A new message of hope for Britain.

Something quite amazing happened to me last month – in my quiet times I began hearing a new message – a message of hope!

For the past 30 years I’ve been carrying much the same message. Older readers who remember the early days of the printed magazine Prophecy Today, back in the 1980s, will confirm that we were constantly warning about the consequences of the changes that were taking place as the nation abandoned its biblical heritage and embraced secular humanism. We were always calling for repentance and turning – especially in the Church.

The message we gave in those days was in stark contrast to the joyful messages of popular charismatic preachers promising imminent revival. Of course, we were not the only ones giving these warnings. But so many Christians and churches were embracing the teachings of false prophets, that it was not easy to go against the popular tide.

Bible-believing Christians who could see what was happening in the nation were often voices crying in the wilderness and they frequently had to endure vilification. There were strong pressures upon church leaders and others to go with the crowd and give a popular message.

It is quite rare today to hear such upbeat messages. But last month I began hearing God speaking about revival! For me, this was the first time in 30 years and I’ve been holding onto it for nearly two months seeking confirmation before daring to say anything in public.

A Virgin Mission Field

Let me explain what I began hearing. I believe the Lord is saying that the possibilities of spiritual revival, or re-awakening, are now coming onto the horizon. I am certainly not believing that this is imminent, but the first little signs are already to be seen of a change of mood among some young people.

A recent survey of attitudes showed that 52% of the British public now say that they have no religion.¹ This is an indication of the rapid cultural change that has taken place in the space of a single lifetime. In 1960 some 90% of the population would have said that they were Christians. Since then, other religions have flooded into Britain, leading to the construction of all sorts of mosques and temples. But it is important to note that although the native British population have largely abandoned their Judeo-Christian heritage, they have not turned to these other religions in significant numbers – they have simply turned away from all religious belief.

I believe the Lord is saying that the possibilities of spiritual revival, or re-awakening, are now coming onto the horizon.

What we now have is virtually a virgin mission field, which is good news for those who are evangelists and are eager to share their faith with others. But while it presents an amazing opportunity, a spiritual vacuum is also dangerous! As Jesus said, when one devil is cast out, its place can easily be taken by seven others, even more evil. I think it was GK Chesterton said that when we stop believing in God, we do not believe nothing, we believe anything! This may be true today.

Disaster Bringing Opportunity

I think that most Bible-believing Christians would agree that Britain is a nation that has been under judgment for some time – at least since we passed the same-sex marriage act in defiance of the God of Creation. We have had the truth and rejected it, putting ourselves outside God’s protection. This is the situation not only in Britain, but in most Western nations.

Moses described the classic signs of judgment that would follow the rejection of the word of God. He said, “The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind” (Deut 28:28). This is a good description of our politicians struggling to deal with Brexit. I know this was said to Israel, a nation in a covenant relationship with God, but the spiritual principle can be applied to those who have had the word of God and deliberately turned away, as the promises in Jeremiah 18 testify.

Anata, the West Bank village thought to be on the site of the biblical Anathoth, where Jeremiah bought his field.

I certainly believe that some kind of calamity will come upon our nation in the not-too-distant future, but I also believe that this will produce a new openness to the truth and provide new opportunity for the Gospel. This is what I began hearing last month, in much the same way as Jeremiah was given the revelation of the New Covenant at the very time when the Babylonians were about to break down the walls of Jerusalem and bring tragedy upon the nation.

Jeremiah was imprisoned in the guardhouse, but in faith he bought a piece of land that was already in enemy-occupied territory, as a sign that he was looking forward to the restoration of Israel after the disaster (Jer 32).

The native British population have largely abandoned their Judeo-Christian heritage, but they have not turned to other religions – they have simply turned away from religion altogether.

Generation Sensible

I am certainly not comparing myself to Jeremiah – but in much the same way, I believe that ‘times of refreshing’ will come. As a little sign of confirmation, I heard last week that in some universities in Britain, the usual intoxicated hijinks associated with ‘Freshers Week’ are being scrapped. But they have not been cancelled by university authorities - they have been stopped by a ‘lack of demand’ from students!

Young people are turning away from the kind of society that has been produced by their parents, in what The Times has dubbed ‘Generation Sensible’.² They are looking for changes in the culture away from the corrupt and unhealthy practices of the previous generation. Maybe this is the reason why Jordan Peterson is so popular with young people.

