Marked changes on the world scene – and within our ministry!

Shawn Bolz and the deceit at the heart of the Prophetic Movement

Exciting News from Issachar Ministries and Prophecy Today

The signs of the times

The urgent need for discernment in the house of God

Read about the meeting on 9 April 2016.

On behalf of the Prophecy Today team, I would like to extend my hearty thanks to all who attended our 1^st Anniversary Celebration this past Saturday (9 April 2016) – and further thanks to all who prayed from afar!

We all enjoyed an extremely encouraging day at Regents Hall (Salvation Army), London, with more than 70 in attendance (including the team), many of whom had come long distances. We also really valued sharing the day with Issachar Ministries, Prophecy Today's parent charity, which hosted its 2016 Open Day alongside.

The whole day proved a great opportunity to celebrate the year past and to express hopes and desires for the year to come, to thank God for his faithfulness in re-establishing Prophecy Today (and getting it off to a flying start!) and to stand together with united hearts and purpose.

The day was opened with worship, led by Prophecy Today's Managing Editor, Frances Rabbitts. Following this, reports were shared by members of both the Issachar Ministries and the Prophecy Today teams, analysing the year previous. The atmosphere was very informal and delegates were able to chip in with questions and feedback as things progressed. There were also opportunities in small groups to lift up the nation in prayer, and to share with one other what we feel God has been saying. There was a sense of unity and urgency in this which was a privilege to experience.

Prior to lunch everyone was treated to the inspirational speaking of Paul Szkiler, who shared about his recent investment and discipleship ventures in Sierra Leone. Sadly, we were unable to be joined by David Noakes, who is recovering from an eye operation and would value your prayers.

In the afternoon the Prophecy Today Editorial Board took it in turns to speak to the group about one part of the magazine's work, including their hopes for its future development. Led by Clifford Hill, reviews were given of each of Prophecy Today's major sections, including its topical comments, study material, resource provision and focus on Israel.

Clifford Denton also formally introduced delegates to a new Bible study website currently being developed as a joint project between Issachar Ministries and Prophecy Today, promising Scripture study courses for members and a forum for communal discussion.

Towards the end of the day, Board members were prayed for individually, which was a source of real encouragement and refreshment. Things were drawn to a close with prayer and worship, but delegates stayed around afterwards to chat, pray for each other and peruse the resources stand stocked by Issachar Ministries.

In all, the day provided a fantastic booster for the Prophecy Today team as they head into their second year – and from the feedback, it was a great encouragement for delegates too. Now that we have all headed back to our own churches, workplaces and communities, we hope and pray that God will continue to affirm in our hearts the strong sense of togetherness - that feeling of being part of God's broader agenda for this nation and beyond - which was brought so deftly to the fore on Saturday.

Frances Rabbitts, Managing Editor
On behalf of the Prophecy Today UK Editorial Board

Additional Notes

If you would like us to send you a e-copy of Prophecy Today's 1^st annual review, please send us an email.

We would also ask our community of supporters to continue to pray about making a regular financial commitment to the ministry (however small). We keep our costs low but have some overheads that we would like to share, especially since we do not want to make a charge to readers of the site. An underlying theme of our ministry, shared on Saturday, was that we are building an interactive community that will continue to grow together. If the Lord is leading you to contribute financially (either personally or through the ministry of your church fellowship) please let us know and we will send details of how to donate.

We are thrilled that just one week before the publication of Prophecy Today UK, the project was birthed in prayer with an all-day meeting at Regent Hall (The Salvation Army), Oxford Street, London.

This was sponsored by Issachar Ministries, with supporters coming from as far away as Cornwall and Northumberland, and other prayer groups meeting around the country. The event was filled with the presence of the Lord and a wonderful sense of expectation.

Amidst the prayer and worship, we had the honour of welcoming three fantastic guest speakers: Wale Babatunde, Paul Szkiler and Rachel Wagstaff (Christian Concern), who each used their specialist knowledge to highlight prophetic insights into:

• The global economy
• The moral and spiritual state of the nation
• The effects of current legislation upon the lives of Christians in Britain.

Members of the Editorial Board also took it in turns to introduce different sections and themes that the new Prophecy Today UK magazine will cover. Their suggested starting points for prayer are listed below.

Please continue to pray for these issues and for Prophecy Today UK’s coverage of them, as the Lord leads you.

