Clifford Denton begins to draw his series to a close, looking at the fruit that is born when our heritage in relation to Israel and the Jews is properly understood, and our relationship with them repaired.

Since April, through this series on Christianity, Israel and the Jews we have surveyed extensively the many factors that have led to the Christian Church distancing itself from its heritage in relation to Israel and the Jewish people. By studying these issues, we begin to understand how to repair what has been lost. It is like digging the weeds and stones from around the roots of a plant, so that the roots will go down deeper, feed on the nourishing soil and thereby produce better fruit. This is one metaphor.

Another, and the most appropriate, is the Olive Tree of Romans 11. It could be that some branches of Christianity were never grafted into the Olive Tree. As such they will produce a form of religion that lacks life. Other branches that were grafted in bear better fruit through drawing on what Paul calls "the nourishing sap".

In summary:

• God made a Covenant with Abraham.
• Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were chosen as the heirs of the Covenant.
• The Covenant is fulfilled in and through faith in Yeshua HaMashiach - Jesus the Messiah.
• All who have faith in him, and live in fellowship with the Father through this faith, are members of the one covenant family.
• Even though some of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were cut off through unbelief, many have been (and will still be) grafted into the Olive Tree.
• Believers from the Gentile world were also grafted into this existing family of faith, coming to share in its heritage and history.
• By understanding the Covenant and how to use the Bible as one united Book, we can draw deeper into spiritual wells of salvation.
• By understanding who we are as the Covenant People of God we can develop a biblical, balanced understanding of Israel – past, present and future.

Together with those from the Nation of Israel who live by faith in the One True God and his Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, we learn how to live a fruitful life in an increasingly alien world, emphasising those things that strengthen our faith, our families and our communities. These include:

• Bible study from foundations to fulfilment, using all appropriate tools of language, history, geography, culture and personal testimony
• Prayer
• Care of the poor and isolated
• Strengthening the home and thereby our community of faith, through the principles of community life passed on through our entire biblical heritage
• Demonstrating to the world around us, through our living testimony, how the Covenant given to Abraham is manifested in the life of faith in Yeshua, Jesus our Messiah
• A balanced understanding of God's purposes in Israel
• An understanding of the prophetic purposes of God - past, present and future

Renewing Our Minds

This series has argued that the major key to the future fruit of our lives and ministries lies in renewing of our mind-sets, or ways of thinking, towards Israel and our covenant and biblical history.

We need not compromise with forms of Judaism that do not recognise Jesus as Messiah and are thereby lacking the full life of our New Covenant faith. But we can still maintain a healthy and respectful relationship with Jewish communities - indeed, our scriptural injunction is to pray for Israel.

This series has argued that the major key to the future fruit of our lives and ministries lies in renewing our mindsets towards Israel and our covenant history.

What we will gain, through right and balanced relationships, is a fresh perspective on the Church's heritage from Israel and the Jewish people, helping us to walk out biblical truth into biblical lifestyle, not according to ritual but according to the life of the Holy Spirit. Some of these areas where the life and heritage of Israel can help are:

• Hebrew thought
• Love and marriage
• Principles of prayer and worship
• The place of the home
• Sabbath
• Feasts including the centrality of Passover, as fulfilled in the communion celebration
• Generational harmony and stages of life
• Blessings
• Teaching our children
• Discipleship including baptism
• Social action
• Ethics

As we explore our heritage in these areas, we will enter into the fulfilled covenant family in a new and living way. This is more important than ever as the world goes forward into its last phases of history.

For Reflection and Comment

Would it be an exaggeration to suggest that the Christian Church could be both renewed and revived by putting right what has been lost over the centuries because of unfortunate rifts between Jews and Christians? How does this relate to the one new man of Ephesians 2:15?

Next time - series penultimate: Note on the Hebrew Basis of Scripture

This study is part of a series on Christianity, Israel and the Jews.

Prophecy Today UK sends an open letter to Her Majesty the Queen.

