On the need to guard our hearts.

Not a day seems to go by at the moment without some drastic event or other filling our newspapers and screens – not helped, of course, by 24/7 broadcasting, Twitter and every other way in which modern technology allows us to access events all over the world almost in real time. The effect on our hearts, minds and spirits can be overwhelming. We are on information overload - more so than any other generation in human history.

This week, continuing demonstrations in Hong Kong against Chinese tyranny have vied for airtime with growing instability in Kashmir, more devastation in Syria, the US-China trade war, a possible arms race between the US and Russia and escalating tensions with Iran in the Gulf. And of course we cannot and should not forget the mass murders of Christians happening across North Africa virtually every day, though they go largely unreported.

Never mind Brexit and Project Fear: the global ‘birth pangs’ heralding the return of our Messiah genuinely seem to be increasing in both frequency and intensity.

Bloodshed Follows Bloodshed

Perhaps most shocking of all this week has been news of the two mass shootings in the USA, claiming 22 lives in Texas and nine in Ohio, both carried out by deeply disturbed young men (aged 21 and 24, respectively). At the same time, at home we heard of a young child being hurled off a high viewing platform at the Tate Modern in London, allegedly an unprovoked attack by a teenage boy.

Surely God’s lament through the Prophet Hosea to morally degenerate Israel is pertinent: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed” (Hos 4:1-2).

Children Plotting to Kill

When our children and young people are plotting to kill, something is drastically wrong: this very concept is awful and provocative, and should be prompting searching questions.

But when the US shootings were first reported, I reacted probably in much the same way as many did: a few moments thinking how terribly regrettable it all was, before getting on with my day. It wasn’t until I read a testimony from the family of one of the victims, daring to forgive the perpetrator with true Christian grace, that I was actually brought to tears and prayer.

How easy it is, unless special care is taken, to grow accustomed to the gradual encroachment of evil as an ordinary part of everyday life.

How easy it is, unless special care is taken, to grow accustomed to the gradual encroachment of evil as an ordinary part of everyday life. We’ve seen it all too many times before; our hearts gradually harden to it, often imperceptibly. But the above verses from Hosea carry a warning: the spread of evil in a society and the departure of love are two sides of the same coin.

Pondering these things, I was reminded of Jesus’ salutary warning in Matthew 24, that “Because of the increase in wickedness [in the times of the end] the love of most will grow cold – but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (v12). Let’s consider this more for a moment.

Global Cooling?

How, precisely, might an increase in wickedness around the world threaten the love in our own hearts? Jesus’ description of love ‘growing cold’ here is translated using a Greek word (psuchó) meaning to breathe or blow on something in order to cool it down. Basic science teaches us that warm objects lose their heat when they are exposed to a cooler environment. Just so, spiritually: spending too much time immersed in contemplating the world’s evil is enough to cool the love in anyone’s heart even to numbness.

But another way objects can grow cold is by going underground, hiding away in places where neither day nor night can permeate. Just as the love of God in our hearts can be chilled by constant contemplation of evil, so a total refusal to acknowledge or face up to the realities of evil can have the same effect. This deliberate avoidance hardens hearts in self-defence.

A third way in which things grow cold is through inactivity, which perhaps speaks for itself as a spiritual problem. And a fourth way is through isolation – simply by not being near other sources of heat. Many Christians in Britain are finding themselves in a season of spiritual isolation at the present time; though God-given, these nevertheless come with their own challenges and are not intended to be permanent.

The spread of evil in a society and the departure of love are two sides of the same coin.

Staying Warm

Jesus followed his outline of the terrible days which will precede his return (Matt 24) with a series of parables designed to teach his disciples how to ‘stand firm to the end’, their hearts alive and warm: strengthened by time in the warmth of God’s presence, invigorated by the knowledge of his truth, goodness and victory.

