The spiritual battle raging for control of Europe has deep historical roots.

The Prophecy Today Editorial Board met earlier this week and in a time of prayer we were seeking guidance for the content of this editorial, as we approach Referendum day on 23 June.

It is in many senses a 'D-Day'– a decision day which may become a 'Deliverance Day', as it was in 1944.

We were actually meeting on 6 June and we remembered the thousands of young men who lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy on that day more than 70 years ago. As we prayed about this it became clear to us that it is the same battle being waged today – a great spiritual battle over Europe.

The Battle to Control Europe

This battle has been raging for centuries. From Charlemagne to Hitler, there have been many attempts to unify and dominate Europe – to bring all the nations of the continent under one ruling authority. What is it about Europe that makes it such a special target for those who want to rule? Why has the continent been driven by war between neighbouring nations for centuries and then in the 20^th Century been the centre of two incredibly destructive and bloody World Wars?

Could it be that there is something in the history of the continent that has got into its very DNA and which is now fighting its greatest battle for control?

Few people would deny that Hitler and his Third Reich were a demonically directed force aiming to control the whole of Europe, from the Irish Sea to the Urals. Today there are many indications that the European Union has a similar objective.

The fact that the EU has chosen to adorn its headquarters in Brussels with the statue of 'a woman riding the beast' from Greek mythology (many Christians relate this to Revelation 17) and has refused to acknowledge the Judaeo-Christian heritage of Europe in its constitution, shows how much pagan and secular humanist ideologies now dominate the continent, which was once the world centre of Christianity.

The battle to unify and dominate Europe has been raging for centuries, in different guises.

Gotthard Tunnel Opening

The opening of the Gotthard Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy on 2 June showed that the pagan spirit is very much alive in central Europe. The ceremony actually involved Satanist rituals with a cohort of acrobats representing miners in orange jumpsuits marching like zombies towards the tunnel entrance. The miners were ritualistically sacrificed in the tunnel and emerged as veiled spirits, at which point an actor dressed as a goat ritualistically consumed and mated with the veiled dancers.

All this took place in the presence of President François Hollande of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Johannes Schneider-Ammann of Switzerland and a very large crowd of sightseers. A group of church leaders also took part in a ceremony, dedicating a plaque to Saint Barbara, said to be the patron saint of miners. For more information, click here for TruNews' coverage. It is surely a demonstration of how far Europe has departed from its Judaeo-Christian roots!

Historical Turning Point

Our prayer time in the Editorial Board meeting led me to explore the spiritual history of Europe. Was there a great turning point in this history that was of huge significance?
I believe there was - and it may be found right back in the fourth century AD when the Emperor Constantine, a new convert to Christianity, called Christian leaders together from around the Roman Empire and presided over the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD - but he refused to invite any of the Jewish leaders of the Church.

Constantine had formerly been a sun worshipper and he hated Jews, who he described as 'detestable' and 'deservedly afflicted'.¹ He made Sunday the official day of rest for the Roman Empire and discarded the Hebraic calendar and feasts, for instance replacing Passover with Easter.

The recent events at the Gotthard Tunnel opening in Switzerland show just how far Europe has departed from its biblical heritage.

Fresco depicting the First Council of Nicaea.From New Testament times the Church had been predominantly led by Jewish believers in Jesus and even after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Jews were still in the majority in the Church. Following the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt against Roman rule in 138 AD when half a million Jews in Judaea were murdered, all Jews were banned from Jerusalem and Judaea. Gentiles rapidly became a majority in the Church and centres such as Antioch, Alexandria, Ephesus and Rome replaced Jerusalem as centres of Christian leadership.

The Council of Nicaea was a seminal moment in Church history, but Messianic Jews were excluded from it by Constantine. The sharp theological dispute between Arius and Athanasius which sorely divided the Church could easily have been resolved by a Hebraic theologian but there was not a single Hebrew-speaking Christian in attendance.

This was a great turning point in Church history when the Gentile Church rejected its Hebrew roots, discarding its biblical heritage and leaving the way open for the growth of anti-Semitism which has plagued Europe ever since that time.²

Jewish Persecution by Christians

Throughout European history since Roman times, Jews have been actively persecuted by Church leaders and slaughtered by Christians. As a young man, it was Luther's fervent desire to see Jews regain their place in the Church. In 1523 he wrote an essay 'That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew', urging Christians to treat Jews kindly. He said that church leaders had treated Jews with great injustice:

As if they were dogs rather than human beings; they have done little else than deride them and seize their property...If the apostles, who also were Jews, had dealt with us Gentiles as we Gentiles deal with the Jews, there would never have been a Christian among the Gentiles.³

Sadly, when the Jews refused to convert to Gentile Christianity he became their enemy, and urged the German princes to drive them from the land. In 1543 he wrote a 65,000-word anti-Jewish treatise, 'On the Jews and Their Lies' which was widely used by the Nazis in justifying their policy to exterminate all Jews in Europe.

In Britain, our record in the mediaeval period was not been much better than the Nazis' in the 20^th Century, with outbreaks of violence in towns and cities across England. In 1190, 30 Jews were beaten or trampled to death in London riots. In the same year, over 150 Jews died in Clifford's Tower in York, 57 were massacred on Palm Sunday in Bury St Edmunds and there were pogroms in several other towns.

These outbreaks of violence continued for another hundred years until in 1263, when 400 Jews were massacred on Palm Sunday in London. In 1278, when 680 Jews were imprisoned in the Tower, 290 were hanged. Then in 1290 the King in Council passed a law expelling all Jews from England – the first general expulsion of Jews from any country.⁴

A great turning point in Europe's spiritual history was the Council of Nicaea, when Jews were excluded and the Hebraic roots of Christianity discarded.

Anti-Semitism Rising Today

Today, anti-Semitism is on the rise again throughout Europe and is especially severe in France and Germany, where there are large communities of Muslims. In Britain anti-Semitism is endemic but often hidden, as in our universities and in large business enterprises such as the Co-op, which boycotts Israeli produce.

Sadly, the roots of this anti-Semitism are in the Church in what theologians call 'Replacement Theology', whereby Gentiles are said to have 'replaced' Jews in their covenant relationship with God.

This false theology, based upon inadequate biblical knowledge, appeals strongly to people with innate racist tendencies and is a powerful force among many church leaders. But it is also responsible for robbing the gospel of power by cutting the Church off from its biblical roots, opening Europe to the power of secular humanism, paganism and the onslaught of Islam.

Spiritual Attack on Europe

Today Europe is under enormous spiritual attack, at a time when it has deliberately rejected its biblical foundations and is adrift in perilous seas, while its leaders lack both compass and rudder.

Economically, they have no idea how to deal with the unsustainable amount of debt and unemployment that has been created across the Eurozone by trying to force all their economies into a single financial system. Meanwhile, mega financial organisations want Britain to remain in the EU to keep the ship afloat a bit longer, so that they can continue making vast fortunes from the mounting crises in the continent.

The rejection of our Hebraic roots has opened the door for centuries of anti-Semitism and the onslaught of other religions.

Europe is also under a great spiritual attack caused by the imploding of Islam throughout the Middle East with conflicts between Sunnis and Shias becoming more violent and destructive by the day. This is creating vast numbers of refugees and migrants - and likely will continue for decades until Islam finally destroys itself - which could take the rest of this century.

In the meantime, Muslims continue to pour into Europe. Without a strong evangelical Church and Christians on fire with the gospel to love their new neighbours and bring them to Jesus, the Islamisation of Europe is almost inevitable – unless God intervenes.

D-Day Approaches

Is it possible that God is giving Britain the opportunity on 23 June to escape the worst of the tragedy that is likely to descend upon Europe? Are we being offered a 'Deliverance Day' from the EU? God has promised that if any nation puts their trust in him he will guarantee their protection and prosperity.

