23 June brings a major decision point for the UK. But what lies ahead after that?

Even if we vote to come out of the EU, will the blessings and protection of God be fully and immediately restored to our nation? Surely there is more to it than that.

An Unforeseen Opportunity

The referendum is a major opportunity to regroup as a nation; at Prophecy Today we are viewing it as an opportunity offered by God to begin the process of turning to him with all our heart. It is an opportunity that many of us did not foresee as, over the years, integration with the EU has felt like a non-return valve, with ever-deepening commitment drawing us in.

We have long had prophetic warnings about God's displeasure with the EU, even warnings that this system was moving ever nearer to the anti-Christian international government described in the Book of Revelation. On account of Britain's Christian heritage and our commitment to God in the Coronation Oath, we have been warned to withdraw - lest we come under the wrath of God.

For years, integration with the EU has felt like a non-return valve – so the referendum is an opportunity to regroup that many of us did not foresee.

Therefore, on the one hand is the danger of the Remain campaign keeping us in this vulnerable position and, on the other hand, the question as to our position before God if the Leave campaign prevails. One step at a time, of course, but let's begin to look at the future of the UK beyond the referendum with some sense of real possibility.

Living in Babylon

Shortly, Clifford and Monica Hill will publish a book and workbook on the theme 'Living in Babylon'. That illustrates where we are at Prophecy Today: our view is that it is useful to compare the situation of modern believers in Jesus the Messiah with that of Israelites living among the Babylonians during the captivity of Judah, under Nebuchadnezzar. Both represent holy remnants trying to work out how to live faithfully in the midst of an unfaithful, even pagan culture.

The cry to "come out of her, my people" of Revelation 18:4 is for the Lord's people to come out of the latter-day world system, likened to Babylon of old. However, whether or not the EU does represent this end-time Babylon, it is shallow to think that a vote Leave would fulfil this command of Revelation 18:4. Much more would be necessary for the UK as a whole to be considered a nation belonging to God once again, so we can't rest on the laurels of our historic blessings from God, profound though they have been.

The situation of modern believers can be compared with that of the Israelites in captivity in Babylon, trying to live faithfully in a pagan culture.

Paganism EnduresPalmyra Monumental Arch in 2010, prior to damage by Islamic State. A replica arch will be erected in Trafalgar Square from 19 April. See Photo Credits.

Much of the Christian world is abuzz at the moment with the news that a replica of an ancient monument in Palmyra in Syria is to be erected in Trafalgar Square this month. The ancient arch has survived attempts to demolish it by Islamic State. Replicas are to be erected in London and New York to celebrate World Heritage Week 2016.¹

With the tide of world affairs being driven by the need to defeat terrorism, this seems to be a symbol of victory – but there is something subtler here. The arch, originally constructed in AD 32, was an entrance to a temple that was consecrated to the Mesopotamian god Bel. It formed the centre of religious life in Palmyra. So, whilst many in the UK are campaigning to come out of the EU, simultaneously some of our prominent leaders are opening the door to the very god of Babylon that the God of Israel warns us about!²

This is an illustration of the confused times in which we live - and a prompt to dig deeper. Despite our Christian heritage, one only needs to walk around the centre of London and other of our cities to see the extent to which we have never really cleansed ourselves of the images of ancient ungodly empires. Take another poignant example: statues of the pagan gods Gog and Magog on London's Guildhall, traditionally associated with Britain through the times of the Roman occupation, were destroyed by the Blitz of the Second World War. In a strange British ritual, they have been considered as the guardians of the City of London, brought out annually to lead the Lord Mayor's parade.

While many Brits campaign to come out of the EU, some of our leaders are opening the door to the god of Babylon in other respects.

Ironically, in 1953, the very year of the Queen's Coronation, the statues on the Guildhall were replaced.² Whilst at the Coronation the Monarch was celebrating the Bible as our Book for guidance in all things, some of her prominent subjects were ignoring the references to Gog and Magog in the book of Ezekiel, where their connection to end time spiritual battles is emphasised.

Idolatry, Inside and Out

Yet that is not all: the centres of our cities abound with statues and images that could be likened to what typified ancient Greece and Rome – as well as modern equivalents like billboards which glorify sensuality and vanity. The philosophy of our age – humanism – ultimately leads to replacing worship of the One True God with worship of idols and false gods. No wonder that one dictionary definition of humanism is the seeking after the philosophies of Greece and Rome.

So there is more to deal with in our nation than simply coming out of the EU. Coming out might provide opportunity for recovery – and perhaps even make a good start - but we also need to reflect on other matters that displease the God of Israel.

Images and idols to false gods is one thing. But these external images point to an inner problem that must also be cleansed. We have highlighted in previous Prophecy Today articles, for example, the many laws that are on our statute books which are an offence to God and a betrayal of our constitution based on the Coronation Oath - laws which have made legal many things that are not legal in God's eyes, hence leading us into individual and corporate sin.

The philosophy of our age – humanism – ultimately leads to replacing worship of the One True God with worship of idols.

Awake, Believers

For the UK as a whole to truly 'come out of Babylon' in every respect, much needs to be done after we leave the EU. Otherwise the UK may remain an outpost of a modern-day 'Babylonian Empire'. The call to "come out of her, my people" will then be for the Christian remnant within to brace up to withdraw from the ungodly nation that the UK may yet become – in or out of Europe.

Now is the time for us to go beyond the current events and look prophetically into the future. There is yet hope while our Queen lives, whose 90^th birthday we celebrate this month. The Coronation Oath still stands as our rallying point and the Lord's promise of Jeremiah 18:7-8 is still valid:

The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.

For Christians, the challenge is to commit the future to God in deepening intercessory prayer while the signs of his judgment are relatively mild and, firmly but lovingly, call people in Britain to repentance. This will be a deeply emotional process, as we begin to sense the Lord's sadness over our nation - recall Jesus's weeping over Jerusalem prior to his sacrificial death on the Cross, and Jeremiah's weeping over fallen Jerusalem when the Babylonians took Judah to captivity.

For the UK as a whole to truly 'come out of Babylon', much more needs to be done than leave the EU.

Meanwhile, the arguments concerning the EU referendum should not be primarily led by financial considerations or the nation's love of football (even that has entered into the debate!), but by our standing before God. Whether in or out, the Lord can shake all our institutions. If he does bring further shaking to our nation, it will be as a sign calling us back to him.

References

1 See, for example, Gayle, D. Palmyra arch that survived Isis to be replicated in London and New York. The Guardian, 28 December 2015. See also the Institute for Digital Archaeology, which is carrying out the project.

2 Voice for Justice are currently running a petition against the replica arch planned for Trafalgar Square. Click here for more information.

3 Gog and Magog Back in London 1953. British Pathé.