Italy’s new Government puts another strain on Brussels.

The wave of populism continues to sweep across Europe with Italy being the latest nation to feel its ‘people power’ unsettling the political establishment. But it is not only Rome that is fearing radical change: the shockwaves are reaching Brussels and shaking the EU. The past week has been one of turbulence in Italy with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) doing a deal with the right-wing anti-immigration League after more than 12 weeks of haggling.

The two parties nominated Giuseppe Conte, a professor of law with no political experience, as Prime Minister and Paolo Savona – a fierce opponent of the Euro – as Finance Minister. Both were overruled by the President who refused to appoint them. President Mattarella was widely reported to be following instructions from Brussels with particular pressure from Germany. A compromise has been reached with Conte remaining as Prime Minister but Savona being moved to Minister for European Affairs and Giovanni Tria – who favours remaining in the Eurozone – becoming Finance Minister.

But Italy’s new populist Government still presents a headache for Brussels because both M5S’s leader Luigi Di Maio and the League’s Matteo Salvini – now Deputy Prime Ministers - are strongly Eurosceptic and have declared that the Euro is not good for Italy. The President’s intervention, far from steering Italy into calmer waters, enraged voters who support these two parties precisely because they are anti-EU and anti-establishment.

Justified Anger

The rise of the populist parties reflects the justified anger at the political class both in Rome and in Brussels. Italy has 30% of young people unemployed and more than 20% unemployment in the southern half of the country. Vital reforms have not been carried out by previous governments and the situation has been greatly exacerbated by the flow of immigrants coming across the Mediterranean from North Africa.

The shockwaves of populism are reaching Brussels and shaking the European Union.

Appeals to the EU for help with the migrant crisis have been ignored; so too have the desperate needs for tackling corruption and improving the country’s education and youth services. Italy’s economy has not grown for the past two decades, which has caused the people at last to rise up and say “Enough is Enough! We will not have these people ruling over us any longer!” Historically, this has been the cry of oppressed people throughout the ages.

The new Coalition, due to be sworn in today, plans to increase spending, cut taxes and disperse half a million immigrants across the Eurozone - to the horror of Brussels! The new populist Government in Italy takes power at the same time as Britain concludes its negotiations for exiting the European Union – all putting additional strain on the EU that could result in the collapse of the whole enterprise of a united Europe.

Resentment and Revolt

Even if Italy does not abandon the Euro, the shockwaves of its new populist Government’s policies will be enough to shake the EU to its foundations. Italy is the fourth largest economy in Europe and their national debt is already at 132% of GDP. No nation can go on spending more than it earns without courting disaster. But that is what Italy’s new Coalition plans to do – to increase spending massively in order to give a living wage to the poorest families which could send the Euro spinning out of control.

The plain fact is that Italians are contemptuous of their political establishment and of the Brussels hierarchy. In particular, they deeply resent the power exercised by Germany. They saw the brutal treatment of Greece by Germany’s bankers last year which was in line with the way the Nazis dealt with Greece in the Second World War. The Italians are determined that this is not going to happen to them. They want to shake off the power of the EU over them.

Even if Italy does not abandon the Euro, its new populist Government’s policies will be enough to shake the EU to its foundations.

Last week there was talk of impeaching the President for refusing to recognise the democratic will of the people. But this would have resulted in a General Election which was the last thing that Italy’s President or the EU wanted, because public opinion was swinging increasingly to the populists who could have won an increased majority. That is the strength of the populist movement sweeping the country, with its strong nationalist and anti-immigration sentiment which is likely to strengthen the same movement throughout Europe.

Demand for Justice

The demands of the people for justice and righteousness cannot be ignored for ever. There is something in our human nature that recognises corruption, lies, oppression and injustice as wrong. Perhaps it is because we are created in the image of the God of the Bible, who abhors these things. Truth, righteousness and justice are part of the nature of God, but corruption and lies are the works of the devil – the father of lies.

It looks as though the European Union is facing judgment day. The warning shots fired by Britain through Brexit and the many calls for reform from other nations across Europe have all been ignored by the liberal postmodernist intelligentsia that rules Brussels, enjoying wealthy lifestyles and practising oppression and corruption.

There is something in our human nature that recognises corruption, lies, oppression and injustice as wrong.

The populist movement is probably not a paragon of virtue! But God often uses imperfect instruments to accomplish his purposes. He even used Cyrus the Persian to deliver his people from Babylon. One thing the Bible makes abundantly clear is that God hates injustice and corruption. Here is a selection of verses from the biblical prophets that illustrate this:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness…Who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. (Isa 5:20-23)

Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth I will forgive this city. (Jer 5:1)

Sow for yourself righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love…But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception because you have depended on your own strength. (Hos 10:12-13)

They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. (Amos 2:6-7)

Woe to those who plan iniquity…They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance. Therefore, says the Lord: I am planning disaster against this people. (Mic 2:1-3)

Maybe the word of the Lord to the EU today is similar to that which he pronounced against Israel when their leaders were steeped in corruption:

Therefore, this is what the Holy one of Israel says: because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly in an instant. (Isa 30:12)

Hungary’s populist victory and the disintegration of Europe.

The re-election of Viktor Orban in Hungary’s presidential election last week came as no surprise, but it has caused dismay in Brussels where there is a real fear that Orban’s trashing of the EU rules may spread to other states within the European Union. His campaign was built on fear-mongering and anti-immigration which gave his right-wing populist party a vastly increased majority.

Orban’s victory is a direct challenge to the core values of the European Union which, according to Christian Ultsch in the Austrian press,¹ has caused some to claim the EU is being “shaken to its foundations”.

Many Christians may be happy to see the secular humanist ‘core values’ of the EU being shaken and all those who respect the Christian values that have formed the foundation stones of Western nations will have some sympathy for Victor Orban’s endeavour to protect his country from a large influx of Muslims. He has seen the difficulties that have arisen in Germany following Angela Merkel’s opening the door to one million Muslims and within months some of them became involved in highly publicised terror attacks and sexual attacks upon women and girls.

