Reflections a year on from Grenfell and Manchester.

This week we were reminded of two tragedies in our nation. On Monday the media carried harrowing reports of the tragic loss of life at Grenfell Tower, as the main inquiry into the cause of the disaster began.

On Tuesday, memories of the 22 lives lost and the multitude injured in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack replaced memories of Grenfell.

I heard no-one in the media asking the obvious question, “Where was God in all of this?” Indeed, God has been so sidelined in the thoughts and lives of the majority of our nation that we no longer even hear the question, “Is there a God?”

Yet, we still live in a nation whose Queen, at her Coronation, swore an Oath to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who has protected us beyond our deserving over many years. Central to that Oath was the commitment to maintain his laws and the true profession of the Gospel. Over a generation, this commitment to God has largely been forgotten by the nation’s leaders and is rarely mentioned by the leaders of the established Church.

Unprotected Children

As far back as the 1980s, I was waiting one day in the playground of the school where our youngest two children were about to finish their school day. I watched as the classes were dismissed and as a crowd of children emerged, each looking for a parent to take them home safely. I thought I heard the voice of God in my mind saying that these children were no longer under his protection.

Over a generation, our national commitment to God has largely been forgotten.

I wondered if I had imagined it, because these were simply innocent children, embarking on their lives in a country God has greatly blessed and protected. I recalled the wonderful protection of my own childhood when, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, family and community co-operated to re-build our nation after the devastation of war, thankful for God’s deliverance from the evil that so easily could have engulfed us.

Yet, since that day when I thought I heard that voice of God, one disaster has followed another in our nation, making me think that God was indeed speaking, in the early stages of removing his hand of protection.

Let me say clearly, however, concerning both the Manchester and Grenfell disasters that God was not punishing those who had assembled there, any more than those who lost their lives when the Tower of Siloam fell in Jesus’ day. The picture is bigger: that, whilst we must also recognise that God allowed these disasters, they serve as signs to our nation – warning signs that we will not live in safety if we choose to live outside of his protection.

Knowing God’s Ways

If, as we should, we search our Bibles to discover God’s ways, we will see that God does take his protection away from his people if they do not seek him with all their heart. At the time of Samuel, for example, when the religious framework of the nation had decayed under Eli the priest and his wicked sons, the Philistines prevailed over Israel.

Again, when the kings of Israel and Judah led the people astray (kings whom God warned his people they should not desire), the troubles of the nations soon followed. Ultimately, God’s protection was removed: first from the Northern Kingdom of Israel which fell to the Assyrians, and then from the Southern Kingdom of Judah which fell to the Babylonians.

Disasters like Grenfell are warning signs that we will not live in safety if we choose to live outside of God’s protection.

God’s sadness was displayed through the weeping of the Prophet Jeremiah, as recorded in the Book of Lamentations. Similarly, Jesus wept over Jerusalem when he foretold the coming second fall of the City.

God knows what will happen when the doors are allowed open to the evil adversaries of the people of this world – adversaries both physical and spiritual. God weeps when the time comes for him to remove his protection from a people who do not seek him, who choose to try to live without him under the beguiling principles of humanism and false religion, where false gods are honoured. But he is willing to remove his protection.

We are reaping the consequences of this in Britain today despite the fact that we have had sign after sign that should bring us to ask, “where is our God?”

The Prime Minister adds her condolences to a 'Tree of Hope' in Manchester. See Photo Credits.The Power of Testimonies

The testimonies of those who lost loved ones at Grenfell and the memories of the fatal night in Manchester are profound. But they should not only be sparking human sympathy and attempts to celebrate and unite a community (such as in Manchester where a concert has been held), but be compelling those who have responsibility for our nation to lead us in seeking God in repentance.¹

God is a loving Father to those who seek him with all their heart and protects his loved ones beyond their deserving – always. But he is also a strong God who will not bend from the eternal balance of justice and mercy. He is Judge of the entire earth and cannot compromise in the ‘big picture’ of his eternal covenant purposes throughout history.

God weeps when the time comes for him to remove his protection from a people who do not seek him.

If he did not spare his own Son in these eternal purposes of overcoming sin and offering eternal redemption to those who would accept it, he cannot continue to protect a people who reject him and choose lives of sin.

There is a Way Back

There is always a way back and those who know the Lord, namely those in the churches of our nation (especially the leaders of the churches), should be his prophetic voice. It is imperative that we take the opportunity while we still have it to call this nation back to repentance and seeking God.

It is time for the leaders of our Government - from the Royal Family through to the executives who are duty-bound to outwork the purposes of the Monarch’s Oath - to take their responsibility before God and lead the nation back to him. This is what the tragic signs are telling us. We are vulnerable outside the protection of Almighty God and that vulnerability is bringing increasing pain, sadness and loss of life - not only to those who lead but to those for whom they are responsible.

Notes

1 And we do not mean just any God. The multi-faith service in Manchester which was part of the memorial activities a year after the attack is yet another symptom of how far our nation has compromised our allegiance to the One True God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prophetic warnings given within the charismatic movement during the 1970s and '80s.

After last week’s study examining biblical definitions of prophecy and false prophecy, this week Clifford Hill turns to the kinds of prophetic words that came to define the charismatic movement in the latter part of the 20^th Century.

This article is part of a series, republishing the 1995 book ‘Blessing the Church?’ (Hill et al). Click here for previous instalments.

Two Strands of Prophecy

An examination of prophecies coming out of the charismatic movement reveals two strands. On the one hand there have been prophecies giving warnings of difficult days and testing times.

Secondly, by contrast, there have been prophecies with promises of revival and restoration, predicting good times and days of prosperity.

We look this week at those prophesying testing times and the shaking of the nations.

Warnings

Some of the earliest prophecies giving warning of difficult days ahead were given in the mainline churches. The following, for example, was given in 1975 at an international conference of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Groups:

Because I love you, I want to show you what I am doing in the world today. I want to prepare you for what is to come. Days of darkness are coming on the world, days of tribulation…Buildings that are now standing will not be standing. Supports that are there for my people will not be there. I want you to be prepared, my people, to know only me and to cleave to me and to have me in a deeper way than ever before. I will lead you into the desert…I will strip you of everything that you are depending on now, so you depend just on me.

A time of darkness is coming on the world, but a time of glory is coming for my church, a time of glory is coming for my people. I will pour out on you all the gifts of my Spirit. I will prepare you for spiritual combat. I will prepare you for a time of evangelism that the world has never seen…And when you have nothing but me, you will have everything: lands, fields, homes, and brothers and sisters, and love and joy and peace more than ever before. Be ready, my people, I want to prepare you…¹

Prophecies coming out of the charismatic movement follow two strands: either giving warnings of difficult days or promising revival and prosperity.

Another prophecy, even more specific in its warnings of economic and social upheaval, came from Catholic charismatic renewal groups at a national meeting in the USA in January 1976:

Son of man, do you see that city going bankrupt? Are you willing to see all of your cities going bankrupt? Are you willing to see the bankruptcy of the whole economic system you rely upon now, so that all money is worthless and cannot support you?

Son of man, do you see the crime and lawlessness in your city streets, and towns, and institutions? Are you willing to see no law, no order, no protection for you except the protection which I myself will give you?

Son of man, do you see the country which you love? Are you willing to see no country, no country to call your own except those I give you as my body?

Son of man, do you see those churches you can go to so easily now? Are you ready to see them with bars across their doors? Are you ready to depend only on me and not on all the institutions of schools and parishes that you are working so hard to foster?

Son of man, I call you to be ready for that.

The structures are falling and changing. It is not for you to know the details now, but do not rely on them as you have been. I want you to trust one another, to build an interdependence that is based on my Spirit. This is an absolute necessity for those who would base their lives on me and not on the structures of a pagan world.²

There were many prophecies of a similar vein in the mid-1970s. One came from the USA and was addressed specifically to church leaders. It was given at an inter-denominational charismatic renewal conference which was attended by leaders of most of the mainline churches, including Pentecostals, but with the exception of the Assemblies of God. The prophecy was a strong word calling for repentance:

The Lord has a word to speak to the leaders of all the Christian churches. If you are a bishop or a superintendent or a supervisor or an overseer or the head of a Christian movement or organization, this word is for you. The Lord says:

You are all guilty in my eyes for the condition of my people, who are weak and divided and unprepared. I have set you in office over them, and you have not fulfilled that office as I would have it fulfilled, because you have not been the servants I would have called you to be.

