'Build houses!' That is the cry of politicians today in the run-up to the General Election. Each of the political parties is pledging to build more houses. But why the sudden rush?

The Conservative Party said they would build 100,000 new houses, so the Labour Party said they will build 200,000 houses and the Lib Dems capped them all by saying that they will build 300,000 new houses.¹ Why is all this rush to build more houses?

None of the politicians like to admit it, but there are two reasons why we need so many new houses. The first is family breakdown; and the second is immigration.

Politicians don’t like speaking about either of these issues. But it is a plain statement of truth. 450 children in every 1000 suffer the traumatic experience of family breakdown before they leave school.² Every family that splits creates the demand for more houses.

Wise Advice

This is just a little glimpse of the huge social problems in our nation today. But the demand for more houses is not new. “Build houses!” This was the first piece of advice sent to the people who had been captured in Jerusalem and taken to Babylon in 596 BC. The people were utterly depressed and saw no hope for the future. They were forced to live in a hostile environment where they had nothing in common with their neighbours – they didn’t even speak the same language or worship the same God.

The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles saying:

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. (Jer 29:5-6)

This was wise advice because the little community in Babylon could very quickly have been wiped out. Jeremiah wanted to see a strong and vibrant community of people, whose faith would not only survive the testing times in which they lived but would grow and mature. He foresaw the time when the faith of these people would be so attractive that their neighbours would want to embrace it. In the words of Isaiah they would become “a light for the Gentiles” (Isa 42:6).

Change of Attitude

For this to happen, the exiles in Babylon had to change their attitude towards their neighbours and the city where they were now living. Jeremiah’s letter also told them that God’s word to them was:

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jer 29:7)

Jeremiah knew that the people would hate to hear this message so he added by way of emphasis, “Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says” (Jer 29:8).

Learning to Prosper

In Britain today we are not facing the brutal opposition the Jews faced in Babylon. But Christianity is no longer the religion of the whole nation and the church no longer has a privileged position. We have to learn to be careful how we express our faith and not to provoke unnecessary opposition. The older generation of Christians need to heed the advice of Jeremiah to the exiles: to learn to prosper in a changed social environment.

In particular, older Christians have to learn how to support their children and grandchildren who live and work and study alongside others who have no knowledge of the Christian faith and who do not share the same values.

Building Households of Faith

Mature Christians have to build houses: but not with bricks and mortar. It is ‘households of faith’ (Gal 6:10) that are needed – households where there is love and security for all members of the family, especially the young ones who may be the only Christian child in their school class. These children have to learn how to be different but still maintain friends. It is not easy for them and they need much tender loving care.

"Those who build 'households of faith' are the greatest asset to this nation today"

Praying, caring parents and grandparents who build houses, ‘households of faith’ for the whole family, are the greatest asset in the nation today. They are the house-builders who will provide ‘a hope and a future’ (Jer 29:11) for the next generation.

References

1 Manifesto watch: Where parties stand on key issues, BBC News, 25 February 2015
2 Cockerell, J. UK in family breakdown ‘epidemic’, The Independent, 29 December 2012

Prophecy is divine truth revealed through the activity of God. It is the product of the self-revelation of God to human beings and through them to the nations. The task of the biblical prophets was to declare publicly the word of God that had been revealed to them. They were the mouthpiece of God.

Moses and Aaron

This is well illustrated through the arrangement that God initiated between Moses and Aaron when Moses protested that he was unable to speak to the people. God’s response was:

You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. (Ex 4:15-16)

A Common Error

The popular view of prophecy is foretelling the future, but this formed only a small part of the ministry of the prophets in the Bible. Their main task was declaring the word of God for their generation. This sometimes meant looking ahead and foreseeing the future with either warnings or messages of encouragement.

God’s Nature and Purposes

God used the biblical prophets to reveal his nature and purposes. Through Isaiah, God said, “I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no Saviour. I have revealed, and saved, and proclaimed” (Isa 43:11-12). This self revelation of God to human beings was completed through Jesus the Messiah whose mission was summarised by the Apostle John:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

New Testament Prophecy

In the New Testament prophecy did not add to the revelation of God but it guided the mission of the Church. It was recognised both as a Ministry and as a Gift, or manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The Ministry was exercised by individuals recognised by the churches, often as an itinerant ministry: whereas the gift could be exercised by any believer receiving a revelation within the local church and sharing it with others in times of prayer and worship (the contrast between the Gift and the Ministry can be seen in Acts 21:9-10).

Today prophecy is used in much the same way as in the New Testament Church: for giving guidance to the local congregation, or bringing a word from God to the wider Church in order to enable the Church to be the prophet to the nation. For biblical guidance on how to weigh and test prophecies, see here.

Most Christians who take an interest in the affairs of the nation know that Britain is in a mess! This has been increasingly evident over the past 10 years as we have stumbled from one crisis to another.

7 July this year will be the 10th anniversary of the London bombings when 55 people lost their lives and hundreds were wounded. This showed that God’s protection had been removed from over the nation.

God Speaks

God always gives us forewarnings. The Prophet Amos said “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). But we have to be looking and listening, and able to interpret the signs that God sends.

The great hurricane in October 1987 was a dramatic warning that God sent. 15 million trees were felled, disrupting road and rail transport around the rich commuter area of London. It was followed 3 days later by a dramatic fall on the stock market. Both of these signs were rightly interpreted in the magazine Prophecy Today, but the warnings were not heeded.

When warning signs are ignored God says, “I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen” (Isa 65:12). There are inevitable consequences when we do not listen. Some more recent ones are listed in the article “What Is God Doing?”.

Consequences

The history of Israel recorded in the Bible shows the consequences when a nation refuses to heed the warnings that God sends to them: things start to fall apart in the life of the nation. It was at one of these times that the Psalmist cried out “Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbour; their flattering lips speak with deception” (Ps 12:1). In another of David’s Psalms he asked “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3).

The response of Christians should be, “Is there any word from the Lord?” (Jer 37:17) This was the question King Zedekiah asked the Prophet Jeremiah when the Babylonian army was surrounding Jerusalem. But it was too late then. He should have asked this question much earlier.

Is it too late for us? Is Britain already in a time of judgement?

Foundations Crumbling

Certainly, the Judaeo-Christian foundations of our nation have been steadily eroded over the past 40 years! We have passed one law after another that has undermined the biblical values of the nation:

• the Abortion Law has killed millions of unborn babies,
• the Sunday Trading Act has turned every day into a day of commerce with no time for the family, for quiet reflection and worshipping God,
• the Divorce Laws that the Bible says God hates have devastated family life (Mal 2:16), and most heinous of all political crimes:
• the Same-Sex Marriage Act, which actually dares to 'redefine' marriage, part of God’s act of creation!

So what can Christians do? The General Election gives an opportunity to eject ungodly MPs. But where are the godly men and women to replace them?

Here are a few things we can do.