In France the latest Islamist attack that has shaken the nation was the murder of Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Jewish woman and Holocaust survivor. She was stabbed 11 times before her body was set on fire in an anti-Semitic crime that brought 30,000 people onto the streets in protest.

Equality and Tolerance?

Those who uphold the politically correct EU core values of ‘equality’ and ‘tolerance’ believe that over a period of time integration will take place as people live together and accept one another as equals. But this secular humanist, atheist, Marxist dream of a tolerant society is utterly unachievable and simply reveals the ignorance of those who are the driving force behind the secularisation in Brussels that is seeking to remodel Europe.

They simply do not understand Islam, whose Qur’an specifically forbids Muslims to make friends with Jews and Christians: “O ye who have believed, do not choose Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends to each other; whoever makes friends of them is one of them” (Qur’an 5:51).

Those who uphold the EU values of ‘equality’ and ‘tolerance’ believe that over a period of time integration will take place as people accept one another as equals.

Integration is not on Islam’s agenda. Islam’s short-term objective is to rule Europe and the long-term intention is to dominate the world.

There is no compromise in Islam: which is why there is total deadlock between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Palestinians do not want peace with Israel: their sole objective is the total destruction of Israel! In Britain we have seen the result of politically correct town councils and secular humanist social workers refusing to believe poor white girls being abused by gangs of immigrant men, so we can understand the widespread indignation in France where similar things are happening and Islamists are particularly targeting Jews.

Islamic Anti-Semitism Exposed

Protests in France against the murder of Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll. See Photo Credits.

A letter signed by more than 300 French dignitaries (including former President Sarkozy) denouncing the new anti-Semitism in France has been published this week in a Parisian newspaper.² It calls attention to the alarming surge in Islamist radicalism that is driving a string of attacks upon Jews.

The French Jewish community of more than half a million - the largest in Europe - has seen a wave of emigration to Israel over the past 20 years at least partly driven by the virulent anti-Semitism of Muslim immigrants. The letter highlights the “quiet ethnic purging” that is taking place in working-class city neighbourhoods.

Against this backdrop, the rise of far-right populist parties is understandable. But it is not just the EU’s values that are being shaken. Orban’s victory in Hungary is linked with divisions that are destabilising the whole of Western society – it represents the rise of a new kind of nationalism that has its roots in racism.

Self-Destructing Society

It is strange how wherever you look in the Western world today, division and hatred are on the rise. It is as if our societies are tearing themselves apart from the inside out. While immigration into the West has imported a plethora of new prejudices, home-grown hatreds are also flourishing - at both ends of the political spectrum.

Wherever you look in the Western world today, division and hatred are on the rise.

In the USA, right-wing populism brought President Trump to power, but already his presidency has seen a rise in anti-black racism as well as a spike in anti-Semitism.

In Britain, the populist movement that brought about the Brexit vote has coincided with a rise in racist incidents. But the focus recently has been upon left-wing anti-Semitism in the Labour Party since Jeremy Corbyn became leader. In a meeting last week with representatives of Jewish communities Corbyn was challenged to do something to eradicate the racism that has become apparent in the Labour Party.

Behind the Division

What is it in human nature that drives people to hatred of other human beings?

The answer can only be that we have turned our backs on God. We have rejected the biblical values that have formed the foundation of Western democracy for centuries. Once we depart from these core values the cracks in the structures of society begin to show and it’s not long before all our social institutions, such as the family, begin to crumble.

In the absence of love, justice and unity that stems from God, humans soon turn to hatred. Barely one generation passed in Genesis before mankind turned to murder, brother against brother. The lesson of history is that rebellion breeds hatred and violence. Today, from end to end on the political spectrum, we see people trying to build a world without God – just like at the Tower of Babel. We cannot be surprised to see hatred and division on the rise as a result.

The Litmus Test

The litmus test of the health of a society is the poisonous presence of anti-Semitism, the “oldest of all hatreds”. Whereas other racisms regard hated groups as ‘inferior’ (e.g. anti-black racism), anti-Semitism strangely blames Jews for being ‘superior’ because of their achievements in finance, business, banking and the arts. Whereas all other racisms have definable roots, anti-Semitism transcends time, geography, politics and social class.

In the absence of love, justice and unity that stems from God, humans soon turn to hatred.

It also transcends religion. Islamic anti-Semitism is widespread around the world, stemming right back to Mohammed who turned on the Jews and viciously slaughtered them when they refused to accept his new religion. Christian anti-Semitism has flourished through the ages as Jews have been blamed for killing Jesus and punished for rejecting the Gospel, while Replacement Theology has been manufactured by the Church to write Jews out of God’s purposes altogether.

When people rebel against God and reject his word, this manifests most virulently in a spiritual hatred for the Jews as the covenant people of God, through whom he chose to reveal his nature and purposes to the world. But the Bible says that “The word of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many peoples” (Isa 2:3-4). This has never been rescinded; and is still God’s intention to fulfil.

The cracks and divisions in our society today have one common root: rebellion against God. This is surely the major problem of our humanity that only the Gospel can cure.

References

1 Die Presse, Vienna, 9 April 2018.

2 Click here for the original letter (in French) or here for the translated page. Please also see this article from Jihad Watch.

But what is its spiritual significance?

The Prime Minister deserves our congratulations for her tenacity and skill in reaching agreement with the European Union to enable the Brexit negotiations to proceed to the next stage.

She has certainly worked incredibly hard together with David Davis and the team of negotiators to achieve this breakthrough despite all the derogatory comments of her critics and the wiles of her political opponents and the anti-Brexiteers.

According to reports this morning, Mrs May worked through the night to ensure full agreement on the Irish border before catching a plane from Northolt to Brussels for the final talks with Mr Tusk that resulted in the announcement from both of them that agreement had been reached.

Of course, this does not mean that Britain is finally out of the European Union, but it is a very significant step in that direction, which has been achieved despite enormous opposition from secular humanists determined to keep Britain under the control of the EU. This agreement recognises that Britain will leave the European Union in 15 months’ time, with or without a trade agreement, which has yet to be negotiated. That is the political and social significance of today’s announcement.