The following are a few of the scriptures that Christians should be considering before casting their vote. A promise given to Israel through Moses lays down a seminal spiritual principle:

When you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you. (Deut 30:2)

This was extended to all nations through the promise given to Jeremiah:

If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. (Jer 18:7)

This month Britain has the opportunity of taking a bold step towards becoming 'A Nation Under God', whose trust is in the Lord. That cannot be achieved without recognising the plight we are in and asking God's forgiveness. Like the father in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, there would be an immediate response from God.

Are the prayers of the faithful remnant sufficiently powerful to save the nation? If Britain votes to come out of the European Union, can we become 'A Nation Under God'? What would such a nation look like?

That is the theme of next week's editorial.

References

1 Eusebius, Life of Constantine, Book 3, chapter 18.

2 This has been supported by the anti-Semitic teachings of the 'Church Fathers', including Chrysostom, Irenaeus and Augustine.

3 Luther, M, 1523. That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew. Trans. Walter I. Brandt, in Luther's Works (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1962), pp200-201, 229.

4 See Roth, C, 1941. History of Jews in England. OUP, 3rd revised edition 1978.

Clifford Denton explains how closer integration with Europe would threaten this 'voluntary covenant' with God.

A pivotal point in the debate about Britain's relationship with the EU must be our Coronation Oath, which sets us apart as a nation of declared intention, seeking to live under the rule and protection of Almighty God. With the Bible at the foundation of our laws, setting a protecting boundary for the free and open proclamation of the Gospel in our nation, with thousands of years of history to get us to 2 June 1953, the Queen led the way in commitment at the Coronation service in Westminster Abbey.

Britain has long been betraying this corporate Oath, with law changes that depart from the ways of the Bible. We also believe that the Oath has been compromised by each successive closer merger with the EU, which has no such constitution as ours, being secular and humanistic at its heart.

We reproduce below, with minor editing to bring it up-to-date, an article on this topic that was published in Prophecy Today in 1989.

THE CORONATION OATH: UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD FOR EUROPE

Is it a fanciful view of Britain's status before God to see it in covenant terms? God alone knows if that is how he sees his longstanding relationship with us. Nevertheless, so strong was our view of what the Coronation Oath meant that we used the following strapline for the article: "Britain has entered into a 'voluntary covenant' with God, through the Coronation oath. Clifford Denton explains how closer integration with Europe would threaten this unique status."

This is what we published back then. Did we foresee something of immense importance that was not being heeded at the time and that has even greater relevance now?

"What makes Britain special?" we also asked. Have we really been a nation that has been blessed and used by God? We went on to explore these questions, and we would do well to consider them again today in relation to the EU Referendum.

A key to understanding the answers to these questions is in the Coronation Oath. This Oath presents a 'voluntary covenant' with God, and attempts to offer God a framework through which he can help us to manage our affairs according to the teaching of the Bible.

This is not the covenant that God made with Israel. No nation can replace Israel as a covenant nation - but Britain has probably done more than any other Gentile nation to live in a covenant relationship with God. Surely God has helped, blessed and protected us over the centuries, despite our gross imperfections, because of this.

Britain has probably done more than any other Gentile nation to live in a covenant relationship with God.

Strangely, while this oath should be a central issue to consider in our decisions relating to Europe, it is hardly being discussed at all. Most decisions relating to national sovereignty are concerned with self-government rather than the Government of God.

Yet, an alliance with the powers of Europe on financial and political grounds represents a betrayal of the Coronation Oath and a betrayal of God himself, for there is no similar covenant within the constitution of Europe.

Historical Background

The Reformation of the 16^th Century freed Britain of papal control, but the reign of James II (beginning in 1685) threatened to undermine the Protestant framework being formed in British institutions. James' commitment to Catholicism was resisted by some prominent national leaders and this finally led to an invitation for William of Orange to come to Britain in 1688 and redress the nation's grievances.

James fled to France and this was interpreted as an abdication, whereupon a new Parliament was formed and William and Mary (James' Protestant daughter) were offered the Crown. This bloodless revolution was called the 'Glorious Revolution' and became the means by which a more secure Protestant Government could be established in Britain in the framework of (as far as a Gentile nation can go) a voluntary covenant with God.

The Bill of Rights of 1689 ensured that no future monarch could be Roman Catholic and ensured that the monarch would not have unconditional powers. The Government of Britain was put in the form of a contract between the monarch and the people through representation in Parliament.

In 1689, the Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights established a secure Protestant Government in Britain, in voluntary covenant with God.

The Coronation Vow

The Coronation Oath, made law in 1688 and taken first in the Coronation of 1689, was in the form of a vow made before God to govern Britain according to God's laws and in accord with the true profession of the Gospel. The Coronation of every monarch ever since has been a Protestant Christian service centred on this Oath. The promises made by the monarch are contained in the following words, according to law:

The Archbishop or Bishop shall say: "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this kingdom of England and the dominions thereto belonging according to the statutes in Parliament agreed on and the laws and customs of the same?"

The King and Queen shall say: "I solemnly promise so to do"

Archbishop or Bishop: "Will you to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all your judgements?"

King and Queen: "I will".

Archbishop or Bishop: "Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the gospel and the Protestant religion established by law? And will you preserve unto the bishops and clergy of this realm and to the churches committed to their charge all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain unto them or any of them?"

King and Queen: "All this I promise to do".

After this the King and Queen laying his and her hand upon the Holy Gospels shall say: "The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep so help me God".

Then the King and Queen shall kiss the book.

These words are taken directly from the Coronation Oath Act of 1688. The monarch cannot be crowned until and unless these promises are made.

Queen Elizabeth II

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth on 2 June 1953 was a solemn occasion. The young Queen went through the Christian ceremony with full conviction of what she was doing before God. Many of us were children then, and there was not the same ease of media communication as there is today, though the use of television was growing quite fast.

Thus many of us did not see beyond the royal splendour of the day to the heart of what was going on, but the Queen made her promises before God, was anointed with oil for the Holy Spirit to come upon her, took communion and was then crowned. The record of this has been kept in heaven as well as at the BBC. We are in a covenant with one another and with God because of this. This is true for all people in Great Britain.

Queen Elizabeth made her coronation vows with full conviction of what she was doing before God. The record has been kept in heaven as well as at the BBC.

Affirming the Promise

For example, every Member of Parliament makes an oath or affirmation of allegiance to the monarch. The wording of the oath is: "I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God."

This promise is the counterpart to the Queen's Oath so that she and the Government together can seek a way of establishing God's rule within the nation, our God being the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and no foreign god or new age idol.

Similarly, every time the national anthem is sung there is a reflection of the people's allegiance to the Queen and all that the Coronation Oath is intended to convey, and whenever allegiance to the Queen is promised (as, for example, in the promise of Scouts and Guides) acceptance of the Coronation Oath is implied. How many fans at our great sporting events realise that when they sing the National Anthem they are praying a prayer to God? God knows what is intended, even if the words have become empty to most of our nation!

Protection by the Grace of God

So, the British nation has established a framework of government which binds together monarchy, government and state church, also drawing in the allegiance of the people, which reflects what we are calling a voluntary covenant with the living God.

Even though we have had this framework, we have not been a perfect nation by any means, yet surely, by the grace of God, we have been a protected nation for many years. The grace of God is always beyond the bounds of our deserving. We have done a little and he has done much.

We have not been a perfect nation – but because we have had this national framework, we have been a protected nation for many years.

He took us through world wars, helped us become a prosperous nation, and gave us opportunity to reflect his ways to the world through our educational, governmental, financial and social systems as well as through the Church, which was once strong and which has known God's true revivals.

Fall from Grace

God's protection has not gone completely, but surely we are on the brink of disaster. In one generation we have turned away from the absolutes of biblical truth and law and entered an age of relative morality.

Our law structure once reflected God's laws as they are understood from the Bible, thanks to the dedicated and faithful work of many national leaders over the years. But now, our nation is reaping what has been sown through the liberalising of laws. Pornography, adultery, greed, injustice, violence, abortion, degrading sexual practice, divorce and every form of sin is rising (to which, in recent days, we can now add the re-definition of marriage away from God's order).