Despite all the problems our nation has faced over the last year, we at Prophecy Today found a little encouragement over the Christmas season to hear the Prime Minister's affirmation of Christian values in our nation and also the Education Secretary's resolve to promote the Christian heritage of Britain in our schools.

Most of all we were greatly encouraged by the Queen's Christmas message - perhaps the most overtly Christian message of her reign. The message can be accessed for three more weeks on the BBC website and is worth listening to several times as an encouragement and as a prompt to our New Year prayers for the nation.

The Board of Prophecy Today UK has sent a short letter to the Queen, copied in full below.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
Buckingham Palace
London
SW1A 1AA

Your Majesty,

We at Prophecy Today UK would like to thank you for your 2015 Christmas Broadcast. In these challenging days it was so refreshing and encouraging to hear such a clear message of hope and love founded firmly on the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We would also like to encourage you as you enter another year of service to our nation, and to assure you of our ongoing prayers for you, your family and the Government.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Clifford Denton

Chairman
Prophecy Today UK

On behalf of the Ministry Board and our Supporters

It's official! Well, that is, according to the report released by former senior judge, Baroness Butler-Sloss. The thin end of the wedge is getting thicker...

Baroness Butler-Sloss's two-year commission involving leading religious leaders from all faiths has concluded that Britain is no longer Christian and recommends that public life should be systematically de-Christianised.

Because of the rise of other faiths, including Islam, the report says that a "new settlement" is needed to give a public voice to those of all religious persuasions and none. This would gradually neutralise any Christian influence in our schools, taking overt Christian teaching from RE lessons and assemblies and challenging the existence of faith schools.

A case is also built for the reduction of the number of Church of England bishops in the House of Lords giving their places to a wide variety of input from other faiths and denominations.

There is also a recommendation for all national and civic events - including the next coronation – to be designed to reflect "the pluralist character of modern society".

The Thin End of the Wedge is Getting Thicker

For some time, we at Prophecy Today have realised that there is a 'thin end of the wedge' regarding subtle attacks on the Christian foundations of our society. All too quickly we are now down to the thicker part of the wedge that is being driven in by humanists and those with multi-faith persuasion.

Though this report does not have a direct impact on the laws of the UK it clearly demonstrates how far we have gone during just one generation. There will be many who have no concern for our nation's history and heritage who will draw strength from this report and the battle lines are being drawn up for the defence of the Faith in our nation.

This report clearly shows how far we have gone during just one generation – the thin end of the wedge has suddenly got much thicker.

Of course we ourselves have monitored with concern the declining numbers attending church and have noted the numbers of those of other religious persuasions increasing across the nation, but our use of the data must be quite different from that of Baroness Butler-Sloss's committee.

Is Britain a Christian Country?

In reality, Britain is not - and never was - a 'Christian country' in an absolute sense. The country has never been entirely full of born-again believers. Yet, when the leadership of the nation has upheld biblical truth and when our laws have been moulded to conform to biblical precepts, Almighty God has protected and prospered us so that the world around has recognised us as, at heart, a Christian country.

The basis of our constitutional position, as we have so often stated, is the central tenet of the 1953 Coronation Oath: the Queen's promise to "maintain the laws of God and true profession of the Gospel". Thank God that this promise and foundation stone remains in place during our Queen's reign. Not only is this Her Majesty's commitment, it is also the commitment of every member of the House of Commons and House of Lords, made through their own oath or affirmation on entering office.

Though a baroness can lead a committee to seek to erode this away, it is in accordance with our constitutional principles and laws that they themselves – including the baroness - have made this commitment. That far we are a Christian country – a backsliding Christian country perhaps, but nevertheless committed to the God of the Bible by strong personal oaths.

Britain is not and never has been a totally Christian country. But at the base of our monarchy and Government still lie strong personal oaths of commitment to the God of the Bible.

Who is Defending the Faith?