1. Use your vote. Be determined to use your vote. And use it wisely.
2. Find out who your local candidates are and find all you can about them. If you have a sitting candidate discover how he or she voted on key questions such as the Same-Sex Marriage Act. Information on this is available on the Marriage Foundation’s website. Ask the candidates questions – for help look at the special election websites provided by Christian Concern and CARE.
3. Meet with other Christians and discuss the local situation and arrange to meet candidates. If there is no local meeting – organise one!
4. Read the Bible; study the word of God with other believers, especially the prophets.
5. Pray together: ask the Lord what should be done and decide on a plan of action. Agree to meet both before and after the election to pray for candidates and pray for the new MPs.
6. Get involved in local action instead of leaving it to the secular humanists. Paul says the whole “creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed” (Rom 8:19).

Time for Action

Surely it’s time for Christians to make the word of the Lord heard in this land! With Paul, we should be saying, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). If we remain silent at such a time as this we will be accountable to the Lord for the mess in our nation.

Now is the time to awake from sleep; to rise up in the power of the Lord and declare the truth to a corrupt generation!

We need to pray for boldness and the power of God’s Spirit and he will certainly respond with the promise “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty” (Zech 4:6).

The current election promises to be one of the closest – and most important – in a generation. Polls have been remarkably consistent for a long time, all predicting a ‘Hung Parliament’. How have we got here?

Why No Clear Winner?

Surely the Conservatives ought to have won an overall majority in 2010 against a weak and ineffective Labour administration that had run out of steam – and thus ought to be able now to win a second term outright. Conversely, why have Labour been unable to position themselves as a Government-in-waiting, as in 1995-7, given the Coalition’s rather modest achievements?

Motivating Voters

An important factor in winning an election is the degree to which voters can be motivated and engaged. Reviewing the key achievements of the last five years of the Conservative/LibDem Coalition, it is hard to see much to praise from a biblical standpoint. Modest progress has been made to reduce the deficit, and although many more people have a job than five years ago, we should not ignore the reality that Chancellor Osborne has been as addicted to debt as was Chancellor Brown.

Coalition’s Record

The deficit is less than it was five years ago, but the National Debt is vastly higher. Some disincentives to work and bureaucratic control over education have been reduced. However, from a biblical perspective, the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013 and the non-binding vote on recognising Palestine are of great concern. Both are symptomatic of the change in values that characterise 'modern' Britain today: the abandonment of traditional Judaeo-Christian understandings of sexuality and personal behaviour, and the rejection of Israel, both in favour of humanistic values and worldview.

A Good Manifesto

Political manifestoes are intended to set out what a party will do in office. A good manifesto will state the sort of policies that the party will seek to implement. Some party manifestoes reflect timeless values; others seek to reflect changes in society. Given the huge changes in the past decade we should not be surprised that the main party manifestoes are quite similar and reflect humanism rather than traditional Judaeo-Christian values.

The Present Manifestoes

Of the major parties, the Liberal Democrats have the most humanistic manifesto, but the Conservatives’ and Labour’s are also essentially humanistic. The Green Party’s values are a mixture of humanism and paganism. The SNP’s values combine humanism with nationalism; whereas UKIP’s combine nationalism with traditionalism. None of the major parties show any concern for biblical values.

Political Chaos

The key reason for the present political impasse is that our politicians have pursued a humanistic agenda, while neglecting the biblical values that were at least acknowledged by former generations of politicians. A measure of God’s judgement on us as a nation will be a change from the two-party stability that 'first past the post' gives to us, to a chaotic situation after 7 May in which the only two parties that can form a coalition together will be the Conservatives and Labour. In such a scenario government will be very difficult indeed, with each vote potentially requiring its own coalition to enable it to be passed.

Judgement

While such a scenario might be the natural end for a campaign without a clear winner, it should also be seen as judgement by God on a country and in particular on a parliament that has been greatly blessed by him in times past but which has rejected him, his word, and his values.

Such a scenario does not take into account the wider global situation and the likelihood of a multi-dimensional crisis affecting us all and requiring an urgent Government response. What will it be? Will it be humanistic, or can it be more in line with biblical values? The challenge will be for Christians both to pray and to witness actively in the public square, before the election and beyond.

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.

We have not learnt the lessons of the Holocaust: the Jewish community in the UK is more vulnerable than at any time since the Second World War.

We are launching Prophecy Today UK online on the first day of Passover, 4 April 2015. This date was chosen because Passover is foundational to biblical faith and prophetic understanding, and is an “appointed time” (in Hebrew, moed) in Scripture when God meets with his people.

Passover in 1945

Having chosen this date, we then realised its significance in European history. Seventy years ago on 4 April 1945, which also fell during ‘the Season of our Freedom’ (another name for Passover), the US Army liberated the Nazi death camp at Ohrdruf, Germany, part of the Buchenwald camp network.

Ohrdruf was the first concentration camp to be liberated by the US Army (Auschwitz in Poland having been liberated by the Russians on 27 January 1945). Among the American soldiers was 20-year-old Charlie Payne from Kansas, who later became the great uncle of President Barack Obama. Obama said that when his uncle returned home, "he just went up into the attic and he didn't leave the house for six months”.¹

Also overwhelmed was General Eisenhower, who wrote:

The things I saw beggar description…The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick…I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.'²

The Allies realised the importance of documenting the German atrocities in film because they thought they would not be believed. As Churchill said, “no words can express the horror…of these frightful crimes”.³ Instead, the images captured by the Allied armies’ film units speak more loudly than words ever could.

In the 1945 film German Concentration Camps Factual Survey, produced by Sidney Bernstein (assisted by Alfred Hitchcock) for the British Ministry for Information, Richard Crossman’s elegiac script commented: “Unless the world learns the lessons these pictures teach, night will fall. But by God’s grace, we who live will learn.”

“Unless the world learns the lessons these pictures teach, night will fall. But by God’s grace, we who live will learn.” - German Concentration Camps Factual Survey, 1945

After the War, many Jews left the graveyard of Europe for the Promised Land. Shamefully, thousands were turned back by the British and were placed in camps in Cyprus and elsewhere. Others were returned to Germany to their horror.

There is speculation that the British government shelved Bernstein’s film so that pity for the Holocaust refugees would not fuel demand for a Jewish homeland in British-controlled territory.⁴ It took until January this year for Bernstein’s film to be shown in its entirety for the first time on British television.⁵ How different would government policy have been, had it been shown to a horrified public in 1945?

Have we learned the lessons of the Holocaust? Or, to echo Crossman’s haunting warning, is night falling? Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme last year, Sir Nicholas Winton, the “British Schindler” who organised the Czech Kinderstransport, said "I don't think we've learned anything...the world today is in a more dangerous situation than it has ever been."⁶

The rise of anti-Semitism in the UK and Europe

Anti-Semitic incidents in the UK reached an all-time high and escalated around Europe during the Gaza conflict in July-August 2014.