Contrasting the Coronation Oath with European Rule

In addition, we are now at a decision point regarding deeper alliance with the EU. The Coronation Oath represents a framework of government that is open to God's ways and to his direct help. Europe has no such framework of government.

In one generation Britain has turned away from the absolutes of biblical truth and law, and entered an age of relative morality.

Many people suspect that the religious powers all over Europe will eventually be drawn into the alliance, becoming part of a humanistic economic and political system which will reflect a seductive and anti-Christian religious and spiritual power. Whether this is true or not, we must either change the Coronation Oath or betray it in order to make firm alliance with the powers governing Europe in our present-day.

Even though the Oath was made in 1953, all that it represents is still in full force today. Surely God is more aware of this than we are. Thus, as far as all our unrighteousness is concerned, the time of judgment draws near. As far as Europe is concerned, we must attune ourselves to God's perspective on this key issue, before we risk betraying he who has protected us through the years.

What Should We Do?

The Coronation Oath belongs to the fabric of our national life – we are all involved. We must consider together just what we have offered to God through the institution of monarch, church and state.

But when it comes to the breaking of the Oath, who is responsible? This is a more complex question than we might think. It is not just the Monarch. It is also the Government, along with all who elected the Government. It is also the Church, standing by while our oaths to God are betrayed in the reversal of godly laws and false alliances with other powers. Surely the Queen should also lead the nation into repentance and the church should rise up as the conscience of the nation.

When considered in these terms, it seems almost impossible to achieve a reversal of our decline. Yet surely we know that with God all things are possible, and we have a responsibility to respond at this crucial time in the nation.

It seems impossible to achieve a reversal of our national decline. But with God, all things are possible – and Christians have a responsibility to respond at this crucial time.

The fact that God has preserved Britain as an individual nation, with its own governmental systems, for so many centuries, should be a prompt for us to reconsider any deepening alliance with Europe. We should reconsider what the Coronation Oath represents so that we might preserve and develop our heritage before it is too late.

When the bottom line is drawn it is neither the monarchy nor Europe that is the first consideration. It is the laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel that matter. The Coronation Oath has been the vehicle for their preservation whereby, within a framework of godly laws, there has been a freedom and protection for the true Gospel to go forth across the nation. This is what God has blessed and this is what we are about to give up for financial gain and political advantage within the framework of an ungodly and humanistic empire that is developing in Europe.

We believe that the spiritual powers behind the EU will attack every aspect of our godly heritage, including the British monarchy, to bring it down so that the Coronation Oath will fall with it.

Those who understand these things from a spiritual as well as practical perspective must stand together, because our spiritual adversary has already many people in high places who will use powers of finance, media and politics to drive us into Europe in betrayal of our promises to God. The flattering promises of electioneers who emphasise alliance with Europe will reflect this too. We can expect the powers at work to be both humanistic and seductive.

Endnote

The above article was written when the debate was whether the UK should abolish the Pound and adopt the Euro. The argument remains fresh for this new debate as to whether we should remain in the EU or leave - an opportunity that was barely plausible in 1989.

This week, during which has been the anniversary of the Queen's Coronation Oath, let us prayerfully weigh these things. Should we, despite all else, realise that this opportunity to leave the EU once and for all, though brought about by men, has been given us through the gracious working of Almighty God?

We re-print an important article on Britain and the EU, by former Speaker of the House of Commons, Viscount Tonypandy.

Viscount Tonypandy, former Speaker of the House of Commons and a committed Christian, was a supporter of Prophecy Today and gave us this article which we published in Vol 13(3), May 1997.

It was a time when Britain was being pressed to join the Common Monetary Fund and there were calls for a Referendum. We feel that it is still very relevant for today.

DEFENCE OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT

Viscount Tonypandy speaks out about the dangers of Britain being drawn more into the European Union

Because ancient tradition requires former Speakers of the House of Commons to avoid involvement in party political affairs, I want to begin by asserting that the future destiny of this land is not a party political issue, it is bigger than that.

It is for this reason I support the initiative in forcing the question of the European Union onto centre stage. Our people have been kept in the dark about Europe, and many have been lulled into the belief that our future is sustainable only if we obey the diktats of non-elected Brussels bureaucrats.

Losing our Liberties

We are experiencing an unprecedented erosion of our traditional liberties; as both our fishermen and our farmers can testify. We are also suffering an ever increasing interference in our domestic, social, political and economic life. We realise how much dust has been thrown in our eyes, so that we have not properly seen where we are being led.

Monumental and historic decisions have been taken in our name, but they have not been made fully public. A supreme example of this chicanery is provided by our famous Fisheries Act which prevented Spanish fishermen sailing under our flag and taking a quota of the fish allocated to us. After the Bill had careful scrutiny in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords it was sent to the Privy Council where the Queen in person gave her approval. Thus it became law – or so we thought! How wrong we were!

The politically motivated European Court of Justice instructed us that our Fisheries Act was illegal. They defined limits on what our Parliament could legislate. Our Westminster Parliament was humiliatingly put behind the European Union! As a further measure of contempt for Westminster, Europe proceeded to give the bullying Spanish fishermen authority to demand compensation for the period that our Privy Council and our Parliament, by our legislation, kept them out of our waters.

What has happened to this proud nation that we allow anyone to treat us in this arrogant way? Has our pride already been consigned to the history book? Nay, I do not believe that. A national referendum is vital to prove that the fallacy is wrong.

We are still proud to be British and no German dominated European Union will ever succeed in crushing that pride.

Britain today is stirring anxiously as it is beginning to realise the extent of the betrayals we have suffered. Our young people are awakening to the peril threatening their future.

Common Market

The largest Common Market in the world is that forged by Canada, the United States of America and Mexico. They function quite successfully without a common currency! They do not intervene in each other's internal affairs. They are not troubled by calls for integration or by threats to each other's national sovereignty. That sort of common market makes sense. It was for that sort of common market, and only that sort, that Britain linked with Europe!

We have been victims of deceit! Britain said 'yes' to the type of common market we see across the Atlantic. As for a common parliament and a common bank – we have never had an opportunity to give our opinion.

Intrigue in high places has embargoed knowledge of secret negotiations reaching the people. In the name of human rights, we demand the chance to decide our own destiny that is the real issue at this time.

Chancellor Kohl's Aim

Listen to the chilling words of German Chancellor Kohl when he was addressing his own people earlier this year (1997). "The future will belong to the Germans – when we build a house of Europe."

Forgetting that the world was listening he added, "In the next two years we will make the process of European integration irreversible. This is a really big battle, but it is worth the fight."

It certainly was for Germany! As for us, if we fail to read the menace in the German Chancellor's announcement of his aims we shall betray our heritage. When German chancellors outline in advance what their intentions are, it is criminal irresponsibility not to take their threats seriously (surely that is a lesson we have learned from history after two world wars!).

We said yes to a common market - as for a common parliament and common bank, we have never had the opportunity to give our opinion.

Parliamentary Government

My life has centred around Parliamentary Government in this country. I hold it in the highest esteem, because I know that Parliament is not a caucus of clever creatures who are free to do what they like in Government. The House of Commons is an assembly dependent on a mandate from the nation. And every Government is answerable to the House of Commons.

No cabal of politicians elected for a maximum of five years' service as MPs without any guarantee that they will be even Members in any subsequent Parliament has ever been trusted with a mandate to diminish our heritage, or to barter away our liberties.

The question of a single European currency involves explosive consequences for the UK. We are fortunate because we have one of the most sophisticated electorates in the world; our people have an instinct that alerts them to any threat to our democratic way of life. When we, the British people, are given the vital information, we will tell Parliament the direction in which we demand to go. They will not tell us. We will tell them. Our intellectuals are not less able to assess conflicting issues than are our parliamentarians.