It is often said that the UK has an unwritten constitution, which gives the impression that our position is vague and therefore, to some degree, subject to matters of opinion. This is not true when studied from the viewpoint of the Coronation Oath and the many centuries of development of laws and customs that brought us to today. Yet it can be treated as vague if one has a mind to do so and if the nation is led by those who choose to ignore the central principles that were passed on.

Concerned by this, a few years ago I set about writing around to see if I could pin down who is responsible for the checks and balances of maintaining our constitutional position. Starting with the Palace I tried to ascertain how the Queen viewed her Oath and how she would seek to fulfil her vows especially when a new law came up that was against biblical principles. Many of her subjects have also urged her to lead the nation in prayer as did her father in the Second World War.

'There is No Mechanism...'

The answers I have received constantly refer questions back to the Government - most often to the Home Office. The Queen certainly takes her Oath seriously at a personal level but has assumed the role of a 'Constitutional Monarch' who defers to her ministers and signs without question whatever is passed into law through Parliament.

Finding the Home Office non-committal, the next point of enquiry was to try to find the governmental office responsible for constitutional issues, with the question as to whether there is any department in the government that specifically tests government decisions on their conformity to the Coronation Oath. This office has changed its name from time to time. Finally, I located the Constitutional Settlements Division at the Ministry of Justice at 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ. This is the reply that I received in full:

Dear Dr Denton,

Thank you for your letter of 17th January 2010. I apologise for the difficulties you have encountered in sending this letter to the appropriate department. We are the team responsible for Constitutional Policy and the relationship between Church and State, and have been asked to respond to your letter.

"The Government does not accept that The Queen has signed any Acts of Parliament which contradict the Coronation Oath. The Coronation Oath is a personal Oath, sworn by the Monarch during the Coronation, when she was asked 'Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?' There is no mechanism or particular office in place to assist Her Majesty in upholding her Coronation Oath, nor would it be appropriate for such a mechanism or office to exist. (my emphasis)

The conclusion is that responsibility for maintaining the Oath and defending the Faith has fallen into an imprecise place between Monarch and Government and, despite the Oaths and Affirmations made on entering governmental office, no-one is designated to protect our sworn status before God that Britain will seek to be a Christian country.

Responsibility for maintaining our sworn national commitment to God has fallen into an imprecise place between Monarch and Government – there is no-one designated to protect it.

What to Do?

In reality, the only people who will be concerned for our Christian heritage are Christians. Baroness Butler-Sloss's committee has opened out an issue that will deepen even further in the coming days, raising many questions for Christians about faith in the public life of the nation. Should Christians still be defending the heritage that is being systematically attacked and dismantled, encouraging our national leaders to fulfil the solemn promise to God that was made on 2 June 1953? Or should we accept that the days of 'Christian Britain' are long over – and move on?

Should the Church fight for a voice and an influence in the public realm, or should we live quietly and seek to witness where we are placed? Should we defend the use of biblical laws and principles in civic life as what's best for the wellbeing of the nation, when the nation has forsaken God himself?

In my view, answers to these questions depend on whether they are tackled during or after the reign of Queen Elizabeth. A call to repentance across the entire nation has clear context whilst the present Coronation Oath is in force. Now is the time for the rallying cry to sound out to return to our national commitment to the God of the Bible. It may be different when this reign ends. Nevertheless, whether before or after, it remains the responsibility of Christians to seek God for what he is doing and what, by implication, we should be doing. At all times this is the bottom line.

Critical Years Ahead

This issue will not go away. I would suggest that the Lord God himself will not let it be ignored. If the day comes when the foolish recommendations of Baroness Butler-Sloss's Committee are adopted, then our decline as a nation will be under the Hand of God as much as our reaping the consequences of our foolishness. This is how critical the next few years will be at an escalating pace.

The Lord God will not let this issue go away. If the recommendations of this committee are adopted, our national decline will be under the Hand of God.

"The axe is already at the root of the trees" (Matt 3:10): Clifford Hill asks if these words of John the Baptist have relevance for us today.