Topics and suggestions for prayer

Society and Politics

Prayer for this section of the magazine focused on the upcoming General Election, and included the following points:

• That the result will be fully in line with the will of God
• For the election of godly MPs
• That Britain will have a Government that understands the world scene, and pursues justice and righteousness both at home and overseas

Prayer also focused on the threats currently facing Christianity and its expression in British public life:

• For Christians to be visible and vocal in the public square
  • That the witness of Christians who are suffering under Equality Laws will impact the nation positively
• That Britain’s Christian heritage will not be totally lost

For resources on how to pray and witness in the General Election period see the special election websites of Christian Concern and CARE.

World Scene

Prayer for this section of Prophecy Today UK focused on the following countries and issues:

• USA – particularly its relationships with Russia and Israel
• Russia – its recent military build-up and the violence in Ukraine
• Iran - its recent nuclear activity
• World-wide terrorism and the rise of Islamic State
• Global persecution of Jews and Christians, the Gospel going out

Prayer was also offered that Prophecy Today UK’s coverage and analysis of these complex topics would be biblical, insightful and Holy Spirit-inspired.

The Economy

During this section, prayer focused in on the following select economic issues:

• Debt problems in the UK, their enormous cost and impact on quality of life. Efforts like CAP that are helping people to become debt free.
• Greece’s current economic problems. The unemployment and economic suffering which are accompanying this.
• Nigeria’s presidential election and need for a Government that will wisely manage its oil-rich economy.

Church Issues

Prayer for the British Church focused on the following points:

• Thanking God for the rise of small fellowship groups around the country and praying for their increase and prosperity
• The twin challenges of secularism and Islam: that Christians will be equipped to respond
• The need for strength, courage and resources:
  • For witnessing as a minority group in increasingly difficult times
  • For passing the truth of the gospel on to the next generation
  • For remaining true to the Church’s biblical roots
  • For the Church to fulfil its prophetic role in British society

Israel & Middle East

Prayer in this section focused on the following issues:

• The rise of anti-Semitism in the UK and Europe, related to the conflict in and around Israel (Ps 121:4)
• The need for fair, balanced media reporting about Israel
• Unity and wisdom for Netanyahu and new Israeli Government (Pro 21:1)
• The rise of Islamic State (Ps 68:1, Matt 5:44)
• Muslims rejecting extremism and seeking answers (Jn 14:6)
• Building bridges between communities (Eph 2:15)

Prayers were also offered that Prophecy Today UK’s coverage of this difficult set of issues would be biblical, balanced and loving, for the prospering of its public voice and role in raising awareness both within and outside of the Church, and for its analysis to be directed and inspired by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Teaching

Prayer was requested for:

• Wisdom and insight for the writing team
• The development of a long-term strategy for Prophecy Today UK’s study materials.

Resources

Prayer was also requested for:

• Sifting resources and choosing the right titles
• Clarity in writing, and for sensible, balanced, helpful reviews
• Finding wise reviewers
• Building good relationships with publishers.

The Prophecy Today UK team are extremely grateful to all who attended the meeting, and to all who were with us in spirit.

Below we have re-published Clifford Hill's lead article from the first print edition of Prophecy Today, March/April 1985. Entitled 'Take Off the Graveclothes!', it was a clarion call to the church to rise up and be counted, and is still highly relevant today.

These are exciting days to be a Christian!

We are living in one of the most significant periods in the history of mankind. There are many signs that these are the times that former generations have longed to see – the times of which Jesus and the prophets spoke. The need for clear discernment has never been greater in order that we may rightly interpret the signs of the times and rightly convey the Word of God to our generation.

In a world armed to the teeth with the most incredible weapons of destruction there has never been greater danger facing mankind. Yet with the mounting evidence of spiritual awakening around the world these are also days of limitless opportunity for the Gospel.

Spirit of violence vs the Spirit of God

There appear to be two mighty forces at work in the world today and moving towards a climax of confrontation. The contrast between the two is almost too vivid and blinding to comprehend. A spirit of violence has been loosed into the world; and, the Spirit of God is at work among his people.

The destructive forces of violence are to be seen in every part of the world. Assassination, terrorism, urban guerrilla warfare, revolution, plus 37 actual wars at present in progress are ample evidence of this. The threat of the world being plunged into a nuclear holocaust comes not only from the clash of the giant superpowers but from the smaller nations. The day is in sight when nations such as Libya, Syria, Iran, Pakistan - all experiencing an Islamic fundamentalist revival – will each have their own nuclear weapons (the threat from militant Islam may one day prove to be greater than the threat from atheistic Russian communism). The world is rapidly entering a highly dangerous and unstable period.

