Two important prophecies that speak of the role of believing women in Britain's future: one from a Russian bishop in 1911, and the other from an Asian Christian, given at the 1986 Mount Carmel gathering.

The 1911 Prophecy: Background

Mother Barbara, Valentina Niolaevna Zoegkova, was born in Moscow on January 2 1889, the fourth child of extremely pious parents. Her father, Nicholas Alexeevitch, was chief director of one of the biggest banks in Russia, yet throughout his life he dedicated himself to defending the interests of the church and to serving its people.

From her birth, Valentina was surrounded by the intensely spiritual. Her family were often visited by 'starets' (holy men) and other Russian religious figures. This kind of contact filled her with an intense desire to consecrate herself to the Church and in her early youth she was blessed for missionary work and monachism by her spiritual father, Bishop Arseny of Moscow.

One starets who regularly visited her parents' home was Bishop Aristocoli, from Mount Athos. Ten days before his death, Aristocoli spend some time in discussion with Valentina, outlining her own future and that of a Russia already under a revolutionary yoke.

"You have received the gift of speaking and writing about what is useful for the soul, especially in our times", said Aristocoli. "Your inclination to monastic life will find its fulfilment, but far from here. You will live in one country, then will go further - to Palestine, to Jerusalem, and you will live there for a long, long time. In Jerusalem is the Holy Land, where much work and activities exist. You will live under different powers, but do not fear anything. You will always be under the protection of a right and just hierarchy.

Many sufferings will come to the world. Many people will perish. But it is not yet the end of the world; the time and the hour are known only by God. God's army- the powers of angels -will battle with Satan's army. In Russia people will suffer. It will be a worldwide sorrow from the evil spirits who put to trial all believers in God. Many will be killed. God knows who he must take, and who to leave. But Russia's fate is in God's hands and she will rise again. It will be a great miracle of renewal after great sufferings, sent to her with purifying aims. Light from the Orient will shine on the whole world and God will forgive in answer to suffering and repentance. This is very important- to have a conscience about one's sins; everyone and all are siners and all must repent."

The starets said much more to Valentina, foreseeing the establishing of a convent in Palestine and the building of a school, all of which eventually came to pass.

The 1911 Prophecy

Shortly before his death, Bishop Aristocoli passed this prophecy onto Mother Barbara.

Tell the women they must belong absolutely to God.They must believe in the great things that are happening and 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 not 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 world and wherever it goes, rivers of blood will flow because of it. It is not the Russian soul, but an imposition on 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 just be 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 by 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 from the nations to God.

The 1986 Prophecy: Background

On Mount Carmel, March 1986, an Asian man shared a prophetic insight with a woman from Britain. He had visited Britain only on the one occasion of his journey to Israel for the Carmel gathering, and knew little or nothing of the state of the church. As he stepped over the threshold of the conference centre on Mount Carmel, he was aware of a strong anointing from God and was given a vision concerning Britain.

The 1986 Prophecy

He saw a large church with a number of people in it. As he looked he saw that the men were asleep on their benches- and scattered around the church were women standing with arms uplifted crying to God.

He asked the Lord, 'What is this?'

God said 'I am showing you the true situation in the church in Britain. The men are asleep and not aware of what is going on, but I have my handmaidens who are seeking my face and who are understanding my heart and I am using my handmaidens for the nation.'

He then asked the Lord for a scripture to confirm the vision and the interpretation and was immediately given Judges 4:4: The situation in Israel at that time was bad and God chose a woman, Deborah, to judge Israel. She knew God's ways and was receiving messages for the people. Then, when she saw that the time for confrontation had come, she called for the man who was commander-in-chief of the army (she respected him and reverenced God's order). He would not go without her, so she went with him and because of this the victory would be the Lord's, but the honour would go to the women. Jaal hammered in the nail that killed Sisera, captain of the enemy forces. God used women who both knew his ways and waged warfare and gained the final victory.

God's call comes to his handmaidens of Britain to stand strong, to seek his face, to know his ways and to wage warfare. He says 'I am with you, be strong and of a good courage.' They will be persecuted from within the churches, but the time will come when those same people will come and ask them to show them the way in the battle and to go with them. The Lord will be victorious through the church but the honour will go to his handmaidens. 'When my people take a firm stand then I will reveal my glory through them'.