The Question Christians Should Ask

The question that Christians will be asking is, what is the spiritual significance of the announcement? If we think back to the Referendum of 2016 our conclusion in this magazine was that the two most significant factors that guided that result were a movement of social change and a powerful spiritual input.

We have said many times in our articles that the Brexit battle is primarily a spiritual battle and evidence of this has certainly been seen.

The social factor was the rising tide of populism in Europe and the USA. In Britain it was the anti-establishment sentiment among ordinary working people that strongly influenced the vote. But of even greater significance was the spiritual factor – the prayers of Bible-believing Christians who were convinced that God was giving the nation an opportunity of shaking off the shackles of the secularist, humanist European Union.

We have said many times in our articles that the Brexit battle is primarily a spiritual battle and evidence of this has certainly been seen as powerful personalities and media commentators have conspired to undermine the negotiations with the EU. But despite all the opposition, against all the odds and forecasts of doom and gloom, agreement has been reached that Britain will leave the European Union.

God’s Blessing?

Is this a sign of God’s blessing? I personally do not think that it is. I believe it is a sign of God’s mercy in the midst of judgment, which is what many Christians have been praying for. We know quite well that Britain is a nation that has despised its Judeo-Christian heritage. Successive governments have followed humanist agendas and deliberately turned away from biblical principles and values that are enshrined in our history.

Nevertheless, the God whom we know as the God of Creation, who holds the nations in his hands and guides their destiny if they put their trust in him, does hear and heed the prayers of his servants, even if they are but a tiny minority. The God who has been revealed to us through the prophets of Israel and supremely through our Lord Jesus Christ is a God who does not depend upon demographic majorities.

In fact, God loves to work through small numbers, as he has demonstrated time and again in history.

I believe that this is not a sign of God’s blessing, but one of mercy in the midst of judgment.

So what of the future? I still cannot pray for a great outpouring of blessings and prosperity upon the nation because I have not yet seen any signs of repentance – or even calls for such repentance from our Church leaders! I can nevertheless give heartfelt thanks to God for his mercy in still watching over this nation and allowing us the opportunity of regaining our sovereignty and having another chance to renounce some of the evil laws that we have put upon the Statute Book in the past 40 years.

There is Hope Yet

The agreement that has been reached today is an historic moment that not only has political and social significance, but has spiritual significance in showing us that God still has a purpose for this nation.

It remains to be seen whether or not our leaders recognise the hand of God in this – even to the extent of putting a little group of Bible-believing Christians, the DUP, holding the balance of power that enables the Government to continue.

Today is a day when we can rejoice greatly in the goodness of God and in his love and mercy. But we should not forget that his kindness is supposed to lead us to repentance (Rom 2:4). Let’s commit afresh to pray for this today.

People power and the hand of God.

This week we have seen the fall from favour of two powerful politicians – Mugabe and Merkel. They have each held power in very different societies but their downfalls are both linked to the rise of people power.

People power signals the awakening of ordinary people to the misuse of power among the ruling elite that has been the source of oppression for far too long. It is now even affecting cruel dictatorships such as the Mugabe regime, which has dominated Zimbabwe for decades.

The popularist backlash has begun: where will it end?

Angela Merkel’s problems stemmed from her unwise single-handed decision to welcome more than one million asylum seekers from the Muslim world and to try to force other EU nations to follow the same policy. Her nearest neighbours - Poland, the Czech Republic, and Austria - have all resisted this pressure.

Populist Revolts

Other parts of the EU are experiencing something similar - a populist reaction against decisions made by those in power. In France, Macron’s sudden rise to prominence reflected a workers’ revolt against both left and right traditional political parties. But his failure to please the workers has brought them out onto the streets in protest.¹

It remains to be seen whether a similar pattern will be followed in Zimbabwe if the vast army of unemployed do not see radical change with their new President, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Politicians in traditional parties throughout the EU are watching the growth of anti-establishment, populist movements with trepidation.

And what about the European Union itself? The cracks we have been forecasting in Prophecy Today UK are beginning to widen. The corruption at the heart of this evil institution with the gross rewards it pays to its unelected officials is becoming widely known and will bring its inevitable consequences. Politicians in the traditional parties throughout the European Union are watching the growth of anti-establishment, populist movements with trepidation.

The God Factor

Angela Merkel announces the failure of her coalition talks. See Photo Credits.

But the major factor that the Establishment does not recognise is the God factor!

Yes, certainly, the forces of social change that are sweeping Europe and other parts of the world, including traditional monarchies such as Saudi Arabia, are of sociological significance, but they also have theological significance! They are not simply generated by human ambitions or discontent: they all show signs of the guiding Hand of God!

The Prophet Haggai prophesying in the year 520 BC may not have known God’s timetable, but he certainly received a clear revelation of the purposes of God when he declared, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: in a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations…”.

We are certainly seeing a great shaking of the world of nature through storms, hurricanes, floods, droughts and earthquakes – arguably more than in any other period in recorded history; and we are also seeing a great shaking of the nations.

The forces of change that are sweeping Europe and other parts of the world all show signs of the guiding Hand of God.

This is where we need our Bibles more than sociological and political theory to give us a steer about what is happening and the likely outcomes of the forces of change that are driving the nations.

When we get a clear view of the nature and purposes of God, we have the necessary tools of analysis to enable us to understand what is going on in our world today. Without this knowledge we are left with our secular human frailty; alone in the universe, facing the gathering storms with winds of change reaching hurricane force and no compass or rudder to guide.

The two fundamental assets of the biblical prophets were: revelationary knowledge of the nature and purposes of God; and understanding of the sovereignty of God - that everything that happened was either because God directly willed it, or because he allowed it.

Exposing Injustice

So, what’s happening among the nations today? Certainly, we can see that in Europe and the West, God is exposing the corruption, injustice and oppression exercised by the ruling elite who misuse their riches and their power to pursue selfish aims and objectives.