"The Holy Spirit is being poured out on people of all nations today just as the prophet Joel foretold and at precisely the right time when the forces of darkness are threatening to overwhelm the world."

At the same time the Spirit of God is at work in the world bringing new life and hope. In nation after nation there is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit bringing spiritual awakening and revival. Today the church worldwide is growing at a faster rate than at any time since the days of the New Testament church. The church in Africa, south of the Sahara, is growing at a rate of more than 7 million per year. The new birth rate has overtaken the natural birth rate; so that the day is in sight when most of the population of central and southern Africa will be committed Christians. Similar things are happening in Korea, in China and in many other parts of Asia, also in South America and in Central America. Even in Russia and Eastern Europe there is evidence of a fresh move of God.

The Holy Spirit is being poured out on people of all nations today just as the prophet Joel foretold and at precisely the right time when the forces of darkness are threatening to overwhelm the world.

Re-arming the Church

God has entered the battlefield against the principalities and powers! Through a fresh move of the Holy Spirit worldwide, God is re-arming his church for battle. The time is drawing near when the battle of the ages will take place, the battle of which Paul hints in Ephesians 3:10, when through the church God will take on the world rulers of darkness that have for so long been driving mankind.

The word God spoke to Jehoshaphat are a time when Israel was under threat of annihilation is relevant to us today:

"Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. The battle is not yours, but God's." (2 Chron 20:15)

Traditionalism dying

The greatest danger facing us today is that of missing the timing of the Lord through failure to understand the signs of the times and failure to understand what God is saying to us today. While many of the new and younger parts of the church are full of life and vigour and eager response to the Spirit of God, many of the older and more traditional parts of the Body of Christ are showing signs of geriatric decay and hardening of the spiritual arteries.

Right across Europe many of the traditional churches are sleeping peacefully, occasionally stirring to murmur, 'As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be' or are so caught up in the immediacy of institutional organisation and of social programmes that their spiritual eyes are blinded and their energies are diverted into unproductive cul-de-sacs.

The traditional churches with their centuries of scholarship ought to be the eyes and the ears of the church but they are failing to discern the dangers confronting our world today and the biblical significance of the days in which we live.

Prophecy neglected

For centuries there has been a neglect of the ministry of prophecy due in part to the very right and wholesome fear of being misled but also due to the Reformation emphasis upon Scripture as being not only the final authority on the word of God but also as being the final utterance of God, although this is contrary to the teaching of Jesus in John 14-16 on the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church.

Jesus taught that through the Holy Spirit God would continue to communicate with the believers. He said:

"I have much more to say to you all, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…he will tell you what is yet to come." (John 16:12, 13)

In times of crisis God has always raised up prophets to speak to his people. The task of the prophet is to stand in the council of the Lord and to bring the contemporary word of God to the contemporary world (Jer 23:18, 22).

"God wants his whole church to be a 'prophetic people' to communicate his word to his world in these days of crisis."

Just as God spoke to his people of the old covenant through prophets to give them encouragement, warning or clear guidance in times of crisis, so God is speaking to his people of the new covenant through prophets today. The major task of the prophet is the forthtelling of the word of God. The prophet gives vision, clarity of purpose and understanding to the people of God. He enables the Body to discern the word of God for our times that it may rightly proclaim that word to the world. God wants his whole church to be a 'prophetic people' to communicate his word to his world in these days of crisis.

The Church constricted

The major blockage to the proclamation of the word of God to the contemporary world is the degree to which the world has infiltrated the Western church destroying its simple trust and expectancy and replacing it with all the complexities of institutionalism, unscriptural theology, materialism, secularism and unbelief. These are the graveclothes with which we have encompassed the Body of Christ. These are the constrictions that are imprisoning the word of God today. But the fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit we are seeing today is a worldwide movement. God is longing to renew his church in the West that it may fully accomplish his mighty purposes in this critical period of world history.

The Lord Jesus is weeping over his church today as Jesus wept over the tomb of Lazarus his friend. He wept for the slowness of understanding and unbelief of those whom he loved. "Roll back the stone!" he commanded. Then followed the words that demonstrated his claim to be the resurrection and the life. "Lazarus come forth!" Slowly Lazarus shuffled out of the tomb, his body completely encased in the graveclothes that enwrapped him and impeded his movements. There he stood, filled with the new life given to him by the Lord but unable to exercise it because his body was imprisoned within the tightly wrapped graveclothes. He had already received the precious gift of new life but he was virtually paralysed by the graveclothes.