In Germany, molotov cocktails were lobbed into the Bergische synagogue in Wuppertal, which was previously destroyed on Kristallnacht. A Berlin imam, Abu Bilal Ismail, called on Allah to "destroy the Zionist Jews…Count them and kill them, to the very last one."⁷ In France, eight synagogues were attacked and one, in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, was firebombed by a 400-strong mob.⁸

In the UK, the Jewish community’s watchdog for anti-Semitism, the Community Security Trust, recorded 1,168 anti-Semitic incidents in 2014, more than twice as many as 2013.⁹

In London, October 2014, “Five girls from a Jewish secondary school were approached by a man at a London underground station who said: ‘Being Jewish is wrong. You are going to die if you carry on being Jewish’ and ‘I will kill you all after school.’ He grabbed one of the girls by the wrist and said: ‘Come with me and be a Christian’. She kicked him and ran away.”¹⁰

In Norfolk, July 2014, “A leaflet found among Israeli produce in a supermarket featured an image of the Israeli flag with the title ‘The flag of Zionist racist scum’. It read: ‘Deny the Holocaust? Of course there was a holocaust. What a pity Adolf and Co didn’t manage to finish the job properly!’”¹¹

Prejudice in the UK public

We cannot dismiss these incidents as the actions of extremists because prejudice against Jews is alive and well among the general public. The government’s Campaign Against Antisemitism found that nearly half of Britons thought at least one anti‑Semitic view presented to them was ‘definitely or probably true’.¹²

In its Annual Antisemitism Barometer 2015, published a week after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, it concludes:

Britain is at a tipping point: unless antisemitism is met with zero tolerance, it will continue to grow and British Jews may increasingly question their place in their own country.¹³

It also reported that:

Well over half of British Jews (58%) believe Jews may have no long-term future in Europe and "The Mayor of London’s office revealed that in July 2014, when fighting between Israel and Hamas peaked, the Metropolitan Police Service recorded its worst ever month for hate crime in London, 95% of which was antisemitic hate crime directly related to fighting between Israel and Hamas."¹⁴

In the media, Jews in Europe are consistently identified with and blamed for Israel’s actions. Reports describing Palestinians and “Jews” rather than Palestinians and “Israelis” in coverage of events in Israel have reinforced this perception. The Jewish people’s unique dual religious and ethnic identity crosses national boundaries and so anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are inextricably linked.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressing the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) commented on how anti-Semitism has been dressed in new clothes:

...in much of the western world, the old hatred has been translated into more sophisticated language for use in polite society. People who would never say they hate and blame the Jews for their own failings or the problems of the world instead declare their hatred of Israel and blame the only Jewish state for the problems of the Middle East.

He also said that while criticism of Israeli government policy is not anti-Semitic, criticism that targets only Israel while ignoring violence and oppression in its neighbours is unacceptable.¹⁵

This 'New Anti-semitism', as it is called, based on hatred of Israel’s nationhood (rather than religion or race), has been identified by a number of commentators from the 1960s onwards, including historian Leon Poliakov, who published From Anti-Zionism to Anti-Semitism (1969), and Holocaust survivor Jacques Givet, who used the term 'neo-antisemitism' about the Left’s anti-Zionism. Much has been written since about this phenomenon.^{16, 17}

The Church has fallen broadly into two camps: Christian Zionists (and supporters of Israel of various hues who dislike the term 'Christian Zionist'), and those who question Israel’s right to exist and are sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians.

Paul Charles Merkley in Christian Attitudes towards the State of Israel¹⁸ says that Christian anti Zionism is in part due to the history of missions to the Middle East:

Beginning in the nineteenth century, Christian missionaries from the West – Protestant, Catholic and evangelical – sought the conversion of the Jews of Palestine for about a century, with only the most modest results. On the other hand, missionary efforts among the Arabs did win substantial conversions in the latter half of the nineteenth century and a modest number since. Not unreasonably, Church organizations have been much more open to the political aspirations of their clients than to those of their clients’ adversaries.

He also points out that anti-Zionism “provides respectable camouflage for hostility towards Jews and Judaism that cannot be admitted to oneself or others.” It allows Christians a platform among liberal and fashionable thinkers who condemn Israel as 'apartheid' and 'racist'. It also looks good for the Church to be seen as a champion of 'the oppressed'.¹⁹

Attacks on the increase since Paris and Copenhagen murders

The recent spike in anti-Semitic attacks has continued in the wake of the Paris and Copenhagen attacks, which have spawned a rash of UK incidents.

In Radio 4’s programme Anti-Semitism in the UK: Is it Growing?,²⁰ Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, the national lead on Jewish communities for the Association of Chief Police officers, said that in January 2014 there were 28 anti-Semitic crimes, but this January there were 100. The increase was due to events in Paris inspiring copycat behaviour but also a greater desire to report such incidents.

Also interviewed on the programme was Mehmood Naqshbandi, who visits mosques around the country and advises government and police on Muslim matters. Asked how common Muslim animosity is towards Jewish communities, he said:

It’s a problem which is endemic in the Muslim community. It’s widespread; it covers generations. It is taken for granted when Muslims are talking to other Muslims, people don’t feel any obligation to hold back from expressing the kind of casual racist views about Jews and about the Jewish community that fits the nasty stereotypes of caricatures of Jewish behaviour, expectations of Jewish conduct and so on. It’s a deep-rooted problem, a problem which is not challenged.²¹

Conflicting analysis of Charlie Hebdo attack and other Islamist terror attacks

The Charlie Hebdo massacre in January 2015, including the related attack on a Jewish supermarket, has been blamed on the disaffection of French Muslim youth. If they were more integrated, better off, less marginalised in French society, these things would not happen.

Similarly, after an Islamist terror plot to kill Belgian police was foiled, Professor Peter Neumann of Kings College London (interviewed on Channel 4 news) said the cause was socio-economic. Disenfranchised young men on the margins of society were the problem with Belgium having the highest number of European fighters going to Syria and Iraq. Channel Four News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy responded that this was a naive view and that there were also men involved in terror from well-off backgrounds.²²

The debate in the European Parliament on security in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shooting was no more illuminating. More heat than light was shed, with opinions sharply dividing over Muslim immigration.²³

The roots of anti-Semitism

Pundits and politicians do not know how to tackle Islamist terror because they do not fully understand its roots.

As well as the fierce jealousy for Muhammad which motivated the Charlie Hebdo massacre, anti-Zionism is a key reason for Islamist terror. Beneath that (often ill-concealed) is anti-Semitism. Journalists and politicians insist that you can be anti-Zionist without being anti-Semitic, but the line is frequently crossed. What is certain is that Jews around the world are being identified with Israel and are consequently suffering prejudice and violence, in other words anti-Semitism.

Academics have debated the roots and causes of anti-Semitism to find a unifying factor: is it economic, social, religious, political? Today, Israel’s political actions are blamed. However, that cannot be the cause of anti-Semitism pre-1948 (the year the modern state of Israel was formed).

Anti-Semitism has morphed into different expressions through the ages, but always with one aim: the destruction of the Jewish people. Edward Flannery, in his classic study of anti-Semitism, The Anguish of the Jews,²⁴ concludes that the only unifying aspect of anti-Semitism is its spiritual nature.

Both the religious anti-Judaism of the Christian Church and modern racial anti-Semitism, epitomised by the Nazis, share a spiritual root: an unacknowledged hatred of Christ.

Flannery comments that scholars “have varyingly perceived in the hatred of the Jew an unconscious hatred of Christ, a rebellion against the Christian ‘yoke’ no longer found sweet (Matt 11:30); in a word, a Christophobia.”²⁵ Freud recognised it and said: “In its depths anti-Judaism is anti-Christianity.”²⁶

A number of prominent Nazis were brought up as Catholics: Himmler, Goebbels, Hoess and Hitler. In order to pursue their dream of unfettered German power, they had to throw off moral restraint and embrace a pagan view of man as master of his destiny. Christ and Christianity could serve the Reich but they had to be purged of their Jewish root: the Nazis sought to throw off the shackles of Judeo-Christian morality and return to a mythically powerful Aryan pagan past.