This is a hard word, but I want you to hear it.

You have not come to me and made important in your lives and in your efforts those things which were most important to me; but instead you chose to put other things first. You have tolerated division among yourselves and grown used to it. You have not repented for it or fasted for it or sought me to bring it to an end. You have tolerated it, and you have increased it.

And you have not been my servants first of all in every case, but you have served other people ahead of me, and you have served your organization ahead of me. But I am God, and you are my servants. Why are you not serving me first of all?

I know your hearts, and I know that many of you love me, and I have compassion on you, for I have placed you in a very hard place. But I have placed you there, and I call you to account for it. Now humble yourselves before me and come to me repentant, in fasting, mourning, and weeping for the condition of my people…³

Some of the earliest prophecies giving warning of difficult days ahead were given in the mainline churches.

Another prophecy coming from within the mainline churches in the early days of the renewal movement was delivered in Canterbury Cathedral at an international Anglican conference on spiritual renewal in 1978. The message not only referred to things that were wrong within the Church but also gave an uplifting message of God's desire to restore and renew his Church.

Within this mighty edifice the stones cry out.
The stones beneath your feet cry out;
The stones beside you cry to heaven,
And these that soar to heaven cry out too.
The stones cry out - of glory and of shame.
They cry out - of time when cloud and fire
From God on high came down
And filled this place.
And some saw that and some saw not.
Some had their lives transformed;
Some went on and plodded on the way
And saw no vision of night or day,
To take them in the new and living way
Which called them on.
These stones cry out - have always cried
In thousand years of love, grace, power
And of the great consuming fire of God.
But I say to thee –
That I have greater things to make
Than this great building.
I have a living work to do
With stones that live
In infinite and gracious detail
In the quarry of my heart.
I look upon the stones that I have made,
And they are wayward stones.
From their surface chisel oft has glanced aside
And that which I did purpose has been marred;
And yet I stoop again with broken tool
To take the stone that I have made
And work again upon that stone,
That it may be as I have
Long desired that is should be...
And let these stones cry out
Of what the living stones must be...
That you may truly High exalt the Saviour's name.⁴

Ten years later also in Canterbury Cathedral, Patricia Higton gave a more specific warning that the desire for unity and good relationships with people of other faiths was leading the Church dangerously towards multi-faith worship.

I have been speaking to you of unity. And yes, you are beginning to understand that you must reflect my divine nature in its harmony. But I would say to you I am a God of creativity. The unity which I long to see amongst my children will be a diamond with many facets. Each facet will reflect something of my revelation but is of little worth unless part of the whole. So there must be a glad recognition that you belong together and need each other. But again I would warn you, my children, that my enemy is seeking to bring about a unity which is not based on my word. It will appear to have as its goal the peace of this world, but it is not centred on the cross of My Son.

I am warning you of these things for I would not have any of you deceived by wandering down the path of acceptance, leading to toleration of any form of worship which does not uphold my name and my word. The end of that path is that many will one day worship a Christ who is not my Son. The very stones of this building will witness this terrible thing, unless my church repents.⁵

This warning went unheeded and the prophecy was fulfilled the following year when a 'Festival of Faith and the Environment' was held at Canterbury Cathedral. People of all faiths and philosophies were invited to participate and were encouraged to join a 'pilgrimage' walk from temples and shrines of other faiths culminating in a multi-faith celebration in the Cathedral.

Other messages not only warned about what was wrong within the Church but also gave an uplifting message of God's desire to restore and renew it.

The multi-faith festival brought protests from evangelicals of all denominations. The protest within the CofE was led by Tony Higton, a leading Anglican charismatic, Director of ABWON (Action for Biblical Witness to Our Nation) founded in 1984. An open letter to the leadership of the Church of England opposing multi-faith worship was signed by over 2,000 clergy, which sent shock waves through the hierarchy, and the activities of Cathedral Deans who were arranging a number of multi-faith activities came to an abrupt stop. This is an indication of the power of prophetic witness to influence Church policy even in days when scant respect is paid to biblical correctness.

Five years prior to the Canterbury festival, a new magazine, Prophecy Today was launched in London by the ministry which I lead. From the beginning it carried an uncompromising biblically-based message. Its editorial policy statement reads:

It is published with the intention of conveying the word of God for our times to the people of God, and through them to the nations of the world.

We define prophecy as the forthtelling of the word of God. This was the task of the prophets in ancient Israel. It is the task of the church today…Christ wants his church to be a prophetic people proclaiming his word to his world. It was for this reason that the Holy Spirit was given to the New Testament community of believers.

We also believe that the present world situation is so serious that the very existence of mankind is under threat. In all the nations a spirit of violence and disorder appears to have been loosed that is disturbing family life, disrupting the community, overthrowing moral and social stability and threatening to lead to worldwide destruction. We believe that the root problems facing mankind are not simply economic, social or political, but spiritual, and that the Gospel is the only answer.

We note that in times of crisis in ancient Israel God used the prophets to alert people to danger and to correct their ways…so today we believe God is longing to use his church in this prophetic role in the world. The most urgent need for the nations is not to hear the opinions of men, but to hear the word of God. It is as a contribution towards the prophetic task that Prophecy Today is published.⁶

By the early 1990s Prophecy Today had reached a circulation in excess of 16,000 - the largest circulation of a Christian bi-monthly magazine in the UK. With each copy being read by an average of three persons this means that Prophecy Today was read by approximately 50,000 in the evangelical/charismatic churches. Typical of the warning note it sounded was the following prophecy:

The nation is sick and heading for massive disaster, but I hold my church primarily responsible for the moral and spiritual life of this nation. You are the watchmen of the nation and you have not been faithful upon the walls of the cities to discern the onslaught of the enemy or to blow the trumpet to warn the people of danger, so the enemy has been allowed to come in like a flood and pervade the land.

The land has been polluted by the shedding of innocent blood, by violence and pornography, by adultery and sodomy, by corruption and injustice, by greed and avarice, by oppression and unrighteousness, by lies and deceit, by witchcraft and idolatry and by a lack of compassion for the poor and powerless.

In the face of all this evil and corruption your voice is still not heard in the nation. The prophetic declaration of the word of God is not heard upon the lips of the leaders of the church. It is for this reason that the church languishes, its numbers are in decline, its finances are unhealthy and there is disunity, discord and a lack of vision.

Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to recognise your faithlessness and the way you have strayed from the paths of righteousness and failed to uphold my word in the nation. If you will now repent publicly of your own sinfulness and declare my word within the church and in the sight of the whole nation, the people will respond. If you refuse to hear this word and harden your hearts against me, you will bring upon yourselves terrible consequences as the days darken across the nations.⁷

Several prophecies that were influential in the charismatic movement were given at an international conference in Israel in April 1986. These were the first to give forewarning of the shaking of the nations, which would be accompanied by a worldwide harvest as the Church continued to expand rapidly in many nations.

The 1986 Carmel conference forewarned of the shaking of the nations, which would lead to worldwide harvest for the Church.

The shaking of the nations would be through both political and economic upheaval. One of the prophecies said that the great shaking was about to begin with the Soviet Union. Three weeks later the Chernobyl nuclear power station erupted which began the shaking of the USSR and led to its eventual demise. The following is a small part of one of the prophecies. It referred specifically to the downfall of Gorbachev and the collapse of the Communist empire:

I, only I, can overcome this evil regime. But through the prayers of my people I will break the power of this man. For this reason you should pray for your enemies. I will send a famine. It will bring the Kremlin to their knees and make them open to my word.⁸

Four years later this prophecy was fulfilled in the breakup of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe. It was the famine caused by the Chernobyl meltdown which began the whole process.

Next week: Prophecies of revival and good times.

References

1 Published in New Covenant, February 1978. Charismatic Renewal Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan, p4.

2 Ibid, p5.

3 Ibid, p6.

4 I am indebted to Patricia Higton of Time Ministries International (Essex) for the record of this prophecy.

5 Ibid.

6 Prophecy Today, published by PWM Trust (Bedford). Published in each edition of Prophecy Today since March 1984.

7 Prophecy Today, Vol 10 No 4, July/Aug 94.

8 Prophecy Today, Vol 2 No 4, July/Aug 86.

A word from Dr Clifford Hill.

