Britain is lost unless Bible-believing Christians speak up.

It is not easy being a Bible-believing Christian in Britain or any of the Western nations today. 30 years ago there were prophecies that Christians would soon be facing persecution. These seemed like wild predictions – such things could never happen in nations with centuries of Christian tradition!

Today, every day there is news of Christians losing their jobs because of taking a stand upon biblical principles, or Christians being taken to law charged with so-called ‘hate’ offences because they’ve quoted the Bible or refused to bake a cake with an LGBTQ+ slogan on it.

For British Christians an increasing problem is discerning between ‘fake news’ and the truth. Our national broadcaster, the BBC, once world-famous for trustworthy reporting founded upon biblical principles of truth and integrity, has been taken over by a consortium of secular humanists, including LGBTQ+ activists and Israel-haters. Their influence can be seen in everything from soaps and entertainment programmes to news broadcasting.

The search for truth is becoming increasingly difficult in an age when we are battered on every side with different media reports that are usually more ideological than factual. Where can we find truth and integrity today?

Today, every day there is news of Christians losing their jobs because of taking a stand upon biblical principles.

Battle Between Good and Evil

Of course, there are plenty of warnings in the Bible such as:

There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Tim 3:1-5)

We all know people like this and we read about them every day in our newspapers and on the internet. But we also know of people from around the world who responded to the call for help to go and rescue boys trapped underground in a Thailand mountain. They willingly risked their own lives - and one of them actually died - in an effort to save the boys. It is an inspiring story of human bravery and self-sacrifice. Clearly there is something of great worth in our human nature that responds to such needs (as our Managing Editor describes in her article this week).

It is these two sides of our human nature, the good and the bad, that are reflected in the national life of both Britain and the USA at the moment. We are witnessing a conflict between the opposing forces of light and darkness.

Nations Torn Asunder

Both nations are being torn asunder by battles over God’s instituted truths - including gender. In the USA there are numerous legal cases being fought over the rights of transgender people to use public toilets or attempts to ban therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction.

In Britain our Government is considering a similar ban and Prime Minister Theresa May last week pledged support for making transgender processes easier. She either doesn’t understand the nature of the battle or she is deliberately forsaking her professed Christian principles for the sake of alleged political gain.

Both Britain and the USA are being torn asunder by battles over God’s instituted truths.

It is small wonder that the British Government is in disarray, the Cabinet torn apart by resignations and disagreement over the proposed Brexit terms to be offered to the EU. Once biblical standards of truth are abandoned, chaos and confusion inevitably follow: everyone makes up their own rules. This is what is happening, not only in Britain, but in all the Western nations, where their biblical heritages are being deliberately challenged.

The fundamental issue is a clash between human beings and God: do we follow our own human rules or do we accept the word of the Lord?

Rejecting the Nature of God

Paul neatly sums up the issue: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godliness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom 1:18). Paul says that the nature of God has been revealed in Creation and that once we reject the God of Creation we are driven by the destructive powers of darkness. This is why we are beginning a short series of study articles on Creation today, which we hope all our readers find helpful in their search for truth.

The Apostle Paul says that once we stop believing in God we don’t believe nothing, we believe anything! We worship all kinds of images in our idolatry. In Romans 1: 24-31, Paul outlines three stages in the degradation of humanity:

1. Human beings exchange the truth of God for a lie and worship created things rather than the Creator, which leads to engaging in all kinds of sexual impurity.
   
2. The second stage is “exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones” which includes all kinds of homosexual acts.
   
3. The third stage is when God gives human beings over “to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice”
   

I leave our readers to decide which stage we are in but we cannot ignore the fact that Britain and all the Western nations are immersed in an intense spiritual battle for their very souls, which will determine the history of humanity for the next 100 years or more.

Britain and all the Western nations are immersed in an intense spiritual battle for their very souls.

Answer to Prayer

I believe that it was in answer to prayer that God enabled the British people to vote to leave the secular humanist European Union. But the rich and powerful are combining with big businesses in a campaign to try any way they can to force Britain to reverse the decision – thus keeping us under the yoke of Brussels.

There are powerful forces in the media sponsored by big business feeding fake news and lies to the British public in a desperate attempt to keep us shackled to the EU. They say that our economy will collapse, whereas the reverse is more likely to be true! It is the profits and investments of the global conglomerates that may be hit by Brexit, but small businesses will be released from EU rules and regulations that inhibit their growth.
I believe that a time of great prosperity under the blessing of God awaits Britain if we can only shake ourselves free from the European Union.

A Prophetic Voice?

But why do we never hear a prophetic voice from the churches in Britain? Is it because the preachers don’t take the trouble to study what’s going on in the nation, or do they care so little about the word of God that they never apply the Gospel to current events? Why do we not hear the words of Amos thundering from every pulpit in the land, “Let justice roll down like a river and righteousness like a never-ending stream!” (Amos 5:24).

Surely it is time for Christians to wake up and recognise the severity of the great spiritual battle that is raging in the heavenlies and on earth as the forces of darkness seek to destroy our Judeo-Christian heritage.

Wake up, Bible-believing Christians! Speak up in the ‘silent’ churches! Come together in small groups to spread these things before the Lord and join the battle for truth before it is too late!