Flannery writes:

His [Hitler’s] genocidal decision against the Jewish people represented, again symbolically, the annihilation of his moral (Jewish-Christian) conscience, which stood in the way of his grandiose dream of a Thousand Year Reich founded on an apotheosis of the German Volk and of himself as its Fuehrer and Saviour.²⁷

In other words, the Nazis did not want simply to destroy the Jews; they wanted to be the Jews. They wanted to be the chosen people, to usurp their place. This usurping spirit is found in scripture. God’s Adversary is described in Isaiah 14:14 as one whose declared aim is, “I will make myself like the Most High.” This is the spirit of Anti-Christ:

He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thess 2:4)

"The Nazis did not want simply to destroy the Jews; they wanted to be the Jews."

Flannery asserts that “anti-Semitism is at its deepest root a unified phenomenon and from all angles an anti-religious one”²⁸ which resides “in the deepest chambers of the spirit.”²⁹

The rebellion behind anti-Semitism

Nazism was a perfect storm combination of the legacy of Christian anti-Semitism and modern racial anti-Semitism.

It highlighted that not only Christophobia but nomophobia (from nomos, Greek for law), or fear of law (specifically God’s moral law epitomised in the Torah), are hallmarks of anti-Semitism. It was a revolt against the word and the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

In pre-war Germany, Nazi-sympathising theologians were keen to reposition the Bible and theology to accommodate National Socialist ideology, specifically by undermining the place of the Old Testament. In 1939, a group of German theologians established The Institute for the Study and Eradication of Jewish Influence on German Religious Life, aiming to de-Judaize the New Testament and present an Aryan Jesus.³⁰

This ultimate expression of replacement theology was fuelled by anti-Semitism, but rooted in the rebellion of men’s souls against their Creator and his established order. It was satanically inspired: the one who wishes to overthrow and usurp God’s throne is the one who wishes to destroy the Jewish people because by doing so, he will destroy the hope of the world, the Redeemer, who comes from Israel and to Israel.

"When we reject God’s people, we are rejecting God himself."

Rejection of God’s light and truth

A political satire from the 1960s has been revived in the West End. In The Ruling Class³¹ Jack, a fictional earl and paranoid schizophrenic, firstly imagines he is Christ and then Jack the Ripper. As Jesus, his message of peace and love is rejected as insanity. As Jack the Ripper, he takes his seat in the House of Lords with a fiery speech in favour of capital and corporal punishment. His colleagues applaud wildly (completely unaware the speech is the ranting of a lunatic), in contrast to society's reaction when he believed he was Christ.

The play was intended as an indictment of the establishment, but it also testifies that people are more comfortable with the darkness of sin, condemnation and punishment than with the light of Christ’s love, peace and grace. Man’s rebellious nature is so corrupt that it sees evil in good and good in evil.

The temptation for Adam and Eve was to become the arbiters of good and evil, to dethrone God’s judgement and become their own judges. The Torah, as God’s wisdom, is a “tree of life” to man (Prov 3:18), but it also is the means of our judgement and the harbinger of death to those who reject it (Rom 3:20 and 7:7-9).

We seek to destroy that which exposes and accuses us; Israel as the bearer and enacter of God's Law has paid the price for exposing it to the world and, by its light, exposing the world’s darkness.

The Torah was also the means of keeping Israel separate from other nations: a holy people (Ex 19:6). It prevented them from being assimilated. They had to remain separate in order to be worshippers of God, not idol-worshippers like every other nation, so they could be prepared to receive God himself.

This is why in Israel’s history the Adversary (in Hebrew, Satan) sought alternately either to undermine the Torah by enticing Israel away from God and his Word to make them like all the other nations, or to destroy Israel in order to prevent the coming of the Messiah. If your enemies cannot be assimilated, they must be annihilated and from the Amalekites to Haman, from Herod to Hitler, this murderous desire persists.

The Adversary did not succeed in destroying the Jewish people before the first advent of the Messiah – but he persists because that is only part one of the salvation story.
We await the second coming: Jesus’ promised return in power and glory to reign from Jerusalem over all the earth: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

Jerusalem is fought over because it is the City to which Messiah will return. He will not find it empty or still being “trampled down by the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). Instead, he will return to re-gathered Israel:

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people. (Isa 11:10-11a)

He will redeem Israel and all who have joined with them by faith from among the Gentiles (Eph 2:11-22).

Anti-Semitism and the anti-Christ spirit

The world continually rejects Israel and the Jewish people because they reject God’s call to be joined with them through the Messiah. Through Israel’s particularity, the ‘narrow way’ of the kingdom (Matt 7:14), we are called to become “one new humanity” (Eph 2:15) in spiritual unity (not uniformity) which is the only true peace available to mankind.

However, by placing the Church centre stage in salvation history and declaring that she has superseded Israel in God’s plans and purposes, the majority of believers have failed to understand that the Church is not the main player on the stage of history.

Israel, both people and land, is still the subject of the salvation story because all God’s salvation promises were made to Israel and to those Gentiles who join with her, through her Messiah by faith.

Sadly, before Christian theology was re-assessed in the light of the Holocaust, the Church was the main instrument of Jewish persecution. However, Christians still remain largely unaware of the bleak history of Christian anti-Semitism and how the teaching that the Church has replaced Israel has contributed to it.

Inspiring 'Replacement theology' or supersessionism, the teaching that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plans and purposes, is the same jealous, usurping spirit, the spirit of Anti-Christ, which aims to overthrow God's end-time plans (for a more in-depth analysis of Replacement theology, click here).

The same spirit is at work in Islamic teaching, which claims that Mohammed’s teachings supersede Judaism and Christianity. Rejected Ishmael jealously insists he was chosen, not his half-brother Isaac: my promises, my land!³² It is a triumphalist theology, unwilling to tolerate difference unless in submission to its rule.

Wherever the Holy Spirit is at work, the anti-Christ spirit, hallmarked by jealousy in man, is also at work. People of all faiths and all religious backgrounds have expressed it. Peace and harmony for mankind, but intolerance and jealousy of the Jewish people are hallmarks of religion of all kinds, including New Age spirituality (one of the main protagonists of the New Age movement, Alice Bailey (a former evangelical Christian³³), equated Judaism with “an evil cosmic energy called ‘The Jewish Force’, which must be eliminated in order for the Age of Aquarius to arrive fully”³⁴).

"Wherever the Holy Spirit is at work, the anti-Christ spirit, hallmarked by jealousy in man, is also at work."

The Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus were said to be jealous of him and that is why they handed him over to Pilate (Mark 15:10). This jealousy continued to be vented against his Jewish followers. In Acts 5:17-18:

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

In militant Islam, this jealous, usurping spirit finds violent, implacable expression. It is fuelled by an irrational spiritual jealousy that cannot be appeased (Prov 27:4). Only the Holy Spirit can withstand and conquer the spirit of anti-Christ and in turn counter it with a godly jealousy that cannot be withstood: “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion” (Zech 1:14).