For several weeks, in my prayer times, I have been hearing something I did not want to hear. The weekend before last, at a team retreat with Issachar Ministries trustees and the Editorial Board of Prophecy Today, I shared with them the message that I’m hearing – “stop praying for the nation”.

This sounds outrageous, but before you pick up stones to throw at me, please join me in a little Bible study. The Prophet Jeremiah spent 40 years of his life bringing God-inspired warnings to the people of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah. He pleaded with them to repent of their idolatry, injustice, oppression, violence and immorality; all of which are detailed in his famous ‘Temple Sermon’ in chapter 7.

He constantly pleaded with God on behalf of the nation for mercy and for God’s continuing protection, even though he knew the people to be unworthy of the Lord’s blessings.

But there came a point where God told Jeremiah to stop praying for the nation as he would no longer listen to his pleas. His Temple Sermon concluded with a striking passage:

Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”…?

Jeremiah then almost exploded,

Safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

This was followed by the Lord’s declaration, “I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.” This was followed by a direct command to Jeremiah, “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you” (Jer 7:16).

Jeremiah constantly pleaded with God for mercy on behalf of the nation, but there came a point where God told him to stop praying.

Repeated Warnings Ignored

Three times Jeremiah was given the same instruction, to cease praying for the nation. The other two times are in 11:14 and 14:11. The latter enables us to understand just what God was saying. It says, “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.’”

You notice that God did not say that he would not listen if they repented, but that he was no longer interested in their ritual religious offerings while they continued all their idolatrous practices and showed no trust in him. This is very similar to what Isaiah had said some 200 years earlier:

The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me? Says the Lord. I have had more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals…When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. (Isa 1:11, 15)

God had been calling for repentance for 40 years and his words, through Jeremiah, had been ignored. The corruption in the nation had now reached the point where the people were being driven by evil forces that made them blind to the danger facing them and deaf to the warnings they were given.

After giving his Temple Sermon, God said to Jeremiah, “When you tell them all this they will not listen to you; when you call to them they will not answer. Therefore, say to them, this is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips” (Jer 7:27).

Disaster Inevitable

I believe this is the situation we have reached in Britain – not only in the nation where our politicians are squabbling among themselves in confusion and the BBC forces homosexual propaganda on us on a daily basis, but also in the Church of England, our official state church, which has departed from the truth. As Charles Gardner pointed out two weeks ago, the Archbishop of York declared to the General Synod that the Bible should be ignored and measures passed to please lesbians and homosexuals.

The Synod also voted to call on the Government to ban the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ for gay people and is considering whether transgender people could be given special church services to celebrate their new gender identity. 25 years ago David Noakes sent a prophetic warning to Dr George Carey, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. The warning is even more relevant and urgent today.

Surely the Lord is saying of the Church of England: “Truth has perished from their lips!”

I believe this is the situation we have reached in Britain - not only in the nation but also in the Church of England.

Justine Greening, the lesbian Secretary of State for Education who is determined to brainwash all our children with LGBT values from the age of five, put further pressure upon the Church last month saying, that if churches do not perform same-sex marriages they are “not part of a modern country”.¹ Our politicians and our church leaders are colluding to distort the truth and deceive the nation: “truth has perished from their lips!”

By contrast this week, the Archbishop of Uganda has stated that he will not attend the next meeting of Anglican leaders because he cannot have fellowship with those who deny biblical truth. Good for him!

God holds his Church primarily responsible for the spiritual and moral state of the nation. When the church becomes as corrupt as the nation, judgment becomes inevitable.

This is the reason why I can no longer pray for the welfare of this nation. I cannot pray, “Peace! Peace!” When the Lord is saying: “There is no peace!” I believe some kind of catastrophe is now inevitable in order to open eyes that are blind and ears that are deaf, and the Lord will use it to bring the nation to our knees. I also believe that this is the only way that God’s salvation is going to reach this nation.

A Coming Harvest!

In the 40 years before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in the year 586 BC, God raised up three prophets in Judah – Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk. All three brought strong warnings to the people; but all three saw beyond the catastrophe to the time of restoration, blessing and prosperity that would follow.

I am convinced that there will be a great spiritual awakening and harvest for the Kingdom in Great Britain with multitudes being saved - but it will not happen until there is repentance and turning. Just as many people whose lives are broken by sin, hear the Gospel and respond with joy as their sins are forgiven and they come into a right relationship with God, the same can happen with the nation.

I believe that some kind of catastrophe is now inevitable in order to open eyes that are blind and ears that are deaf.

For many years God has been warning that the time will come when he will shake all nations. The prophecy of Haggai 2:6-7, repeated in Hebrews 12, is coming true today: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations’”. Note also that the prophecy concludes with a promise of restoration, “I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty”.

I am looking forward to the great spiritual awakening that will follow the great shaking! I can no longer plead with God to spare this nation from the judgment we so richly deserve. My prayer now is, “Make the shaking effective, Lord! And work out your good purposes!”

References

1 Interview with Sky News, 23 July 2017.

Grenfell Tower and God’s purposes for Britain.

The Grenfell Tower disaster continues to fill our newspapers and will no doubt do so for a long time to come. Left-wing politicians see it as an opportunity to lambast a Conservative Council for neglecting the poor, the powerless and the immigrant. Anarchists are stirring up rage while seeking the opportunity for overthrowing an elected government.

Lawyers are rubbing their hands at the prospect of prolonged legal battles. Criminals are said to have spirited away huge amounts of gifts and clothing donated by the public, and millions of pounds have been donated to online appeals, some of which have been set up by crooks.

But what about the survivors who have suffered the cruel loss of loved ones reduced to ashes – and the loss of everything they own, their homes, passports, precious family photos and mementos? Who is caring for them? How are they coping with devastating bereavement and shock?

In this issue of Prophecy Today we are publishing an interview with the pastor of a local church that has been intimately involved with the survivors since the first hours of the fire. I also have spoken to this pastor and heard some of his amazing testimony to the grace of God. They have just been filmed for the BBC’s Songs of Praise, so some of these testimonies may well be broadcast to the world.

Warning After Warning

Jesus also had to deal with a tower disaster during his ministry in Jerusalem (Luke 13:4). Jesus saw this disaster, which God had allowed, as a warning that something was severely wrong in the city and unless people took heed, a greater disaster would occur. History shows the result of his warning being ignored. Less than 40 years later, Jerusalem was totally destroyed by the Romans after a disastrous four years’ war.

Jesus also had to deal with a tower disaster during his ministry in Jerusalem – he saw it as a warning that something was severely wrong.

Christians who are alert to the times in which we are living know that God has been sending us warnings for a long time. Our nation has deliberately turned away from truth to embrace every kind of evil, from child abuse and gross immorality to lies and corruption in high places in the governance and commercial life of the UK.

We have deliberately defied the word of God, even to attempting to ‘re-define’ the founding principles of Creation. In so doing we have put ourselves outside the protection of God and we are already reaping the whirlwind of our own creation.

Is Repentance Still Possible?

Disaster will undoubtedly follow and I believe the Grenfell Tower inferno is the latest warning sign that God has sent to us. Of course, it is not too late for national repentance. Jeremiah was still calling for repentance when the Babylonian army was outside the gates of the city, because he knew that God could strike them down and save Jerusalem even at the last moment. But he also knew that there would be no repentance because of the blindness and wickedness that gripped the nation, so he knew that God would allow disaster to happen.

In the 40 years before the destruction of Jerusalem, God raised up three prophets – Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Jeremiah – all with a similar message. They each gave severe warnings; they each said that only repentance and turning to God would prevent disaster; and they each looked beyond the inevitable disaster to a time of restoration and blessing.

I personally believe that the people of Britain, America and Europe have all passed the point where repentance (although still possible) could save us from inevitable disaster. We are being driven by powerful forces of destruction. This is vividly illustrated in the spirit of death that is gripping many young people who are being driven to self-harm and suicide via the internet. In the same way, Western nations are being manipulated and steered by forces of evil.

I personally believe that Britain, America and Europe have all passed the point where repentance, though still possible, can save us from inevitable disaster.

Severe Testing – But with Purpose

Of course, these forces of darkness could be broken if there arose in the Western nations a powerful army of intercessors empowered by the Holy Spirit to scatter the darkness and heal the land. But there is little sign of this at the moment because churches are either gently sleeping in their cosy traditions or actively pursuing the policies of apostasy – the fruit of false teaching and rejection of the truth.