In Hull University, it is reported, one campus bar has been transformed into an ice-cream parlour and nightclub hours have been reduced. Other universities are holding plant-potting workshops and setting aside quiet rooms for meditation. On the London Underground, there are adverts on the boards up and down the escalators calling for October to be an alcohol-free month and surveys indicate that many young people are drinking far less than their parents’ generation.

The Turning of the Tide

All these things are part of a popular backlash against the kind of libertarian culture of excess that has been produced by postmodernism and its driving forces – Marxism, Darwinism, secular humanism – behind which lie what I can only describe as the forces of darkness. These ‘postmodern’ forms of rebellion against God are nothing new, but go back to the days of the Tower of Babel. They simply re-affirm the timeless fact that once you reject the basis of truth in the God of Creation, as the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 1, processes of decay automatically follow.

I certainly believe some kind of calamity will come upon our nation in the not-too-distant future, but that this will produce a new openness to the truth and new opportunity for the Gospel.

But for those who are called to be watchmen for the Lord and have eyes to see, I believe there are already little signs of a turning of the tide. Remember that when the tide turns far out in the main, it is a very long time before the first waves start rippling up the beach for everyone to see.

The hope for the future is that Bible-believing Christians will seize the opportunity of filling the spiritual vacuum among young people with the truth of the Gospel, praying in the turning of the tide: that God may breathe his life-giving Spirit upon a new generation revolting against the culture of their parents, but not yet knowing where else to turn for truth in an age of fake news. What a great opportunity for the Gospel!!!

References

1 Church of England numbers at record low. NatCen, 7 September 2018.

2 Narwan, G and Woolcock, N. Freshers week thirst for alcohol is drying up. The Times, 15 September 2018.

An important aspect of the prophet's ministry is that of warning people to turn from their rebellious ways and to return to God in repentance and obedience.

The word of God teaches us that, "We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isa 53:6). Here is a characteristic shared by every member of the human family. We may differ as to age, sex, colour, race and nationality, but all have this in common: we have strayed from the right path and have obstinately chosen to go our own way and to do our own thing.

An important aspect of the prophet's ministry, not only in Old and New Testament times but also today, is that of warning people to turn from their rebellious ways and to return to God at a level of repentance that leads to future obedience.

The Sending of Prophets

"Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, 'Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions'..." (Jer 35:15). Their message was, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa 30:15 RSV). The NIV translates the Hebrew word shuvah, which means 'to turn back', as 'repentance'. Constantly the prophets call for God's people to return to Yahweh. "Come, let us return to the Lord...Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God...Return to me with all your heart...Take words with you and return to the Lord...Return to me and I will return to you" (Hos 6:1, 14:1-2; Joel 2:12-13; Mal 3:7).

The Blessings Promised to Those Who Return

The first blessing was that of forgiveness. "Let the wicked forsake his way...let him turn to the Lord, and he will have rnercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon" (Isa 55:7). "I have swept away your offences like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you" (Isa 44:22).

As well as pardon for the past the people were promised a new beginning. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you...and move you...to keep my laws" (Ezek 36:26-27). "I will give them a heart to know me...they will be my people...for they will return to me with all their heart" (Jer 24:7).

Those who return to the Lord are promised many blessings, including forgiveness and a new beginning.

They would be brought back to inherit the land. "I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up...for they will return to me with all their heart" (Jer 24:6-7). They would enjoy material blessings, as Moses had promised to God's people: "All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God" (Deut 28:1-12). "'Test me in this', says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the flood-gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it'" (Mal 3:10).

Disasters Threatening Those Who Turn from God

The prophets of the Bible have no hesitation in believing and proclaiming that God is behind all things that happen, including unpleasant and frightening events: "I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things" (Isa 45:7). Jeremiah announces that disaster is on its way and that it behoves God's people to turn from their evil ways: "This is what the Lord says: 'Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways...'" (Jer 18:11). When Baruch, Jeremiah's assistant, wrote a fresh scroll to replace the one King Jehoiakim had burnt, all the threats of coming disaster were repeated along with "many similar words..." (Jer 36:32).

According to the story of Jonah, a threatened disaster was averted when men repented. "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened" (Jonah 3:10). The opposite was the case in the time of Isaiah. In his ninth and tenth chapters is a phrase that repeats four times: "For all this his anger is not turned away, his arm is still upraised" (Isa 9:12, 9:17, 9:21, 10:4). In the Good News Bible this passage reads, "Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish."