In Britain, parliamentarians serve the people. They do not tell us which direction to take - we tell them.

A referendum, conducted before our Government takes decisions concerning either a single currency or irreversible integration, will compel the production of facts that the electorate has every right to know, but which have not hitherto been fully revealed.

British Constitution

Our unwritten constitution is based on a sure foundation, that has served us well for centuries and that is that no Parliament can bind its successors. Yet this fundamental principle disappears if we integrate with the European Union or have a single European Currency which would make it inevitable. Our gold and currency reserves would be handed over to the European Central Bank in Germany as a 'common resource'. Every future parliament in Britain would be bound and manacled to the biased Brussels bureaucrats.

If any future parliament in this land says, "Enough is enough; we wish to readjust our relationship with you", do you think that the Frankfurt Bank would return our gold and currency reserves? Of course not! Chancellor Kohl has outlined his plans for Europe and I take him seriously. He has warned us that he is intent on making integration irreversible.

Once integrated, there will be no getting out. Integration would be the unforgivable crime of yielding up the liberties and rights for which so many of our compatriots nobly fought and died.

Those who believe that they can frighten or bully us into accepting integration make an old mistake. They underestimate the character of the British people; apparent apathy is grievously misleading to them: a steel-like determination to survive as a nation is part of our make-up.

Those who believe they can frighten or bully us into accepting integration underestimate the character of the British people.

Economic Issues

We fool ourselves when we talk of economic advantages in belonging to the European Union. Europe, sadly, is a diminishing not an expanding factor in world trade. Its significance in world markets diminishes daily. This is not my opinion. It is a fact. In any case we shall continue to trade with Europe, even if we are outside the Economic Monetary Union, but never forget global trade is our vital lifeline for our island history.

We need a referendum badly and we need it before any new decisive moves are made by any Government in this country concerning Europe. For me, the issue towers over party political considerations. It is a concern whether this nation survives with its cherished liberties or not. Give us a referendum in time and we will survive. I am in harmony with the sturdy defence of our British Parliament advanced by my predecessors in the Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons.

For me to remain silent now would be an act of treason, for such cowardice would betray the noble heritage handed on to me by former Speakers of the House of Commons.

God bless your efforts, as you battle for Britain, I wish you well.

Is the latest American Civil War a threat to Britain? Dr Hill tackles a controversial subject.

What started as a minor dispute in North Carolina has become a battle raging across the whole of the United States. It has the potential of threatening the social stability of the nation and is likely to spread to Britain.

A national debate has been in progress for some time in the USA on 'transgender rights'. President Barack Obama's administration issued a statement on 13 May declaring that all public schools must allow transgender students to use the bathroom (toilets, locker rooms and showers) of their choice. The statement was accompanied by a threat to withdraw federal funding to schools, colleges and universities that did not comply with this regulation.

States Sue the President

North Carolina accused the President of carrying out "a massive social experiment". They objected on the grounds that this was putting children at risk and the Obama Government threatened to withhold $1.4 billion in federal funds from the University of North Carolina. This triggered a lawsuit against the Federal Government from eleven US States, led by Texas. They were joined by Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona and Maine.

A lawsuit has been triggered against the Federal Government from eleven US States.

The lawsuit said that the Obama administration had "conspired to turn workplace and educational settings across the country into laboratories for a massive social experiment, flouting the democratic process, and running roughshod over commonsense policies protecting children and basic privacy rights." The Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, said "We are willing to fight this all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to".

Protection

Transgender rights advocates argued that it is transgender people who need protection, particularly transgender women who are disproportionately the victims of assaults, and would be forced to use men's toilets if states succeed in forcing people to use toilets matching their sex at birth.

Opponents say that if the Obama administration succeeds in enforcing this regulation nationwide it would mean that children who are dissatisfied with their gender could use any school facilities of their choice: a boy wishing to be a girl could use the girl's toilets, locker rooms and showers.

Child Abuse

Adults ought to look at this issue from the point of view of a child. It is a perfectly natural thing for some girls to say they wish they were a boy or vice versa. My own daughter went through a phase of joining in the boys games and inviting all the naughty boys to her parties but today she is a fashion-conscious young lady and would doubtless be embarrassed to be reminded of what she was like at age 10! To allow boys or girls to choose the toilets of their choice would certainly be disastrous and would lead to endless accusations of assault.

It is a perfectly natural thing for some girls to say they wish they were a boy or vice versa.

The whole of this battle is going under the heading of 'anti-discrimination' and linked with race and community relations legislation such as the banning of hate speech. As such it represents a fundamental threat to the stability of society and needs to be seen, not just in its social context, but in terms of the moral and spiritual implications for the whole of Western civilisation.

'Bathroom Battle'Inclusive Rest Room

This 'bathroom battle', as it's known in the USA, is the latest stage in a philosophical/spiritual war that has been raging for more than 30 years. Back in 1971, the Gay Liberation Front (as the political action arm lobbying for homosexual people) published a manifesto in which they stated their long-term goal as:

To rid society of the gender role system which is at the root of our oppression. This can only be achieved by the abolition of the family as the unit in which children are brought up. We intend to work for the replacement of the family unit, with its rigid gender role pattern. Children must be liberated from the present condition of having their role in life defined by biological accident: the commune will ultimately provide a variety of gender free models. [emphases added]

Replacing family and marriage

Their objective was, and still is, to replace family and marriage with a Communist-style 'commune' that is entirely gender-free and free of all rules and regulations regarding sexual activity. This would make even paedophilia a normal activity. The strategy for achieving this objective is based upon the Marxist philosophy of breaking down social norms to promote moral anarchy and to reach a point of breakdown of the social order which would enable the establishment of a new social order to take place.

The gay lobby's strategy for achieving their objectives is based upon Marxist philosophy.

There is a strong religious motive underlying this – a hatred of the biblical account of Creation, in which is rooted the distinction between male and female, that is perpetuated through the establishment of a marriage covenant as the means of procreation, which is tightly bound by promises of faithfulness and prohibition of adultery. The biblical regulations also state that homosexual practices are "detestable" to God (Lev 18.22).

Hatred of God

Underlying the desire to destroy family and marriage is a hatred of the God of Creation portrayed in the Bible, and this has become a driving force in the whole secular humanist movement that has been growing within Western civilisation since the 1960s. The latest attack on gender is portrayed as a measure to 'eliminate sex-discrimination', but it is an attack upon the whole biblical basis of Creation. Unless this is recognised it will lead to accelerating family breakdown and child abuse, and it will undermine the foundations of our Judeo-Christian civilisation.

The secular humanist movement has been growing within Western civilisation since the 1960s.

Church's Record

Sadly, the church's record of leadership in this area has not been good. Back in 1998, the Church of England published a report on family and marriage entitled Something To Celebrate. It made the astonishing statement that "the church should abandon the phrase 'living in sin' and respond with understanding and discernment to the widespread practice of cohabitation" (p117). The same report commented "A great many gay and lesbian people grow steadily in fidelity and in mutual caring, understanding and support, whose partnerships are a blessing to the world around."

At the time of publication I said in the magazine Prophecy Today, "With teaching like this it is small wonder that the nation is confused and we live in a moral maze driven by the forces of evil and with no spiritual anchor to hold the nation steady when storm-force winds of change are blowing". Of course we should love and care for ALL people but that does not mean abandoning biblical values.

Perhaps the greatest need today is to pray for eyes to be opened and for Christians to build up a wall of prayer around the word of God, as the Jews in captivity in Babylon built up a wall of prayer around the Torah that enabled them to hold fast to their faith. Pray also that the word of God is faithfully and lovingly presented to the nation, "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty" (Zech 4:6).

Today's Christians need to build up a wall of prayer around God's word, just as the Jews in Babylonian captivity built up a wall of prayer around the Torah that helped them remain faithful.

When was the first national referendum in recorded history?