The three pre-exilic prophets of Judah were each told that God would actually use the disaster to further his purposes by sweeping idolatry, immorality and injustice out of the land to prepare the way for the new covenant relationship inaugurated by Messiah. The promises of restoration given by each of these prophets can be found in Jeremiah 31:27f, Habakkuk 2:14 and 3:16f, and Zephaniah 3:14f.

In the recent prayer times led by Issachar Ministries in different parts of the country where we have had intercessory gatherings to spend time together listening to the Lord, the outstanding words that have been received have been urgent calls for repentance, but also calls for strengthening the Body of believers to enable them to stand firm during the coming storm. Christians need equipping with the full armour of God, which is not only for defence but also for declaring the word of God in a hostile environment - that is, we must exercise the sword of the Spirit as well as raise the shield of faith!

The major revelation from these times of waiting upon God is that Christians in Western nations are going to go through days of severe testing, but those days will undoubtedly be followed by times of renewal, spiritual awakening and blessing.

Signs of Future Blessing

A little sign of future blessing can be seen in the Grenfell Tower disaster, out of which many people are entering into a new relationship with God - according to the reports we are hearing from churches in the area. Local Muslims in particular have been greatly shaken, not least because the inferno occurred during Ramadan, which they normally regard as a time of blessing; and because no Muslim would ever have his body cremated - yet so many have been reduced to ashes.

Christians in Western nations are going to go through severe testing, but those days will undoubtedly be followed by times of renewal.

There are reports of Muslims questioning their faith in the wake of Grenfell Tower, and the recent terrorist atrocities committed in the name of Allah, as well as the widespread tragedy unfolding in the Middle East – particularly in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, where Muslims are slaughtering each other. Many Muslims in Kensington are said to be responding to the love being shown to them by Christians and there is a new openness to the Gospel. Is this the beginning of a new harvest for the Kingdom?

More prophetic words are brought at a day of prayer in Chichester, confirming the prophecy that was given through David Noakes last week.

In last week's editorial we looked at events that have taken place since the Referendum and the vote to leave the European Union. We published a word from my colleague David Noakes that assured us that God is fully in control and that although we must expect "darkness and upheaval in the European institution" we should not be anxious, because God is working out his purposes and will walk with us in the difficult times that lie ahead.

Chichester Day of Prayer and Prophecy

Last week my wife and I led a day of prayer in Chichester. There were quite a large number, most of whom were mature Christians having a good knowledge of the Bible and Christian teaching. At one point during the day we set aside a time of complete quiet to listen to the Lord for what he is saying to his people in Britain today.

Individuals took a note of what they heard and then shared it with others in groups of about ten, who together weighed what was brought. Following this a spokesperson for each group reported back to the whole gathering the most significant words that had been accepted in their group.

Learning from Past Examples

During the day, we had already done some teaching on how the biblical prophets had received revelation from God: how they listened and how they knew that what they were hearing really was from the Lord. We noted that Isaiah heard from God early in the morning, "He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught" (Isa 50:4). We noted how Jeremiah learnt to "stand in the Council of the Lord" (Jer 23:18).

We noted that Jesus promised that his disciples would recognise his voice in the same way as sheep recognise the voice of their shepherd. He said "I am the good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me" (Jn 10:14). Jesus also promised that we would be able to hear the truth through the Holy Spirit. He said "When he the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come" (Jn 16:12-13).

Hearing God Speak

Only two of all those present had seen David's prophecy, which had only just been published. But the remarkable thing was how many of the words reported in the feedback time were in accordance with it. Of course, we should not be surprised at this because if we are all listening to the same Source on behalf of the nation, we should hear a similar message!

At a prayer day in Chichester last weekend, many prophetic words were given in accordance with that given by David Noakes, despite only two people present having read it.

Warnings of Trouble, Hope for Opportunity

Many of the words were warnings of troubled times that lie ahead. A typical word reported by one group was, "Times of great turmoil are coming because the enemy is angry with the vote to leave the European Union. The praying church will be important in the coming battle nevertheless the exit will be successfully completed", but we were also warned about deception, "Watch out that you are not deceived" (Luke 21:8).

We were warned that getting out of Europe will not be easy. It was not easy for the people of Israel to get out of slavery in Egypt. Although they were given permission to leave, the Egyptians chased after them and God had to do a miracle to save them. "When the King of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, 'What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!'" (Ex 14:5). The battle to get out of the EU will be long and hard. There is a great need for Christians to intercede and pray for our negotiators, businessmen and politicians, that righteousness will prevail.

There were a number of prophetic words about the 'fields being ripe for harvest', suggesting that God is giving us a great opportunity to share his truth with others and that many will respond to the Gospel – particularly young people, who are searching for truth in a confusing world of strife and conflict.

Warnings About Israel and the Middle East

There were strong warnings about the situation in the Middle East; "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of the ruins" (Isa 17:1). This is coming true today as Syria is being destroyed, but there is great danger that when the destruction of Syria is completed the nations will turn upon Israel "Come, they say, let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more" (Ps 83:4).

There were strong calls for Christians to stand with Israel in prayer as we approach the close of this age. There were further warnings of storm clouds gathering and a time of darkness coming when the faith of Christians will be severely tested. But this was accompanied by promises that we should not be afraid in difficult times because God knows the way he is taking us (Job 23:10) and he will use the difficult times to cleanse his people.

We were warned that getting out of Europe will not be easy - it was not easy for the people of Israel to get out of slavery in Egypt.

With Jesus' Help

God will also strengthen us during the testing times for Jesus has promised that he will never leave us alone. As he prayed for his first disciples, he is still interceding with the Father for his disciples today. In his prayer to the Father, Jesus said, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" (Jn 17:15).

We know that this editorial is different from our usual brand, but the editors felt that it was important to report these words, which we believe to be from the Lord at this special time in the history of our nation. They are particularly important because they have come through ordinary Christians, who are members of prayer groups from many different churches – not ministry leaders or clergy. Clearly God is speaking to his people today!

These prayer groups are scattered around the South Downs area of England – and our team has been leading similar days in different parts of the country. Next month we are in Rochester, Kent, when we may publish a further report. We do hope that this is an encouragement to all praying Christians.

The word 'Jeremiah' has come down the years to mean a foreteller of doom. But this does him an injustice, as Tony Pearce notes in the next of our series on the prophets.

Jeremiah was clearly not one of the more popular preachers of his day. It is unlikely that his diary was full of engagements or that he was invited to leadership meetings planning the next wave of revival. In fact, in his times of dejection he sat alone, lamenting the day of his birth and describing himself as a "man of strife and contention" whom everyone cursed (Jer 15:10).

Plain Warnings

Some might have argued that his isolation was his own fault. He did not go out of his way to make friends and influence people. He denounced his generation as spiritual and physical adulterers "going after other gods to their own hurt", and "like well-fed, lusty stallions, everyone neighed after his neighbour's wife" (Jer 5:8).

He had no time for their hypocritical form of religion in which they kept up appearances of faith in the Lord, while breaking at every turn the covenant he had made with them. He punctured their illusions, particularly the false assurance that, because the Temple stood in Jerusalem, God was under an obligation to defend them from enemy invasion and the deportation that had previously afflicted the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Jer 7:4).

Jeremiah warned his listeners plainly that God's condition for protection was that they amend their ways, that they "execute judgment between a man and his neighbour" and they do not go after other gods (Jer 7:5-6). For 23 years Jeremiah repeated this message, telling the people to repent and turn back to the Lord, upon which change of heart he would cause them to dwell in the land (Jer 25:3-6).

The People's Response

But although he faithfully relayed God's word to them, neither king nor priest, rich nor poor, would listen. Therefore, he said, God would compel them to listen by bringing Nebuchadnezzar against them to destroy the city and the Temple and taking them away captive to Babylon for 70 years (Jer 25:8-11). For this warning he was denounced as an enemy agent come to undermine the confidence of the people, thrown into prison, and left to die. A scroll containing his message - God's prophetic warning — was torn up and thrown into the fire by the king.

