September 1996 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1996_lunar_eclipse.

God speaks not only in word, but also in deed. Edmund Heddle unpacks divine signs and their interpretation as part of his series on the prophetic ministry.

The writer of Psalm 46 invites us to come and see "the works of the Lord", while Psalm 105 instructs us to "make known his deeds among the people!" This is because in Bible times God spoke not only through his word, but also by his deeds. God still speaks today through the events and experiences of human history and it is part of the prophet's task to explain the significance of these happenings. For those whose eyes are opened by the Spirit they are 'signs'.

Shocking desolations

Psalm 46:8 tells us that along with other works of God we are to look into the desolations he has made in the earth. The word 'desolations' (Hebrew shammah) comes from a root which means to stun, to grow numb or to stupify. It describes the kind of event that causes shock and consternation. In the older versions of the Bible the word 'hissing' is also found which describes an event that causes a person to whistle through his teeth.

The later versions employ words such as horror or horrific (Jer 25:9). But however 'horrific' these things may be, we are instructed to look into them so that we can grasp what God is saying to the world and to his people through them. This is an important part of the prophetic ministry, both in Bible times and today.

We are instructed to look into the works of God so that we can grasp what he is saying to us. These works include desolations – events that cause shock and horror.

Loving intention

Although they appear awesome and frightening, the prophet Amos makes it clear that all the events recounted in his book (Amos 4:6-13) had as their objective to bring the nation to its knees in repentance; God's grief at the hardness and indifference of Israel is revealed in the constantly repeated phrase, "yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord." The events by which God sought to bring the nation to repentance fall into four categories:

1. Rain failure. The result of the failure of the rain was drought and famine, as is clear from what the Lord said to the people:

I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town...I also withheld rain when harvest was three months away...I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another...people tottered from town to town for water (Amos 4:6-7).

As in the time of Elijah God used a drought to humble a wicked king, Ahab, whose wife was seeking to introduce the worship of Baal into Israel (1 Kings 17:1). In both cases men were reduced to searching the country for water to keep themselves and their cattle alive.

2. Natural calamity. The second category of desolation spelled out in Amos 4 is that of natural calamity. It needed only the wind to be blowing in a certain direction to bring into the land of Israel an invasion of locusts. They usually came from the Arabian Desert to the south or south-east. Locust swarms are driven along by the wind as they have little power of travel by themselves. But the prophet from Tekoa records, "Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees" (Amos 4:9) and it is clear that the Lord directed their invasion of Israel.

Every desolation sent by God – whether disease, war or natural disaster – is sent to bring people to their knees in repentance.

Another natural calamity is the effect of lighting or of a thunderbolt, similar to that which overthrew the cities of the plain. "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah" (Amos 4:11). The word 'overthrew' may indicate that an earthquake was also involved. Certainly Amos has experienced one, as we see in the opening sentences of his prophecy (Amos 1:1). Some cities were completely devastated whereas others were partially burned, and were compared by the Lord to half-burned sticks saved from a fire.

3. War and bloodshed. The third category of desolation present in Amos 4 is that of war and bloodshed. Continuing to show the lengths to which he had gone to turn their hearts back to him, God said, "I killed your young men with the sword along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps". This particularly sad affliction involving what the old expositor Matthew Henry called 'the strength of the present generation and the seed of the next' must rank amongst the most devastating of all these terrible desolations.

Horses were an important part of ancient warfare and Israel's had been captured and killed. Whoever their enemy was at that particular time we do not know; what we are told is that the stench of corpses and decaying horse-flesh was unbearable and probably caused the pestilence to which the final reference is made.

4. Pestilence and disease. The fourth and final category of desolation which God brought upon Israel was that of pestilence and disease. He says, "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt" but he also referred to their fields and trees when he added, "I struck your gardens and vineyards with blight and mildew" (Amos 4:9-10). As Amos mentions some nine terrible afflictions brought about by God himself he repeats again and again, "yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord".