But what is its spiritual significance?

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

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

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

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

The Question Christians Should Ask

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

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

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

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

God’s Blessing?

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

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

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

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

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

There is Hope Yet

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

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

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

Knowledge and wisdom in an age of deception and unreality.

The Roman Governor of Jerusalem’s iconic question, “What is truth?” has probably never been more apt than it is today in the 21^st Century AD. Whether Pilate was being sarcastic or he was genuinely seeking for truth has been debated by scholars for 2,000 years. In light of the spat between the leaders of Britain and the USA over the tweeting of video clips, it would be good if all those involved paused to ponder his question.

We live in an age when technology has delivered the tools to create deception, whether by airbrushing photos or by deliberately producing deceptive videos, distorting the truth and creating fake news.

It is certainly unfortunate that the President of the United States should have retweeted video clips that had come from a doubtful source. It shows a lack of wisdom and a willingness to use material from a campaigning group to vilify millions of people who belong to a particular religion.

But it is equally foolish for the British Prime Minister to use the same medium of communication to point out the unreliability of the clips. Surely the more sensible approach would have been to make a quiet phone call. At least that way would have maintained personal relationships and not caused a rift between two friendly nations.

Knowledge AND Wisdom

The trouble with our generation is that we have enormous knowledge but we lack the wisdom in how to use it. There is good reason why Paul, writing to the church in Corinth where there was a lot of squabbling and disunity, referred to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The first two of these he linked together as ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ (1 Cor 12:8).

Celestial truth cannot be understood by the normal processes of human reason – it requires divine revelation.

There is surely a very good reason for linking these two. We can acquire an enormous fund of knowledge in our media-saturated world, where we have the whole internet at our disposal. But without the wisdom of how to use this knowledge, we can create chaos and confusion rather than promote enlightenment.

Jesus is the Light of Truth

As we enter the season of Advent it would be good to ponder on the prologue of John’s Gospel where he focuses upon the theme of light and darkness - also the theme of Hanukkah and Diwali at this time of the year. The unique feature of Advent, according to John’s teaching, is that although the light of truth came into the world at the birth of Jesus, the world did not recognise him.

John says that through the coming of Jesus, God actually came and “made his dwelling among us” – literally – “he pitched his tent among us”, as foretold by the Prophet Zechariah (2:10). But our human reason cannot cope with this. Despite all the accumulated knowledge of centuries of human development, this celestial truth cannot be understood by the normal processes of the human brain. This kind of knowledge requires wisdom that is actually a spiritual gift which can only be received through divine revelation.

God actually has to do something to our human nature to enable us to receive this wisdom, which enables us to perceive truth that goes way beyond the realm of human reason. This is what Jesus had to explain to Rabbi Nicodemus who was a devout scholar, a highly educated man and a senior academic. But his whole mindset was limited to learning on the level of human reason. Only a spiritual revelation would enable him to perceive ‘Kingdom truth’.

It was like opening the curtains in a darkened room, bringing a flood of light that shows all the things that were in the room but previously hidden by the darkness – things that you could stumble over in the dark.

The trouble with our generation is that we have enormous knowledge but we lack the wisdom in how to use it.

Deceit is Easy

In our world today, millions of people are going about stumbling over fake news, half-truths and blatant lies. They are easily deceived because they don’t know the truth that sets them free from all the duplicity, deviousness and unscrupulous machinations of the crooked generation in which we live. They are trying to see in the dark; trying to discern falsehood without having ever known truth.

It should be a salutary wake-up call to us when the leaders of the nations are found peddling fake news. How can we expect our children to discern right from wrong and to be protected from the multiple dangers of the internet and social media, if our leaders shows so little discernment?

It is small wonder that our children peddle nonsense and vilify one another over their mobile phones, sometimes with devastating effects upon their mental health.

Season of Opportunity

During this season of Advent, we have the opportunity in very practical ways to spread the true message of Christmas – the true light that has come into our dark world.

But so much depends upon our relationships with others, and how we use the tools of communication society has given us. If Donald Trump and Theresa May had only spoken to each other instead of tweeting, an embarrassing international incident could have been avoided. Surely this is a lesson to us all.

Postscript

Last week there were comments left on the editorial, speaking of the need for greater interaction between authors and readers. I warmly respond to this - we want to make this site much more open to constructive and thoughtful correspondence. Our Editorial Board are grappling with this subject and we are open to suggestions from any of our readers as to how we can improve such interaction so that we can all learn from one another in our search for the truth.

As part of this, don’t forget that we have established a secure site for such discussion, in partnership with the team at Issachar Ministries. If you would like to use this (there is a fee for joining) please contact Jacqueline at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A catalogue of betrayal in British foreign (and domestic) affairs.

Alarming reports are circulating that the British Foreign Office is behind a plot to ‘re-educate’ the Church with teaching that suits the LGBT+ agenda.

And most significantly, this coincides with a shocking rise of sexual assaults by children on other children as encouragement of promiscuity, aided and abetted by an Education Secretary determined to push the LGBT agenda, robs a new generation of its youth.¹

‘Re-education’, a policy apparently adopted both by the Foreign Office and Education Department, was the sinister tactic used for the promotion of Communism by the notorious Khmer Rouge as they went about their killing spree in Cambodia in the 1970s. It also bears the hallmark of China’s so-called Cultural Revolution of that period.