I have always thought that in this verse John the Baptist is speaking about judgement falling upon Israel. That is what all my commentaries say. The axe is about to cut down the tree. But John does not say this. He says that the axe is at the ROOT of the trees, not the trunk!

This changes the meaning of the metaphor: the root of the trees was being cut off so that the "nourishing sap" (to use Paul's words in Romans 11:17) from the root could not feed the tree to produce good fruit. Therefore, it would have to be cut down.

Israel's long-awaited Messiah was about to appear and John's mission was to prepare the way for him. Meanwhile, the spiritual life of the nation was being corrupted by the Scribes and Pharisees whose teachings and interpretations of the Law made life difficult for ordinary people. The Israelites were being cut off from their spiritual heritage in the teaching of Moses and the prophets, so they were unable to read the signs of the times. Jesus wept over Jerusalem: "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42).

Our Spiritual Heritage

In Britain, America and Europe since the Second World War, we have been cutting off our Judaeo-Christian roots. The 'nourishing sap' of the word of God that has blessed our nation for centuries is being cut off at the very time when we most need the guidance and the blessing of God.

Just as Jesus came to Israel at a time when they were cut off from their own spiritual heritage, so now Britain and other 'Christian' nations are cutting themselves off from their own Judeao-Christian roots."

The nations are being shaken with greater speed and severity each day but because the leaders of the Western nations do not know the word of God, they are unable to perceive the significance of what is happening. They do not know what to do: so inevitably they are making all the wrong decisions.

The Greek TragedyProtestors clashed with police outside the Greek Parliament on Wednesday.

In Brussels the Eurozone nations are struggling to save the euro. They may have succeeded in a patched-up deal to stop the Greek crisis bringing down the whole structure of European finance – but they are simply 'kicking the can down the road', delaying the day of judgement. They continue to build up a mountain of debt that will eventually become a volcano that will burst and spill out, engulfing not only Athens but the whole of Europe.

Battle in the Middle East

In the Middle East the power struggle for control of the Muslim world is increasingly centring upon the two behind-the-scenes main players in Iran and Saudi Arabia. With America's President Obama having another year to run, there is huge danger in his desire to be friendly to Iran, despite the recent treaty.

Everyone knows that the Iranian nuclear programme is not just to produce nuclear power for peaceful purposes, because they are sitting on the world's fourth greatest reserves of oil. They don't need nuclear power! What they do want is a nuclear bomb! Then they can control the Middle East and prepare to attack Israel. But if they succeed in their nuclear ambitions, the Saudis will have to do the same. They will immediately purchase a nuclear bomb and the race for survival will be on! Who will blink first?

Global Insecurities

With the rising tide of terrorism from militant Islam, the threat to world peace grows daily. So too does the danger of worldwide financial collapse. In Beijing the Communist rulers are struggling to control their stock market casino as the gambling fever that grips the nation has paved the way for a gigantic double-dealing con-trick that has swindled millions of small investors out of their savings. Clearly there is no way that a massive $3.5 trillion could have gone through a life-and-death cycle in a mere 80 trading days of normal commercial activity! Yet, the all-powerful commissars of China are powerless to protect their own people from financial disaster.

For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, there have been warning signs of these global problems for a long time. Many Christians believe that a critical point in world history will occur around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles this year which coincides with the Lunar Eclipse, the 'Super Blood Moon' on 28 September, 2015.

Whether or not this is the case, we are certainly living in volatile times. What can be done? The most effective thing Christians can do is pray – but we need to know how to pray and what to pray for. This is where knowledge of the Bible and an understanding of the nature and purposes of God are essential.

The most effective thing Christians can do is pray- but we need an understanding of how to pray and what to pray for."

When we can understand what God is doing, we know how to pray. We should be praying for our nation; for repentance for all we have done that is contrary to the word of God and the way we have cut off our spiritual roots. God is slow to anger and abundant in mercy. It is time to call upon him for help. Never was there greater need than today.