As Jeremiah stated in his famous ‘Temple Sermon’ (Jer 7), God hates injustice and oppression. There is something in our fallen human nature that still reflects the image of God, in which we were created, that enables us to recognise injustice and oppression and to reject them. This is what is happening today as God turns on the light, exposing the corrupt financial, political and social systems of the modern world.

Mrs Merkel’s fall from power is likely to trigger elections in the new year which will benefit the far-right nationalist ‘Alternative for Germany’ (AfD) party, or even the ex-Communist Left Party. This will further destabilise Germany and could possibly trigger the collapse of the European Union, already under threat because of Britain’s withdrawal.

The two fundamental assets of the biblical prophets were: revelationary knowledge of the nature and purposes of God; and understanding of the sovereignty of God.

This gives an enormous opportunity to Britain to review the whole policy of offering enormous sums of money to the EU to allow us to come out from under its oppressive regulations.

But is the British Government sufficiently spiritually aware of what is happening in the world that political decisions can be made in line with the purposes of God? This is evidently not the case – unsurprisingly, given how few MPs are biblical Christians. This is where Christians are greatly needed to make their voice heard in the nation and to bring a ‘God-perspective’ into national decision-making.

Church, Arise!

At present there is very little indication that God-centred direction will come from the Church. But it is the Church that should be the prophet to the nation. In the absence of the word of God thundering through the naves of our cathedrals and from the pulpits of our churches, perhaps people power may yet emerge from the pews!

It is surely time for Bible-believing Christians to find every opportunity in this media-saturated world to declare the word of the living God to this godless generation!

The authorities in Israel were forced to take note of the disciples: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). May the backlash not only be seen on the streets, but in the churches as well!

Notes

1 E.g. Read more here.

Protests, confusion and cries of abuse have a common root.

In the week that we have been remembering the 500^th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, it is appropriate to look at Europe today where we see the widespread rise of protest movements. Luther’s challenge to the practices of the Catholic Church was a direct challenge to its authority. Today we are seeing challenges to authority in almost every part of Europe – but these stem from a very different spirit.

In Britain, our media never ceases to inform us of the chaos and confusion surrounding the Brexit negotiations. The confusion is not just in Westminster; it is also in Brussels. We are facing so many ‘unknowns’ – political, legal, commercial, as well as ideological. Our politicians and media commentators spend their time consulting their crystal balls trying to discern the future, but only succeed in generating greater confusion.

But Britain and the EU are not the only centres of confusion. Throughout Europe there are signs of growing discontent and dissatisfaction with policies that have been followed by traditional leaders for decades.

Uprisings Against Traditional Authority

Young people in particular are exerting influence, rising up to challenge traditional authority. France, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic have all voted for young leaders; part of a populist uprising across Europe.

The Catalan declaration of independence, challenged by the Spanish Government, has rapidly descended into chaos with their leader running away to Brussels. Austria voted last month for Sebastian Kurz, a 31-year-old right-wing leader who is said to be talking to the far-right Freedom Party in an attempt to form a government.

Throughout Europe there are signs of growing discontent and dissatisfaction.

The Czech Republic has also voted for an anti-establishment leader, Andrej Babis, who obtained 30% in last month’s election.

In Germany, the far-right ‘Alternative for Germany’ (AfD) party won 94 seats in the Bundestag in September’s elections, which was the first time any such party has made gains in Germany since the 1930s. In Italy the two northern regions are seeking to organise a referendum to gain greater autonomy and the populist five-star movement (M5S) also elected a 31-year-old leader.

Abuse and Loss of Trust

Defence Minister Michael Fallon has lost his position because of the recent allegations about sexual misconduct at Westminster. See Photo Credits.Back in Westminster, confusion is not confined to the Brexit negotiations: politicians are greatly concerned by allegations of sexual impropriety among MPs, which has attracted much media attention with women queueing up to tell tales to journalists. ‘Someone touched my knee 20 years ago: I lost my confidence and it ruined my life.’ What a load of codswallop! Has the world gone completely mad?

Of course, if there are incidents of serious sexual malpractice or harassment there should be a safe place where complaints can be lodged and dealt with professionally, but the current politically correct hysteria is ridiculous. Is our society not sufficiently adult to be able to sort out relationships between the genders?

Two days ago I was in my study with the door shut and the young woman who does some cleaning for us was hoovering in the dining room. I heard her phone go and then she burst into loud crying. My wife was out so I immediately went to her and between uncontrollable sobs she managed to say that someone in her family had died. I had hardly ever spoken to her before but I simply took her into my arms and let her cry on my shoulder.

When she quietened down I told her I believe in prayer and could I pray for her? She nodded and I prayed, which brought about a total transformation. She said she used to go to Sunday School as a child but hadn’t been to church for years; so I talked about the love of God and gently gave her the Gospel. Far from accusing me of ‘inappropriate behaviour’, she was profuse in her thanks. We were just two human beings – one in distress and the other offering comfort.

Incidents of serious sexual malpractice should of course be properly dealt with, but the current politically correct hysteria is ridiculous.

Breakdown of Relationships

Surely, all the major problems we see in modern society come down to human relationships which have failed, broken or been abused in some way. The ongoing drama over Brexit and the political instability right across the Western world are but symptoms of this deeper, more systemic problem of human relationships.

In the same way, the current wave of sex scandals delighting the media has its origins in broken human relations – particularly the breakdown of marriage, but also a broader disintegration of trust and commitment to faithful and loving relationships. This is where Christian churches have much to teach secular humanists. In most churches, relationships are a strong uniting factor and churchgoers regularly exchange greetings with hugs or kisses, with no fears of sexual impropriety. Even in Anglican churches, often regarded as formal and cold institutions, sharing ‘The Peace’ is usually an opportunity for hugs all round!

When human relationships are based upon mutual respect and trust, we do not have to worry about political correctness or ‘inappropriate behaviour’. We can just be natural and free from inhibitions and fear of being misunderstood in our relationships with others.