But in both cases, far from carrying out the Marxist aim of destroying the Church, they only succeeded in making it stronger. Today’s China boasts an estimated 100 million Christians, underpinning that vast country’s new prosperity, while Cambodian believers are also flourishing despite the brutal massacres of a generation ago.

Forcing Theology to Fit the LGBT Agenda

And now a Foreign Office ‘think tank’ made up of specially selected advisors, is suggesting that sacred texts be ‘reinterpreted’ in order to conform to the sexual revolution, the ‘re-definition’ of marriage and the celebration of homosexual lifestyles.²

A report produced by FO agency Wilton Park argues that this ‘theology’ should be required teaching in all churches. Wilton Park’s Advisory Council is chosen by the Foreign Secretary himself (currently Boris Johnson) from leading experts and academics. And its findings help determine Foreign Office policy around the globe.

A Foreign Office ‘think tank’ is suggesting that sacred texts be ‘reinterpreted’ to conform to the sexual revolution.

Calling for an inquiry, Christian charity Barnabas Fund has expressed serious concern at the implications for the future freedom of religion of the Foreign Office’s involvement in pushing this ideological agenda.³

Wilton Park, Foreign Office 'think tank'. See Photo Credits.Entitled Opportunities and challenges: the intersection of faith and human rights of LGBTI+ persons, the report is clearly about promoting LGBT while at the same time isolating those holding to traditional biblical teaching.

According to Heart newspaper, which circulates widely among churches in the South of England, mystery remains over what Mr Johnson knows of the report and how far he intends to implement its findings. Over 26,000 have signed a petition launched by Christian campaign group Voice for Justice UK, which was delivered to the Foreign Office on 21 September. But Rev Lynda Rose of VFJUK is quoted as saying there has been a “resounding silence” from Mr Johnson’s office.

Appeasement Never Works

In a desperate bid to appease the strident gay sex lobby, these so-called ‘thinkers’ are willing to pervert the truths of the word of God, hitherto unchanged for millennia. Prime Minister Theresa May, a vicar’s daughter, doesn’t need persuading, however, proclaiming same-sex marriage as one of her party’s proudest achievements while attacking traditional marriage supporters as “lacking compassion”.⁴

Appeasing the gay sex lobby by all major parties has led to the appointment of lesbians to leading positions in Government, most notably Education Secretary Justine Greening, which has serious implications for the welfare of our children.

Tragically, appeasement has marked a succession of British Government initiatives over the years which has in turn led to disaster and brought great shame on our nation.

Neville Chamberlain tried it with Hitler in an effort to win ‘peace in our time’ but instead helped spark off a war in which 50 million people perished, including six million Jews, many of whom could have been saved if we had acted sooner to rescue them from the death camps.

Tragically, appeasement has marked a succession of British Government initiatives over the years, leading to disaster and bringing great shame on our nation.

But the modern State of Israel rose from the ashes of the Holocaust even without our help – despite having promised to do all we could to facilitate their return to the Holy Land through the Balfour Declaration - issued 100 years ago next month. We reneged on our pledge in order to appease the Arabs who had no claim to the Land and were not even looking after it until the Jews began returning in significant numbers.

Riots and massacres followed as Arabs determined to prevent the re-establishment of a Jewish national presence in their midst. Firm leadership from Britain in backing Jewish aspirations was needed (they ruled the region at the time), but appeasement signalled weakness on our part which has been constantly exploited ever since by those who wish to stir up trouble in the Middle East.

The current crisis is, in part, a legacy of our lack of godly leadership in failing to do the right thing. We even sat on the fence when the United Nations voted to recognise the re-born Jewish state 70 years ago next month shortly after the disgraceful act of turning back Holocaust survivors seeking refuge there.

Britain’s Shameful History

This was followed, soon afterwards, by the shameful episode involving the British protectorate of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) in southern Africa. When the Tswana people’s heir-apparent Seretse Khama fell in love with Ruth Williams, a white Englishwoman, the Foreign Office did all they could to derail the marriage.

Why? Because they wanted to appease the South African government of DF Malan, which was in the process of building the apartheid structure separating the races by law. Inter-marriage involving the leader of a neighbouring state was hugely embarrassing, and our Government – both Labour and Conservative – were more interested in the maintenance of economic and other ties with apartheid South Africa than with doing the right thing.

The current crisis in the Middle East is, in part, a legacy of our lack of godly leadership in failing to do the right thing.

It all worked out in the end, but not before Seretse was forcibly exiled and thus separated from his young wife and new baby in a most undignifying manner for the son of a king. It was under (Sir) Seretse’s leadership, however, that Botswana emerged as a newly independent nation in 1966. It has flourished ever since as a beacon of light among African nations, with the discovery of diamonds certainly adding a sparkle to the scene.

The story of Seretse and Ruth is beautifully told in the movie United Kingdom, starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike and filmed on location in Botswana. An absorbing, sensitive and wonderfully romantic tale set against an intriguing political background, it is described as “the true story of a love that shook an empire”.

The Only Voice of Reason

If only our Foreign Office (and Government as a whole) would re-tune its spiritual antennae to the voice of reason and wisdom through which God has spoken down the ages! Otherwise we will only repeat embarrassing mistakes of the past.

