The furore over Trump and Eurocrat denials of reality have the same spiritual root.

The latest media furore to erupt over President Trump concerns comments he made last weekend about Sweden. Speaking at a rally in Florida, he said “You look at what’s happening in Germany, you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible.”¹

Jumping at the chance to debunk his poor choice of wording, the left-wing media were once again given a golden opportunity to make the President look like a fool. Media outlets worldwide exploded with cries of ‘fake news’.

Meanwhile, voices pointing out that there was a legitimate point buried in Trump’s bungled phrasing have largely gone unheard – in fact, in some cases, they seem to have actively been censored.²

The Truth About Sweden

It has since surfaced that Trump was referring to a report by Ami Horowitz on a surge in migrant-related gun violence and rape in Sweden in recent years. Despite attempts by the Swedish establishment and the Western media to ‘debunk’ both Trump’s comments and the Horowitz report, the [little-reported] facts speak for themselves.

Hours after Trump’s comments, violence erupted in Rinkeby, Stockholm with a mob attacking police officers with rocks and setting fire to cars.

Last year, 55 areas of Sweden were marked off as ‘no go’ zones – that is, where police admit that they have lost control.³ The Swedish National Police Commissioner has publicly called for thousands more officers to help cope with unrest in asylum centres.⁴

Voices pointing out that there was a legitimate point buried in Trump’s bungled phrasing have largely gone unheard.

Across the country, an increase in rapes has coincided with the mass influx of migrants (Sweden was named the ‘rape capital of the West’ in 2015⁵), and research shows that migrant men are overrepresented amongst the perpetrators.⁶ Most recently, live-streaming of rapes in Stockholm has been used by Tunisian men to attract others to the city via social media.⁷

Meanwhile, the Swedish political establishment has been accused of trying to hush up the rise in assaults, to avoid boosting support for the right-wing Sweden Democratic party.

Reclaiming Reality

Of course the situation is far from simple – there are also reports of counter-attacks on migrants and refugee centres, as well as violence erupting between migrant gangs.

But that said, the reality of this situation is still not being reported properly in Britain. Our liberal press is far more concerned with having another pop at Trump.⁸

Now, please don’t read me wrong. Sweden isn’t falling apart. Europe is not completely devoid of the rule of law – and nobody is pretending that the plight of genuine refugees should be ignored. However, neither should the darker underbelly of the migrant crisis be denied – for the sake of those being assaulted, and also for the sake of understanding the direction in which Europe is headed.

EU Renewal of Vows

President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. See Photo Credits.

Next month marks the 60^th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome (i.e. the EU’s 60^th birthday), and EU member leaders are being invited to Rome “to renew their wedding vows”,⁹ at a time of unprecedented crisis for the institution.

Earlier this year, President of the European Council Donald Tusk circulated an open letter to the heads of member nations, outlining key threats to the bloc’s future and calling upon members to unite in the face of crisis. On the one hand, the letter is an understandable attempt to rally morale at a difficult time. The EU is facing a number of grave threats, any one of which could cause it irreparable damage.

On the other hand, however, Tusk’s letter exemplifies the extraordinary denial still so rank amongst EU elites, and gives us a clue as to where this might lead. For instance, the rise of populism across the continent, according to Tusk, does not signal that there are genuine issues that need addressing. Instead, key populist objections to the EU are written off as “the rhetoric of demagogues” that needs to be “opposed”.

EU elites still seem to be in denial about the problems facing the institution.

Buried near the end of the letter, in a sea of platitudes about unity, faith (in ‘our achievements’), peace and prosperity, is a very telling call:

We must…take assertive and spectacular steps that would change the collective emotions and revive the aspiration to raise European integration to the next level.

Exactly what kinds of “assertive and spectacular steps” will be tabled, in this last-ditch attempt to hold on to power? And how exactly do those in power plan to “change the collective emotions” to be more in line with the European ideal?

We do not yet know the answers to these questions. However, what we do know is that here, in crystal clear terms, Tusk is suggesting that instead of responding to criticism, the EU should consolidate itself against it. Ignore the masses, keep to the original programme, keep the faith – renew the vows (!).

Common Threads, Common Battle

It is not difficult to trace some common threads here, across the USA and Europe. In both, we are witnessing a sustained reaction from the liberal establishment (in politics, business, the media, etc) against two key things.

First, the reality of the failures of the secular humanist liberal project. By this I mean the real, factual failures of this agenda to improve the lives of ordinary people, whether we are talking about the underbelly of open-door immigration, the effects of multi-faith ‘tolerance’ or the negative impacts of abortion, easy divorce and LGBT advances on family life. The liberal left will not and cannot afford to acknowledge these realities.