Getting Our Relationship with God Right

But it is vital to recognise that these ideal human relationships are the outcome of a right relationship with God: recognising him as Creator, who made us all (both male and female) in his own image; as Father, who designed us for intimate relationship with him as his sons and daughters; and as Lord, who alone is the true authority, setting out right from wrong and holding us all to account.

When we get our relationship right with God, this automatically puts right our relationships with other human beings, because our whole attitude is different.

We do not seek to ‘lord it’ over others, because we know that we ourselves are no better or worse than they, and all are subject to God. We are enabled to love others and given wisdom to handle difficult times – dealing with differences, misunderstandings, or complex negotiations. Mutual respect in personal relationships leads to the same spirit prevailing over wider issues involving whole communities and nations.

When we get our relationship right with God, this automatically puts right our relationships with other human beings.

The basic problem in Western society today is that we have abandoned this biblical authority structure – once a fundamental part of our Judeo-Christian moral, social and political foundations, enjoyed by our forefathers. These were passed on to us, but they have been despised and rejected. We have rebelled against God’s good plan, inverting his model for right and blessed relationships and deleting God from the equation.

The Apostle Paul went to the heart of this issue by saying “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” (Rom 8:7, ESV). The answers to our difficult personal relationships and our complex international relationships all lie in getting our relationship with God right.

It’s worth just meditating on a few verses from Psalm 119:

Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
Turn my heart towards your statutes and not towards selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. (vv33-37)

We need not be dismayed - though the earth may shake around us.

The imagery of the Book of Revelation gives a picture of an immense end-time spiritual battle when the powers of darkness and evil are active. This seems very much like the day in which we live, eventually of course moving towards that glorious, victorious day when the Lord Jesus returns to bring in the Kingdom of God. Until then we will need to persevere through days of battle and trial.

Recent history shows us that the “wars and rumours of wars” that Jesus prophesied (Matt 24:6) are indeed a full part of our present-day human experience. Most recently, the horrific disasters in our nation show us that the physical fallout of the spiritual battle is coming very close to home.

Yet not all of the fallout is so easy to discern. Satan’s ways proceed on many fronts, including deception and flattery - so that those he manipulates can think good is evil and evil good.

Earthly Signs of a Heavenly Battle

Central to the battle for the UK is our withdrawal from the European Union. So-called ‘Brexit’ has not turned out to be as easy as was hoped. It has become the centre of the spiritual battle for our nation. Our spiritual adversary will use circumstances to gradually build doubts and cultivate mind-sets that could neutralise the fervour to withdraw cleanly from the EU.

Among those beguiled by the swirling tides of the spiritual battle is Tony Blair, who finds it difficult not to tinker away in the background. There have long been conspiracy theories about the grey-suited men of Europe who meet in private to influence world affairs from behind the scenes. The Bilderberger Group, for instance, a group of powerful politicians and businessmen, are known to have met regularly over many years to chart the course of Europe’s future.

Recent disasters in our nation show that the physical fallout of the spiritual battle is coming close to home.

Tony Blair. See Photo Credits.It is with such people that Tony Blair has been meeting recently, to now come forward with proposals for the UK to remain in a so-called ‘reformed’ EU in a new outer ring. We can be sure he is being beguiled by spirits of darkness to bring forward suggestions to compromise our withdrawal from the EU – all the while thinking himself Britain’s saviour. EU leaders are determined to keep Britain under the jurisdiction of EU law, which is the very thing from which we wish to be set free.

Similarly, there is a battle raging around the Prime Minister to bring her and the Government down. She herself is subject, directly or indirectly, to sinister spiritual attacks to weaken, confuse, disorientate, isolate and undermine confidence.

These are manifestations on earth of the spiritual battle in the heavenlies.

Earthquakes Ahead!

Why is it not as easy as we hoped? Are there more hard times ahead for the UK? This is the serious warning given by Clifford Hill in last week’s editorial. It made me think again of the prophecy that was given to Paul Slennett some years ago which I have supported, especially by sharing in the writing of the book Earthquake in the City.

Membership of the EU is not the only issue on the Lord God’s agenda for the UK. He also wants us to return to him wholeheartedly. This is the key to our understanding why, though we are moving in the right direction in coming out of Europe, that it is through troubled not easy times. The signs are that the Lord’s protection is not secure over this nation. There is a call to repentance in the midst of all else.

God wants us to return to him wholeheartedly – that’s why our exit from the EU is through troubled, not easy, times.

Paul Slennett heard from the Lord, at an Intercessors for Britain conference in 1989, that a “mighty earthquake is about to occur. An earthquake that will swallow up the whole city”. Was this to be a financial earthquake, a physical earthquake or both?

A physical earthquake is certainly possible; indeed, Dr Musson of the British Geological Survey gave a press release in 2010 that appeared in every national newspaper (either on Thursday 16^th or Friday 17^th September). He warned that London is overdue for an earthquake that could cause billions of pounds’ worth of damage.

There is some logic in the fact that God may remove protection from the nation sufficient to let such an earthquake occur. With the recent experience of the Grenfell Tower disaster, could we really experience such a physical catastrophe? Perhaps.

If we are speaking financially, the economic shaking that beset the nation in 2007 could easily have been a preliminary to further financial collapse yet to come. Whether a coming earthquake is financial, physical or both, it is becoming more and more possible in a previously protected nation for signs to occur that we have not before expected or experienced. These are serious days – days where we must listen to the prophetic word and test it prayerfully together.

God is not vindictive. It is not his pleasure to leave us vulnerable, but to call the nation to repentance so that he can justifiably return us to his protection. The shakings are not what God desires, but he will do or allow whatever is required to give the nation signposts back to him.

Everything Beautiful in its Time

There is redemption, even blessing, possible in all circumstances facing our nation. Let me illustrate.

At this time, I find myself in a challenging situation with the declining health of my wife at the latter end of our lives together. It has helped me understand God’s redemptive purposes in suffering, as is also applicable in many other circumstances of believers in troubled times. I have been reminded of Solomon’s teaching on the times and seasons of life, in Ecclesiastes 3. My prayer had been that God would make whatever he has in store for us as a family beautiful in his sight.