The answer is in Deuteronomy 30, where Moses had in front of him the whole nation of Israel. He knew he was near the end of his life and he called them to make a choice that would have a lasting effect upon the future of the nation. This was the choice he presented: "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction."

A similar choice is being offered to the British people today, but it is being obscured by a multiplicity of opinion and a paucity of facts. There is grave danger of voter fatigue overtaking the Referendum campaign. We are already on overload with politicians, big business moguls and celebrities bombarding us with their versions of 'facts and figures'. A large portion of the population is still undecided, and is likely to be put off voting by the increasing intensity and nastiness of the debate.

Nasty Debate

The suggestion last week that the whole EU project is being driven by Germany's desire to control Europe under a unified structure, thus completing the work of Napoleon and Hitler, took the debate to a new level of nastiness. Historically, of course, there is a lot to support such a contention. But Germany's remarkable rise from the ashes of defeat and destruction in 1945 to its present prosperity is a demonstration that the Protestant Work Ethic is more powerful than military force.

It may well be Germany's aim to create a 'European Super-State' in which, as the largest economy, she will have the greatest share of power and will be able to dominate the rest of Europe. But our objective in this article is to point to issues that are being bypassed by campaigners on both sides of the debate. These are the spiritual issues at the heart of national identity.

The spiritual issues at the heart of Britain are being bypassed by campaigners on both sides of the debate.

Setting Out a Reminder

What Moses did in the formative days of Israel, in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt, was to remind the people of the spiritual journey that had brought them to this point. He said:

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt. (Deut 7:7-8)

Moses not only reminded the people of the good things that God had done in the days of their forefathers, but he also reminded them of the teaching they had been given, including the 10 Commandments, setting out the standard of behaviour required if they were to continue enjoying God's blessing. He stated clearly the blessings of being in a right relationship with God and the inevitable consequences of forsaking God.

Each of these is clearly stated in Deuteronomy 28:16-29. In politics Moses said that disobedience would lead to "confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to" (28:20) and his final point in terms of relationships with other nations was: "you will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you" (28:29).

When Israel came out of Egypt, Moses reminded the people of the spiritual journey that had brought them to that point – and God's goodness to them along the way.

Reviewing Our Spiritual Heritage

Of course, we cannot compare our own nation with that of Israel. Britain was never chosen by God to be in a covenant relationship. But as a nation, historically, we have chosen to accept the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be our God: and this is sealed in our Coronation Oath.

The status of adopted children is freely available to each one of us through faith in Jesus and this has been influential in the history of our nation. Under Greco-Roman Law, adopted children actually had closer ties to the father than putative children. They could not be reclaimed by their biological parents and they could never be rejected by their adoptive father.

Paul obviously knew this law when he told the believers in Ephesus (Gentiles and Jews) that God had "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph 1:5). He also wrote to the Galatians that God had sent Jesus so that Gentiles "might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out 'Abba, Father'." (Gal 4:6)

The Referendum debate gives us the opportunity of reviewing our spiritual heritage. We are a small nation and yet we have had the immense privilege of establishing the largest empire in world history that is now a commonwealth of free nations. Of course we must not overlook the many wrong things we did in the days of empire and colonialism, especially by tolerating and benefiting from the horrors of the slave trade.

But there were many good things our forefathers did in health and education and in opposing tyranny in countries that are now free to work out their own destinies. We can also thank God for the way he has blessed and protected our nation when he saved us from invasion in World War II, even though we stood alone against aggression.

The Referendum debate gives us the opportunity of reviewing our spiritual heritage.

Choose Life!

Moses urged his fledgeling nation to review their history and to re-affirm their relationship with God. He said "I have set before you life and death...Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him" (Deut 30:19-20).

Voting to leave the EU will not in itself bring peace and prosperity to Britain. But re-affirming a determination to seek a right relationship with God will undoubtedly bring an era of blessing. The great unknown is whether the faithful remnant of believers in Britain in the older generation and the rising tide of young people who are accepting Jesus as role model, Saviour and Lord, have sufficient strength to inspire the nation to embark upon a great adventure of faith.

This week: Paul's Slennett's prophecy about an earthquake in Britain.

The words of this prophecy came to Paul Slennett at an Intercessors for Britain meeting in 1989. He was woken abruptly in the night and found himself writing the words as if they were being dictated. I helped Paul to test the prophecy and we then wrote a book together entitled Earthquake in the City.

Despite being closely involved in the publication of the prophecy I, nevertheless, am endeavouring to take a neutral position in writing this article, including it in this series for the purpose of communal testing. If it is from God, then it carries a serious warning which must prompt a response. Even if at this late stage it is shown to be an invalid prophecy, then it must be rejected.

The Big Picture

Over the last few weeks an overall picture of what God is saying to our nation may have been building up as we have taken seriously the task of testing prophecies about Britain given over many years. Aspects of these prophecies may be especially relevant in light of the coming Referendum on 23 June, relating to our membership of the EU.

If we have our Bibles open while testing these prophecies, and if the prophecies themselves are valid, we should find that they fit well into the overall framework of prophetic fulfilment in which we live. For any age there are particular details within the general picture and to fill in these details is one reason why God may speak.

Another reason why God has spoken through prophecy through the ages is that at such times his own people have become rather negligent in discerning the times. Unfortunately, it is at such a time that the prophetic voice is often rejected. "Why should God speak through that man or woman and not to me?", might be the response, or, "We are doing fine, so why am I being confronted with these rantings?" or, plain and simple, "I don't want to listen". The prophetic task is never easy, and testing prophecy is just as hard as delivering it.

Sometimes God speaks through prophecy when his own people have become negligent in discerning the times.

Paul Slennett's Prophecy

The following is Paul Slennett's prophecy, in full:

My children, the alarm bells are sounding all over Europe, for judgment is being spoken out over the nations. Over your nation, Great Britain, a mighty earthquake is about to occur, an earthquake that will swallow up the whole City. Whole companies and city institutions will collapse in this earthquake, some never to rise again.

My judgment that has been withheld for so long must now be unleashed on your nation in order that my church repent and lead this nation in repentance, for I am a righteous and holy God, just in all my ways, a God who longs to show mercy, but one who will no longer tolerate the unrighteousness of my dear church. It is out of love that I visit this nation with judgment - you must know that this must always be the case. My children, repent now before it is too late, for already the day of my return draws near and you must not be found wanting, like the virgins who did not fill their lamps with oil; but awake, my children, and be my watchmen, and speak with a prophetic voice of the judgment that is about to come upon the nations.

If you repent and turn from your wicked ways, I will visit your nation, Great Britain, once again, not with judgment, but with revival power, and I will protect you from all the strategy of the enemy.

In regard to Europe, come out of her, my dear children, for she will align herself with the Beast and the False Prophet who will arise and appear for just a short while. My children, take heart, for I am with you always. Do not give up, but pray without ceasing and see the salvation of your God.