It is the God of Israel’s land, his city, the place where he has set his name:

In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. (2 Chron 33:7)

I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. (Joel 3:2)

The Church’s response

After 9/11, there was much talk of the ‘clash of civilizations’ between Islam and western secularism. This is not a battle of civilizations; it is a spiritual war. It must be fought with spiritual weapons.³⁵

Ordinary Muslims are shocked and outraged by extremists and many will be seeking answers; the Church must be prepared to explain, challenge and comfort. We must demonstrate that Christianity is an Eastern religion, which speaks to all peoples, and forms the lost and dwindling heritage of the peoples of the Middle East. We also need to show that Christianity is not a religion for the individual but for the community. Western enlightenment thinking is unappealing to Muslims with its focus on individual rights, because Middle Eastern cultures focus on community cohesion.

However, the Church has its own challenge: anti-Semitism is infecting the Church in the form of Christian anti-Zionism and it must also be addressed. In pre-war Germany, theologians were ready to distance themselves from the Old Testament and from a Jewish Jesus so that they could comfortably reject and persecute the Jewish people.

"Today's Church has appropriated God's promises to Israel and denied its role and place in God's end-time plan."

Today’s Church is dangerously misaligned too. We have appropriated God’s promises to Israel and denied the people and land of Israel their role and place in God’s end-time plan. This means we can comfortably distance ourselves from anti-Semitism because we can claim it is bound up with anti-Zionism. Jews have always been blamed for their own misfortunes and the fight for survival in their own nation is cited as the legitimate cause for Islamic violence.

However, land and people are inextricably linked in God’s schema: “I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth…say to Zion, 'You are my people.'" (Isa 51:16). Zion- land and people -are conflated in this verse illustrating that their destinies are linked: salvation for the Jewish people is connected to the land of promise. It is this very link between land and people that is expressed in the final form of anti-Semitism that is increasing and intensifying today: anti-Zionism.

If we say that Israel has no right to the land God promised them, that those rights were superseded, we are setting ourselves against God’s end time plans. It is his land and by his sovereign choice he has restored his people to it.

We are also denying God’s covenant faithfulness if we say that he has finished with Israel as a nation:

'Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,’ declares the Lord, ‘will Israel ever cease being a nation before me. Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel’ declares the LORD. (Jer 31:36-37)

In that same chapter, Jeremiah 31, God promises the New Covenant to Israel, including a Jerusalem that will never be uprooted or demolished (Jer 31:40). This is not a promise to the Church but to Israel. We are the adopted children, the invited guests, but we have arrogantly overrun the party.

Many are sleep-walking in the end times, accepting unquestioningly the world's political narrative that the conflict between Israel and Palestinians concerns a land which is no longer spiritually significant. This is not to say that Christians should uncritically support the Israeli state’s government and policies, but we must view them through the lens of Scripture, not the other way around. We must also still unstintingly love those who persecute us and God’s people Israel: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44).

"We must also still unstintingly love those who persecute us and God’s people Israel: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44)."

We must, though, reject the subtle Christian anti-Semitism which seeks to sever the link between the biblical land of Israel and its current prophetic significance.
Giulio Meotti writes:

The Presbyterian Church USA is considering banning the word “Israel” from its prayers. That anti-Semitic resolution was meant to ‘distinguish between the biblical terms that refer to the ancient land of Israel and the modern political State of Israel’.³⁶

It is imperative that Bible-believing Christians reject this replacement narrative and align with Israel and the Jewish community because the spiritual battle lines are already drawn.

The need for solidarity

A friend doing door-to-door outreach met a Jewish lady who thanked her for calling and commented that the time is coming when Jews and Christians will need to stand together.

That time is now.

The Jewish Chronicle launched a campaign for the government to pay for synagogue security.³⁷ Why should Christian volunteers not show their solidarity with the Jewish community by volunteering to guard synagogues during Saturday services?

After the shooting of a synagogue guard in Denmark, around 1,000 Muslims (5% of the Muslim population) in Norway formed a 'ring of peace' around a synagogue in Oslo.³⁸

Where are the Christian demonstrations of solidarity? We cannot retreat into our safe churches and relax because it is not us at risk. Pastor Martin Niemöller’s famous words, written after being imprisoned by the Nazis, still resonate:

When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews, I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

Dan Hodges in The Telegraph: “…as the Paris attacks proved, they are still coming for the Jews. In reality, they have never stopped coming for the Jews.”³⁹

The lesson from the Middle Eastern nations under Islamic State control is that since the Jews had already left, the Christians are next in their sights. If we withdraw from the Jewish community when they need our support, how can we dare pray for our own protection?

After the Paris terror attacks, some London schools cancelled Holocaust education trips to synagogues. Two rabbis from a Kingston synagogue commented that although the schools felt they were acting in the children’s interests:

...it marginalises the Jewish community to be the pariah within our society, not through active discrimination but through neglect…For us this marks a tipping point, not when Jews are concerned for their own safety but when others are scared of mere connection to our community.⁴⁰

It is time for the Church to stand unequivocally with the Jewish people in the name of their Messiah. The battle surrounding Israel is going to intensify and we cannot again stand by watching from a distance while the Jewish people are persecuted.

We cannot be people who, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, withdraw to a "the sanctuary of private virtuousness. Such people neither steal, nor murder, nor commit adultery, but do good according to their abilities. But in voluntarily renouncing public life, these people know exactly how to observe the permitted boundaries that shield them from conflict. They must close their eyes and ears to the injustice around them.”⁴¹

The rise of anti-Semitism in Europe indicates that we have not learned from history and the rise of Islamist terror as the frontline jihad of raging anti-Semitism masked as anti-Zionism suggests that night is falling.

As the day darkens, as night falls, we must shine ever more brightly with the light of Christ until the daystar dawns (2 Pet 1:19).

References

1 Medoff, R. Death camp liberated Pesach 1945, Israel National News, 31 March 2010

2 Ohrdruf Concentration Camp, Wikipedia.

3 Speech in the House of Commons, 17 April 1945. Churchill, W (grandson), 2003. Never Give In!: Winston Churchill’s Speeches, London: Bloomsbury.

4 Lynette Singer (writer) on ‘Holocaust: Night Will Fall’, documentary broadcast on Channel 4, 29 January 2015.

5 Ibid.

6 Sir Nicholas Winton: I've made a difference. BBC Radio 4, broadcast 28 October 2014.

7 Henley, J. Antisemitism on rise across Europe 'in worst times since the Nazis’, The Guardian, 7 August 2014.

8 Ibid.

9 Booth, R. Antisemitic attacks in UK at highest level ever recorded, The Guardian, 15 February 2015.

10 Ibid.

11 Ibid.

12 Annual Antisemitism Barometer 2015

13 Ibid, p2.

14 Ibid, p5.

15 Goodman, L, PM Harper warns of new age of anti-Semitism in speech to Knesset, The Record, 20 January 2014.

16 Eg Wistrich, R, 2010. A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad, Random House, New York.

17 Kahn-Harris, K, Gidley, B, 2010. Turbulent Times: The British Jewish Community Today, Bloomsbury Publishing, p139.

18 Merkley, P C, 2001. Christian Attitudes towards the State of Israel, McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal & Kinston, p215-216.