Zechariah 4:7 - the mountains will become a plain - we have nothing to fear.

Prophets not only understood God's words and relayed them to others, they also gained God's ear. Edmund Heddle looks at this profound intercessory relationship...

It was the special privilege of the true Old Testament prophets to stand in the council of the Almighty to listen to his words. It was this access that ensured the accuracy and authority of the prophecies they spoke.

But this access also gave them the privilege of gaining the ear of God as they interceded on behalf of their people and ensured the success of their intercession. God spoke to them and they spoke to God. Both of these aspects need to be kept in mind if we are to gain a true understanding of what a prophet is.

First Bible Prophet an Intercessor

The earliest example of a prophet interceding occurs in Genesis 20:7, which is where the first reference to a prophet in Scripture occurs. In a dream God told Abimelech, king of Gerar, to hand back Sarah, Abraham's wife, and said that Abraham's intercession would save him from certain death "because he is a prophet" (Gen 20:7, 17).

There is however an earlier reference to Abraham praying when he interceded for the wicked city of Sodom (Gen 18:22-23). Six times Abraham besought God to spare Sodom and each time God accepted his prayer. What an encouragement today to pray for our increasingly immoral society! It was a sad commentary on Sodom's widespread homosexuality that there were fewer than ten righteous men in the city and so the inevitable judgment fell, a lasting warning to the cities that are moving in that direction before our eyes today.

Abraham's intercession spared kings and cities judgment- what an encouragement today to pray for our increasingly immoral society!"

Prayers of the Writing Prophets

The close link between prophesying and interceding is also found in the writing prophets of the Old Testament. We find Amos asking God's pardon for Israel and for respite from the utter destruction caused by a divinely ordained plague of locusts (Amos 7:1-2).

In similar fashion Joel cries to God for the ending of the drought which has caused the "seed to shrivel under the clods" and the wild beasts to cry out because "the water brooks are dried up" (Joel 1:17-¬20). In contrast, Hosea calls down an awful judgement on the homes of Israel by requesting "wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry" (Hos 9:14).

Habakkuk's Fiddle!

In his long prayer forming the whole of Habakkuk 3, the prophet expresses his absolute confidence in Yahweh, no matter how many calamities might befall him or however bad things might become. One quaint old commentator advises his readers to strum away on 'Habakkuk's Fiddle' when we are facing days of trouble.

Hebrew scholars tell us that the rhythm of the last part of this prayer is very beautiful, consisting of short lines of three words each and obviously intended to be set to music. He says that he will wait patiently until the day of calamity overwhelms the nation that was invading his land (Hab 3:16b).

Amos interceded for God's pardon, Hosea called for judgment and Habakkuk expressed his complete confidence in God, whatever the future might hold."

The Prophet's Arguments with God

Ezekiel wrestles with God and hints that his reputation is at stake if he utterly wipes out the remnant of Israel (Eze 9:8-11; 11:13-16). The reputation of Yahweh is one of the strongest arguments advanced by the prophets in their interceding for God's people. It was used by Moses several times, as he argues that the surrounding nations would conclude that Yahweh had failed to bring his people into the Promised Land (Ex 32:12; Deut 9:25-29).

A variation of this argument, also used by Moses, was to remind God of his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to tell him that he dare not break them. A similar argument that Yahweh would bring disgrace to his name if he let his people down had been used by Joshua at the defeat of Ai (Josh 7:9). These arguments are just as strong today if we adapt them to our New Testament understanding of the character and promises of our Heavenly Father and the victory of his Son, our Saviour.

Many prophets interceded by reminding God of his character and promises- and by arguing that his reputation was at stake. These arguments are just as strong today"

Prayer's Powerful Effect

Of all the prophets, Elijah is chosen as the example of the powerful effect of a righteous man's intercession (James 5:16-17) and it is from this New Testament account that we learn that the disastrous three and a half years' drought in the reign of King Ahab happened in answer to Elijah's praying. Had we only the narrative in 1 Kings 17, we should not have known the part that his prayers had in bringing about the drought, as a judgement upon the idolatrous activity of the wicked Queen Jezebel.