These emphasise the need to be found prepared and filled with the Holy Spirit, faithful and active, wise, watchful and alert. Elsewhere in the New Testament the Apostles join the call for faithful, holy living (e.g. 2 Pet 3; 1 Tim 4; 2 Tim 3:1-4:5).

But, “over all these virtues put on love” (Col 3:14). It’s a cliché, but the fire of real, God-given love is the first and best antidote to these days in which we find ourselves.

How disastrous events can have more than one prophetic theme.

This article is a brief follow-up comment on last week’s two lead articles. One was by Clifford Hill in the wake of the hurricane in Texas (also reminding us of the 1987 hurricane in the south of England). The other was by Charles Gardner, looking behind the sad death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

This is a further reflection on interpreting signs, a process which takes time, patience and a willingness to look at events from multiple points, in order to achieve a balanced understanding.

Good Can Come from Disaster

When we prayerfully consider events in the world around us, we are often alerted to other perspectives on them that expand our thinking.

For instance, in relation to the recent storms and floods in Texas, the Caribbean and around the world, it is too simplistic to see these events as God dealing a hammer blow of judgment to punish a particular community. Indeed, great good is stirred up when disaster falls.

Back in 1987 when trees were ripped up in the south-east of England, blocking roads and damaging property, I recall many encouraging stories of how people immediately worked together to clear the debris and get life going again. Chainsaws were brought out from garden sheds and soon roads were unblocked as communities came together in common cause. This was surely pleasing to God, even though he had allowed the storm to bring general devastation to warn against corruption in society.

It is too simplistic to see events like the recent hurricanes as God dealing a hammer blow of judgment to punish a particular community.

Many indications of such a God-pleasing response to the Texas emergency have been shared in the news and on social media, as help for people and animals affected by Hurricane Harvey has arrived from all corners of the US and from further afield.¹ As one ministry leader put it, “Today…all of America are Texans”.² Such a prompt and earnest desire to assist will have been widespread across the States. Surely, again, God is pleased with this.

It seems that God’s signs, whilst carrying warnings and sometimes judgments, also stir up the best in us. Such responses were also seen in the Grenfell Tower disaster and after the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester. Surely there would have been similar care for neighbours after the collapse of the Tower of Siloam in Jesus’ day.

What then of the warnings that are the reason for God taking away his protection and allowing such shocks to strike communities in the first place, devastating so many? How do we read the signs when we are caught up in a shaking from God?

Fashion, Diana and the 1987 Storm

Madonna and Cyndi Lauper - two 1980s style icons. See Photo Credits.

By coincidence, as last week’s Prophecy Today articles were being finalised for publication, the BBC ran a programme on Radio 4 entitled ‘The Reunion’, which looked back at the development of the UK fashion industry in the 1980s. I found this to be a useful behind-the-scenes look at an example of what God was intending to say to our nation at the time of the 1987 hurricane.

In summary, the fashion world of the 1980s was gaining immense momentum as favourable exchange rates with the USA fostered trans-Atlantic trade. From a human perspective, Britain seemed to be a success story, its burgeoning pop culture generating huge revenues as an obsession with celebrity and fashion overtook the nation.

Those of us who were watching this at the time may recall becoming concerned as image-building became a high priority for many (particularly young) people and pop stars became worshipped as icons, their outlandish clothing and behaviour attracting cult followings. If this worried us, we can be sure it was also of concern to God.

God’s signs, whilst carrying warnings and sometimes judgments, also stir up the best in us.

Diana's famous Travolta dress. Of course, Princess Diana became a focus of the fashion industry. Her dresses were dazzling and she wore them like a model, being presented by the media as a sort of fairy princess from a Disney film – even a goddess. In her case, the media helped raise her up and in the end were partly responsible for her tragic death, although the greed and ambition of the fashion houses may also have had a part to play.

Somehow in all this there was a sense that things were getting out of control and contributing to the nation’s departure from the ways of God. Prior to the 1987 storm and financial shaking there were some warning signs in the financial markets because of some strain in the dollar/sterling exchange rate. When the hurricane hit and the financial markets reeled, the fashion industry slumped just as did, no doubt, many other areas of the business world.