Weighing and Testing

Here are some points to consider:

• To whom is the prophecy addressed? 'My children' seems to imply that it is to the Church within the nation.
• What are the 'alarm bells'? When the prophecy was presented to the leaders of an Intercessors for Britain meeting, there were unusual weather patterns over Europe, but much more has happened since then. If valid, perhaps the prophecy was given much earlier than was thought at the time. Did God foresee, in 1989, the border and migrant problems in Europe and also the fragile economic conditions that are visible now? What else might these warning bells be?
• What would the nature of the earthquake be? This has caused much discussion, especially during the writing of the book. With physical earthquakes in many other countries, could this be a physical earthquake coming even to London, or is it a metaphor for a financial shaking? We have already experienced financial shaking and economists predict there is more to follow.
  • On the side of the physical earthquake, the very weekend when Kingsway were about to decide whether to publish the book, a national newspaper contained a warning from the British Geological Survey that Britain is overdue for a major earthquake, which we received at the time as a prophetic confirmation. Such earthquakes have occurred historically around once every 200 years. The mainstream media occasionally report with some sensationalism an impending, devastating quake,¹ although experts can never predict with accuracy when, where and with what magnitude such an event may occur. However, it remains that a significant earthquake occurring in Britain is a scientific possibility.
  • When we consider the way God gave advanced warning of the Hillsborough stadium disaster and our recent reflections on how we might have brought warning, we realise how important it is to test this part of the prophecy. Additionally, there have been some Christians who have had dreams or visions of buildings collapsing in London, but what is the Lord really saying? Perhaps if we prayerfully test this prophecy together then he will give further insight and take away our uncertainties.
• It was while this prophecy was being tested, during the writing of the book, that insight was given concerning the centrality of the Coronation Oath to our nation, against which we can assess the nation's falling away from God's ways, especially in the liberalisation of many of our laws.
• Notice that a condition is given in the third paragraph (which we look for in relation to Jeremiah 18:7-8).
• The reason why it is particularly important to test this prophecy at this time is that it includes a clear injunction to come out of Europe. During the writing of the book we reasoned that the only way out would be if a treaty could be re-negotiated, but at the time we foresaw no way, outside of an act of God, for such an opportunity to come about. Now, with such an opportunity, do we really see this as given by God?
• It may seem alarming to speak of the Beast and the False Prophet in regard to the EU, but is this similar to what Boris Johnson spoke about (in a more political way) last weekend, when he warned about the EU fulfilling, in a different way, what the Nazis had in mind?
• If the prophecy is valid then what is the timing? How does it fit with the overriding prophecy from Haggai concerning the shaking of the nations, which we believe is imminent (if not happening right now)? Could it be that we are being shown no less than the fall of cities in the anti-Christian world foretold in Revelation 18:19? Could this be the importance for Britain of taking a first step to repentance by coming out of the EU?

If this prophecy is correct it will fit into the general picture of other prophecies that we can see being fulfilled. Please join us in testing it very carefully, and do contribute to the discussion.

Next time: Some recent prophecies received by Prophecy Today UK.

References

1 E.g. see Connor, S. Expert predicts 5.5 magnitude earthquake could hit London at any time. The Independent, 16 September 2010.

If anyone thought that Christianity was dying in the traditional churches of Britain – what happened in Winchester Cathedral last week would have shattered their illusions!

Winchester Cathedral has seen many historic events in its near thousand years of history, but it will certainly never have witnessed anything like the Pentecost celebrations over the weekend of 14-15 May 2016.

Of course it's always inspiring to worship in a large crowd, but this was different for several reasons. It was not just a large crowd – it was massive! The Cathedral was packed with more than 2,000 people sitting on the floor or standing shoulder to shoulder. The only chairs were against the side walls, reminiscent of mediaeval times when the weak went to the wall. Outside was another thousand-strong crowd on the green, for whom there was no room inside the cathedral.

Like 'Murray's Mound' at Wimbledon where the action is relayed onto a giant screen, the crowd outside the cathedral were able to see all that was happening; but unlike Wimbledon they were also able to participate, along with those inside.

Baptisms by Full Immersion!

Worship was led by Matt Redman, whose rock band certainly filled the Cathedral with sound greatly appreciated by the many young people present. It wasn't my style of music but I was delighted to see so many young people lost in worship, for which I could genuinely praise God. Towards the end of the two-hour service, 14 people were baptised by immersion in a portable plastic tank in the middle of the nave (I wondered if this was a first for the Cathedral?).

The tank was near the main door, which was open so that people on the green could see. Then a number of young people, including my granddaughter, were confirmed. It was a unique experience to see David Williams, the Bishop of Basingstoke, standing in the water like John the Baptist and baptising by full immersion – in an Anglican cathedral!

It was a delight to see so many young people lost in worship - and many baptised by full immersion, in an Anglican cathedral!

The Sunday evening celebration was the culmination of nine days of prayer events leading up to Pentecost, when Christians across the country were invited by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to pray for the evangelisation of Britain. The weekend culminated in six 'Beacon events' with video links to Canterbury Cathedral where Archbishop Justin Welby gave a message based upon the Lord's prayer which he said was "reassuring enough to be on the lips of the dying and yet dangerous enough to be banned in cinemas".¹

He said, "The Lord's Prayer is simple enough to be memorised by small children and yet profound enough to sustain a whole lifetime of prayer. When we pray it with sincerity and with joy, there is no imagining the new ways in which God can use us to his glory."²

A Turning Point?

The Pentecost events in Winchester and other cathedrals celebrated the birthday of the Church when the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the first disciples. It may be a turning point in the spiritual life of the nation with the established Church leading the way in praying for the re-evangelisation of Britain and a new generation of young people leading worship and prayer in a style appropriate to their peer group.

When the music in the Cathedral reached maximum decibels, severely testing the ancient pillars and arches, I thought of Ezekiel in the Valley prophesying to the dry bones when there was "a thunderous noise and the bones came together, bone to bone" (Ezek 37:7). Most English translations say "a rattling sound" but the Hebrew actually says "a thunderous noise" which is certainly what happened in Winchester Cathedral!

Was this a sign that something special is beginning to happen in the old denominational churches? Will the spiritual life of the nation be transformed by a new generation embracing the gospel in their own culture as the Holy Spirit breathes new life into the unchanging message of salvation and "Jesus is Lord!" is once again heard on the lips of children and young people?

References

1 See thykingdom.co.uk.

2 Ibid.

What are we to make of the Prime Minister's gaffe?

The Prime Minister's gaffe (or was it deliberate?) had some unexpected consequences. He said that Nigeria was a "fantastically corrupt nation" - not the most diplomatic way of preparing for a conference on combating corruption that he himself was to chair!

The Prime Minister of Nigeria was already in London for the conference but he wisely rejected calls for an apology.

Acknowledging that there is widespread corruption in his country, he said that he would prefer the return of assets in London bought through the proceeds of money-laundering.

First, Remove the Plank...

Millions of dollars and pounds have been stolen from government funds in Nigeria by corrupt officials and politicians and squirrelled away into foreign assets, including mega London property deals. This has been going on for decades with the full knowledge of the Nigerian Government and financial authorities in London.

It is surely an embarrassment to David Cameron to be faced with these facts when hosting a conference seeking to combat corruption: especially following the recent revelations in the 'Panama Papers' which showed that his own family had used the services of offshore banking provided in British colonies.

Nigeria's President would surely be justified in quoting the little parable that Jesus used of the man who wanted to remove the speck of dust in someone else's eye when he had a plank in his own eye (Matt 7:3)! Britain's role as the oldest democracy in the Commonwealth should be that of assisting the newly democratised nations struggling to establish stability and righteous government.

London's complicity in Nigeria's corruption is an embarrassment – Buhari would be justified in asking Britain to remove the plank from their own eye before accusing Nigeria.

Cameron and Buhari at this week's anti-corruption conference, London. See Photo CreditsNigeria's History of Corruption

Nigeria has a history of political instability and corruption. In its short life since independence in 1960 there have been 10 military presidents – six of whom were either assassinated or deposed in a military coup. The first democratically elected president was in 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo came to power. A devout Christian, his stated aim was to alleviate poverty, reduce government corruption and establish a democratic system that would bring stability to the nation.

Sadly, his efforts to stamp out corruption in government were met with fierce opposition from MPs, including members of his own Government who expected to benefit from government contracts and a wide range of backhanders and personal benefits. The politicians even attempted to impeach the President as they did not like his authoritarian style of imposing reforms upon Parliament.

On my first visit to Nigeria back in the 1980s I was shocked to be stopped by police at a roadblock as we were driving out of Lagos only to be told by my driver that if I did not include some money inside my passport when I handed it over for inspection, we could be sitting in the roadblock for hours. I refused to do so and we were eventually allowed to leave. My driver went on to explain that every civil servant and minor official expected a reward for any transaction - such as applying for a passport, which could be delayed for months unless the clerical officer was rewarded.

Nigeria has a history of political instability and corruption that affects the country today at all levels.