Secondly, and as a result of this, they are reacting against those who are calling them out and holding them to account in this – whether individual journalists, academics or politicians, or the ‘populist’ masses on the ground. Tactics here can include anything from media demonisation to the seeding of entire counter-demonstrations.

In both the USA and Europe, we are witnessing a huge backlash from the liberal left against its critics.

In worldly terms, this twofold backlash from those who have long held onto power has been precipitated by various popular rejections of the Western liberal project, including the Brexit vote and the Trump win. Even secular commentators have read events like these as mass expressions of anti-establishment feeling.

In spiritual terms, what we are witnessing is, seemingly, the enemy’s response to God’s shake-up of decades of satanic values and ideals being imposed upon largely unsuspecting populaces, lulled into a false sense of security with talk of ‘unity’, ‘freedom’ and ‘tolerance’. The downright falsity of these man-made ideals is being revealed – for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

In this magazine, we have argued that this is God’s direct intervention, shaking the nations and providing Christians with a window of opportunity for the Gospel. But what has come along with that, of course, is a very angry enemy who is writhing and thrashing about, knowing that his time is short (Rev 12:12).

Where Will This Lead?

No wonder, then, that populist movements like Brexit and the Trump victory have faced incessant attempts to derail them. No wonder that there are such common threads to be drawn between the US and Europe at the moment – it is the same spiritual battle cross-cutting the two. Make no mistake: a war is raging right now, for the heart and soul of the West.

Whether the EU survives the present crises, or collapses and is replaced by something else, its underlying vision and spirit will endure. This is because its spirit is one of human pride and self-sufficiency – in fact, it is the perennial spirit of rebellion common to all humans (save One).¹⁰ Those in power, and the purse-strings and agendas fuelling them, will not give up easily – but neither, hopefully, will we.

God has been shaking up decades of satanic values and ideals – and this has made the enemy angry.

For the vital thing to understand is that God’s key weapon in this war is us – ordinary, average Christians. We are the primary vehicle the Lord has chosen to use at this time in the battle for truth and righteousness.

As such, we are not to sit back and watch these huge events unfold on the global scene as if they were nothing to do with us – neither are we meant to become so engrossed in them that we lose perspective and get distracted from God’s call on each of our lives. Like the instruction that Mary, the mother of Jesus, gave to the servants at the wedding of Cana, we should also “do whatever he tells you!” (John 2:5).

Where Can We Start?

And there’s something we can do today! As stated in this week’s Editorial, occult networks are calling members to a worldwide, co-ordinated cursing of Trump, to begin today. This is part of a concerted, demonic effort over the next month to remove him and his team from power (nine of his cabinet of 15 are reportedly evangelical Christians – no doubt part of the reason why the administration is so hated). We urge believers to seek the Lord over this, cover yourself in the full armour of God, and pray positively for the President and his whole team.

References

1 Click here to watch the extract from Trump's speech.

2 Hasson, P. Huffington Post Removes Blog Post Saying Trump Is ‘Absolutely Right’ About Sweden. The Daily Caller, 23 February 2017.

3 Stromme, L. SWEDEN IN CHAOS: Number of ‘no-go zones’ INCREASED as police lose control over violence. The Daily Express, 22 September 2016.

4 Phillips, M. Sloppy words but the substance was true. 23 February 2017.

5 Calrqvist, I and Hedegaard, L. Sweden: Rape Capital of the West. Gatestone Institute, 14 February 2015.

6 Van der Born, V. Swedish professor confirms: "migrants fiercely overrepresented in crime". Gatestone Institute, 23 February 2017.

7 Frankehuis, D. Sweden: Arab men live stream sexual assualt on Facebook. Again. Gatestone Institute, 23 February 2017.

8 As far as I can tell from our mainstream press, and perhaps predictably, only The Telegraph and The Mail have so far dared to offer an alternative perspective on his comments.

9 Barigazzi, J, Herszenhorn, DM and de La Baume, M. Tusk calls on EU countries to renew their wedding vows. Politico, 2 January 2017.

10 That’s why the EU places such an emphasis on integration, on oneness – because it is built on a rejection of the worship of a totally separate God – it worships itself and depends upon itself instead. Power, prosperity, wealth and happiness are all to be found from inside the humanist programme.

Clifford Hill considers the pros and cons of the refugee crisis.

We've got people drowning in their hundreds in the Mediterranean, trying to cross the sea to the overcrowded island of Lesbos; families dying of thirst in Serbian forests; children suffocating in lorries; thousands crowding into trains and buses or walking along highways in search of refuge – but what is Europe's response? According to Libby Purves in The Times, "razor wire and bickering over quotas" (02/09/15).