The Old Testament says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov 1:7). And the New Testament adds: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom…” (1 Cor 1:25a).

In the context of current Tory infighting, Proverbs 28.2 puts it well: “When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.”

One hundred years ago David Lloyd George’s War Cabinet was mostly made up of evangelical Christians who believed the Bible. That’s why they agreed to the Balfour Declaration – because they saw clearly that the word of God spoke of the Jews being restored to their ancient land from the far corners of the earth, and that as far as Gentile believers were concerned, the right thing to do was to help them get there.

Now it seems that the Cabinet is mostly made up of those who seek to tamper with the scriptures – and this is a very dangerous exercise. For the Bible ends with dire warnings of judgment from Jesus against anyone who either adds to or takes away from his words – specifically in the Book of Revelation pertaining to the period leading up to his return (Rev 22:18f).

Seeking to tamper with the scriptures is a very dangerous exercise.

Standing Up for Truth

But I conclude on a more positive note from a prominent member of today’s Cabinet, who has stood up foursquare for the Jews just as his colleagues did 100 years ago.

Speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel event in Manchester, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said there was no difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

And referring to the Balfour Declaration centenary, he said: “At a time when people are casual, cruel and callous towards the fate of the Jewish people, it is time for all of us to say that over the last 100 years, if we have learned anything, it is that when there is prejudice and hatred directed towards the Jewish people, darker times will follow. And it is our moral duty to say that what begins with the Jews never ends with the Jews. We stand with Israel. We stand with the Jewish community.”⁵

Taking the Bible at its word is the only way to find that elusive peace, prosperity and social cohesion for which most of us long.

Notes

1 According to police figures seen by BBC Panorama, reported cases are only the “tip of the iceberg”. The number of reported sexual offences by under-18s against other under-18s in England and Wales rose by 71% from 4,603 in 2013/14 to 7,866 in 2016/17. Simon Bailey, the national police chief lead for child protection, said: “We are dealing unequivocally with the tip of the iceberg...we are seeing an increasing number of reports, we are seeing significant examples of harmful sexual behaviour and the lives of young people blighted and traumatically affected by sexual abuse.” The Department for Education responded: “Sexual assault is a crime and any allegation should be reported to the police. Schools should be safe places and they have a duty to protect all pupils and listen to any concerns.” BBC News, 9 October 2017.

2 Heart newspaper, October/November 2017 – see also www.heartpublications.co.uk.

3 See the Barnabas Fund’s official analysis: ‘Christianophobia and state sponsored advocacy of the imposition of LGBTI ideology on evangelical Christians in the Global South’. Published July 2017.

4 The Christian Institute. PM smears traditional marriage supporters as she celebrates redefinition. 5 October 2017. Mrs May was addressing the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

5 Jerusalem News Network, 9 October 2017, quoting Algemeiner.

This is not God’s way out of Europe.

What next! How much more will our nation contend with God before we come to our knees in prayer? To come out of Europe was a call from God, but not this way.

Since abortion was legalised in 1967, already millions of unborn babies have been sacrificed to the self-centred greed and lust of our modern generation. So perhaps a comparatively small gesture of a Parliamentary concession to drop charges for women from Northern Ireland seeking abortions on the mainland of the UK has even now, after a week or so, slipped past the attention of the nation.

But it will not go unnoticed in the courts of Heaven, where the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents of their sins. Perhaps the total number of aborted babies will not significantly increase with this relaxing of laws (though this is unlikely) but just one more baby killed when its life has barely begun will be noted by God and will cause grief, not rejoicing, in Heaven.

Ignoring the Still Small Voice

When the Conservative Party was weakened by the General Election it was a call from God to seek his counsel and his way for our future out of Europe. It surprised us all that the strongly Protestant DUP would come into co-operation with the Government in a way that enabled them to be a Christian conscience at this significant time for our nation. Could this not be something of a still small voice from God, a prophetic moment that if heeded would be a beginning of a turning to God?

When the Conservative Party was weakened by the General Election it was a call from God to seek his counsel and his way for our future out of Europe.

Instead of that, seeking to be wise they became fools. The Government thought up a ‘clever’ strategy to get the Queen’s Speech passed without the need to be held up by an amendment that was likely to be supported by some Conservative MPs: introduce NHS-funded abortion for Northern Irish women – and in the process show that the biblical values of the DUP will not be tying the Government’s hands.

In 1945 we turned back, with God’s help, a Nazi regime that would have fully approved of selective abortion to strengthen the gene pool of the nation, and would count as for the ‘greater good’ the sacrifice of unseen, so seemingly unimportant, unborn children. Now we are doing what God helped us defeat. We are sacrificing our children on the altar of a god of finance. To think that this will work is so foolish as to be almost unbelievable in a nation that over centuries developed such a wonderfully biblically-based constitutional framework.

Trouble Ahead

It is, sadly, not difficult to prophesy more trouble ahead. Theresa May will think she has succeeded at the first hurdle of Brexit negotiations by getting the Queen’s Speech through. She has done exactly the opposite and, according to the standards of God, failed. There is a way forward for our nation of withdrawing from Europe and becoming a nation under God, but it will require God’s help.