The series of disasters that befell Israel were not chance or accidental incidents. It had been revealed to Amos that these desolations came about by divine action and intervention. We have here a striking picture of the persistence and forcefulness of God's loving purpose. The heathen king Nebuchadnezzar was right when he said: "How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders" (Dan 4:3).

The disasters that befell Israel were not chance or accidental incidents. They came about by divine action, displaying the persistence and force of God's loving purpose.

Prophets and Signs

It is both interesting and informative to study the relationship between signs and prophets.

Samuel was the prophet who asked for a sign to confirm his warning when the people were determined to appoint themselves a king. Samuel said to the people:

"Is it not the wheat harvest now? I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realise what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king". Then Samuel called upon the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel (1 Sam 12:17-18).

Normally in that region there is no rain from April to October, so to have rain at wheat harvest, from the middle of May to the middle of June, was a miracle. The sign which Samuel requested gave divine approval to his words of censure.

Elijah was the prophet who after prayer announced that a sign would take place. He confronted King Ahab with the statement: "There will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word" (1 Kings 17:1). He had sought God in prayer concerning the growth of heathen idolatrous worship under the auspices of the wicked queen Jezebel and had asked God to withold rain, "and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years" (James 5:17).

Moses was the prophet commissioned by God to bring into effect a series of signs in Egypt designed to force Pharaoh to release the children of Israel. One of the 'plagues' was a devastating hailstorm. We read:

...when Moses stretched out his staff towards the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground...it was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation...the only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were. (Ex 9:23, 26)

Joel had the happier experience of seeing people repent after the sign of an invasion of locusts. He urged the priests and the people, the children and even a bride and her groom to join a solemn assembly (Joel 2:15-17) to beseech God to spare his people. He was able later to assure all who had joined in the humbling that God would repay them for the years the locusts had eaten: "You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God" (Joel 2:25-26).

Haggai was the prophet who explained the meaning of the disappointing sign to a group of people who had returned from exile in Babylon.

Now this is what the Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (Hagg 1:5-6).

Haggai then was able to interpret the signs when he complained, on God's behalf, "My house remains a ruin while each of you is busy with his own house, therefore because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops" (Hagg 1:9-10).

The first Bible sign

In contrast to the signs that provoke shock and horror, the first sign in the Bible is one of beauty and mercy. After the evil generation of Noah's day had been destroyed, God began again with Noah and his family. As they emerged from the ark to begin a new life God showed them a beautiful sign and said, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds". It was not left to a prophet to explain its meaning for God himself revealed its significance when he said,

...this is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you...whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures...on the earth. (Gen 9:12-16)

There are good signs for today's prophets to interpret, just as there are horrific desolations that need explanation.

What do today's events mean?

When questioned about some Galilean pilgrims whose blood Pilate had mixed with the sacrifices they were offering in the Temple, Jesus refused to accept the popular idea that this crime proved they were greater sinners than other Galileans. He then went on to draw his questioners' attention to an accident in which eighteen people had been fatally injured when a tower in Siloam had collapsed and fallen upon them (Luke 13:1-5). Again he stated categorically that they were not worse offenders than the other citizens of Jerusalem.

The right way of reacting to these signs - Jesus insisted - was to repent, otherwise they too would perish. As we seek to discover what God is saying through today's shocking events, the call to repentance - both in the way we live and in the message we proclaim - remains a constant word from God. Alongside this, we need prophets to help us learn the other lessons which God reveals to us through his deeds.

As we seek to discover what the Lord is saying through today's shocking events, the call to repentance remains a constant word from God.

The American space-shuttle disintegrated before the appalled gaze of millions across the globe. The Soviet Union experienced a nuclear disaster at Chernobyl that released radioactive material far and wide with devastating effect to both human and animal life. Britain witnessed the lighting strike York Minster, the Bradford football stadium disaster, the Zeebrugge ferry capsize and the massacres at Hungerford and Bristol carried out by gun-crazy young men, in one case responding to occult instructions.

God is surely speaking today through deeds as well as by his words. We urgently need prophets who can interpret these stupendous events and explain what God is saying to his church and to his world.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 1, January/February 1988.