As this three-year period came to an end the power of Elijah's praying was again demonstrated when, after total failure on the part of Baal's prophets to bring fire from heaven, God answered his servant's prayer by causing the enormous power of his lightning falling from heaven to consume not only the wood and the sacrifice but also the soil and the stones!

In 1 Kings and James, we find that Elijah's powerful intercession caused drought in Israel for three and a half years, brought down fire from heaven and then finally brought rain"

Having brought about this convincing demonstration of Yahweh's superiority, Elijah tells the king that rain was on its way. Yet again Elijah turned to prayer, bending down to the ground with his head between his knees, having first climbed to the top of Carmel. After six reports from his servant that there was not a cloud in the sky, when he looked the seventh time a cloud no larger than a man's hand convinced him that torrential rain was about to fall.

Intercessor's Options

From the foregoing stories it is clear that, on occasion, a prophet may in prayer invoke the judgement of God upon a sinful nation whereas at another time he may terminate the judgement. An example of both options may be found in the story of Elisha, Elijah's successor. He invoked blindness on Israel's enemy, but later prayed that their vision might be restored (2 Kings 6:18-20).

There is in fact another option, making three in all. Elisha could ask either (i) that God would bring judgement to reveal his displeasure (eg Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1), or (ii) that God would pardon his people and rescue them from judgement (eg Moses in Numbers 11:1-3), or again (iii) that God would modify the intensity of his judgement (eg Ezekiel in Ezekiel 11:13) so as to avoid their total overthrow.

It might well be asked which option that today's intercessors should adopt, though they are not left without direction: "For the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought...the Spirit intercedes...according to the will of God" (Rom 8:26-27).

Moses - Intercessor for Israel

Moses is the supreme example of a prophet who was also an intercessor. Moses prayed for Israel at least four times during the wilderness wanderings and secured the mercy and pardon of God for his sinning people. They turned to idolatry, they constantly grumbled, they wanted to return to Egypt and on one occasion were about to stone Moses and his few faithful companions. But time and time again Moses' intercession secured them God's deliverance (Ex 32:9-14; see also Deut 9:20-29; Ex 32:30¬-34; Num 14:13-19 & 21:7-9).

Moses' example of fervent, vicarious intercession has only been surpassed by that of Jesus."

The fervency of Moses' intercession – "I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you" (Deut 9:25) - and the vicariousness of his pleading as he says to God "forgive their sin - and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book..." (Ex 32:32), together with his refusal of the divine suggestion that the people should be wiped out so that God could make a new nation of him, form an example for today's intercessors to emulate, though never to surpass. Only one has ever done that when "in the days of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears" (Heb 5:7).

Other Prayers of Moses

Moses' intercession bringing victory to Israel over the Amalekites is the classic story of the power of the intercessor (Ex 17:8-16). Moses' prayers also secured mercy for Miriam his jealous sister (Num 12:13), God's presence in their onward pilgrimage (Ex 33:12-¬16) and a new leader to take over from him (Num 27:15-23).

When we see the achievements that result from praying for others we are ashamed that we so often neglect this part of the prophetic ministry and cry out with John Calvin "what deep-seated malice against God is this, that I will do anything and everything, but go to him and remain with him in secret prayer!".

Another Prophet Intercessor

Psalm 99:6-8 refers to Samuel as another intercessor who called on the name of the Lord to have mercy on his people. When the Israelites were terrified at the impending attack of the Philistines, they begged Samuel to pray for them. God's thunder was his answer and the enemy was routed (1 Sam 6:7-10).

When the people sinned against God by demanding a king, to be like the other nations, the Lord showed his displeasure by sending thunder and rain, seldom experienced at that particular season. This was in answer to Samuel's praying. However, when they repented, Samuel (though personally rejected by their demands for asking) magnanimously assured them that he would not cease to pray for them and would continue to teach them the "good and right way".

Are we guilty of giving up praying because we have been rejected?"

For Samuel to cease to pray would have amounted to "sin against the Lord" (1 Sam 12:23). Are we guilty of giving up praying because we have been rejected? Samuel's attitude is one which today's intercessors would do well to copy.