"Dead tradition, unbelief, sterility and institutionalism have put the Body of Christ in a straight-jacket as binding as the graveclothes around the body of Lazarus."

That is a picture of the Western church. The precious gift of new life in the risen Christ is imprisoned within the Body by dead tradition, by blind unbelief, by sterile scholasticism, by the complexities of institutionalisation that have put the Body of Christ in a straight-jacket as binding as the graveclothes around the body of Lazarus.

Take off the graveclothes!

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead he did not rush forward to help Lazarus or remove the graveclothes from his body. He turned to his friends and said to them, "Take off the graveclothes and let him go!" (John 11:44). The Lord of the church is turning to his people today and saying, "l have already given you the new life in my Spirit, now you must remove the graveclothesl Let my church go into all the world with my word of life."

Let he who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches today.

"Take off the graveclothes! Let my church go!" If we do not hear and heed the word of the Lord today we will miss his timing in this most critical period of world history for 2000 years. Tomorrow may be too late!

A Tribute to Chief Solomon Lar, Governor of Plateau State: Clifford Hill looks back on how God used Prophecy Today to help bring about huge transformation in Nigeria.

A presidential prophecy...

It was the final day of a conference in Port Harcourt Nigeria on 28 December 1987. A small team from Prophecy Today were speaking. There was a sudden stir among the large company present. Into the hall came an imposing-looking man in the traditional dress of a Nigerian Chief. He slowly made his way through the hall accompanied by a small group of attendants, mounting the platform to huge applause from the delegates and warm embraces from the platform party. Our Prophecy Today team had no idea who this man was, but clearly he was well-known and well-loved by the 1,000 Christian pastors in the hall.

The conference chairman extended a warm welcome to him, explaining that as a political prisoner he had just been released by the military junta ruling Nigeria. He was invited to speak and did so without making any reference to his personal circumstances or to the political situation. He simply expressed great joy at being in there and his prayers for God to extend the work of the gospel and to bless the preachers and evangelists.

The chairman then asked me to pray for this man whose name I had not even been told. I began to pray asking God's blessing upon the man while at the same time I was desperately seeking divine inspiration. Suddenly I found myself prophesying over him and saying that the day would come when great power would be bestowed upon him and he would be the ruler of the nation. I also prophesied that God would intervene in the affairs of the nation and that before the end of the century Nigeria would have its first Christian President.

"Suddenly I found myself prophesying over him and saying that before the end of the century Nigeria would have its first Christian President!"

The prophecy was received with great joy and acclamation by the conference although I myself was immediately assailed with anxieties and doubts. There have been very few occasions in my life when I have given a prophecy with an actual date for its fulfilment. My anxieties were increased by a conversation I had after the meeting with the man whom I learned was Chief Solomon Lar from Jos in Plateau State. He explained that he had come to the conference because he wanted to meet the Editor of Prophecy Today and he knew that we were speaking there.

We sat and talked a lot about the political situation in Nigeria and he said that he greatly appreciated my prayer for him but unless God specifically worked a miracle the prophecy could not be fulfilled. The military rulers had decreed that none of the politicians who had previously been in government would ever again be allowed to hold power. Solomon stayed for the remainder of the conference and we promised to keep in touch. I was, nevertheless, surprised to receive a letter from him the following year inviting Monica and me to visit him in his hometown of Jos and to speak at an Easter Monday Christian celebration as well as to fulfil other engagements in Lagos.

Chief Solomon Lar, with Clifford and Monica Hill and Dr Mary Lar

Chief Solomon of Jos

The Easter Monday celebration was amazing with the main city street filled with more than a quarter of a million Christians and non-Christians in this ethnically mixed city. There were a number of musical events with local choirs and a time of inspirational worship before the speeches. Both Monica and I spoke through interpreters. The man who interpreted my message was also an evangelist who added to the word that I had given, concluding with a powerful call for salvation to which hundreds responded.

It was when we visited their home that Solomon told us of the circumstances that had led to his imprisonment and the reason why he had made the journey to Port Harcourt to meet us soon after his release, after four years in jail as a political prisoner of the military Government. Solomon was a Member of the first Government of Nigeria elected in 1959 just ahead of independence from Britain the following year. He served faithfully in several different positions and was a popular Governor of Plateau State.