Seeking to become wise, the Government have become fools.

We have just taken another step away from him and may never know what might have been possible if we paused in prayer as a nation to seek him. Every one of our present difficulties is a signpost pointing to Heaven and to the place of prayer.

How much more will it take to break our pride as a nation? How much before God says ‘enough is enough’ and we reap the whirlwind or the earthquake? God is full of grace, but to use unborn children as bargaining chips is a sin that will be answerable.

The nation is reeling – but why, and what can we do about it?

I have had a few days up in the Austrian Tyrol, walking, praying and breathing fresh mountain air. It was a little glimpse of paradise – physically and spiritually refreshing. Coming back to Britain there was a palpable sense of heaviness and depression hanging over the nation. Even the immigration officer inspecting my passport at London airport gloomily referred to the state of the nation and commented that I would have done better not to have come back!

We reached home at 1 o’clock on Wednesday morning, which was just the time the terrible fire broke out in the Kensington tower block. The tragic news in the morning could only add to the depression hanging over the nation like the thick black cloud of smoke drifting over London.

Since then I’ve been searching for good news – something I could say in this editorial that would lift the hearts of our readers. The last thing I want to do is to add to the doom and gloom coming out of Westminster and filling our news media. Then, with the still burning Grenfell Tower in the background, the TV news showed crowds of people bringing food and clothing and toiletries and a multitude of gifts for the survivors of the inferno.

The spontaneous generosity and goodness of the ordinary people of London who immediately sprang into action on behalf of their neighbours was a wonderful reminder that love and goodness are not dead in our nation. People were coming from every part of the multi-ethnic community in Kensington, which was a powerful testimony to the latent goodness of human nature that goes beyond race, colour, class, nationality and every other human distinction.

Nation Under Judgment

This outpouring of love and generosity is a true picture of our nature created in the image of God. But we reserve this outpouring for special occasions; we do not carry it over into our everyday lives, where we display our fallen human nature marred by selfishness and corrupted by personal ambition.

This gives us a clue to the central problem affecting the nation. Everyone is asking why the nation is in such a mess. The plain and honest answer is that we are a nation under judgment.

The spontaneous generosity of the ordinary people of London was a wonderful reminder that love and goodness are not dead in our nation.

No-one really wants to face this unpleasant truth because Christians who firmly hold to biblical values are scorned and labelled, ‘right-wing’, ‘homophobic’, ‘Islamophobic’ and all the other clichés and invectives invented by secular humanists to try to discredit those who stand firm against the liberalisation of the nation and the rejection of our Judeo-Christian heritage. Sadly, some who call themselves Christians have adopted this language to abuse those who remain true to the Bible.

God’s Ultimate Authority

Just look at the facts: our Prime Minister had a perfectly workable majority in the Commons which she gambled and lost through putting her trust in the polls. It is probable that she also trusted advisers who elevated her to ‘celebrity’ status, basing the election campaign around her rather than the ‘strong and stable’ government we were promised. So the hoped-for landslide fell into the valley of disaster.

This is where Scripture comes to our aid in understanding what has happened in the political sphere. Paul’s teaching is very clear: “There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Rom 13:1).

Then in Deuteronomy 28:20 we read what God does when a nation deliberately turns their backs upon biblical truth: “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.”

But this harsh statement is tempered by the solemn promise of God in Jeremiah 18:7: “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.”

Call to Remain Faithful

We should always be careful not to apply biblical statements literally to our contemporary situation, but look at the situation when they were written. The Deuteronomy quote was specifically to Israel, a nation in a covenant relationship with God. The promise given in Jeremiah was to all nations at any time. Paul’s teaching was designed to re-assure the Roman authorities that the small company of Christian believers had no political ambitions or desire to challenge the authority of the Emperor.

We are a nation under judgment – but nobody wants to face this unpleasant truth.

Again, look at the facts: Britain is a self-declared Christian nation in which our monarch pledged on behalf of us all to be faithful to the Protestant religion and to uphold the word of the Lord. So long as we, as a nation, remain faithful to uphold biblical values and the Lord’s name, we can be sure of his protection and blessing. When we forsake the Truth, we put ourselves outside God’s protection. That is judgment.

Although the Conservatives have the most seats in the new Parliament, the only way they can form a Government is by co-operating with the DUP, whose distinctive feature is their commitment to upholding biblical beliefs and values. Surely we have to conclude that God is speaking to our nation through this situation.

Time for Christians to Rise Up

Disasters will continue to happen unless we acknowledge that as a nation we have departed from the ways of truth and earnestly seek God’s forgiveness and blessing, which he is more than eager to bestow upon us. We cannot expect the whole nation to understand this situation and to respond rightly: but surely Christians can understand the ways of God! Now is the time for us to steady the nation with the word of the Lord. God’s love has not been withdrawn and never will be, but we have brought this situation upon ourselves.

It is time for Christians to steady the nation with the word of the Lord.

The greatest need today is for the mobilisation of Christians to intercede on behalf of the nation. God does not wait until there is a democratic majority before responding – he’s looking for the faithful remnant of believers to break their silence, to ask for the power of his Holy Spirit in making our witness in the nation and to re-affirm our love for him and for Britain. The fruit of judgment will quickly be removed if we are faithful and blessings will flow.