It was much more encouraging to listen to those who were prophesying peace, saying in effect, 'It does not matter how you live, laugh, enjoy yourselves, have parties and fun. God will look after you and give you peace, because you are the King's kids.' Jeremiah denounced these men as false prophets, which did little to improve his popularity rating. He prophesied that the sword, famine and pestilence, would come on that wicked generation (Jer 14:12).

The soothing prophecies of peace and safety were much more attractive and acceptable to the people. But they were false prophecies, while Jeremiah's predictions of forthcoming doom on that generation were true, and actually came to pass.

Soothing prophecies of peace and safety were much more attractive to the people - but they were false, while Jeremiah's predictions of forthcoming doom were true.

The catastrophe he had prophesied materialised and Jerusalem and the Temple lay in ruins. But did Jeremiah then point the finger and say, 'I told you so?' No. In the book of Lamentations he wrote, "My eyes overflow with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people" (Lam 3:48). His heart beat with the compassion and mercy of God. Even as he saw God fulfil his word of judgment he knew that "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases" (Lam 3:22).

Prophecies of Hope and Restoration

Jeremiah was not just a prophet of doom; he wrote some of the most beautiful pictures describing Israel's restoration, showing the people that there would be a "future and a hope" when they sought the Lord with all their heart.

70 years later in Babylon, Daniel recognised that the word of the Lord through Jeremiah concerning the desolation of Jerusalem had been fulfilled, and in prayer he confessed the sins of the nation (Dan 9). He coupled the disaster which had come upon Israel to the breaking of the covenant which God had made with her through the Law of Moses (Lev 26; Deut 28; Jer 31:32).

Following Daniel's prayer, Jeremiah's prophecies of restoration were fulfilled: the exiles returned from Babylon and the Temple was rebuilt. In the fullness of time the Messiah - whom Jeremiah also prophesied - came to bring in the new covenant made with "the house of Israel and the house of Judah". Through the witness of the first Jewish believers in Jesus, people all over the world can come into that new covenant and enjoy its benefits:

'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts; And I will be their God and they shall be my people...They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,' says the Lord, 'For I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more.' (Jer 31:31-34)

The Message for Today

The message of Jeremiah is relevant to our time, as we see the approaching judgments of the end times. We cannot "heal the hurt of the daughter of my people lightly, saying 'Peace, peace,' where there is no peace" (Jer 6:14). We cannot make grand promises of coming revival, where there is no true repentance and faith. Whether it makes us popular or not, we must warn of the terrible judgment that is coming on this wicked generation that rejects the word of the Lord.

The Lord Jesus warned of a time of great tribulation coming at the end of this age (Matt 24:21). As in Jeremiah's day there is a reason for this time of trouble coming. Our century has seen a rebellion against God on a scale that is unparalleled in human history. We boast of our technological ability which we vainly imagine has made us 'the Captains of our fate', no longer dependent on God. Yet the very technological advance contains the seeds of our own destruction as we pollute the only planet we can live on and create bigger and better weapons with which to destroy each other.

Whether it is popular or not, we must warn of the terrible judgment coming on this generation that rejects the word of the Lord.

Conscious of the coming calamity, nations and religions are joining hands in a vain attempt to save the world by means of a 'New World Order' backed by a 'Global Ethic' which, it is hoped, will unite humanity. The slogans are attractive and the promises dazzling, but it is a house built on the sand. It ignores the sin problem of humanity and decisively rejects the only solution to this problem - repentance and faith in the one way of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock

"Peace, peace, where there is no peace." "Peace and safety." The voice of the false prophets is as loud in our generation as it was in Jeremiah's. It offers a false peace and a false hope based on human potential and human goodness and reconciliation apart from God revealed in Jesus Christ.

The chastisement of our peace was upon him... (Isa 53:5)

But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace. (Eph 2:13-14)

The true prophets pointing to the Lord Jesus as the only way to God and warning of his soon coming in judgment face scorn, rejection and persecution as Jeremiah did in his day. They are not welcome at the great international gatherings where political and religious leaders try to sort out the world's problems. In the great ecumenical and inter-faith meetings the Lord Jesus too stands outside the door and knocks, as he stood outside the door of the worldly, self-confident church of Laodicea (Rev 3:20).

Does he also stand outside the door of many great evangelical and charismatic gatherings? David Wilkerson spoke of a "Christless Pentecost" in which phenomena and physical manifestations become the mark of spiritual re-birth, rather than a humble walk with the Lord and a life of service.

How many prophecies of coming great revival, backed by spectacular miracles which will dazzle the unbelieving world into submission, are in fact false prophecies, raising hopes and expectations but ultimately leading to disappointment and disillusion, as did the false prophecies of Jeremiah's day?

How many contemporary prophets of revival will the Lord say, "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and caused my people to hear my words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings" (Jer 23:21-22).

How many contemporary prophets of revival will the Lord say, 'I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied'.

Today God is looking for those who will stand for him in the public place, as Jeremiah did, and say to the kings (political leaders), the priests (religious leaders), the rich and poor alike: "Hear the word of the Lord...Amend your ways and your doings and I will cause you to dwell in this place" (Jer 7:2-3).

First published in Prophecy Today Vol 11 No 6, November 1995.

An important aspect of the prophet's ministry is that of warning people to turn from their rebellious ways and to return to God in repentance and obedience.

The word of God teaches us that, "We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isa 53:6). Here is a characteristic shared by every member of the human family. We may differ as to age, sex, colour, race and nationality, but all have this in common: we have strayed from the right path and have obstinately chosen to go our own way and to do our own thing.

An important aspect of the prophet's ministry, not only in Old and New Testament times but also today, is that of warning people to turn from their rebellious ways and to return to God at a level of repentance that leads to future obedience.

The Sending of Prophets

"Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, 'Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions'..." (Jer 35:15). Their message was, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa 30:15 RSV). The NIV translates the Hebrew word shuvah, which means 'to turn back', as 'repentance'. Constantly the prophets call for God's people to return to Yahweh. "Come, let us return to the Lord...Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God...Return to me with all your heart...Take words with you and return to the Lord...Return to me and I will return to you" (Hos 6:1, 14:1-2; Joel 2:12-13; Mal 3:7).

The Blessings Promised to Those Who Return

The first blessing was that of forgiveness. "Let the wicked forsake his way...let him turn to the Lord, and he will have rnercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon" (Isa 55:7). "I have swept away your offences like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you" (Isa 44:22).

As well as pardon for the past the people were promised a new beginning. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you...and move you...to keep my laws" (Ezek 36:26-27). "I will give them a heart to know me...they will be my people...for they will return to me with all their heart" (Jer 24:7).

Those who return to the Lord are promised many blessings, including forgiveness and a new beginning.

They would be brought back to inherit the land. "I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up...for they will return to me with all their heart" (Jer 24:6-7). They would enjoy material blessings, as Moses had promised to God's people: "All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God" (Deut 28:1-12). "'Test me in this', says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the flood-gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it'" (Mal 3:10).

Disasters Threatening Those Who Turn from God

The prophets of the Bible have no hesitation in believing and proclaiming that God is behind all things that happen, including unpleasant and frightening events: "I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things" (Isa 45:7). Jeremiah announces that disaster is on its way and that it behoves God's people to turn from their evil ways: "This is what the Lord says: 'Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways...'" (Jer 18:11). When Baruch, Jeremiah's assistant, wrote a fresh scroll to replace the one King Jehoiakim had burnt, all the threats of coming disaster were repeated along with "many similar words..." (Jer 36:32).

According to the story of Jonah, a threatened disaster was averted when men repented. "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened" (Jonah 3:10). The opposite was the case in the time of Isaiah. In his ninth and tenth chapters is a phrase that repeats four times: "For all this his anger is not turned away, his arm is still upraised" (Isa 9:12, 9:17, 9:21, 10:4). In the Good News Bible this passage reads, "Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish."

When men do not respond to disaster, the result can be only that greater disaster will come upon them. This is surely a salutary thought for us as we think back over the series of disasters we have witnessed or experienced in Britain during recent times.

Those who refuse to turn bring disaster upon themselves - and when they do not respond to this, the result can only be greater disaster.

Another aspect of the prophets' ministry is to draw their listeners' attention to crises that have occurred. The book of Amos contains a striking example of such action. In chapter 4 (verses 6-11) he reminds them of the disasters that had occurred. These included famine, drought, blight, locusts, plague, war and raging fire. One recurrent phrase in these verses sounds like a death-knell: "'Yet you have not returned to me', declares the Lord." God does not want to have to bring ever more serious disasters - that is not his nature or desire - but it may become inevitable, "You crushed them but they refused correction They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent" (Jer 5:3).