Courageous Praying

The prophet Daniel is well known for his faithfulness in continuing to pray even when the threat of being thrown to the lions had been made. "He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed...as he did afore time" (Dan 6:10). Most of his prayers are concerning the hidden mysteries God was gracious enough to unveil to him. But chapter 9 contains his prayer of confession, which is an aspect of prophetic praying we have not so far mentioned.

In the context of reminding Yahweh of his promise through the prophet Jeremiah to restore his people to their land after seventy years, Daniel confesses vicariously on behalf of God's sinful nation. A most important part of the prophet's intercession is to 'stand in the shoes' of the people being prayed for as prayer is offered on their behalf.

When Prayer is Forbidden

Jeremiah's prophecy contains a number of prayers for God's people (Jer 14:7-9; 19-22; 42:1-7). But the time came when it was too late to pray and Jeremiah was forbidden to do so. God's order to his servant was "do not pray for this people, or lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede for them, and do not intercede with me, for I do not hear you" (Jer 7:16; see also 11:14, 14:11). How important that prayer should be offered before it is too late!

Prophet's Privilege

If we are to speak for God, we need first to speak to God."

Everyone knows that it is the responsibility of the prophet to speak God's word to whoever he is sent. Sometimes that word can be hard and condemnatory - unless the prophet has also interceded for whoever is on the receiving end of the prophecy. If we are to speak for God, we need first to speak to God. Then only will the prophets of today really copy the example of the prophets of the Bible.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 2, No 4, July/August 1986.

In celebrating the 75th anniversary of Dunkirk, Britain has conveniently forgotten that it was God's intervention that saved the day...

In recent days the nation has been celebrating the 75th Anniversary of 'Operation Dynamo', the evacuation of Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk between 27 May and 4 June 1940. The emphasis has been, once again, on the "Dunkirk Spirit" – on the sacrifices and heroism, the grit and determination of the British people, on the collaboration between the Navy, the RAF, and (especially) the "little ships". Services have been held in places such as Dover and Ramsgate, Dunkirk and Westminster Abbey, with media reports on these continuing the same emphases. National pride has been on parade again.

Selective National Memory

Conspicuous by their absence have been any substantial element of thanksgiving to Almighty God and any recognition of the role of prayer and the miraculous. This is the result of the secularisation of British society – a process almost unthinkable to most who lived and died in those dark days. In some cases it results from ignorance; in others, the result of wilful attacks upon the testimony of the participants at the time.

In the Dunkirk exhibition in Dover Castle there is no mention of the spiritual dimension of those times. On its website, the word 'miracle' is only used to credit the director of the operation: "Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay pulled off a miracle".¹ Furthermore, the BBC website includes an article entitled Spinning Dunkirk,² in which the 'miracle' is attributed to clever manipulation of the media by the politicians, creating a "myth" that the British have preferred to believe. Other authors have also scorned the miracle.

Conspicuous by their absence this memorial year have been any substantial elements of thanksgiving to God, or recognition of the role of prayer."

Call to Prayer

What do the eyewitness accounts have to say? Did you know, for example, that the main operation was preceded by a National Day of Prayer? In a broadcast on 24 May 1940 to the nation and the Empire, King George VI called his people to a day of repentance and prayer on Sunday 26 May.

John Richardson, in Dunkirk Revisited, writes:

It says much about the times, and about Dunkirk, that it had then taken centre stage in the nation's life. Every church and synagogue had been packed. Petticoat Lane's market closed for the only time in its history so that traders could attend church. On the forecourt of Southampton's Guildhall, an overflow of 2,000 had assembled to hear relayed the united service within.³ [emphasis added]

British Pathe's film commentary refers to "the mighty congregation" at the service in Westminster Abbey, at which King George VI, Winston Churchill, members of the Cabinet and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands participated. The photograph here shows the queue for prayer outside the Abbey. The Daily Sketch, reporting the following day, said "Nothing like it has ever been seen before".

Answered Prayer: Halted Forces

So what followed? Contemporary accounts refer to three or four aspects of the miraculous. First, the Panzer forces were unexpectedly halted for two days on 24 May, enabling the Allies to re-group. Even now, historians puzzle over why this happened; not even the German generals could agree the reason for the call to halt the German armoured divisions.