Yes, it is a sign.

Confusion came to Israel and Judah when they turned from God’s covenant, according to the clear statements of what would bring curse and what would bring blessing in Deuteronomy 28 – an increasingly severe set of circumstances besetting the nation, eventually resulting in the Babylonian captivity.

Early in the return from the captivity, Ezra summed it up:

Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. (Ezra 9:7 KJV, emphasis added)

The UK is not Israel, but the principles of the Bible are there for us to study. Indeed, we are a nation that has sought to covenant with God and to live by biblical constitutional principles developed over many centuries. These principles have been behind God’s favour and protection in past times - but they have been broken piecemeal through the present generation.

Escalating Signs

In this magazine, just as Amos warned Israel by interpreting the signs (Amos 4), we have highlighted the escalating signs in our nation for more than 30 years. Now, in the context of an election founded on the need to withdraw from an alliance with the EU, with terrorist acts of violence in the background, we have emerged with a hung Parliament and confusion abounding.

We are a nation that has sought to covenant with God and live by biblical constitutional principles – until the present generation.

We have recognised a period of grace from the Lord to withdraw from the EU and many of us hoped that this withdrawal would be enabled through a clear election result. But even then we would have recognised it as, at best, a beginning of potential recovery to the Lord’s favour – and by no means a guarantee.

However, it is not going to be that easy! God’s judgment, in whatever way Almighty God has brought this about in our nation, is not to make this path easy. If we could read the signs clearly, we would hear His voice calling, “return to me wholeheartedly and I will return to you and help you.”

Call for Repentance

At the time of writing, there is still an ongoing assessment of the fall-out of the election - discussions which go this way and that to try to understand the factors at work and the way forward. For the moment the Conservative Party holds the ground of leadership, though weakly, but change of the entire political landscape is very close.

Through the election campaigns, even from a human perspective there have been clear undercurrents in the country that mark a transition in our nation. There has been an undercurrent from young people, fired up by what seems like a faint light of hope from the leader of the Labour party. New forms of social media evident across the world have been playing a significant role, signalling a new form of democracy - he who captures the moment will capture the future. Yet despite high levels of voter engagement and turnout, the rallying cries from politicians have been on principles that are far from centred on the ways of the God of Israel.

God’s judgment is not to make this path easy.

The themes of the election campaigns have focussed on important issues, including Brexit, the NHS, social care, pensions, tax, education, Scottish devolution and defence. No-one would say that the party manifestoes were completely devoid of righteous ideals, but equally there has been no talk of honouring or rescuing the biblical underpinnings of our nation, or of reversing the laws that have been passed in our nation over this generation that are 100% against biblical principles.

The abounding confusion is a clear sign that God is calling for repentance and things will not get better unless and until there is a turning back to him. However righteous the words of the electioneering may seem, they will fail unless they are enabled through the righteousness of God.

Time to Unite

But what about the Christian community in Britain? Where was our voice in the public arena throughout these past two months of electioneering? Indeed, where has a united Christian voice been over the last generation of the UK’s falling away from God? We must admit that we are diverse and disjointed. We seek to highlight our concerns but we only talk to one another – to our relatively small groups of like-minded Christians.

Surely now is our time to unite together before God in watching and praying, so that we might hear from God together what we, his Priests of the New Covenant, are called to do with one heart and one voice. We, among all the people of the nation have the resources to find the way of calling the nation to God in repentance.

Surely now is the time for believers to unite together before God in watching and praying, that we might hear from God together.

By coincidence my reading this morning was from Hosea 10, which features principles that we have highlighted over many years and which could not be more appropriate for our nation today. I leave them here as a prompt to prayer:

For now they say, we have no king, because we did not fear the Lord. And as for a king, what would he do for us? They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgement springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field. (Hosea 10:3-4)

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till he comes and rains righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12)

But the light of Christ will shine even brighter.

As the dust begins to settle on the General Election with a hung Parliament result, I believe we are entering a dark period for our nation. That’s not all bad news, because it is at such times that the light shines brightest.

One candidate seemed to sum up the situation, perhaps inadvertently, by quoting the first line of a well-known hymn, “The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended…”, no doubt referring to the long night he had endured waiting for the results.

But it was prophetic of where we are, especially in terms of the next line: “The darkness falls at thy behest…”.

The Gamble Didn’t Pay Off

Theresa May called the election in order to win a mandate for conducting Brexit negotiations from a position of strength, but the gamble has not paid off. The chips are down. Her Conservative Party will clearly have the most seats, but does not look like having an overall majority following a campaign which has come down to a two-horse race. Labour have done far better than expected despite being led by a man of the hard left who has courted the IRA, Hamas and Hezbollah, and who only two years ago paid a visit to the grave of a Palestinian terrorist.

But he has successfully won over swathes of impressionable young people, who have turned out to vote in apparently unprecedented numbers. Somehow they have rallied to his cause, which seems mainly about turning our backs on austerity (i.e. spending money we haven’t got) and promising to abolish university tuition fees – bait which has proved very tasty, not only for students, but also for their parents. But who’s going to pay for it?

I believe we are entering a dark period – but it is at such times that the light shines brightest.