EU Leaders Unprepared

The migrant crisis continues to occupy centre stage in our daily news. EU officials in Brussels struggle to find some common ground in a policy to deal with what appears to be an unstoppable flow of migrants into Europe.

On 14 September EU ministers will hold an emergency meeting to try to work out an acceptable deal, although eastern European countries are expected to resist any attempt to enforce a quota system. The sheer numbers involved and the speed with which the crisis has gathered momentum over the summer months has caught EU leaders unprepared despite the warning signs being there for the past two or three years.

CompassionPeople organize aid in Erfurt, Germany. Jens Meyer/AP/PA Images

Several good things have emerged in the midst of the crisis; notably the compassion shown by countless individuals offering to open their homes to families escaping from war zones. It is not only in Britain where such compassion is being shown but in many other Western European nations too, such as Iceland where 10,000 families have announced willingness to take Syrian refugees into their homes.

Germany says they are willing to take 800,000 asylum seekers this year with Angela Merkel leading the way by saying that all Syrian refugees would be eligible for asylum in Germany. But Hungary and Austria have accused Berlin of increasing the chaos as human trafficking continues to pour thousands of migrants into the continent – an unknown mixture of genuine refugees, workers seeking a better living and possibly jihadists seeking opportunities of destruction.

Several good things have come out of the crisis – notably the compassion being shown by countless individuals across Europe in welcoming the refugees. But with the compassion is considerable fear and uncertainty.

HamburgFinding a Solution

It is this unknown mixture that causes fear and uncertainty in dealing with such large numbers. Britain has said that we will take 20,000 refugees from Syria while arguing that the major effort to deal with the situation should be to pour resources into the area immediately surrounding the war zone and to seek a United Nations policy on finding a solution to the civil war in Syria and defeating the Islamic State.

This is arguably the only way to defeat the people traffickers who exploit the plight of those fleeing the conflict and are stoking a never-ending flow into Europe. It is also the most sensible solution for the refugees themselves to remain in a largely Arabic culture rather than try to adjust to an alien Western environment. For those who do come to Europe there needs to be a radical change from the policy we have followed in Britain for the past 50 years in giving migrants no assistance in settling into a new environment.

Acculturating New Arrivals

If we had followed America's example in acculturating new arrivals we would not have the problems we have today in some of our cities where immigrants have formed close-knit communities with no attempt to integrate into British society and no love for their adopted country. With the new arrivals from Syria, even if they come from Christian communities, we should insist that they attend induction classes where they learn the history of Britain and the basis of our legal and cultural heritage.

For Muslims it is even more necessary that they should understand the elements of Christianity that are interwoven into our culture and social structure. We have neglected this at our cost and if we allow large numbers to swell the Muslim population in Britain without any understanding of our Christian heritage we will do so at our peril. We will be creating a community of disaffected young men alienated from British society - with all the dangerous potential this brings.

If we allow large numbers to swell the Muslim population in Britain without any understanding of our Christian heritage, we will do so at our peril.

Biblical Principles

There are good biblical principles to support a policy of teaching our culture and heritage to newcomers. When Israel entered the Promised Land they were instructed to show compassion and care for the aliens among them, but they were strictly warned against being influenced by their gods:

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. (Deut 10:18-19)

In the Promised Land, Israel was instructed to show compassion and care to foreigners, but warned against being influenced by their gods.

Christians need to take seriously the words of Jesus that there is no other way to the Father except through him (John 14:6), which gives us an obligation to share the Truth with others. We have already made huge mistakes in our immigration policy by neglecting to share our faith with those we have allowed to settle in our country. We need to make sure that we don't continue to make that mistake with this new group of immigrants. Where there is a serious attempt to do this as in the City of Leicester, through a combined churches outreach, it is making a remarkable difference to community relationships.

Clifford Hill discusses the Europe-wide refugee crisis.

The whole of Europe is now being drawn into what is rapidly becoming a continent-wide crisis eclipsing that of the Euro and the Greek banking problems. More than 100,000 migrants are flocking into Europe per month, crossing perilous seas with inevitable loss of life. So far this year over 2,500 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in numbers that have been overwhelming the authorities in Italy: last year that number was over 3,000.

TV news, websites and newspapers have been full of pictures of angry crowds in Budapest where the main railway station has been besieged by thousands of migrants and many others have been stranded in a train. Most of them have escaped from war-torn Syria. Hungary has been building a fence stretching the length of its eastern border in an attempt to keep migrants out, but their determination to reach Northern European nations has stretched EU laws to their limit. Hungary has been attempting to enforce the rule that migrants must register in their first country of entry into Europe but EU's borderless policy is in total disarray as the numbers coming in every day simply overwhelm authorities.