In 1966 the democratically elected Government was overthrown by a military coup. This led directly to the Biafran Civil War which lasted from July 1967 until January 1970. Military government continued in Nigeria until the assassination of the military head of state in 1976. His successor, General Muhammadu Buhari, initiated a process of transition to a democratically elected Government in 1979. Solomon was a Minister in this Government which lasted until 1983 when another military coup brought General Ibrahim Babangida to power. He was overthrown in 1985 by the worst dictator of all Nigeria’s rulers, General Sani Abacha.

Imprisonment

Following the 1983 coup most of the Government Ministers were either executed or imprisoned. Solomon was sentenced to 88 years on 31 December 1983. He shared a prison cell with a British pilot who had been attempting to rescue members of the Government when the military rebels intervened. It took the British Government more than two years to obtain the release of the pilot during which time he complained about the food and succeeded in getting the Red Cross to send him food parcels.

"Following the 1983 coup most of the Government Ministers were either executed or imprisoned. Solomon was sentenced to 88 years in prison."

A British missionary heard that Solomon was in prison. She had been his teacher at primary school in the northern town of Langtang and had kept in touch with him from boyhood. Somehow she got get letters into the prison and Solomon told her he was sharing a cell with the British pilot. When the next food parcel was being prepared by the Red Cross she took a copy of the first issue of the magazine Prophecy Today which fitted exactly inside a cornflakes box. She included a letter to Solomon urging him to read the magazine. It was to be a life-changing experience for Solomon and he says that the magazine was passed all around the prison and read by many of the thousand men.

That issue of Prophecy Today had two articles that particularly spoke to him. One was about injustice and inequalities whereby the rich Western nations are overfed and millions in the poorer countries die from malnourishment and preventable diseases. This was a cause close to Solomon's heart. The second article was about listening to God and how the great biblical prophets learned to discern what God was saying to them. Solomon had been a Christian all his life but he had never before had time on his hands to study the Bible in depth. Slowly he learned to take things before God, to intercede, and to listen.

God's faithfulness

One of his fellow prisoners, also a Minister in the Government, was condemned to death. Although a Muslim he was a particular friend of Solomon who had worked with him in the Cabinet. Solomon began to intercede on his behalf and he heard God say that his friend would not die at the hands of the military junta. Solomon reported this and the man gladly received it; but no word of reprieve came and the day was set for his execution. Solomon prayed all the more fervently and he was convinced God would save his friend. He continually reassured the man that God is faithful and he never breaks his promises.

The day prior to his execution arrived. He was due to be executed at dawn. Solomon prayed throughout the day and right through the night. Then the most amazing thing happened. During that night another military coup took place. The Military Government was overthrown by another group of power-hungry colonels. The first thing they did was to cancel all political executions. News reached the prison one hour before dawn.

In the morning Solomon's friend came to him and threw himself on the ground in front of him saying, "How did you know?" Solomon said quite simply that Jesus had told him. His friend said he wanted to know Jesus and Solomon had the joy of leading him to the Lord. This man later became a powerful evangelist with a great testimony to the faithfulness of God who answers prayer, even at the 11th hour!

Nation-wide oppression

We visited Nigeria several times in the next few years doing missions in Lagos, Ibadan and other parts of the country. Solomon and Mary also visited us in England and our friendship grew; so too did our love and concern for Nigeria. We went a number of times, always with an armed escort, but it became too dangerous to take a team to Nigeria where social unrest was widespread. Throughout the 1990s the Military Government in Nigeria became increasingly oppressive and corrupt. Foreign aid was siphoned off into the pockets of the military rulers, and bribery and corruption were present at all levels in Government and among petty provincial officials.

General Abacha reportedly siphoned off £5 billion from the national purse into his own offshore accounts, aided by members of his family. Social unrest in the 1990s became more violent with high rates of unemployment and poverty. The British Government put great pressure upon the military rulers to allow the country to return to democratic rule, but they continually broke their promises. Nigeria was suspended from the British Commonwealth and the UN imposed severe economic sanctions, but General Abacha refused to relinquish power.

The whole country was rapidly degenerating into social and economic chaos and there was grave fear that, unless there was a complete change of Government, Nigeria would slide into civil war. From the mid-1990s Solomon had been secretly meeting with former members of the last democratically elected Government. Their communications were always exchanged with great care as they all knew they were risking their lives. If Abacha had heard of their secret liaisons they would undoubtedly have been executed.

"The whole country was rapidly degenerating into social and economic chaos- there was grave fear that Nigeria would slide into civil war."