19 Ibid.

20 Anti-Semitism in the UK: is it growing?, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 5 March 2015.

21 Ibid.

22 Channel 4 News, 16 January 2015.

23 European Parliament debate, 11 February 2015.

24 Flannery, EH, 1985. The Anguish of the Jews: Twenty-Three Centuries of Antisemitism, New Jersey: Paulist Press, revised 2004.

25 Ibid, p292.

26 Ibid, p292, quoting S. Freud, Moses and Monotheism, New York: Vantage Books, 1955, pp116-117.

27 Ibid, p292.

28 Ibid, p293-4.

29 Ibid, p295.

30 Heschel, S, 2010. The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany, Princeton University Press.

31 By Peter Barnes.

32 See Genesis 16-18, 21.

33  Joseph E, 2004. Krotona of Old Hollywood, Vol. II, El Montecito Oaks Press, p. 340. See also Wikipedia on Alice Bailey-Ross.

34 Harradine, K. New Agers fall for Anti-Semitism, The Jewish Chronicle, 17 September 2013. Also Newman, H, 2005. 'Aquarius, Age of', entry in Levy et al (eds) Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution, Vol 1, p30.

35 Ephesians 6:10-18

36 Meotti, G. To Anti-Semitic Christians, Israel is an Usurper, 5 January 2015.

37 Jewish Chronicle Online, Secure our shuls, 19 February 2015.

38 Stone, J. Hundreds of Norwegian Muslims form human shield to protect Jewish synagogue in Oslo, The Independent, 22 February 2015.

39 Hodges, D. They are still coming for the Jews. So why is nobody speaking out?, The Telegraph, 19 January 2015

40 Bingham, J. London schools cancel synagogue trips citing security fears after Paris terror attacks, The Telegraph, 6 February 2015.

41 Bonhoeffer, D. Ethics, DBWE 6, 80. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Research Center, University of Bamberg.

'On Rock or Sand? Firm Foundations for Britain’s Future', edited by Bishop John Sentamu (SPCK, 2015, 258 pages, £9.99).

This essay collection features several members of the various symposia called by the Archbishop of York over the past four years to assess the effects of the recent economic crisis and the challenges facing the nation in areas such as welfare, education, poverty, health and work.

It examines the underlying values of our society and looks for hope amidst the shock and confusion caused by the shaking of our financial and political systems. How firm are our foundations today, and what can be done to make them more stable for the future?

Some of the contributors are well known, others less so, but all are experts in their fields, both as academics and practitioners. The Archbishop’s website offers background information on the authors and their work, but the book provides more depth.

Each chapter contains plenty of analysis with an abundance of facts and figures. For some, this might be heavy going and can be skimmed over to gain the general gist, but by the end of each section there are always principles affirmed and practical approaches suggested, clearly set out and theologically based.

Judeo-Christian values have historically been the lifeblood of the nation but in recent times the body has been bleeding profusely. It is now pale and weakened. A new infusion is required. Solutions to our nation’s ills are sought within the teachings of Jesus and a Christian vision for society based upon the value and well-being of individuals. Too often this has been defined in narrow economic terms. Rather, it is argued, we need a better understanding of real wealth and what it means for everyone in society to flourish.

"Judeo-Christian values have historically been the lifeblood of the nation but in recent times the body has been bleeding profusely."

Perhaps most thought-provoking is the section on ageing. Is living longer a blessing or burden? How does society respond to a greater life expectancy and value those of extreme old age? We are encouraged to look upon the elderly in terms of our own personal futures. One day we will be them. This challenges us to also put ourselves in the shoes of others we may not usually associate with - the poor, underprivileged, those out of work or seriously ill.

Overall, the book advocates a role for the Christian faith in all aspects of the nation’s life. Politics and politicians alone cannot piece together a shattered society. The Church must have a public role. At the very least it should hold up a mirror to society and show what it has become. But before the Church can earn the right to be heard it must demonstrate a clear understanding of what is needed.

"Sentamu suggests that, like the Old Testament prophets, it is essential for religion to speak truth to power"

As Sentamu suggests, like the Old Testament prophets it is essential for religion to speak truth to power (p6). The work of the symposia as outlined in this book provides the necessary clarity to discern what is sand and what is rock, as Britain decides what kind of future it wants to build. In an election year, here is a thoughtful contribution to the democratic debate.

Monica Hill’s recent article Surveying the World Church Scene provides some insightful statistics on global church trends. If we interpret these statistics through the discernment of the Holy Spirit we have some valuable information as to the ‘big picture’ of world affairs and what God is doing.

Those statistics which are particularly eye-catching relate to areas of the world once almost closed to Christians.

The picture of Indonesia is one such area. Monica wrote that whilst it:

still has the largest Muslim population in the world…Indonesia is also home to more Christians than all 20 countries in the Middle East/North Africa region combined…Although the official records still show 88% as being nominally Muslim there has been a tremendous Spiritual Awakening since the 1990s.

For one who has worked in such areas of the world and known missionaries who have prayed for a great harvest but seen nothing tangible for their life’s labours, this is an astounding picture. The extent of the Church’s growth in these countries surprises even me, who was expecting a harvest (though was unsure of the scale and the timing), having received prophetic insight some thirty years ago.

A vision ahead of time

On 1st April 1985 I saw the following. It was a waking vision as clear, I imagine, as when Joseph saw those visions of the famine in Egypt recorded in the Book of Genesis.

I saw a large field that had just been harvested. The field was filled, as far as the eye could see, with large sheaves of ripe corn. From out of the sheaves came wave after wave of young men, serious faced with a glow as if freshly washed. They wore the traditional Middle Eastern Jilaba and on their heads a Taqiyah, the traditional Arabic prayer cap. They struck me as being very serious young men.

At the time I did not know what I had seen, only relating the imagery in a general way to a harvest for the Kingdom of God. It was only later that I realised that I had been shown a promise of a great harvest of souls from the Muslim world.

At the time such a vision and promise would not have been understood by the majority of Christians. It was before awareness had grown of the challenge of Islam and the plans of God for the Muslim world. At the time, across Africa and Asia doors were closed to missionaries. There was estimated to be one missionary to one million Muslims. Yet, ahead of time the vision was given.

Looking forward

Now I see another significance relating to the timing of the vision. Coinciding exactly with this vision, April 1985 was the time of release of the first issue of Prophecy Today in its earlier format. My vision coincided with other prophetic insights being published from the beginning of Prophecy Today. Now, as we release the new online edition, the vision seems especially relevant.

As we look back, we are confident that we heard from God. As we look forward we have a basis from which we can understand the purposes of God as he brings shaking to the world – a shaking that is redemptive for all who will heed His call.

Monica Hill looks back:

In 1985, in the first issue of Prophecy Today, the message was an encouraging one: ‘I will Pour out My Spirit’ (Acts 2:17). Whilst this may still be relevant across other continents, in many parts of Europe Christianity is struggling; a more relevant message may well be the message to the church in Sardis: ‘Wake up and strengthen the things that remain’ (Rev 3:2). For many this has become a rear-guard defensive action, rather than a pro-active, progressive one.