It is hardly surprising that the youth of today – a second generation brought up largely without the biblical ethics that underpinned our civilisation for centuries – are for the most part interested in no-one but themselves. So a short-term magic wand proves very attractive while Mrs May’s social care policies cut little ice.

Threat from Without and Within

Though she has been a loyal supporter of Israel, which is obviously important, I’m not sure a large majority for Mrs May would have been a good thing.

The truth is that none of the main parties mentioned Christianity in their manifestoes. Policies in support of healthy family life were almost totally absent – in fact the opposite was the case. For they all appear determined to incorporate the LGBT+ agenda into every facet of national life, even to the point of compulsory education on sexual relationships (including the supposed normality of gay sex) for nursery school children.

Caroline Ansell, defending a slim Conservative majority in Eastbourne, was hounded by the Press over her evangelical faith and because she had dared to employ an intern from the Christian campaign group CARE.

For many in this country, the gay issue has become like the nursery classic about The Emperor’s New Clothes, in which the emperor is brainwashed into thinking he is wonderfully dressed until a small child shrieks in horror: “The Emperor has no clothes!”

We are facing a double whammy – the threat of Islamic terrorism on the one hand, and on the other the danger of collapse from within that comes to all decadent societies. I have a picture of a gaping wound which only Jesus can heal. The Prophet Isaiah foretold of how the Messiah would die on the Cross for the sins of the world, and that “by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5).

In discarding God from our culture following a world war when we could so easily have been invaded but for the prayers of the nation, we have poisoned ourselves with atheism. And we will only be cured when we acknowledge our diseased condition, and return to Christ for cleansing.

We are facing a double whammy – Islamic terror on the one hand, and collapse from within on the other.

Downward Spiral of Morality

The Church, meanwhile, has been intimidated into silence for fear of being dubbed homophobic. But Christians must stop denying their Lord. Part of the problem for Mrs May was that, while claiming to be guided by her (Christian) faith, she is said to have been the prime mover (as Home Secretary) behind the introduction onto the statute book of same-sex marriage – a total contradiction of biblical teaching and one of the worst laws ever passed in this land. And yet we have been largely silent in calling her to account.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, a committed believer, initially inspired hope among Christian voters until he too denied that gay sex was wrong. And then Mrs May sacked Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner for his biblical views on sexual ethics.

The LGBT+ agenda has penetrated every crack and crevice of our national institutions, and you are simply not allowed to object – Christians who have done so have been hauled before the courts. We tolerate everyone else – but not Christians. Where is the place of personal conscience in our supposed liberal society?

We have seen a downward spiral of morality on a par with that which ultimately led to the collapse from within of Roman civilisation. St Paul’s famous letter to the 1^st Century Roman Christians makes this absolutely clear as he encourages them to avoid being influenced by the depraved culture of those around them, whose descent into lust and lawlessness started by denying God as Creator. God’s eternal power was obvious from the beauty of Creation, “but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom 1:21) Isn’t this what we have been teaching our children for generations: that we evolved from apes and God had nothing to do with the beauty we see all around us?

So for the Roman pagans, one thing led to another until they ended up engaging in “shameful lusts” (Rom 1:26) involving “unnatural” sexual relationships (i.e. lesbian and homosexual activity).

We have seen a downward spiral of morality on a par with that which ultimately led to the collapse of Roman civilisation.

It’s no use pussyfooting over this issue with supposed compassion. We have participated, as those unbelievers in Rome did, in the suppression of truth, and we wonder why our walls are falling down and our bridges are breached as we come under attack from enemies of God and democracy.

The Bible says: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people” (Prov 14:34).

Rebuilding on the Rock

We stand condemned as a nation, but there is a way out! Hear the wonderful words of Jesus: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16f).

Our walls are broken down because of our sin, and they will only be restored when we address the decadence in our midst and return to the God of our fathers.

To use another biblical metaphor, we have built on sand and are now found wanting. A fierce storm has hit us, leaving us wobbling and about to collapse. We need to rebuild on the Rock, which is Christ, who said: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matt 7:26f).

Our walls are broken down because of our sin – they will only be restored when we return to the God of our fathers.

Thank God for media outlets like Revelation TV, who hosted their own election night commenting on the great issues from a biblical perspective. One of their panel made the pertinent point that Church leaders are failing to give guidance on voting to their congregations, as mosques clearly do. The Bible speaks into the issues at stake, so it is surely the duty of pastors and teachers to demonstrate, from the scriptures, how certain policies are either right or wrong.

Finally, we need to recapture total confidence in the Gospel as the sole means by which our beloved nation can be saved from its own folly. Let us say with St Paul: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Rom 1:16).

Examining the true spirit behind all the election promises.

The manifestoes are published! The day has arrived! No more leaks. No more fake news or half-truths. The real thing is now here. Each of the main parties has now published its policies for the next five years.

The politicians and their advisers have been poring over the texts, burning the midnight oil, arguing over each point and how to express it to the public. At last agreement has been reached and the results have been printed – there for all to see!

But how many voters will actually read the manifestoes? I decided to investigate what the politicians have actually said. I wanted to get past the big stuff on the NHS and migration; the economy and Brexit. I wanted to get the feel of what lies behind the policies. I wanted to read the small print – the things the politicians and their professional advisers have slipped in to the text – things they probably hope the public won’t really notice – the things they want to get away with undetected.