This clearly preceded the National Day of Prayer – was it a case of "Before they call I will answer" (Isa 65:24)? Perhaps God was blessing the king's very decision to call for prayer, itself a step of faith preceded by several days of debate, commitment and preparation. It is also important to realise that prayer was already well underway. Consider this excerpt from Norman Grubb's 'Rees Howells – Intercessor':

When the war broke out the prayer meetings at Wales Bible College became a daily event...Every week and often for days at a time there were whole days of prayer. It seems that God would lay one or another aspect of the war on the heart of Rees Howells or one of the others praying, and the whole community would intercede...⁴

Dunkirk was bathed in unprecedented levels of prayer all around the country, and then the miraculous happened."

Bad Weather over Flanders

The second miracle of Dunkirk was that within 48 hours of the National Day of Prayer, a great storm broke over Flanders, giving cover to the Allied troops, softening the marshlands which lay before the German armoured divisions and grounding the Luftwaffe for all but 2½ days of the operation. General Halder, head of the German Army General Staff, wrote in his diary on 30 May:

The pocket would have been closed at the coast if only our armour had not been held back. The bad weather has grounded the Luftwaffe, and we must now stand and watch countless thousands of the enemy get away to England right under our noses.⁵

Calm Conditions for the 'Little Ships'

The third miracle was strangely calm conditions in the Channel during much of Operation Dynamo.

German author Hans Frank states that over the 9 days of the operation "the sea was leaden and calm, unusual for the Channel."⁶ Even the rather cynical comedian Spike Milligan was later to write "...the Channel was like a piece of polished steel. I'd never seen the sea so calm. One would say it was miraculous."⁷

The Daily Telegraph wrote on 8 July, 1940:

Those who are accustomed to the Channel testify to the strangeness of this calm; they are deeply impressed by the phenomenon of nature by which it became possible for tiny craft to go back and forth in safety.

This was particularly helpful in evacuating over 98,000 soldiers from the beach zones, as opposed to from the harbour area.

Large-Scale Rescue

By the end of Operation Dynamo on 4 June, a total of over 338,000 troops had been rescued (almost 140,000 of which were French, Belgian, Dutch and Polish). This contrasted greatly with the Admiralty's best estimate in planning – 45,000 over a two-day period.

In the House of Commons on 4 June, Churchill confessed that he had only hoped for 20,000-30,000 successful evacuations: "I feared it would be my hard lot to announce the greatest military disaster in our long history."⁸ The graph to the left shows the unexpectedly miraculous scale of the rescue.

On the same day, the BBC reported: "The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has described the "miracle of deliverance" from Dunkirk and warned of an impending invasion."

Notable Reactions

Looking back on Operation Dynamo, Vice-Admiral Ramsay wrote to his wife: "The relief is stupendous. The results are beyond belief."⁹ General Pownall, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, noted in his diary at the time: "The evacuation from Dunkirk was surely a miracle."¹⁰ Admiral Sir William James, who later led the evacuation of remaining Normandy and Brittany ports, was later to exclaim, "Thank God for that miracle at Dunkirk".¹¹

C.B. Mortlock wrote in the Daily Telegraph on 8 June 1940:

...the prayers of the nation were answered...the God of hosts himself had supported the valiant men of the British Expeditionary Force...One thing can be certain about tomorrow's thanksgiving in our churches, from none will the thanks ascend with greater sincerity or deeper fervour than from the officers and men who have seen the hand of God, powerful to save, delivering them from the hands of a mighty foe, who, humanly speaking, had them utterly at his mercy.

When services of national thanksgiving were held in all churches on the following Sunday, it was with great feeling that many a choir and congregation sang the words of Psalm 124, for they were seen to apply to that situation through which the nation had just passed:

If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say -if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.

Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the fowler's snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

No other passage of Scripture could have more aptly described the nation's experience on that day.

In the aftermath of Dunkirk, the nation was awestruck at God's deliverance. Surely 75 years on, it is time to recognise afresh the hand of God in our history, and give him all due worship."

Remembering Today

Surely, it's time for us to recognise anew the hand of God in our history, and to give him all due praise and thanks.

It's time, too, for those of us who are Christians to repent of any national pride and complacency and to intercede on the nation's behalf – that the Almighty will have mercy and by the power of his Holy Spirit bring conviction and conversion once more to this disturbingly secular land.