Obasanjo also attempted to deal with religious and ethnic strife, which increased considerably during his presidency when the Muslim-dominated Northern states introduced sharia law. During the presidency of his successor, Goodluck Johnson, radicalism increased and led to the atrocities of Boko Haram and the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls who have never been found.

The current president Muhammadu Buhari said that David Cameron was right in describing Nigeria as "fantastically corrupt".¹ The scale of corruption is astonishing. Last week Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said that an estimated $15 billion (£10 billion) of government money had been stolen through corrupt arms contracts under the previous Government - and in March this year, an official audit found that Nigeria's state-owned oil company had failed to pay the Government $25 billion which had fraudulently disappeared.²

Corruption Endemic Globally

Unmasking corruption is becoming a worldwide movement as whistleblowers and justice campaigners seek to promote transparency in business and politics and social relationships.

According to Transparency International, more than 6 billion people live in countries that are seriously affected by corruption – which is most of the world's population!³ They say that 68% of countries worldwide have a serious corruption problem which includes about half of the members of the G20, and not a single nation in the world is entirely free of corruption.⁴

A campaign group Unmask the Corrupt says that corruption is "the abuse of high-level power that benefits the few at the expense of the many and causes serious and widespread harm to individuals and society."⁵

According to Transparency International, more than 6 billion people live in countries that are seriously affected by corruption – that's most of the world's population!

What the Bible Says

The Bible is full of condemnation of those who misuse their power and oppress the poor and the powerless. The Prophet Isaiah slams those who turn the moral law upside down, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness...Woe to those who acquit the guilty for a bribe but deny justice to the innocent" (Isa 5:20-23).

Some of the harshest words Jesus spoke are directed against those who carefully fulfil religious ritual requirements but neglect what he described as "the more important matters" of God's teaching – "justice, mercy and faithfulness". He condemned their actions as those of hypocrites: "You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence" (Matt 23:23-25).

The prophets and Jesus all speak of a time coming when God will deal with the greed and injustice of humanity by shaking everything that we count as important – all the things we have established, such as our democracy, our banks and great finance houses, our pension funds, our National Health Service, our justice system, our armies with their nuclear warheads poised to spread destruction across the earth – all the things in which we put our trust!

Some of the harshest words Jesus spoke were directed against those who act religiously but neglect justice and mercy.

God revealed to the Prophet Isaiah that there would come a day when he would deal with all the pride and arrogance of human beings (Isa 2:12-22) and that this would actually be a demonstration of God's justice. He says "So man will be brought low and mankind humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled. But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the Holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness" (Isa 5:15-16).

Isaiah's Apocalyptic Vision

In Isaiah 24 the Prophet describes what will happen when God rises to deal with the wickedness of human beings. It does not make pleasant reading. Earlier generations of biblical scholars used to say that this was 'apocalyptic language' – it was 'visionary imagination' which could never become a reality. But today we know that the arsenal of nuclear weapons possessed by the nations could in fact fulfil the description in Isaiah 24:19: "the earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken..."

We do not know whether this prophetic vision is given as a warning to humanity or whether it will actually happen at some time. The one thing we do know is that human beings are capable of violent and irrational behaviour and that the nations are armed with incredible weapons of mass destruction. If the North Koreans join the nuclear club the prospects of world peace become increasingly problematic.

Perhaps the London Conference seeking to find ways of combating corruption has greater significance for the future of humanity on this earth than most of us realise. This is surely food for thought – and prayer!

References

1 Nigerian President Buhari 'not demanding' Cameron apology. BBC News, 12 May 2016.

2 Ibid.

3 Corruption Perceptions Index, 2015. Transparency International.

4 Ibid.

5 UnmasktheCorrupt.org.

Clifford Denton discusses Jean Darnall's visions of revival in Britain and Europe.

Jean Darnall's visions of revival in Britain and Europe, originally seen in 1967, may well still be relevant today. They were published more recently in 1993.¹ Information concerning these visions has circulated widely and they have long been accepted as authentic prophecy to our nation. It is fitting, therefore, to include them in this short series leading up to the EU Referendum, as we consider the nation's future from a prophetic perspective.

Conditions on Prophecy

Before reviewing these visions let us first consider the matter of conditions on prophecy. Many visions and spoken words circulating today promise particular events or developments, but seem to lack conditions. It is as if they herald what is inevitably going to happen, irrespective of our response. I would, however, propose that conditions are almost always applicable to prophecies that promise future events.

Consider, for example, God's covenant with Israel. Deuteronomy 28 is a clear statement of blessings that will follow obedience and curses that will follow disobedience. This was summed up in Deuteronomy 11:26-28:

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God...The curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God... [emphases added]

The principle of conditions applying to God's vision for the future is instilled into the Hebraic mindset - a paradox of two futures simultaneously being set before a people. Which future unfolded for Israel was conditional on the way the people behaved.

The principle of conditions applying to God's vision for the future is instilled into the Hebraic mindset.

I would suggest that this Hebraic mindset should be implicit in our own testing of all prophecy. I am not saying that there are not times when the Lord acts unconditionally, but that we would be wise to accept that most predictive prophecy we receive today has conditions, even if they are not explicitly stated.

To verify this point let us read again the conditions that are stated in Jeremiah 18:7-10:

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. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in my sight so that it does not obey my voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. [emphases added]

When we see a vision from the Lord or hear a word of prophecy concerning our nation, what lies ahead is conditional on our response to the word. If we have been given a promise of blessing, it is conditional on our continuing in God's ways. If we have been given a warning of woe, its withholding is conditional on our heeding the warning and turning from our wrongdoing.

Let us have this in mind as we continue to assess the situation of the UK before God in terms of the prophecies we are testing. We must also make sure to distinguish between what the Lord is saying about our nation as a whole, and what he is saying about the community of believers within the nation. Depending on what the focus is, the requirement for response may well vary.

Jean Darnall

Now let us turn to the visions for Britain given to Jean Darnall, which were expressly to the British Church. Jean Darnall was one of the influential leaders in the charismatic movement and considered to be a reliable prophetic voice in the nation. She ministered in many other countries too. The background to her ministry is on her website. I quote here the first paragraph of her testimony:

Converted as a teenager, following a miraculous healing, Jean Darnall began her preaching and healing ministry at the age of sixteen. Later, she and her husband, Elmer, went to Panama as ordained missionaries for the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Following their missionary service, they planted Foursquare churches in Canada and the eastern United States.

The visions that she had for Britain are published in the book referenced below.² A useful summary can also be found here.

The visions were seen in 1967 and were possibly fulfilled in the charismatic movement, which was soon to break forth. However, by revisiting the visions we can test whether they have been totally fulfilled or whether there are valid aspects of them that are still relevant for the future, especially concerning Europe.

When we receive a vision or prophecy from the Lord, what lies ahead is conditional on our response to the word.

Visions of Revival

At the time in 1967, Jean Darnall was planning to go from the USA to Hong Kong via England, where she had the third experience of a vision she had seen twice before. On account of the visions, she remained for ministry in the UK.

In the vision, the British Isles were covered in green mist and there were pinpoints of light breaking through in various places which, on closer examination, were seen to be fires breaking out all over the nation, from Scotland to Lands End.

As these fires were joined together they burned brighter. Then rivers of fire flowed from North to South; from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales into England, some crossing the channel into Europe.

The fires were interpreted to be groups of people who were intensely hungry for the word of God and for authentic New Testament Christianity, showing discontent with the Church as it was and coming together in Prayer and Bible study groups in church buildings and in homes.

Jean Darnall asked the Lord about the vision and had the distinct impression that there would be two moves of God. The first would be the renewal of Christian faith and fullness of the Holy Spirit within the Church.

This would be followed by renewal of life in the church through a fresh awakening which would move into every aspect of the nation's life, including universities, colleges, schools, and into the media and the government.

Jean Darnall saw visions of successive moves of God – renewing the Church, the nation and beyond into Europe.