Putting On a Biblical Mindset

As I watched the BBC’s account of this one industry at the time of the 1987 crash, and became aware of how it overlapped with both of last week’s lead articles, it made me think again about interpreting the signs that came from the severe weather of both 1987 and 2017, which were of course on my mind as well. It was interesting to hear this secular presentation on fashion and filter it through a biblical and prophetically-inclined mindset – something every prayerful believer can do.

By looking in detail at what happened in this one area, I have this week become aware that the Lord allowed the storm to make us think through and turn back from what was not pleasing in His eyes – which undoubtedly included the growth of a fashion-conscious, celebrity-obsessed culture.

I believe the Lord allowed the storm to make us think through and turn back from what was not pleasing in His eyes – which undoubtedly included the growth of a celebrity-obsessed culture.

This does not mean that good did not also come from the storm, as communities rose up to help one another in ordinary, everyday ways. But more broadly, this prophetic sign was sadly not heeded; the industry found ways to pick up and move on, remaining quite deaf to what the Lord was saying.

Understand the Heart and Purposes of God

Surely there are aspects of the Texas hurricane that speak of corruption in US society, whilst God will also be pleased with those helping victims recover. It is ‘both/and’, not ‘either/or’ – and by balancing these different aspects of the disaster we can understand the heart and purposes of God better.

Will the prophetic word to the US get out in such a way that the nation emerges better off than it was before? Human beings have the ability to deafen themselves to the word of God, pick themselves up and carry on in defiance, which can only lead to further shaking.

Similarly, we have written in Prophecy Today for some time that further shaking will come to the UK. From time to time we hear of warning signs from within our financial institutions (see, for example, here). In anticipation of greater shaking ahead, let us continue to become mature in the reading of the signs. Our Bible reference is Hebrews 12:26:

Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this “yet once more” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Therein is the balance.

References

1 Even the President has not hesitated to join the fray, serving meals to victims at a relief centre in Houston - read more here.

2 Pastor John Looper, Restoration Fellowship International. Email to supporters.

Some thoughts about Hurricane Harvey.

The fierce storm with hurricane-force, 120 mph winds that hit the State of Texas in the USA last week has been headline news in the UK as well as in America.

The unprecedented quantity of rain that has been dumped on and around the city of Houston has caused enormous damage and left thousands homeless, triggering a major rescue operation. Amazingly the loss of life has been very small but the damage to property has been colossal.

We would like to express our condolences to all those who have suffered. Texas is known for its Christian population – so what is God saying to his people, especially those in the ‘Bible Belt’ of the USA? Many of the volunteers taking part in rescue operations expressed thanks to God for their own survival as they rescued others, which was a good witness on British TV.

We know that only those who are resident in Texas and who both know their Bibles and are aware of the moral and spiritual condition of their communities are able to know what God is saying through this natural disaster. But as a Brit who has family ties to the US and a genuine love for the country, I would like to offer some thoughts in this editorial.

The 1987 Hurricane

Back in 1987, on 16 October, a mini hurricane hit the south-east coast of England with winds gusting well over 100 mph causing enormous damage to buildings and ripping up some 15 million trees, smashing cars and power lines, blocking roads and rail travel from the south coast to London. It affected the richest area of the UK and for the first time in history the stock exchange in London was unable to open as its workers could not reach the capital.

The storm struck at 4am when hardly anyone was out of doors, so there was a minimum loss of life. But the damage to property was immense, affecting many of the richest houses in Britain, with trees crushing Rolls-Royces and Ferraris. If the storm had struck a few hours later in rush hour, the death toll would have been enormous. Amazingly also, the storm only affected the south-east area of England – 50 miles north of London there was hardly a breath of wind!

Texas is known for its Christian population – so what is God saying to his people through Hurricane Harvey?