References

1 English Heritage: Operation Dynamo

2 Spinning Dunkirk. BBC News, 17 February 2011.

3 Dunkirk Revisited, 2008, p139.

4 Chapter 34: Intercession for Dunkirk.

5 Shirer, W L, 1959. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. New York: Simon & Schuster, p883.

6 2007, Seaforth Publishing.

7 Games, A, 2003. The Essential Spike Milligan, p.198.

8 We Shall Fight on the Beaches, Speech to the House of Commons, 4 June 1940.

9 Barnett, C, 2000. Engage the Enemy More Closely. Penguin Books, p161.

10 Lord, W, 2012. The miracle of Dunkirk. Open Road Media.

11 Ibid.

Clifford Hill reflects on the General Election result and the power of the prayers of the elect...

Christians of all traditions united to pray for the nation in the run-up to the General Election. There was great fear that the country was going to be plunged into chaos. The polls all predicted no clear winner; so it looked as though there was going to be some kind of coalition, or government by a minority-administration securing its legislation on a vote by vote basis: doing deals with minority groups in the Commons and living with daily uncertainty.

Chaos Expected

That daily uncertainty would have affected the whole nation, especially in the economy. Foreign investors would have had no confidence in Britain's ability to meet its normal business agreements and no doubt the pound would have suffered on the currency market. There would have been great instability on the Stock Exchange which would have had a strongly negative effect upon the nation's economy. There was additional fear of a Labour/SNP partnership in government with unknown consequences that might have torn the Union apart.

Urgent Prayer

Prayer meetings were held in churches, halls, and home-groups right across the land as Christians responded to the sense of urgency concerning the state of the nation. There was widespread recognition that the nation thoroughly deserved the judgement of God and that the kind of chaos which was envisaged was justified.

Christians around the nation responded with repentance and prayer, knowing that God holds the church responsible for the spiritual state of the nation."

Christians also recognised that the disunity and weak witness of the church was largely responsible for the moral and spiritual state of the nation. So there was a lot of repentance among the prayers. Christians know that God holds the church responsible for the spiritual health of the nation and the lack of unity undermines the presentation of a clear message.

Destroying Foundations

There is a verse in Psalm 11 which says "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" But the Hebrew literally says, "What have the righteous done?" This significantly alters the meaning of the question and it indicates the way God holds those who know his word responsible for the state of the nation. When secular/humanist forces are destroying the foundations of the nation, God says to those who know him and are listening to him, "What have you done whilst all this destruction has been going on?"

Whilst the nation's foundations are being destroyed, God says to those who know him: 'what have you done whilst all this has been going on?'"

We have to ask ourselves what we in the church were doing when our Parliament made major decisions that affected the life of the nation. Was there a strong and powerful voice representing the word of God when the decision was made to invade Iraq, or to bomb Libya, or to 'redefine marriage' which weakened family life, part of the nation's very foundation?

Each of these decisions has had enormous consequences, both for Britain and on the world scene. Our invasion of Iraq has had tragic consequences that have led to the formation of the Islamic State and the slaughter of thousands of Christians, Yehadis and Sunni Muslims. The bombing of Libya has left that nation without a stable government, which has led to thousands of migrants from around Africa and the Middle East dying in attempts to reach Europe from the shores of Libya, where people traffickers operate with unregulated freedom.

Prayers Answered

The foundations of our nation and many others have been shaken by the decisions of politicians throughout the past century of human conflict and bloodshed. But the prayers of a multitude of Christians across the land for a stable Government have certainly been answered. The question now is; what will a Conservative Government do with the five years entrusted to them and will the Scots be content with the strong voice in Westminster they have achieved? These are big questions upon which the future of the nation depends.

What of the Future?

Will the new Government not only care about the economy – steering the nation towards greater prosperity – but also care for the poor and the powerless? Will their tax reforms favour the rich: and will they use their Parliamentary majority to bring in boundary reforms that ensure their own powerbase in future elections, ignoring the gross injustice of a voting system that left nearly four million UKIP voters with only one Member of Parliament?

The prayers of a multitude of Christians across the land for a stable government have been answered. But now more than ever, prayer – and bold declaration of the truth – needs to continue!"