Why Do People Turn from God?

1. Because they do not know God's word.

Jeremiah writes of the people and their leaders, "These are only the poor, they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God. So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God. But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke" (Jer 5:4-5). It is a very sad situation when the ordinary people who do not know God's law receive no direction or correction from their leaders because they have rejected the revealed word of God. Like so many today, they are left with only the unsure ground of situation ethics as the nations plunge further and further into moral chaos.

2. Because they listen to false prophets.

"Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you, they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds..." As a result of this error, "From the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land" (Jer 23:15-16). How sad that when the ministry of the prophet was so needed, as in Jerusalem then and in our situation today, we are confronted by so-called prophets who have not heard from God at all, but speak forth their own dreams and delusions. "...prophets who prophesy the delusions of their own minds...[they] prophesy false dreams...and lead my people astray with their reckless lies..." (Jer 23:26, 23:32).

It is of vital importance today that the stream of prophecy is kept clear by careful observance of the scriptural rules laid down for us in the New Testament. If we tolerate human traditions and unscriptural practices, we may lose the effective working of a very precious and necessary gift.

It is a sad situation when ordinary people who do not know God's law receive no direction or correction from their leaders, because they too have rejected the revealed word of God.

3. Because they fail to learn from the mistakes of others.

In the time of King Josiah, the prophet Jeremiah received a word from the Lord condemning Judah for copying the behaviour of her 'adulterous sister' Israel (Jer 3:6-10). "I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no tear she also went out and committed adultery" (Jer 3:8). We see many examples of wrong behaviour, especially in the area of sexual morality. Sadly, some of these have been within the Christian church; sadder still, a few have been among its leaders.

We need prophets today who are not afraid to remind God's people of the standards laid down in his word. But at all times they should avoid that judgmental and critical spirit which hurts yet more and condemns. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted" (Gal 6:1).

The Folly of Not Returning to God

According to one of the Church Fathers, "Outside of God there is nothing but death." Therefore, the only sensible thing for anyone to do is to return to God. Ezekiel is feeling the urgency of the matter when he cries out, "Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?" (Ezek 33:11). He makes it clear that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked rather "...am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"

Today's prophets need to stress the unrelieved awfulness of living or dying without God and consequently the stupidity of concentrating all our efforts on amassing this world's goods arid striving for its fame Jesus was speaking very much to the point when he said of the rich man, in his story, "You fool!" (Luke 12:20).

Today's prophets need to stress the unrelieved awfulness and folly of living or dying without God.

The Blessedness of Turning Back to God

God is holy, and he is a God of justice and judgment. But Scripture teaches that judgment is his "strange work...his alien task" (Isa 28:21). There is no doubt that in this injunction he is providing an example to prophets. Justice and judgment must have their rightful place in the ministry of today's prophets. "If I have the gift of prophecy...but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor 13:2). In Jesus' greatest story we see an example of the love that should characterise all his followers. Whatever they have done in the past, "Let's celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:24).

The Reward for the Prophets Who Turn Men to Righteousness

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead [RSV 'turn'] many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever" (Rev 12:3). It is true that "we all like sheep have gone astray" (Isa 53:6). We all have an inborn determination to do what we want to do. Sadly, Scripture points out that "there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Prov 14:12).

We did not find the right road by our own cleverness but by the grace and mercy of God. Now we in turn must share what we have experienced. It is just such prophets who will shine, because they have turned others from their sins and have played some part in returning them to the Father and to home.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 6 No 5, September/October 1990.

Edmund Heddle looks at the biblical significance of the shofar and the silver trumpet as prophetic instruments.

Reference to the blowing of trumpets is made in both Old and New Testaments. In every case they are sounding the alert to wake up the people to what God has to say to them. As we study the occasions on which trumpets were blown we shall gain a clearer understanding of 'What is a prophet?' and of the responsibility he has to make his trumpet call unmistakably clear (1 Cor 14:8).

Two Types of Trumpet

With a single exception the trumpets of the Old Testament divide up into the shofar or ram's horn and the chatsotserah made of hammered silver. In the New Testament the word 'salpinx' does service for both.

Moses was told by God to make two trumpets of hammered silver. Only the priests were allowed to blow them, and they were the means of alerting the people to assemble, to dismiss, to set out on a journey, to go into battle and to mark new year and other festivals.

Both the Old and the New Testaments contain references to the blowing of the trumpets – in every case they are sounding the alert to wake the people up to what God is saying.

It would appear that, unlike the shofar which has no musical sound with different notes, the silver trumpets had two distinct notes. This is apparent from the instructions given to Moses that when both trumpets were sounded simultaneously the whole assembly of the Lord's people were to gather at the Tent of Meeting; but if a single trumpet was sounded only the leaders were to assemble before Yahweh. Unless one of the trumpets produced two different notes no-one could tell whether all the people or only the leaders were being called.

By contrast the shofar, mentioned 72 times in the Old Testament, is not a musical instrument as such. Made of the curved horn of a cow or a ram, it was used to make a loud sound. It is still used by Jews at their solemn festivals. By contrast the silver trumpets were long, straight and slim. We know their shape from the bas-relief on the Arch of Titus in Rome depicting the overthrow of Jerusalem.

When God Appears

When God descended to Mount Sinai there was a very loud trumpet blast, which grew louder and louder (Ex 19:16 and 19). When the trumpet sounded the people trembled with fear and stayed at a distance (Ex 20:18). The writer to the Hebrews comments on the people's fear (Heb 12:18-21).

Paul tells us that when God descends at the Last Day the trumpet call of God will sound (1 Thess 4:16) and at the last trumpet the dead will be raised (1 Cor 15:52). Jesus makes it clear that this final trumpet call will be blown by angels (Matt 24:31). All prophesying has as its objective the preparing of people for that 'dreadful day' (Rev 6:15-16).

Directing the People of God in the Wilderness

According to Numbers 10:1-10, the Israelites were alerted to their responsibility by the sounding of the silver trumpets. For example, the whole company of people, or perhaps just the leaders, were summoned to the Tent of Meeting; the clans of Israel set out on their journey to the Promised Land, or camped for a while in some place.

References to trumpets in Scripture usually concern either the shofar (ram's horn) or the silver trumpet, which are very different in appearance and sound.

At Historic Events

These events included:

• the bringing up of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (1 Chron 13:7-8);
• the establishment of the Ark in the Holy Place in the Temple (2 Chron 5:7);
• the dedication of the Temple (2 Chron 15:14);
• Jehoshaphat's victory (2 Chron 20:28);
• the proclamation of Joash as king after his escape from the massacre under Athaliah, the only queen ever to occupy the throne of Judah (2 Chron 23:11-13);
• subsequent to the purification of the Temple by King Hezekiah and while the Levites and all the people bowed in worship (2 Chron 29:25-29);
• after they had laid the foundation stone of the Temple (Ezra 3:10-11);
• and when they had dedicated the wall of Jerusalem (Neh 12:31-36).

We note that seven named priests were appointed to blow trumpets before the Ark of God (1 Chron 15:24). In all the religious celebrations accompanied by the blowing of trumpets the one song which was repeated over and over again down the years was, "He is good: his love endures forever" (1 Chron 16:41. 2 Chron 5:14; 7:3; 20:21 and Ezra 3:11).

On Regular Occasions

Trumpets were blown at the new moon (Num 10:10, Ps 81:3). The Hebrew word for 'moon' is the same as the word for 'month', and at the commencement of each period trumpets alerted God's people to the passing of time.

The feast of trumpets, held on the first day of the seventh month, was a New Year festival celebrated with the blowing of trumpets (Lev 23:23-25, Num 29:1-6). As in the West today where there is both a religious year commencing in Advent and a civil year commencing in January, so in Bible times there was a religious year beginning with the month Nisan or Abib, the 'green ear month' roughly equivalent to our April, and a civil year commencing with the seventh month Tishri or Ethanim (1 Kings 8:2) in the autumn.

The sound of the trumpet marked both regular occasions like each new month and year, and special occasions like festivals.