God is not vindictive. It is not his pleasure to leave us vulnerable, but to call the nation to repentance so that he can justifiably return us to his protection.

This, I believe, has turned out to be an inspired response to any difficult circumstances. I had not realised, until I recently had it pointed out to me, that this is exactly Solomon’s conclusion for God’s people in both good and difficult times. His conclusion is, in all times and seasons, “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecc 3:11).

Bible-believing Christians should be alert to the troubled times that lie ahead that may be the ‘mighty earthquake’ that has been prophesied. It is time to mobilise the intercessors, to draw near to God in faithful, fervent prayer for all God’s people and for our nation. We need not be dismayed - though the earth may shake around us. Whatever challenges lie ahead, the Lord can turn them into something beautiful if we put our personal trust in him.

Mark Dunman calls for continued prayer over Brexit.

For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Cor 10:3-4, RSV)

A year ago I wrote an article for Prophecy Today entitled The EU Referendum – a Springboard for Action, in which I related the Smith Wigglesworth prophecy to what I thought was happening through the result of the Referendum.

Since then many Christians and groups of Christians have been praying that Brexit will be implemented and not reversed or side-lined by our political leaders. Many were pleased that Theresa May who had voted to 'remain' nevertheless embraced the mantle for Brexit with enthusiasm. Christians and leavers alike were aware that the Remain group would fight back.

Recently the nation has been shaken by a series of events: three terrorist outrages, the horrendous fire in West London and the general election result. Christian supporters of Brexit have even wondered whether they were still in God's will by supporting our exit from Europe. What might be going on in the spiritual realm? In my view satan has bided his time since last June with minor skirmishes, but now, nearly a year later, he has gone for a major counter-attack.

Historic Counter-Attacks

As an older Christian I find comparisons with the Second World War quite helpful.

Most readers will know that God called pockets of believers such as Rees Howells to intercede for our nation and for King George VI himself to call for national days of prayer (seven in all). By December 1944 the Allies thought the war in the West would be concluded very soon. They were going forward on a wide front across France and Belgium - when suddenly Hitler struck back with a concentrated thrust through the Ardennes Forest, in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. There was panic, not least among some senior military commanders, but calmer heads prevailed and the counter-attack was defeated, although at considerable cost in Allied lives.

As our nation has been shaken, Christian supporters of Brexit have even wondered whether they were in God's will to back our exit from Europe.

Hitler could not have won the war at that stage, but had the breakout succeeded he could have caused considerable damage and delay. Likewise, satan cannot win this war, but he can and will try to deflect God's purposes.

Strategic Prayer

What, then, are the lessons for us in relation to Brexit? Above all, we must persevere in prayer. Hitler was motivated by satan's spiritual kingdom, the same enemy opposing Brexit. In light of this, it has been very encouraging to read David Noakes’ recent prophecy given at East Grinstead on 17 June,¹ which refers interestingly both to the adversary's great rage and to his fear. We could add to that his relentless tenacity. For example, battle was joined over the recent Queen's Speech (see Clifford Denton's article in this week's issue). We need to pray for the right kind of Brexit, as well as Brexit itself!

I believe this prophecy reinforces the message of Smith Wigglesworth that God does have plans for Britain, despite the way the nation has fallen away from his standards. David’s prophecy clearly states that we are in a war and that war has costs. This is absolutely scriptural (2 Tim 2:3-4, 2 Cor 10:3-4, Phil 2:25, to quote just a few scriptures). To be effective at waging war, an army has to be able to defend itself as well as attack. Scripture provides principles by which to do this.

Principles in Prayer

For an individual or group planning to pray strategically about Brexit, it is vital that we are each submitted to God first, being spiritually and morally right with him, so he is able to clothe us with the protective armour of God (Eph 6:13-18).

While we pray on our own, it is also important to pray with others – whether part of our own fellowship or not, although the covering of a church or Christian ministry is desirable. Prayer should be led by the Holy Spirit and, importantly, we should not engage with large-scale principalities and powers over Europe (e.g. Eph 6:12-13) unless specifically instructed by the Lord.²

God does have plans for Britain, despite the way the nation has fallen away from his standards.

The Remnant’s Responsibility

David Noakes's prophecy refers to a remnant of believers who hold fast to God's word. This is especially true of Brexit, where the Church at large has failed to discern the spiritual significance of the European Union. It puts a responsibility on the remnant to carry through God's plans. As the prophecy says, God is in charge, but we know from the scriptures that he has chosen his Body, his army of Christian warriors, to help bring these to fulfilment.

Mark Dunman is the author of two books which were reviewed by Paul Luckraft in Prophecy Today in 2016.

Notes

1 Let me say straight away that every prophecy must be weighed within the Body of Christ. I personally believe that David has the mind of the Holy Spirit. His prophecies combine God's heart of compassion with his judgment.

2 It is well worth reading Francis Frangipane in 'The Three Battlegrounds' who warns against the dangers of undisciplined battle. We need humility and wisdom before God in this battle.

Are those who oppose the EU really backward-looking and bigoted?

Reversing Brexit is currently the chief General Election objective of all those people, especially Liberal Democrats, passionately committed to furthering the goal of European union.

This group includes many of our young people, particularly those in higher education, because of a deeply rooted but mistaken belief that the desire to preserve or (in Britain’s case) re-gain national sovereignty is somehow ‘racist’ and reactionary. They are taught that ‘nationalism’ leads to war, and being patriotic supposedly implies that one dislikes foreigners.

However sincerely held this belief may be, it should be rejected firmly by biblically informed and historically literate Christians.

The fallen human nature of ambitious and despotic rulers, obsessed by the selfish pursuit of wealth and power, has been the chief cause of war down the ages - not the existence of self-governing nation-states.

As for World Wars I and II, they, like so many armed conflicts of the modern era, were launched by militaristic dictatorships against mainly liberal democracies, whose peaceful exercise of their national sovereignty threatened nobody.