The Overall World Picture

In his many writings in the early part of the last century, Kenneth Scott Latourette put the historical growth of Christianity from the first days of the early church into global perspective.¹ Each period of spectacular growth was followed by a period of decline until a new impetus came on the scene which led on to greater growth than had ever been known before. These cycles or waves of advance and retreat have always led the church onwards and upwards.

"From the first days of the early church, each period of spectacular growth was followed by a period of decline until a new impetus came on the scene which led on to greater growth than had ever been known before."

Global population has more than tripled in the last 100 years (from under 2 billion to 7 billion²). The growth of Christianity has roughly kept pace, being embraced by about a third of humanity.³ In the same time, however, Islam has been expanding much more rapidly, growing from 12% of the world’s population to 22%.⁴

Although Christians comprise just under a third of the world’s people, they form a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world.⁵ About 90% of Christians currently live in these majority-Christian countries, where Christian values are mostly accepted; only about 10% of Christians worldwide live as minorities, adapting their living and experiencing different levels of acceptance.

Half (48%) of all Christians in the world live in the 10 countries with the largest number of Christians, where Christianity is widely accepted and deeply established.⁶ Three of these are in the Americas (the United States, Brazil and Mexico), two are in Europe (Russia and Germany), two are in the Asia-Pacific region (the Philippines and China) and three are in sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia).

Movement of the Centre of Christianity⁷

Until 100 years ago, Europe had been the centre of global Christianity for a millennium: in 1910, about two-thirds of the world’s Christians were in Europe.⁸ In the 19th century Europe had also become the biggest missionary sending-continent (North America took over that baton in the 20th Century; time alone will tell who takes it on next).

Today, only about a quarter of all Christians live in Europe (26%). A plurality – more than a third – are now in the Americas (37%). About one in every four Christians lives in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), and about one-in-eight is found in Asia and the Pacific (13%). So whilst there are over 2 billion Christians of all ages around the world, no single continent or region can now claim indisputably to be the centre of global Christianity.

"Since 1910 Christianity has moved from being centred in Europe to being dispersed around the world, shifting from rich nations to poorer ones."

This dispersal also represents a general shift in Christianity away from rich nations towards poorer nations. Last century, the Global North (a short-hand for the wealthiest nations in the world, commonly defined as North America, Europe, Australia, Japan and New Zealand) contained more than four times as many Christians as the Global South (the rest of the world). Today, more than 1.3 billion Christians live in the Global South (61%), compared with about 860 million in the Global North (39%).⁹

Current areas of major growth: Africa and Asia-Pacific

The fastest growth in the number of Christians over the past century has been in Sub-Saharan Africa (a roughly 60-fold increase, from fewer than 9 million in 1910 to more than 516 million in 2010) and in the Asia-Pacific region (a roughly 10-fold increase, from about 28 million in 1910 to more than 285 million in 2010).¹⁰

"In the last century, Christianity has increased 60-fold in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 10-fold in Asia-Pacific."

Indonesia is the 4th most populous country in the world, behind China, India and USA.¹¹ Its population grew from 162m in 1985 to over 253m in 2014, and it still has the largest Muslim population in the world. However, Indonesia is also home to more Christians than all 20 countries in the Middle East/North Africa region combined. Since the bloody coup d’état in 1965 everyone has to be registered to one of six religions – namely Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.¹²

Although the official records still show 88% as being nominally Muslim¹³ there has been a tremendous Spiritual Awakening since the 1990s. When we were there in 2001, reliable Christian sources were reporting that the rate of conversion of Muslims to Christianity was so great that the total number of Christians (both Catholic and Protestant) in the population was approaching 50%, but for political reasons the Government supressed this information.

Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific now have a combined population of about 800 million Christians, roughly the same as the Americas. Five of the top 10 countries with the largest Christian populations are either in Africa (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia) or Asia-Pacific (Philippines and China).¹⁴

In a relatively short time, Africa has gone from having a majority of followers of indigenous, traditional religions, to being predominantly a continent of Christians and Muslims. Christians are now estimated to be 40% of the continent's population, with Muslims forming 45% - roughly divided between the South and the North, respectively.¹⁵

"In a relatively short time, Africa has gone from having a majority of followers of indigenous, traditional religions, to being predominantly a continent of Christians and Muslims."

Christianity is embraced by the majority of the population in most Southern African, Southeast African, and Central African states, and others in some parts of Northeast and West Africa. The Coptic Christians make up a significant minority in Egypt but the strong 1st century church of Tertullian in North Africa is struggling for survival.¹⁶ Nigeria now has more than twice as many Protestants (broadly defined to include Anglicans and independent churches) as Germany, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation.¹⁷

Other growth areas: Latin America and China

Across the Atlantic, the majority of Latin Americans are Christians (90%), mostly Roman Catholics (Brazil has more than twice as many Catholics as Italy¹⁸).

However, membership in Protestant denominations is increasing, particularly in Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador and Puerto Rico. Latin American Protestants numbered 64 million in 2000 (compared to 50,000 in 1990), with three-quarters of this total being Pentecostal and Charismatic.¹⁹ In the late 1990s, 8,000 Latin Americans were deserting the Catholic Church every day for Evangelical Protestantism.²⁰ Venezuela, which is 92% Catholic, officially recognised 15,000 evangelical churches in 2013.²¹

Finally, in China, after a hundred years of missionary effort there were only 100,000 believers at the time of the 1927 communist coup, followed by the prohibition of religion.²² Despite cruel persecution by the communist regime, until the 1990s the underground church grew and since then there has been a vast increase in the number of Christians and churches – so much so that by 2030 it is predicted there will be more Christians in China than in the whole of the United States.²³

"By 2030 it is predicted there will be more Christians in China than in the whole of the United States."

Areas of major decline, and the challenge from Islam

The most drastic recent declines in Christian populations have been in Syria and Iraq, where there have been significant ancient communities from the early church days. Though the region is often recognised as the birth place of Christianity, Christian communities are being obliterated there as the Islamic State becomes established.²⁴

Indeed, today the Middle East/North Africa has the lowest concentration of Christians (c.4% of the region’s population) and the smallest number of Christians (c.13 million) of any major geographic region.²⁵

Islam is now the world’s second largest religion after Christianity. Since 1985 and the first issue of Prophecy Today, Islam has increased by 25% in North America, by 142.35% in Europe and by 257.01% in Australia and Oceania / Pacific, with the global Muslim population growing at nearly twice the rate of non-Muslim populations.²⁶

According to these statistics, one in five people on the planet are Muslim. Whilst it is difficult to predict future trends, several speculators suggest that by the middle of this century Islam could have more adherents than Christianity.²⁷

What is happening in Britain?

According to the Daily Telegraph, the UK population grew from 56 million in 1985 to 64 million in 2015, with half of the increase being in the last 12 years and the UK now showing the fastest population growth in Europe.²⁸ Through the twin pressures of secularisation and immigration, the religious make-up of the UK has become extremely diverse. The 2011 Census showed that Islam and minority and alternative religions are steadily growing, whilst less than half of the British people believe in a God.²⁹

Christianity in Britain has suffered an immense general decline since the 1950s. Between 1979 and 2005, half of all Christians stopped going to church on a Sunday.³⁰ In 2006, Tearfund found that two thirds of the UK have no connection with any religion or church, even though 59.3% put their religion down as “Christian".³¹ Britain, once a proudly Christian country, is gradually being replaced with ‘post-Christendom’ and all the problems this brings.