The one-day Feast of Trumpets announced the most important month in the year, in which occurred both the Day of Atonement (Num 29:7-11) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Num 29:12-39), and took its feast place at the new moon of the seventh month. It would appear that the new moon was the regular day on which to consult prophets (2 Kings 4:23). The use of these instruments at this feast is called a memorial blowing of trumpets, and may be understood in two ways. First, that God is alerting the people to prepare for the solemnities of that particular month and, second, that the people are reminding God of his covenant promises.

It is interesting that in neither of the scripture passages dealing with the Feast of Trumpets does the word 'trumpet' occur. The word used instead is 'teruah', which denotes either the shouting of people or the blast of a trumpet - perhaps both are included.

At the Feast of Trumpets the memorial blowing of trumpets is designed to alert the people to prepare, and to remind God of his covenant promises.

This first day of the month Tishri is called by the Jews Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the year, or New Year's Day. The Year of Jubilee was announced by the sounding of trumpets everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev 25:8-13), which is the Day of Atonement. The term 'jubilee' is derived from the word 'yobhel', which means ram's horn. After every six-year period of use the land was to have a 'sabbath of rest'; during the seventh year the land was to lay fallow for one year.

The culmination of these sabbatical periods was reached every fiftieth year, when the Year of Jubilee was heralded by blasts on the ram's horn throughout the land. With the arrival of this year slaves were released, debts were remitted, property reverted to its original owners and Israelites who had been jailed for debt were released. Isaiah 61:1-3 is steeped in jubilee phraseology, and this was the scripture passage Jesus chose to explain his mission and that of the church, his prophetic people (Luke 4:16-21).

Coronation of KingsShofar.

1 Kings 1:39 tells us, "Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted 'Long live King Solomon!'" In earlier times, during Absalom's conspiracy against King David, instructions had been given to Absalom's supporters that as soon as they heard the sound of the trumpets they were to proclaim, 'Absalom is king in Hebron'. This announcement was to lead to great sorrow when the day came for David to mourn the death of his son. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son, if only I had died instead of you!" (2 Sam 18:33). How different from the day when trumpets declared his accession!

While Elijah was hiding in the cave from the wrath of Queen Jezebel, God told him that Elisha was to anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, to be King over Israel (1 Kings 19:16). In obedience to this commission, Elisha sent one of the young prophets to find Jehu and to take him into an inner room, pour oil on his head and say, 'I anoint you King over Israel'. When Jehu returned to the council of his companions they endorsed his accession: "Then they blew the trumpet and shouted 'Jehu is King!'" Part of Jehu's commission was to avenge the blood of the prophets killed by Jezebel (2 Kings 9:1-13).

Warning of Invasion

The prophet Ezekiel used the concept of invasion to illustrate his prophesying (Eze 33:2-6):

If the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head...but if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword...takes the life of one of them...I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.

Isaiah castigates Israel's prophet-watchmen with the statement, "Israel's watchmen are blind" (56:10). Of what possible use is a blind watchman?

Trumpets were blown to mark the coronation of kings and to warn of impending war.

In Warfare

Trumpets were used in the following ways:

• to recruit an army (Judg 3:26-¬28);
• to lead troops out to battle (Num 10:9);
• to sound a battle-cry (2 Chron 13:12-15);
• to signal to the army during fighting (Num 31:6);
• to call people to defend their city (Neh 4:18-22);
• to effect a God-given strategy (Josh 6:5, Judg 7:17-18);
• to terminate the engagement (2 Sam 2:28) and to send the troops home (2 Sam 20:22b).

When Paul was emphasising the superiority of the gift of prophecy he likened it to blowing a trumpet, and made the point that "If the trumpet does not sound a clear call" the army will not know what they are being ordered to do (1 Cor 14:8).

Heralding the Judgments Preceding the Day of the Lord

In the book of the Revelation seven trumpets reveal the increasing severity of the judgments that will fall on the earth before the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. The first four trumpets announce that one-third of the earth, sea, rivers and sun, moon and stars will be affected. Before the remaining three trumpets sound, three 'Woes' express the terrible nature of what has yet to be revealed.

At the fifth trumpet the angel of the abyss unlocks its door and choking smoke and locusts like scorpions are set loose, while the sixth trumpet sees one third of mankind killed. Yet for all this, the rest of mankind that had survived does not repent of their sins. How thrilling to hear the message of the seventh trumpet: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he will reign for ever and ever" (Rev 11:15).

Paul likened the gift of prophecy to blowing a trumpet, and pointed out that if trumpets are not blown clearly in warfare, the army will not know what it should do.

God's Trumpeters

Prophets are called to sound a clear trumpet call and are responsible for alerting God's people and to rousing them from lethargy, laziness and sleep, as we have seen from our study of trumpets in scripture. It is prophecy that brings God into his rightful place among his people, causing them to crown him King (1 Cor 14:24-25). It is prophets who are needed to lead God's people into victorious spiritual warfare.

Prophets and their warning trumpets are essential if the tide of evil invading Britain and other countries is to be withstood. The insight of Spirit-filled prophets is required to see in the disasters of today the beginnings of the final conflict between Christ Jesus and the adversary, satan, and to make it real to today's church.

Prophets are called to sound a clear trumpet call and alert God's people, rousing them from lethargy, laziness and sleep and causing them to crown God King.

Reaction to the Trumpet Call

When the trumpet sounded on Sinai, the first such sound in scripture, the people trembled (Ex 19:16), as Amos in a later day said they should (Amos 3:6). Trumpets are intended to alert the hearers (1 Kings 1:41). But if the trumpet gives an uncertain call they will not know what is required of them (1 Cor 14:8).

It matters not whether the instrument is a muddy ram's horn or a beautiful silver trumpet, neither will function without breath. So today, prophets can sound the alert only as they breathe in the Spirit that inspired the Lord's trumpeters.

Edmund Heddle looks at the sobering calling on every prophet's life to warn people of coming judgment and encourage them to repent.

God operates an early-warning system. In his mercy he warns people and nations of the inevitable result arising from their continued sin and disobedience, urging them to repent so as to escape the coming judgment. This he does through his servants the prophets.

Men may not like prophets interfering in their reckless pleasures and unjust profits and may choose to ignore their warnings. That does not alter the fact that God's warning messengers are a gift of his grace and represent the only remedy for man's pride and self-pleasing - and the only way of escape from condemnation and judgment.

God operates an early-warning system, urging people to repent through his servants the prophets.

Flood warning!

The story of Noah provides the earliest example of how God always warns mankind of coming judgment.

God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, 'I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is full of violence...I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens...so make yourself an ark' (Gen 6:12-17)

Sadly, the warning of Noah, the preacher of righteousness, was ignored and the people went on "eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all" (2 Pet 2:5; Luke 17:26-27). All men need to do to be lost is to be totally absorbed in daily living.

All men need to do to be lost is to be totally absorbed in daily living.

Fires of judgment

It is the prophet Amos who tells us that "the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7), and we see this principle demonstrated in the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Then the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?'" (Gen 18:17). But he did not do that. Instead, he confided to Abraham that the homosexual practices of those cities are so utterly evil that they - the communities - must be wiped out (Gen 18:20, 19:4-5).

This sharing of God's decision with his servant made intercession possible, and Abraham did all he could to persuade the Almighty to spare those cities. When God reveals to us today that the fires of judgment must fall on modern towns far more wicked than those ancient cities, we too must intercede that they will repent and so be spared.

When God shares his decisions with his servants, it makes intercession possible.

Years of famine

The scriptures recount how Pharaoh had a double dream - a warning from God as to what was going to happen to Egypt in the next fourteen years. But neither he nor his wise men could interpret its meaning. Hearing that there was a young man in prison who could interpret dreams, Pharaoh sent for Joseph and told him:

'I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it'. 'I cannot do it', Joseph replied to Pharaoh, 'but God will give Pharaoh the answer' (Gen 41:15-16)

The answer Joseph gave to Pharaoh foretold that "seven years of great abundance are coming...but seven years of famine will follow them and the abundance will not be remembered because the famine that follows it will be so severe." Joseph goes on to say that "the reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon" (Gen 41:32).

The plan commended itself to Pharaoh and his officials and Joseph was put in charge, as the Egyptian leader exclaimed, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?"

This is not the only place in the Bible where guidance was given to Spirit-filled men telling them how to cope with an announced famine. Agabus predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world, and the Christians in Antioch sent help to their brothers living in Judea (Acts 11:27-30).

