The Supreme Court ruling that the prorogation of Parliament was unlawful is, by any standard, the most significant ruling in modern times. But what does it mean in practice? The Speaker, Mr Bercow, immediately recalled Parliament, which would not normally be sitting during the party conference season - but these are extraordinary times, so Jeremy Corbyn brought forward his speech to the Labour Party conference in Brighton in order to return to London the next day. But what will happen next week when the Conservative Party is due to have its annual assembly?
The days of uncertainty and parliamentary wrangling now have no end in sight. The potential impacts on the nation of the toxic language now being used in Parliament are already causing concern. Surely the only way to calm things down is for this Parliament to be closed down and to allow the public to speak through a general election.
In a strange way, the Supreme Court decision may actually enhance the Prime Minister’s popularity in the country as it shows him fighting to uphold the decision of the people against the might of the establishment. The decision to prorogue Parliament appears to have been ill-advised, but it was no doubt due to the Government’s frustration in trying to get any agreement through an utterly dysfunctional Parliament that even refuses to allow a general election.
Not Against Flesh and Blood
We should not be surprised at this latest twist in the parliamentary battle that is raging over Brexit. As we have said many times on Prophecy Today UK, it is not just a battle between ‘Remainers’ and ‘Leavers’, it is a battle between light and darkness, between truth and deception. But of course, as in any battle, the issues get badly confused – and this one is the greatest battle since the Battle of Britain in 1940. Its outcome is probably as significant for the future of Britain and Europe as the battle fought by ‘The Few’ with their flimsy Spitfires against the might of the Nazi Air Force.
This is not just a battle between ‘Remainers’ and ‘Leavers’, it is a battle between light and darkness, between truth and deception.
If there is any word in the New Testament that describes what is going on in Britain today, it is surely what Paul experienced in Ephesus, where he was up against an array of demonic forces led by a silversmith named Demetrius. Demetrius made silver shrines of the goddess Artemis, which was a prosperous business bringing riches to a lot of people in related trades. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and its call to abandon idolatry posed a threat to this thriving economy.
WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/PA ImagesPaul realised that he was not only up against powerful economic forces: he was against the institutionalised false religion that dominated Ephesus. He said, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).
We have a similar situation today. Brexit threatens powerful economic forces that affect the livelihood of millions in Britain and on the Continent. Of course, any changes impacting the wealth and prosperity of people, however true or false, generate fear and anger. But this is no ordinary industrial or commercial conflict. It is mixed in with the battle against Christianity and the Gospel of salvation that has been building up in Europe since the days of the Enlightenment, aided and abetted by the architects of secularisation – Darwin, Freud and Marx.
Seeing the Spiritual Dimension
That battle is coming to a climax in our lifetime, when spiritual powers of darkness grip the European Union with its determined rejection of the God of Creation and its attacks on the family and marriage (the foundation stones of Western civilisation), including its support for the destruction of ‘gender’, the concept at the heart of God’s act of creating men and women in his own image.
It is sad that there are many Christians who have not yet recognised the spiritual nature of the battle and still think of it as primarily political and economic. It is often those who value highly the acquisition of wealth and their position in society who are most likely to be blind to the real issues in this battle. Hence the whole power of the ‘establishment’ was mobilised to fight to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum. The big players even had the Governor of the Bank of England, the Chair of the World Bank and the President of the USA campaigning for ‘Remain’.
On top of all this we have a godless Parliament where the majority of members are blind to the real issues, often fighting to preserve their personal status in society. We can expect, in the coming weeks, to see even greater conflict in the House of Commons. Sanity has fled the House! A rising tide of anger will be even more destructive, bringing chaos and conflict onto our city streets.
This is no ordinary industrial or commercial conflict. It is mixed in with the battle against Christianity and the Gospel of salvation that has been building up in Europe since the days of the Enlightenment.
Prayers of Faith
But all is not lost; God has not deserted his Creation. In his sovereignty he still holds the nations in his hands “as a drop in a bucket” (Isa 40:15). As the Psalmist says, “The nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain…The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them” (Ps 1:1-4).
God still has a purpose for Britain. The spiritual heritage of the past is still a powerful force entrusted to a faithful remnant of Bible-believing Christians. God loves to use small numbers; then he gets all the glory when the victory is won! The Bible is full of examples of this spiritual truth. It was when Jerusalem was threatened with a vast army, in the time of King Jehoshaphat, that he called the whole nation to prayer. The King himself ended his prayer, “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
That is the kind of prayer of faith that moves mountains! The immediate response was “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chron 20:12, 15).
This is the message we need to embrace in these turbulent times, redoubling our prayers that God will work out his purposes despite all the shenanigans of our politicians.