Reversing Brexit is the chief General Election objective of all those passionately committed to furthering the goal of European union.

Consequently, the real lesson of history is the very opposite of that drawn by the supporters of European integration. Since power corrupts because human beings are fallen creatures, it is essential that it remain dispersed, in an international system of ‘checks and balances’, rather than centralised and concentrated in a European Super-State.

Curbing Immigration: Right or Wrong

These ideas about national sovereignty and freedom are highly relevant to the controversial issue of immigration.

Politically correct ‘liberals’ always imply that the desire to restrict immigration is morally suspect, because it stems (supposedly) from a xenophobic, bigoted dislike of foreigners. Even when political pressures force them to acknowledge people’s legitimate concerns about the impacts of mass uncontrolled immigration on schools, hospitals, housing and transport, they do so reluctantly, always wanting to change the subject to the need for more government action to create jobs and improve public services.

Yet whilst it is obviously important to combat racists and welcome the positive contributions made by so many immigrants to our economies and societies, there is a strong and principled case for acknowledging the right of individual countries to control their own borders.

Border Control is Moral

In the first place, a country’s right to control its borders and restrict immigration is an essential component of its national sovereignty. If it is not allowed to determine who is or is not permitted to cross its frontiers and settle within them, it cannot maintain its distinctive national character or preserve its political independence.

Consequently, if we value an international system in which political power is de-centralised, we should recognise that mass uncontrolled migration threatens these institutional and cultural foundations, and should therefore be curbed.

There is a strong and principled case for acknowledging the right of individual countries to control their own borders.

A second and related argument is that liberal democracies cannot preserve their sovereignty, cultural unity and liberties if they open their doors to too many migrants whose cultural beliefs and values are fundamentally at variance with those of a free society. This truth is particularly relevant to the question of mass migration from the Muslim world, especially within the context of the global spread of radical Islam.

Freedom to Critique Islam

As the annual reports of international human rights monitoring organisations like Freedom House regularly reveal, most of the Islamic world is blighted by religious intolerance, sectarian violence and political tyranny. Women largely remain second-class citizens, freedom of thought and speech is non-existent or heavily restricted, and the rights of religious and ethnic minorities are generally trampled underfoot.

Some two million Christians, for example, have been driven out of their Middle East homelands over the past 20 years. But the greatest victims of Muslim violence and intolerance have been and continue to be other Muslims. According to a 2007 study by Harvard-trained scholar and Middle East expert Daniel Pipes, and Professor Gunnar Heinsohn of the University of Bremen:

…some 11,000,000 Muslims have been violently killed since 1948, of which 35,000, or 0.3%, died during the sixty years of fighting Israel, or just 1 out of every 315 Muslim fatalities. In contrast, over 90% of the 11 million who perished were killed by fellow Muslims.¹

To highlight these facts, and the difficulties they pose for European countries struggling to control immigration from the Muslim world, is not to indulge in Islamophobia or to deny the fact that most Muslims currently living in Western countries live at peace with their neighbours and contribute to our societies. It is simply to draw attention to what is a genuine political and cultural problem widely acknowledged by liberal Muslims and human rights activists.

In March 2007, for example, a brave group of Muslim writers and intellectuals came together at a ‘Secular Muslim Summit’ in St Petersburg, Florida, USA, and issued a freedom manifesto called The St. Petersburg Declaration. This declared, amongst other things, that:

We see no colonialism, racism, or so-called ‘Islamophobia’ in submitting Islamic practices to criticism or condemnation when they violate human reason or rights…We demand the release of Islam from its captivity to the totalitarian ambitions of power-hungry men and the rigid structures of orthodoxy…²

Against this background, is it really ‘racist’ or illiberal for Western governments to seek to limit the entry into their countries of large waves of migrants? These will inevitably include a minority of Muslims who advocate Sharia law, do not recognise freedom of conscience or speech, treat women as inferior beings, and feel no loyalty or attachment to their host communities.

Liberal democracies cannot preserve their liberties if they open their doors to too many migrants whose cultural beliefs and values are fundamentally at variance with those of a free society.

Protecting Personal Freedom

It remains, finally, to observe that peace, harmony and wealth creation depend primarily on the voluntary co-operation and enterprise of private individuals, organisations, and businesses - that is, on all the myriad relationships, activities, and institutions of civil society outside the State.

Therefore, a peaceful and harmonious world requires that the coercive power of government be kept to a minimum, and maximum scope be given to personal initiative, effort and creativity.

That may seem a utopian dream, but such a world is more likely to become a reality (at least in part) if its existing free societies retain (or re-gain) their sovereignty and independence, trading freely with each other and co-operating in defensive alliances and the pursuit of common solutions to regional and global problems.

In such an international environment of competing tax systems, centres of power, and legal jurisdictions, connected to each other by free trade, travel and communication, private individuals and independent institutions will always have more room to breathe, and greater freedom of action, than if they are imprisoned within a world of regional power blocs – or, worst of all, some monopolistic system of global government.

Note Well

The single most important historical fact about the 20th Century is that more people (170 million of them) died in internal repression under tyrannical rulers and governments, than in all its wars combined.³

Bearing this in mind, no true friend of liberty should have any hesitation in opposing the misguided idealism of those who believe that abolishing national sovereignty will lead to a better world.

References

1 Click here for full details.
2 Click here to read the full text of the Declaration.
3 For fuller details, see: R.J. Rummel, 1996. Death by Government. Transaction Publishers, USA. Also The Black Book of Communism (Harvard University Press, USA, 1999).

The phoney war is over. The battle with the EU has begun.

Both our Prime Minister and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, have made statements this week. It feels rather like the first nine months of World War II, when nothing much happened and then soon after Dunkirk the Battle of Britain began and the German Luftwaffe began bombing the City of London.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has declared that Brexit is going to be very bad for Britain. What Germany failed to do through military attack in the 1940s they now intend to do through economic power. They are intent on luring banks away from London to Germany and they are determined to force Britain to pay as much as possible. Brussels, at the same time, is stepping up the political war against Britain. It’s all beginning to get quite nasty – but these are only the opening salvos of conflict.