Shocking Pictures

The recent sight of a little boy's body washed up onto the beach in Turkey has shocked people right across Europe. It reminds us that these thousands of people on the move whom we label as 'migrants' are real people; boys and girls, men and women like us: and the majority of them (over 70%) are refugees fleeing from the horrors of conflict in war-torn areas.

The little boy was Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old refugee from Kobani in Syria, who died with his mother and five-year-old brother while attempting to reach the Greek island of Kos.

The recent sight of a boy's body washed up onto the beach in Turkey reminds us that these thousands of 'migrants' on the move are real people, like us.

Frank Augstein/AP/Press Association ImagesGermany expects to settle up to 800,000 refugees this year, while Sweden has declared 'open borders' to all those fleeing war zones. Austria has welcomed trainloads of refugees coming in from Hungary; but by contrast, of the 4 million refugees who have fled Syria Britain has so far taken only 216 – barely enough to fill two carriages of a train! But David Cameron seems to be bowing to public opinion and agreeing to take a share of the refugees.

Britain's Immigration Policy

The plain fact is that our immigration policy has for the past 50 years been in chaos. Ever since the great parliamentary debates of the early 1960s on what to do with the worker migrants coming in ever-increasing numbers from former colonial territories in the British Commonwealth, our politicians have not known what to do. The first Commonwealth Immigrants Act of 1962 set the tone by simply restricting numbers, which sent out the xenophobic message that all non-white immigrants were a social problem.

Ever since the parliamentary debates about worker migrants coming in from the Commonwealth in the early 1960s, British politicians have not known what to do about immigration.

The greatest mistake was to say that any Commonwealth migrants who settled here had the right to bring in their spouse or other close dependants. This regulation is still in force today which allows migrants from the Indian subcontinent to send their young people back home for a marriage partner which doubles their migrant population each generation.

Hangovers from Colonialism

Our immigration policy has not been based upon offering a home to refugees or caring for those in need, but upon an outworn colonialist ideology of Britain being the 'Mother Country' who has an obligation to open her borders to all her children. This is regardless of the fact that many of those who have come from, say, Pakistan, have no love for Britain, make no attempt at integration, and share a long-term ambition of turning Britain into a Muslim country.

Now our politicians are scared of opening our borders to genuine refugees because of the social consequences of already having whole areas in some of our cities where English is hardly spoken and where health, welfare and education already present enormous problems. To bring in thousands more (mainly Muslims) from the Middle East exacerbates the problems we already have. Unless there is a radical change in public opinion, politicians do not want to make unpopular decisions - particularly in the run-up to the Referendum on Britain's relationships with the European Union. But even if there is a change in public opinion towards the refugees, will this affect our attitudes toward the EU?

Prosperity Threatened

Britain is not alone in fearing to open its borders to all-comers. There is already social unrest in Germany and a number of other nations within the Eurozone, where 18 million people are unemployed and youth unemployment is running at nearly 22%.

After centuries of European economic dominance where much of the wealth and prosperity has been derived through colonial exploitation, that prosperity is now under threat. With the Chinese market shrinking as their shares bubble bursts, the fears of economic collapse in Europe increase.Frank Augstein/AP/Press Association Images

What Does The Bible Say?

Does the Bible have anything to say about what is happening today? Way back in 1986, Prophecy Today began warning about a great shaking of the nations that was first prophesied by the Prophet Haggai in the sixth century BC, just after the return of the first wave of Jews from captivity in Babylon. Haggai foresaw a time coming when there would not only be tumultuous events in nature, the shaking of earth and sea, but there would be social and economic turmoil in all nations (Hag 2:6-7).

That prophecy was believed to be still in the future by the writer of the Book of Hebrews, near the end of the first century AD (Heb 12:26f). Of course, prophecies can have more than one fulfilment, but there are so many indicators today that something along these lines is actually happening in our lifetime. The increased frequency of earthquakes, storms and natural disasters plus the social, economic and political upheavals among the nations in every region of the world, surely have some significance! The reference in Hebrews says that when these things happen, God will use them to shake human confidence in our own cleverness and ability to solve every problem. This will prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus. Maybe that event is not so far in the future.

Is there anything that Christians can do to help in this situation with thousands of desperate people on the move across the world? Of course we can pray; and prayer does have a practical effect! We can also give to genuine charities that are working among refugees – particularly those on frontline camps in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. But maybe we should also be offering accommodation in our home to genuine refugees to enable them to have a good experience of starting life again in a safe environment. Here is an opportunity for some trusted Christian group to organise this.