We wrote about this at the time in the magazine Prophecy Today, asking if there was any word from the Lord. 48 hours after the hurricane, world stock markets began tumbling and London experienced the worst crash of all with millions of pounds wiped off share values. ‘Hurricane Friday’ was followed by ‘Black Monday’ in the City as winds of panic swept through the world’s financial markets and judgment on the rich nations began.

Hurricane damage, 1987. See Photo Credits.We saw this as the final warning about greed and corruption in the financial affairs of the nations. There had been many other warnings but this one was so specific, confined to property and in the richest area in the UK – its message should have been obvious even to those who never read the Bible.

History shows, however, that the warnings were ignored which eventually led to the great economic upheavals in 2008 when many great financial houses collapsed – and from which the economy has still not recovered.

The Rich in Laodicea

Today the oil-rich state in the richest nation in the world has been hit by a far greater hurricane and storm than the one that hit Britain 30 years ago. Also this week, floods have done enormous damage in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. Is this just coincidence, or is God saying something significant about the financial affairs of the world?

Here is another ‘coincidence’ – in the year AD 17, exactly 2,000 years ago, an enormous earthquake hit Asia Minor (now part of Turkey) destroying the great city of Laodicea, the richest city in the region. It was part of the Roman Empire at that time and Rome offered financial help in rebuilding, but the city elders refused saying that their own resources were perfectly adequate! They were adamant that they had sufficient wealth to meet their own needs and had no need of any help!

We saw the 1987 hurricane in England as the final warning about greed and corruption in the financial affairs of the nation.

40 years later the Apostle Paul, on the road between Antioch and Ephesus, stopped at Laodicea, newly rebuilt with amazing buildings. The people were rich, proud and self-sufficient. Paul planted a church there leaving a man called Epaphras in charge, who also oversaw the nearby congregations in Hierapolis and Colossae.

The three cities were joined by a huge stone aqueduct carrying water from the hot springs of Hierapolis at the top of the mountain to Colossae in the valley.¹ The water would have been lukewarm when it reached Laodicea and when writing his letter to the church in Laodicea the Apostle John charged the Christians with being lukewarm in their faith (Rev 3:16).

The message at that time was, “You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev 3:17). This must have been a devastating message for the Christians in Laodicea who were all living nice comfortable lives very similar to those of their non-Christian neighbours. The message to them was a call for repentance and to recognise the extent to which they had imbibed the values of their rich neighbours, ignoring the plight of the poor down in the valley at Colossae.

Take Note!

I wonder if this is saying anything to our Christian friends in Texas? It is for them to take it before the Lord in their prayer times and it is not for us to judge. But in Britain we know that there is still huge corruption and unrighteousness in the financial affairs of our nation where top businessmen, officials and celebrities are paid vast sums of money while the poor struggle to make ends meet.

This same injustice can be seen on a vast scale on the world scene where two thirds of the world’s population go to bed hungry every night. The rich nations with their control of global monopolies, patents and copyrights wield power over other economies, ensuring that wealth stays concentrated in the hands of the rich and the poor are kept in their place.

In Britain we know that there is still huge corruption and unrighteousness in the financial affairs of our nation.

The God of Creation who holds the nations in his hands as a drop in a bucket (Isa 40:15) scoffs at the nations, according to Psalm 2:4, when they do not realise their feeble situation and attempt to throw off all restraint in their greed and avarice. But to ignore the laws of the God of the Bible who hates injustice and oppression (Jer 7:3-11) is foolhardy and dangerous: it leads to disaster which comes suddenly without further notice when all the warning signs have been ignored.

Christians throughout the rich nations of the West should be taking note of the warning signs of the great storms that hit Texas and the financial centre of India this week. When God gives warning signs they should never be ignored. The message Isaiah received was, “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly in an instant” (Isa 30:12-13).

May the rich nations of the world take note!

References

1 See: Hill, C and Hill, M, 2005. Ephesus to Laodicea. Handsel Press, Edinburgh, p94f.