We all knew that it was not going to be easy. But the majority of the population voted to leave the European Union despite plenty of warnings before the Referendum that it would be tough. We knew it would be a battle but what most people probably did not know is what sort of battle it would be.

Judging the Nations

We were discussing this in the Issachar Ministries office this week and remembering the international gathering of ministry leaders at Mount Carmel in Israel back in 1986, when Lance Lambert received a prophecy that we all believed was a word from the Lord. It was based on Haggai 2:6 where God promises to “shake all nations” and at the same time he will “shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land”.

All the leaders present believed that this prophecy would shortly be fulfilled in our lifetime. The word Lance received was:

I will judge the nations and the time is near. It will not only be by war and civil war, by anarchy and terrorism, and by monetary collapses that I will judge the nations…I will also judge them by giving them over to their own ways, to lawlessness, to loveless selfishness, to delusion and to believing a lie, to false religion and an apostate church, even to a Christianity without me.

Germany and Brussels are stepping up the political war against Britain – but these are only the opening salvos of conflict.

When we were discussing this, one of my colleagues said, “If you want to know what God is doing to fulfil his purposes today you only have to look at what the enemy is up to, because the ‘father of lies’ always knows what is important to God.”

So, what’s going on in the European Union that is making Germany and Brussels so angry with Britain and can also be seen to be anti-God? Of outstanding significance is its movement towards the establishment of a ‘United States of Europe’ in which each of the members would lose their sovereign identity.

The political elite were making good progress towards achieving this objective, until Brexit shattered their dreams. But many Christians believe that our sovereign identity is given by God and should not be surrendered. Deuteronomy 32:8 says that God “gave the nations their inheritance” and “set up their boundaries”.

Long-Term Objective

Back in 1993 when the Treaty of Maastricht was signed there was a meeting of the secret Bilderberg Group in Greece. Of course, the Group never make any announcements about their deliberations or policy agreements. But it is significant that two British politicians, Kenneth Clarke and Tony Blair (one Conservative and one Labour) who were there at the meeting, subsequently wrote articles in British newspapers in support of the abolition of the pound and the Bank of England, and in favour of a European single currency and European Central Bank.¹

The political elite were making good progress towards achieving their objective of a super-state, until Brexit shattered their dreams.

Both of these politicians today are ardent supporters of the European Union and anti-Brexit campaigners – Tony Blair is currently saying that he’s going to return to active politics to fight Brexit. There are numerous other British politicians, including a number in the House of Lords, who are fighting against Britain’s decision to leave the EU – men such as Denis Healey who died in October 2015.

Healey was one of the early members of the Bilderberger Group (founded 1954) and was Secretary of State for Defence and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government. He hated UKIP and was an active supporter of a united Europe for many years. In 1979 he received the Grand Cross of Order of Merit from Germany for his efforts to bring about a united Europe – a policy that was part of Hitler’s 1942 ‘New Order’ plan.

Elitist Pressure

There are many like Healey still active in the House of Lords who are determined to keep Britain in the EU, which is a major reason why Theresa May called a General Election - to strengthen the Government’s hand in the negotiations to leave, which anti-Brexit politicians would love to undermine.

The backlash against this elitist group of politicians with their globalist objectives has been the cause of the populist uprising that brought Brexit in the UK, Trump in the USA and rank outsiders Macron and Le Pen in France.

There is no way of measuring the reasons why people have been voting for popularist candidates and rejecting the ruling elite. At least part of the reason must be a growing awareness of the obscene salaries and bonuses that globalist elites have been awarding themselves whilst avoiding paying taxes – but perhaps more broadly it is because ordinary people feel an ominous sense that there is something wrong with the current system and the direction in which it leads.

There are many politicians in both houses who are determined to keep Britain in the EU.

The PM and the People

In the current climate of populism, a remarkable political development has been seen in the local council and regional election results in Britain this week. The swing to the Conservative Party appears to go against popular trends. This could be very largely due to the way Theresa May has been able to distance herself from the political elite.

Her inaugural speech outside 10 Downing Street on the day she became Prime Minister set the tone of her leadership, when she declared her concern for ordinary working people who were having difficulties in making ends meet.

At the Conservative Party Conference, she signalled an end to the David Cameron style of government favouring the better off. She pledged a quiet revolution, rightly perceiving the significance of the Brexit vote among working-class voters. The increase in the Conservative vote this week has underlined her success in aligning herself with the populist cause – although it remains to be seen whether or not the high hopes she is creating will be realisable.

Wake Up, Church!

Probably only a small percentage of those who voted to leave the EU did so because of theological convictions that the EU is a demonic institution and that if our national future is to be prospered by God’s blessings, we have to repent of our ungodly laws and policies, many of which were inspired by the EU. But thankfully, God does not require a democratic majority in order to answer the prayers of his people!

God does not require a democratic majority in order to answer the prayers of his people!

The biblical strength of the new Government in June and the success of the Brexit negotiations do not depend upon chance – they depend on prayer, on the faithfulness of the Church and on the sovereign choice of God.

Perhaps the most pertinent question is – are Christians in Britain prepared to go into battle, not only against greedy globalists where they would have popular support, nor just against secular humanists who are brainwashing our children in state schools and are exercising their influence in the media and government, but against the spiritual powers of darkness that are contending right now for the soul of the Western nations?

Ultimately, this battle is not as much about the destiny of nations (though of course this matters) as it is about the eternal futures of millions of individual citizens and their chance to hear the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is essential that Christians should understand the spiritual nature of the battle and the importance of mobilising the power of focused, believing intercession at this crucial hour in world history.

References

1 The information in this paragraph is drawn from Rodney Atkinson, Europe’s Full Circle: Corporate Elites and the New Fascism’ Computing Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1996, p89.

Will Theresa May’s judgment about what is best for Britain prove correct?