Threatened disaster

The Pharaoh at the time of Moses was very different from the Pharaoh who had appointed Joseph to be his Food Minister four hundred years earlier. When Moses and Aaron were sent to ask him to release the children of Israel, it was no surprise to the Lord that his answer was "No!". In fact, God had warned Moses that "he will not listen to you" (Ex 7:2-4).

At this point the Lord began a series of ten plagues, a softening-up process which continued until the final threat of disaster upon all the first-born of man and beast resulted in "loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead" (Ex 12:30).

It is still the task of the prophet to declare that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), and this must be done whatever the response. As the Lord said to Ezekiel, "The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says'. And whether they listen or fail to listen - they will know that a prophet has been among them" (Ezek 2:4-5).

It is still the task of prophets to declare that the wages of sin is death – whatever the people's response.

Repeated warnings

Eli the priest had two wicked sons, Hophni and Phineas, "whose sin was very great in the Lord's sight" (1 Sam 2:12, 17). They were guilty of sacrilege and of having sex with women who were serving at the Tent of Meeting (1 Sam 2:17. 22). Eli had mildly rebuked them (1 Sam 2:23) but had failed to restrain them (1 Sam 3:13).

An unnamed prophet had been sent by the Lord to warn Eli that if they continued in their rebellion they would both die on the same day (1 Sam 2:27-34), This warning was repeated when the boy Samuel learned to listen to the Lord s voice and was given a heavy burden which he wished to keep from Eli (1 Sam 3:10-14).

The prophet has a solemn responsibility to warn leaders of God's people against the dangers of manifesting a domineering attitude on the one hand and of sexual laxity on the other. Instead, all who are called to ministry should covet to do according to what is in God's heart and mind (1 Sam 2:35).

Prophets also have a solemn responsibility to warn leaders of God's people against wrong attitudes to their ministry.

Disobedient prophet

When Jonah was first sent to Nineveh to preach against that great city, he refused (Jonah 1:1-2). He did not want the city he hated to repent so he ran away. Prophets do not always like the message God gives them to proclaim. But the Lord has ways of dealing with us and bringing us to our senses; mercifully for us it is not a three-day stay inside a great fish! God deals with us in various ways to end our disobedience and to help us to a better kind of thinking (Jonah 4:11).

When Jonah eventually got round to doing what he had been told to do and announced, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4), there was a fantastic response - all in Nineveh from the least to the greatest repented, believed and declared a fast with the wearing of sackcloth. How well the king had got the prophetic message is shown in his words: "Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish" (Jonah 3:8-9).

God wants prophets who share his outlook and are willing to obey him, whatever the cost. They are the ones who will see outstanding results for their faithfulness.

Disobedient people

During the latter years of Jeremiah, a deputation of army officers came to him with the request, "Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do". Before they left the prophet they added, "Whether it is favourable or unfavourable, we will obey the Lord our God" (Jer 42:3-6).

It was ten days later before the Lord gave Jeremiah the answer (Jer 42:7). We must not run away with the idea that we must necessarily give prophetic direction to God's people immediately, as it were off the top of our heads. If Jeremiah took ten days, we should not expect an instant answer without the need for really seeking the Lord.

Maybe Jeremiah sensed that they had already made up their minds as to where they wanted to go (Jer 42:17). Eventually he was able to put before them the alternative: "If you stay in this land I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you...If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die" (Jer 42:10-16).

Despite Jeremiah's warning after his long period of waiting on the Lord, they were determined to go to Egypt. This must have been a crowning sadness to Jeremiah: then as now, the tendency of God's people is to make up their minds first and then seek God's confirmation of and blessing on their plans. The true prophet can only look on with dismay.

The tendency of God's people has always been to make up their minds first and then seek God's confirmation and blessing.

Accountable watchmen

The awful responsibility of God's 'warning messengers' is highlighted by Ezekiel's picture of the watchmen (Ezek 3:16-19, 33:1-9).

The watchman's responsibility is to keep watch and when he sees the enemy advancing he must blow the trumpet and warn the people of their danger. If he does this faithfully and the people ignore his warning blasts and are killed, their blood is on their own heads.

However, if he fails to blow the trumpet and they perish, he will be held accountable. This simple picture reveals the solemn responsibility of God's 'warning messengers'. He will hold them responsible if they fail to warn the people and the nation to "flee from the wrath to come" (Matt 3:7).

Jesus' warning

The Lord Jesus is our example in this part of the prophet's responsibility, as in all its other aspects. In his dissertation concerning the end of the age some comments apply to the end times preceding his return, while others referred to the time of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.

"When you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matt 24:15-16). The early Christians obeyed this warning from their Lord and they escaped the awful carnage and atrocities experienced in Jerusalem.

In that same discourse there are other warning words which apply to us who live in the end times. To warn men so that they may escape danger or death is an important part of a prophet's ministry and one which we dare not neglect - for the Lord has made us responsible.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 3, May/June 1988.

Most Christians who take an interest in the affairs of the nation know that Britain is in a mess! This has been increasingly evident over the past 10 years as we have stumbled from one crisis to another.

7 July this year will be the 10th anniversary of the London bombings when 55 people lost their lives and hundreds were wounded. This showed that God’s protection had been removed from over the nation.

God Speaks

God always gives us forewarnings. The Prophet Amos said “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). But we have to be looking and listening, and able to interpret the signs that God sends.

The great hurricane in October 1987 was a dramatic warning that God sent. 15 million trees were felled, disrupting road and rail transport around the rich commuter area of London. It was followed 3 days later by a dramatic fall on the stock market. Both of these signs were rightly interpreted in the magazine Prophecy Today, but the warnings were not heeded.

When warning signs are ignored God says, “I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen” (Isa 65:12). There are inevitable consequences when we do not listen. Some more recent ones are listed in the article “What Is God Doing?”.

Consequences

The history of Israel recorded in the Bible shows the consequences when a nation refuses to heed the warnings that God sends to them: things start to fall apart in the life of the nation. It was at one of these times that the Psalmist cried out “Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbour; their flattering lips speak with deception” (Ps 12:1). In another of David’s Psalms he asked “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3).

The response of Christians should be, “Is there any word from the Lord?” (Jer 37:17) This was the question King Zedekiah asked the Prophet Jeremiah when the Babylonian army was surrounding Jerusalem. But it was too late then. He should have asked this question much earlier.

Is it too late for us? Is Britain already in a time of judgement?

Foundations Crumbling

Certainly, the Judaeo-Christian foundations of our nation have been steadily eroded over the past 40 years! We have passed one law after another that has undermined the biblical values of the nation:

• the Abortion Law has killed millions of unborn babies,
• the Sunday Trading Act has turned every day into a day of commerce with no time for the family, for quiet reflection and worshipping God,
• the Divorce Laws that the Bible says God hates have devastated family life (Mal 2:16), and most heinous of all political crimes:
• the Same-Sex Marriage Act, which actually dares to 'redefine' marriage, part of God’s act of creation!

So what can Christians do? The General Election gives an opportunity to eject ungodly MPs. But where are the godly men and women to replace them?

Here are a few things we can do.

1. Use your vote. Be determined to use your vote. And use it wisely.
2. Find out who your local candidates are and find all you can about them. If you have a sitting candidate discover how he or she voted on key questions such as the Same-Sex Marriage Act. Information on this is available on the Marriage Foundation’s website. Ask the candidates questions – for help look at the special election websites provided by Christian Concern and CARE.
3. Meet with other Christians and discuss the local situation and arrange to meet candidates. If there is no local meeting – organise one!
4. Read the Bible; study the word of God with other believers, especially the prophets.
5. Pray together: ask the Lord what should be done and decide on a plan of action. Agree to meet both before and after the election to pray for candidates and pray for the new MPs.
6. Get involved in local action instead of leaving it to the secular humanists. Paul says the whole “creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed” (Rom 8:19).

Time for Action

Surely it’s time for Christians to make the word of the Lord heard in this land! With Paul, we should be saying, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). If we remain silent at such a time as this we will be accountable to the Lord for the mess in our nation.

Now is the time to awake from sleep; to rise up in the power of the Lord and declare the truth to a corrupt generation!

We need to pray for boldness and the power of God’s Spirit and he will certainly respond with the promise “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty” (Zech 4:6).