In 1998, the 'Group of 18', as they called themselves, resolved that the national situation was so serious they could no longer delay. They decided to challenge the President that if he did not resign and give way to an elected Government they would bring the whole country out on strike and force his hand. But how could they get the message to Abacha? They decided to write a letter setting out their demands. One of the 18 had to take the letter and confront him. The group all asked Solomon to do this, and after much prayer and discussion with Mary, Solomon agreed to take the letter.

God's intervention

Solomon said goodbye to Mary, not knowing if he would ever see her again, and set off for Abuja, the new capital of Nigeria. He was kept waiting for six days before being granted an audience with the President. On the sixth day he went into the closely guarded presidential palace and came face to face with the General. He told him he had come to read a letter to him. As he read the letter Abacha flew into an apoplexy of rage and shouted "Treason! Treason!" He called the guards and ordered them to arrest Solomon and hold him overnight. He said that he would pronounce sentence in the morning.

Solomon was led away and spent the night in prayer in a police cell, expecting this to be his last night on earth. But during that night God intervened. General Abacha often used the presidential jet to fly Asian prostitutes for his use. That night he had two Indian girls flown in from Dubai cavorting in his bed. He suffered a massive heart attack at 4:30am and by 6:30 he was dead.

In the morning the guards came to Solomon with the news of Abacha's death and senior officials from the military junta implored him for the sake of the nation to take control. Solomon immediately went on air and broadcast to the nation announcing the death of the President who was buried that same day according to Muslim tradition. Solomon promised that political parties would once more be legalised and there would be a swift return to democratic government.

Solomon himself led an Interim Government. He ruled the nation for a year; overseeing preparations for a General Election in 1999. He became Chairman of the People's Democratic Party and when elections were held his Party won a clear majority. Solomon did not wish to become President himself. The years of imprisonment had taken their toll on his health and he asked his friend Olushegun Obasanjo to become President. He was installed in July 1999.

The prophecy fulfilled

Six months before the end of the Twentieth Century Nigeria had its first Christian President. The prophecy I had given in Port Harcourt in December 1987 was fulfilled. That prophecy had been widely circulated throughout Nigeria and soon after the new President had settled in Abuja, Solomon (as chairman of the ruling Party and close confidante and adviser to the President) invited Monica and me to come to Abuja to meet the new President. We were impressed that among his first actions he had built a church in the grounds of the Presidential Palace where a former president had built a mosque.

"Six months before the end of the Twentieth Century Nigeria had its first Christian President: the prophecy I had given was fulfilled."

President Olushegun Obasanjo was a devout Christian who had a room in the church set aside for his daily quiet time. It was plainly furnished with just a table, a chair and a Bible. Faced with huge social and economic problems, the legacy of years of political corruption, plus the tensions of a racially divided nation, he knew that it was only divine guidance that would enable him to survive. We spent some time talking and praying with him as well as enjoying a family meal at his table. The next time we visited Nigeria we had a meal with two presidents: the President of Nigeria was hosting the President of the USA, Bill Clinton. So we had dinner with him and his daughter Chelsea.

President Obasanjo strove to root out the corruption endemic in Nigerian society but he was constantly impeded by Parliament who even attempted to impeach him. It is a deeply divided society between Christian and Muslim and although President Goodluck Jonathan is a Christian, he has been powerless to control the army which has always been controlled by Muslims from the Northern states. Today that is the home territory of Boko Haram, the jihadist terrorists who kidnapped 200 girls in 2014, and in January 2015 razed to the ground a whole area of villages around the town of Maiduguri, killing an estimated 2000 men, women and children.

Goodluck Jonathan also failed to deal with the widespread corruption in Nigeria. When the Governor of Nigeria’s central bank reported that $20 billion had been stolen, Jonathan sacked him. It is because of these failures that many voters deserted the PDP and voted for former General Muhammadu Buhari, who briefly ruled Nigeria some 32 years ago. His human rights record at that time was appalling and political opponents were executed, but as a Muslim from the North he may be able to deal firmly with the jihadist terrorists. His election on 1st April 2015 is a triumph of democracy for which Solomon Lar laid the foundation.

Solomon Lar died in October 2013. His moderating influence is greatly missed in Nigeria today, but there are many who still thank God for his great contribution in saving the nation from military dictatorship and establishing the principles of godly democracy. The whole of Nigeria has much to thank God for this courageous man of prayer who learned to listen to God and to be obedient even when it put his own life at risk. We thank God that Prophecy Today was helpful to him in his hour of need. We continue to pray that violence against Christians will cease and that a new era of peace and prosperity will come to Nigeria.

Prophecy Today goes live online today, Saturday 4 April 2015, exactly 30 years after its first print publication.