These are the things that reveal the true spirit behind the political promises that are being poured out this election time.

The Spirit of the Age

Upon closer inspection, all three main party manifestoes are pandering to the spirit of the age, seeking to endorse and extend radically anti-Christian values. Just look at some of the social issues that crop up across all three:-

• Extending sex education to all children
  
• Promoting LGBT+ lifestyles
  
• Tackling hate crime
  
• Enforcing and strengthening equalities law
  
• Promoting humanist values worldwide
  

Let’s look at what the parties have to say on these issues. The following are a few quotes:

Not-so-hidden agendas: Tim Farron makes it clear where the Lib Dems stand on Brexit.

Sex Education

The Conservative Party “will introduce comprehensive relationships and sex education in all primary and secondary schools” (p79).

Labour will “make age appropriate sex and relationship education a compulsory part of the curriculum” (p77). Labour will “ensure that all teachers receive initial and ongoing training on the issues students face and how to address them. We will ensure that the new guidance for relationships and sex education is LGBT inclusive” (p111).

The Liberal Democrats will “include in SRE teaching about sexual consent, LGBT+ relationships, and issues surrounding explicit images and content” (p29).

Promoting LGBT+ Lifestyles

The Labour Party says “A Labour Government will reform the Gender Recognition Act and The Equality Act 2010 to ensure they protect trans-people” (p111).

The Liberal Democrats will “strengthen legal rights and obligations for couples by introducing mixed-sex civil partnerships and extending rights to cohabiting couples” (p72). They will also “extend The Equality Act to all large companies with more than 250 employees, requiring them to monitor and publish data on gender, BAME, and LGBT+ employment levels and pay gaps” (p71).

Tackling Hate Crime

The Conservative Party will “push forward with our plan for tackling hate crime committed on the basis of religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity” (p44).

The Labour Party will “bring the law on LGBT hate crimes into line with hate crimes based on race and faith, by making them aggravated offences” (p111).

The Liberal Democrats will “tackle bullying in schools, including bullying on the basis of gender, sexuality, gender identity or gender expression” (p30).

Enforcing and Strengthening Equalities Law

Theresa May launches the Conservative manifesto, Thursday 18 May.

The Conservative Party will “strengthen the enforcement of equalities law – so that private landlords and businesses who deny people a service on the basis of ethnicity, religion or gender are properly investigated and prosecuted” (p56) (This is a direct threat to Christians).

“A Labour Government will enhance the powers and functions of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, making it truly independent” (p108).

The Liberal Democrats will “extend protection of gender reassignment in Equality Law to explicitly cover gender identity and expression, and streamline and simplify The Gender Recognition Act 2004 to allow individuals to change their legal gender without unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles” (p72).

Promoting Humanist Values Worldwide

The Conservative Party will “continue to champion British values around the globe: freedom, democracy, tolerance and the rule of law” (p38).

The Labour Party commits to “appoint dedicated global ambassadors for women’s rights, LGBT rights and religious freedom to fight discrimination and promote equality globally” (p118). Labour will also “continue to ensure a woman’s right to choose a safe, legal abortion – and we will work with the Assembly to extend that right to women in Northern Ireland” (p109).

British Values?

All of these policies are either expressly anti-biblical or more subtly so – dressed in language that seems to promise good for society. The protections of hate laws and equality legislation, for instance, are difficult to argue against from a Christian standpoint without being labelled hateful or bigoted. However, it is these catch-all policies that are being used to shut down freedom of conscience and speech for Christians, while enforcing the nation to not only accept but also endorse wrongdoing.

All of these policies are either expressly anti-biblical or more subtly so – dressed in language that seems to promise good for society.

Moreover, the Conservatives are the only ones who spell out the values that lie behind all their policy decisions: freedom, democracy, tolerance and the rule of law. They claim these to be British values - and to untrained ears they sound positive - but there has been no national debate upon what constitutes British values, where these concepts have come from and what they are being used to promote.

They certainly are not the values of our forefathers, which were the biblical values of truth, justice, righteousness, faithfulness, integrity and love. These are the values of our Judeo-Christian heritage that former generations embraced and became the foundations of our civilisation. Are we to allow them to be abandoned without even protest?

Aggressive Humanism

All the values underlying the policies put out by all three parties in their manifestoes have come from Darwin, Freud, Marx and other humanists. They are based fundamentally upon evolutionary/secular humanist beliefs, not on Judeo-Christian values. By what right do our politicians champion humanist values “around the globe”, calling them British?

This is the spirit of the age that is driving the political policies being promoted in Britain today – aggressive humanism. Continued unchecked, these policies will undoubtedly bring Christians into conflict with the law in the future. Our freedom of speech risks being curtailed by hate laws and soon we will not even be able to quote parts of the Bible in public worship services. No doubt the day may even come when our home-based Bible study groups will also be under threat.

All the party manifestoes are based fundamentally upon evolutionary/secular humanist beliefs.

We Need the Word of the Lord!

When similar things were happening in Israel the prophets thundered forth the word of God, but today our church leaders are silent. Why do we not hear the word of the Lord declared in our nation?

“This is what the Lord says, cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes…But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream…It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jer 17:5-8)

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