The character of the nation of Britain would be transformed and be followed by a move of God in Europe. Every part of the nation's life would feel the impact of the spiritual awakening and God would move in signs and wonders. Gifted communicators would address the nation through the media, including the arts, journalism, radio and television. Actors, singers, teachers and other powerful communicators would be called to this ministry and the Lord would also call many of the younger generation to it.

Weighing and Testing

This is a very brief summary of the visions, which in 1967 were received by many as prophetic. This was a prophecy to the Church at the time, but with a vision for the nation as well.

No conditions were stated so, in the light of what was said at the beginning of this study, we must consider what the conditions might be.

• How were/are the fellowships represented by the lights to come about? Was/is it conditional on prayer, and were/are the praying groups those whom the Lord would first awaken to be those lights?
• What are the conditions that would lead to the great move of the Lord across Britain and Europe also mentioned in the prophecy?
  • Reviewing the history of the Church over the decades since 1967, the charismatic movement could be seen as a fulfilment of this prophecy, but we have not yet seen a greater awakening in our nation and across Europe. Indeed, some would say, on overall reflection, that the charismatic movement has borne considerable good fruit, but also some bad fruit.
• This prophecy does not stand alone - perhaps it is part of the fulfilment of the Mother Barbara prophecy, which we highlighted two weeks ago. Also consider how it overlaps with the prophecy given by Smith Wigglesworth, which we highlighted last week. Perhaps the move of God's Spirit did not (or has not yet) merged with a thirst to study the Scriptures. Is that a condition that has to be fulfilled, and will it be fulfilled?

As we prayerfully test each of these prophecies and put them alongside others, does an overall picture emerge - of both vision and conditions for fulfilment? This is a sensitive issue and will not be resolved unless we turn to the Lord in prayer, so that is what we must do. This is a key moment in the history of the Church and of our nation.

Next time: Paul Slennett's vision concerning a coming financial earthquake.

References

¹ Black, H. Revival, Including the Prophetic Vision of Jean Darnall, New Dawn Books.

² See note 1.

There are many prophecies currently in circulation to do with Britain and her future in/out of the EU. Will you join with us so we can test these as a community?

The up-coming EU Referendum is drawing Christians all around the nation to think and pray about the direction in which Britain and Europe are headed. There have been a number of recent prophecies circulating churches and prayer groups, many of which call the UK to come out of the EU and give warnings about the direction in which the EU will eventually go.

It could not be more important for Christians to test these prophecies – so we are beginning a new series through which we might, as a community of faith, do this together. It also seems a pertinent time to re-print and test other significant prophecies for our nation that have been given historically.

Expecting Bias

In recent discussions within the Prophecy Today team we have noted that we should expect human bias in all contemporary prophecies, as a matter of course. Each of us is at a certain point in our biblical understanding and is still growing and this can shape the way we hear and speak out what we feel God is saying. We may also have denominational bias or be influenced by our educational background or life experiences.

There have been a number of recent prophecies about the EU circulating churches and prayer groups – it could not be more important for these to be tested.

There are times when the prophetic word is so strong that these biases are bypassed but we need not be embarrassed to put all prophecy to the test, or to question some elements of it. Sometimes we may deliver part of a prophecy accurately and then 'add a bit'. We are not the next Isaiah or Jeremiah, but part of the body of believers – a prophetic people acting together. All prophecy must be thoroughly tested and then we can be sure we really do have the word of God, as he confirms the understanding of his word to his people.

Seeing Prophecies in Context

Prophecy Today began in 1986 after major conferences in Israel where attention was drawn to Haggai's prophecy, repeated in the Book of Hebrews, concerning the shaking of the nations. We believe that this is the era we are in now and this is a prime reason for our re-publishing Prophecy Today online at this time. Though this view is still subject to testing, including by our readers, it continues to shape our work.

The outworking of this prophecy is involving much detail, and the prophecy itself fits into an overall 'end time' perspective. Among the issues for us to understand, therefore, is the UK's continuing membership of the EU – because whichever way we go, consequences will follow.

We believe we that the UK's membership in the EU needs to be understood in context of the wider fulfilment of Haggai's prophecy of a final great shaking of the nations.

Testing Prophecies: Things to Note

Testing of prophecy is best done methodically. We have chosen to begin our series by outlining three broad principles – though for a comprehensive testing, we recommend the list of 12 tests compiled by Dr Clifford Hill.¹

First, we know that sometimes God will do things unconditionally, even overriding human will (e.g. whilst steering us through a time of need), but apart from these times, most predictive prophecies (i.e. promises of blessing or judgment) are conditional. In these cases, 'if' is one of the big words of the Bible, and we would expect 'ifs' to feature within most contemporary prophecy.

Secondly, when we believe that the Lord has spoken, even if we feel strongly that it is from him, it is usually more helpful to ask others to test the prophecy using the words "I believe the Lord may be saying..." rather than as a direct word: "The Lord says...".

Thirdly, in testing prophecy for nations other than Israel, our reference point comes from Jeremiah 18. Jeremiah had been taken to the potter's house. Whilst telling Jeremiah what was to become of Judah, using the potter as a metaphor for how God could reform Judah, the following was revealed as God's promise for any nation: "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned" (Jer 18:7) (note the ongoing nature of the prophecy and also the 'if').

In testing prophecy for nations other than Israel, our reference point comes from Jeremiah 18.

This Week: Test the 'Mother Barbara Prophecy'

Over the coming weeks we want to lay out some prominent prophecies spoken through the last century about our nation, and test them together. Take time alone in prayer and in prayer groups to do this.

This week, let us go back to reconsider a prophecy that has encouraged many Christians, especially women's prayer groups such as the Lydia Fellowship, for decades. This is the prophecy of 1911 passed on to Mother Barbara by Bishop Aristocoli shortly before his death:

Tell the women they must belong absolutely to God. They must believe in the great things that are happening that God is doing on the earth. They must prepare their souls, their children and their husbands. And they will have very much work to do for God. Oh, what a great work the women will have to do in the end time, and the men will follow them. Not one country will be without trial – do no be frightened of anything you will hear.

An evil will shortly take Russia and wherever this evil comes rivers of blood will flow. This evil will take the whole of the world and wherever it goes rivers of blood will flow because of it. It is not the Russian soul but an imposition of the Russian soul. It is not an ideology or a philosophy, but a spirit from hell.

In the last days Germany will be divided in two.

France will be just nothing.

Italy will be judged by natural disasters.

Britain will lose her empire and all her colonies and will come to almost total ruin, but will be saved through praying women.

America will feed the world, but will finally collapse.

Russia and China will destroy each other. Finally, Russia will be free and from her believers will go forth and turn many nations to God.

Let us begin to test aspects of this:

• Helpful Style: In what has come to be known as 'The Mother Barbara Prophecy', there is no claim that it is indeed a prophecy – no "thus saith the Lord" – more measured exhortation (though there is a prophetic nature to the foretelling of the future).
• Standing the Test of Time: Much has come to pass in world history which seems to verify the prophecy, especially relating to Russia and Germany, though Germany is now reunited. Now we are in the time when clarity is needed, since implications for contemporary Europe seem to be bound up in the last sections.
• Lack of Clarity: There has been tremendous encouragement for women called to prayer that through answered prayer Britain will be saved, yet what does it mean for a nation to be saved?
• Lack of Conditions: The prophecy states that Britain will be saved, but gives no conditions on such salvation.

What else do you notice about this prophecy? We encourage you to weigh it using the twelve tests of prophecy discussed previously, to assess once more this prophetic word in the light of Britain today and its relationship with the EU.

Do post your responses below for others to see, or email them in for our consideration.

Next week: Smith Wigglesworth's 1947 prophecy

References

1 Hill, C. Prophecy Past and Present: An Exploration of the Prophetic Ministry in the Bible and the Church. Copies available from the Issachar Ministries office – email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..