  "Between 1979 and 2005, half of all British Christians stopped going to church on a Sunday."

It is, however, unlikely that a religious vacuum will remain for too long. Many of our cities, like Leicester, now have more mosques than churches. But recent news of a wave of Muslim converts to Christianity could signal good news for the future - is the church prepared for this?

In the last 30 years the UK church presence has fragmented into a number of smaller groupings and there has been a significant decline in traditional denominations with many church closures. The Christian presence would have drained much more quickly had new churches not been planted and established, and had a renewed emphasis not been put on taking the church into new areas with evangelistic outreaches.

"The Christian presence would have drained much more quickly had new churches not been planted and established"

Fresh Expressions³² working with the traditional churches has been one of the most successful ways of redefining church, with our personal involvement with the Christian Resources Exhibition and The Sharing Show resulting in publicity being given to the many new initiatives and the Love outreach.

Additionally, whereas in the 19th century Britain was a significant missionary-oriented country taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, Christians from these countries are now coming here to re-evangelise our nation. Africa and Asia are leading the way. The Black Majority churches are now the fastest-growing in London,³³ and many ethnic-led Bible Colleges and Church Planting schools are also springing up.

What of the Hopes for Charismatic Renewal?

In the early 1980s the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements were at their height, not only in this country but also worldwide, and hopes ran high that Charismatic renewal would penetrate every sector of the church world-wide with new vitality and purpose.

During the intervening 30 years this movement has settled down in the UK and developed an ‘orthodoxy’, so it is seen now as just one aspect of a wider church scene. In many places this institutionalisation has hindered its growth, so that like the Church in Ephesus (Rev 2:4), it may have lost sight of its first love. Increasingly, therefore, all the messages to the churches in Revelation 2-3 are relevant to Christians in the UK today.

Is there any hope for the UK?

We must never give up hope that God is in control as he reveals more and more of his truth and love. Thirty years ago Prophecy Today had links with churches and Christians in many different parts of the world which led to a sharing of their insights and experiences within the pages of the magazine. It is hoped that this will continue in future, so that Prophecy Today will offer people a grounded, biblical understanding of the trends discussed here.

Since 1985 new technology and increased travel and migration has opened more doors to the Gospel within and between countries. Pray that this will continue to fulfil the Great Commission that Christ gave to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, which has never been rescinded.

References

1 Latourette, K S, 1953. History of Christianity. Vol 1 & 11, Harper and Row.

2 World population is currently increasing at 1.21% per year and is predicted to continue to grow well into the 22nd Century but at much reduced rates.

3 Growth of Religion (Christianity), Wikipedia.

4 Growth of Religion (Islam), Wikipedia.

5 Pew Research Center, 2012. Religion & Public Life Project.

6 Ibid.

7 Unless otherwise stated, all statistics in this section are taken from the executive summary of the Pew Research Center’s Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population.

8 Historical estimate by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity.

9 The total population of the Global South is about 4.5 times greater than the population of the Global North.

10 See note 5.

11 Demographics of Indonesia: Religions, Wikipedia.

12 Religion in Indonesia, New World Encyclopedia.

13 International Religious Freedom: Indonesia. UNHCR report, 2009.

14 See note 5.

15 Encyclopædia Britannica, 2003. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc, p306

16 Coptic Christianity, Got Questions.

17 See note 5, also http://www.history.com/topics/reformation

18 See note 5.

19 Allen, J L, 2006. The dramatic growth of evangelicals in Latin America, NCR Online, 18 August.

20 Study commissioned in the late 1990s by CELAM, the federation of Latin American Catholic bishops' conferences. Allen, J L, 2006. The Pentecostal phenomenon in Latin America, NCR Online, 20 December.

21 Martinez, J, 2013. Venezuelan Gov’t to Legally Recognize 15,000 Evangelical Churches, Christian Post, 11 September.

22 Anderlini, J, 2014. The rise of Christianity in China, FT Magazine, 17 November.

23 Phillips, T, 2014. China on course to become world’s most Christian nation in 15 years, The Telegraph, 19 April.

24 Nazemroaya, M D, 2014. Wiping out the Christians of Syria and Iraq to remap the Middle East: Prerequisite to a clash of civilizations? Strategic Culture Foundation, Centre for Research on Globalization, 30 July.

25 See note 5.

26 Tsang, S, 2011. Muslim Populations in the World, Diversity Statistics.

27 Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 2001. Growth rates of Christianity and Islam.

28 Bingham J, 2014. UK has had fastest growing population in Europe for a decade, 26 June.

29 Crabtree, V, 2012. Religion in the UK: Diversity, Trends and Decline.

30 See note 29.

31 Tearfund, 2007. Churchgoing in the UK report.

32 www.freshexpressions.org.uk

33 Brierley Consultancy, The London Church Census, June 2013.

In the book 'Prophecy Past and Present' Clifford Hill set out twelve biblical tests of prophecy. These were compiled from reading the Didache and other Early Church writings, which present a picture of practices in the early centuries of the Christian church.

When writing to the Thessalonians Paul urged the church not to dampen the fire of the Holy Spirit or to treat prophecies with contempt, but to test everything they received. They were to hold on to that which was good but reject “every kind of evil” (1 Thess 5:19-21). These tests need to be studied carefully by the churches today, and especially by ministers and worship leaders who have leadership responsibilities within the body of Christ.

The following is a brief summary of those tests:

1) Prayer. All prophetic revelation should be received in prayer and should be prayed over carefully for discernment.

2) Witness of the Spirit. Those who have the Spirit of God within them should have an immediate witness of the Spirit as to whether what they are hearing is of the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of truth - or is from some other source.

3) Scripture. No prophecy today will contradict the revealed word of God in the Bible. If it is not in accord with scripture it is false.

4) Meditation. It is sometimes necessary to take time to discern the significance of a prophetic revelation and whether or not it is a clever deception or truly a word from God.

5) Confirmation. If the word truly comes from God there will usually be confirmation of this through various ways.

6) Unity. If the word is truly from the Lord and there is love and trust within the fellowship, a prophetic revelation will increase unity and all the believers will affirm it to be a word from God. If not, there is something wrong, either with the word or in the fellowship, and there is great need for that fellowship to pray together until love and unity flow through the body.

7) Build up. Every true prophetic revelation will build up the faith of the body of Christ even if it is a difficult word.

8) Love. Every true prophetic word will be spoken in love even if it is a call for repentance.

9) Glorify Christ. Every true word that comes from God will always glorify Christ.

10) Conditions. If a prophetic word is one that includes a promise of either blessings or judgment, there will be conditions.

11) Fulfilment. If the word is of a predictive nature and is truly of God, it will be fulfilled.

12) Character. The moral and spiritual character of the prophet was always regarded as of crucial importance in the New Testament churches and in the Early Church of the first few centuries. So it should be today. For God does not use unholy lives through whom to convey his precious word to his people.