When men do not respond to disaster, the result can be only that greater disaster will come upon them. This is surely a salutary thought for us as we think back over the series of disasters we have witnessed or experienced in Britain during recent times.

Those who refuse to turn bring disaster upon themselves - and when they do not respond to this, the result can only be greater disaster.

Another aspect of the prophets' ministry is to draw their listeners' attention to crises that have occurred. The book of Amos contains a striking example of such action. In chapter 4 (verses 6-11) he reminds them of the disasters that had occurred. These included famine, drought, blight, locusts, plague, war and raging fire. One recurrent phrase in these verses sounds like a death-knell: "'Yet you have not returned to me', declares the Lord." God does not want to have to bring ever more serious disasters - that is not his nature or desire - but it may become inevitable, "You crushed them but they refused correction They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent" (Jer 5:3).

Why Do People Turn from God?

1. Because they do not know God's word.

Jeremiah writes of the people and their leaders, "These are only the poor, they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God. So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God. But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke" (Jer 5:4-5). It is a very sad situation when the ordinary people who do not know God's law receive no direction or correction from their leaders because they have rejected the revealed word of God. Like so many today, they are left with only the unsure ground of situation ethics as the nations plunge further and further into moral chaos.

2. Because they listen to false prophets.

"Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you, they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds..." As a result of this error, "From the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land" (Jer 23:15-16). How sad that when the ministry of the prophet was so needed, as in Jerusalem then and in our situation today, we are confronted by so-called prophets who have not heard from God at all, but speak forth their own dreams and delusions. "...prophets who prophesy the delusions of their own minds...[they] prophesy false dreams...and lead my people astray with their reckless lies..." (Jer 23:26, 23:32).

It is of vital importance today that the stream of prophecy is kept clear by careful observance of the scriptural rules laid down for us in the New Testament. If we tolerate human traditions and unscriptural practices, we may lose the effective working of a very precious and necessary gift.

It is a sad situation when ordinary people who do not know God's law receive no direction or correction from their leaders, because they too have rejected the revealed word of God.

3. Because they fail to learn from the mistakes of others.

In the time of King Josiah, the prophet Jeremiah received a word from the Lord condemning Judah for copying the behaviour of her 'adulterous sister' Israel (Jer 3:6-10). "I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no tear she also went out and committed adultery" (Jer 3:8). We see many examples of wrong behaviour, especially in the area of sexual morality. Sadly, some of these have been within the Christian church; sadder still, a few have been among its leaders.

We need prophets today who are not afraid to remind God's people of the standards laid down in his word. But at all times they should avoid that judgmental and critical spirit which hurts yet more and condemns. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted" (Gal 6:1).

The Folly of Not Returning to God

According to one of the Church Fathers, "Outside of God there is nothing but death." Therefore, the only sensible thing for anyone to do is to return to God. Ezekiel is feeling the urgency of the matter when he cries out, "Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?" (Ezek 33:11). He makes it clear that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked rather "...am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"

Today's prophets need to stress the unrelieved awfulness of living or dying without God and consequently the stupidity of concentrating all our efforts on amassing this world's goods arid striving for its fame Jesus was speaking very much to the point when he said of the rich man, in his story, "You fool!" (Luke 12:20).

Today's prophets need to stress the unrelieved awfulness and folly of living or dying without God.

The Blessedness of Turning Back to God

God is holy, and he is a God of justice and judgment. But Scripture teaches that judgment is his "strange work...his alien task" (Isa 28:21). There is no doubt that in this injunction he is providing an example to prophets. Justice and judgment must have their rightful place in the ministry of today's prophets. "If I have the gift of prophecy...but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor 13:2). In Jesus' greatest story we see an example of the love that should characterise all his followers. Whatever they have done in the past, "Let's celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:24).

The Reward for the Prophets Who Turn Men to Righteousness

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead [RSV 'turn'] many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever" (Rev 12:3). It is true that "we all like sheep have gone astray" (Isa 53:6). We all have an inborn determination to do what we want to do. Sadly, Scripture points out that "there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Prov 14:12).

We did not find the right road by our own cleverness but by the grace and mercy of God. Now we in turn must share what we have experienced. It is just such prophets who will shine, because they have turned others from their sins and have played some part in returning them to the Father and to home.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 6 No 5, September/October 1990.