Christians who prayed for God's mercy upon the nation should not only continue praying for the Government but should be making their voice (and the word of God) heard in the places of political power in the land.

We are thrilled that just one week before the publication of Prophecy Today UK, the project was birthed in prayer with an all-day meeting at Regent Hall (The Salvation Army), Oxford Street, London.

This was sponsored by Issachar Ministries, with supporters coming from as far away as Cornwall and Northumberland, and other prayer groups meeting around the country. The event was filled with the presence of the Lord and a wonderful sense of expectation.

Amidst the prayer and worship, we had the honour of welcoming three fantastic guest speakers: Wale Babatunde, Paul Szkiler and Rachel Wagstaff (Christian Concern), who each used their specialist knowledge to highlight prophetic insights into:

• The global economy
• The moral and spiritual state of the nation
• The effects of current legislation upon the lives of Christians in Britain.

Members of the Editorial Board also took it in turns to introduce different sections and themes that the new Prophecy Today UK magazine will cover. Their suggested starting points for prayer are listed below.

Please continue to pray for these issues and for Prophecy Today UK’s coverage of them, as the Lord leads you.

Topics and suggestions for prayer

Society and Politics

Prayer for this section of the magazine focused on the upcoming General Election, and included the following points:

• That the result will be fully in line with the will of God
• For the election of godly MPs
• That Britain will have a Government that understands the world scene, and pursues justice and righteousness both at home and overseas

Prayer also focused on the threats currently facing Christianity and its expression in British public life:

• For Christians to be visible and vocal in the public square
  • That the witness of Christians who are suffering under Equality Laws will impact the nation positively
• That Britain’s Christian heritage will not be totally lost

For resources on how to pray and witness in the General Election period see the special election websites of Christian Concern and CARE.

World Scene

Prayer for this section of Prophecy Today UK focused on the following countries and issues:

• USA – particularly its relationships with Russia and Israel
• Russia – its recent military build-up and the violence in Ukraine
• Iran - its recent nuclear activity
• World-wide terrorism and the rise of Islamic State
• Global persecution of Jews and Christians, the Gospel going out

Prayer was also offered that Prophecy Today UK’s coverage and analysis of these complex topics would be biblical, insightful and Holy Spirit-inspired.

The Economy

During this section, prayer focused in on the following select economic issues:

• Debt problems in the UK, their enormous cost and impact on quality of life. Efforts like CAP that are helping people to become debt free.
• Greece’s current economic problems. The unemployment and economic suffering which are accompanying this.
• Nigeria’s presidential election and need for a Government that will wisely manage its oil-rich economy.

Church Issues

Prayer for the British Church focused on the following points:

• Thanking God for the rise of small fellowship groups around the country and praying for their increase and prosperity
• The twin challenges of secularism and Islam: that Christians will be equipped to respond
• The need for strength, courage and resources:
  • For witnessing as a minority group in increasingly difficult times
  • For passing the truth of the gospel on to the next generation
  • For remaining true to the Church’s biblical roots
  • For the Church to fulfil its prophetic role in British society

Israel & Middle East

Prayer in this section focused on the following issues:

• The rise of anti-Semitism in the UK and Europe, related to the conflict in and around Israel (Ps 121:4)
• The need for fair, balanced media reporting about Israel
• Unity and wisdom for Netanyahu and new Israeli Government (Pro 21:1)
• The rise of Islamic State (Ps 68:1, Matt 5:44)
• Muslims rejecting extremism and seeking answers (Jn 14:6)
• Building bridges between communities (Eph 2:15)

Prayers were also offered that Prophecy Today UK’s coverage of this difficult set of issues would be biblical, balanced and loving, for the prospering of its public voice and role in raising awareness both within and outside of the Church, and for its analysis to be directed and inspired by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Teaching

Prayer was requested for:

• Wisdom and insight for the writing team
• The development of a long-term strategy for Prophecy Today UK’s study materials.

Resources

Prayer was also requested for:

• Sifting resources and choosing the right titles
• Clarity in writing, and for sensible, balanced, helpful reviews
• Finding wise reviewers
• Building good relationships with publishers.

The Prophecy Today UK team are extremely grateful to all who attended the meeting, and to all who were with us in spirit.