God’s remarkable answers to prayer surrounding D-Day (drawn from the book, Beyond the Odds by Tim Dieppe and John Scriven)

There is no panacea for those who refuse to face up to the truth

75 years after the D-Day landings paved the way for Europe’s salvation from tyranny, its nations have once more become enslaved to godless ideologies our heroes gave their lives to defeat.

At the same time, wars and rumours of wars dominate the headlines as the world shakes amid fierce political, social and spiritual storms, at the epicentre of which stands Israel where a couple of real earthquakes (4.5 and 4.6 on the Richter scale) have struck in recent days.

Threats and Uncertainty

Having vowed consistently to wipe Israel off the map, Iran is now feared to be just six months away from developing a nuclear bomb. In the aftermath of its announcement that it has begun violating the 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, a former leading official in the International Atomic Energy Agency is warning that Tehran could be as close as “six months away from an atomic bomb”. In an interview with IDF Radio, Olli Heinonen said that “Israelis need to be worried, and the Gulf states also have reason for concern.”¹

Meanwhile, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has thanked Iran for providing the rockets his terror group used to strike deep into Israel and warned the Jewish state that Tel Aviv would be struck again in response to any offensive against the Gaza Strip.²

And as President Trump sweeps through London to howls of protest, his Mideast ‘Deal of the Century’ looks in jeopardy as the uncertainty surrounding Britain’s future is replicated in Jerusalem, where Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to hold another election after failing to form a coalition. We do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

Having vowed consistently to wipe Israel off the map, Iran is now feared to be just six months away from developing a nuclear bomb.

Jews and Christians Targeted

Meanwhile, as the once-Judeo-Christian nations of the West have turned away from God, so Jew-hatred is on the increase, much of it thinly veiled as ‘legitimate’ criticism of Israel.

Jerusalem, still at the epicentre of political storms as residents celebrate its reunification in 1967. Picture: Charles GardnerAs the Nazis successfully brainwashed the German people to believe the lie that the Jews were behind all the world’s troubles, so much of today’s liberal Western media repeatedly questions the status and legitimacy of Israel, not to mention the civilisation built upon the scriptures the Jewish people gave us.

We now hear that British Jews have been forced to close their businesses as a result of the aggression of a pro-Palestine group supported by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, of which Mr Corbyn is patron, targeted shops selling Israeli products in Brighton, London and Manchester, forcing two businesses to fold.³ And this comes as Labour became the only party after the ultra-right BNP to be formally investigated for racism by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.⁴

Meanwhile Israelis are this week celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem, after nearly 2,000 years in Gentile hands, through the 1967 Six-Day War. But Palestinians have predictably responded with riots on the Temple Mount, refusing to acknowledge Jewish claims to the city and its holy sites.

The Truth About Human Nature

I was fascinated by the film Goodbye Christopher Robin, which focuses on the regrets of children’s author A. A. Milne.

Plagued by flashbacks of his traumatic time in the World War I trenches, Milne sets about writing of his hopes for a world without war, before getting distracted by a wonderful world of carefree play with his young son.

His initial determination to make some sense of all the carnage with his call for peace is perfectly understandable – my own grandfather was profoundly shell-shocked at the Battle of the Somme and subsequently sent to Africa to recuperate. But Milne’s dream was as naïve as that of the Ban the Bomb campaigners which followed decades later. For it failed to grasp the reality of man’s basic propensity for evil so clearly spelt out in the Bible.

Until the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, returns to earth as promised, there will be no ultimate peace, though we should nevertheless strive for peace-making whenever possible, as our Lord urges us (Matt 5:9).

We now hear that British Jews have been forced to close their businesses as a result of the aggression of a pro-Palestine group supported by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Moral Inversions

But as long as godless dictators rule with evil intent, they must be challenged and brought to book. In this respect, President Trump is right to pull no punches with the Ayatollahs of Iran, and he was right to criticise London Mayor Sadiq Khan for saying he (Trump) was a ‘global threat’.

It’s Mr Trump, almost alone among world leaders, who is willing to call out those who really are a threat to world stability. But we are living in days spoken of by Isaiah when we are plagued by the voices of those “who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isa 5:20).

A woman interviewed about Mr Trump as she stood among the crowds outside Buckingham Palace said she was opposed to him because “he has no respect for life”. And yet this is the President who has presided over the introduction of a wave of anti-abortion laws across America. He actually believes life is sacred – even in the womb.

The Only Solution

As the culture wars rage on in the US, Britain and elsewhere, we must remember that only Jesus, who came to give us “life that is truly life” (1 Tim 6:19), can bring true peace to men’s hearts.

And when both Jew and Arab discover this truth, as we are witnessing on an ever-increasing scale in Israel today, reconciliation is the result. As the Apostle Paul wrote: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” (Eph 2:14)

So why are we not hearing more about this solution to war and violence? The enemy of souls does not want you to know about God’s rescue plan. And the mainstream media and liberal elites are colluding with his evil scheme, while much of the general population voluntarily stop up their ears.

Isaiah himself, when called by God to preach, was told he would be a failure (Isa 6:9)! The people as a whole would not listen to him. But he was urged to preach the message anyway so that those who did have ears to hear and eyes to see could turn to the Lord and be healed.

Don’t allow the enemy to cloud your vision. Hear instead the word of Isaiah: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:2, 6).

References

1 World Israel News, 5 June 2019.

2 Jerusalem News Network, 5 June 2019, quoting Times of Israel.

3 Daily Mail, 31 May 2019.

4 Ibid.

Royal address reveals what the nation has lost in 75 years.

As the nation pauses this week to mark 75 years since the Normandy landings, remembering the enormous sacrifice and great courage of so many thousands in order to secure the freedom of so many more, it is fitting to revisit the address made to the nation on 6 June 1944 by Britain’s monarch, King George VI.

His speech, from which both the Queen and Prince William quoted during their addresses this week, did not shy from acknowledging the help and providence of God, and the importance of humble, nation-wide prayer. It illuminates something of the faith that suffused Britain at that time, and reveals something of what we have lost in the years since.

King George VI’s address to the nation

6 June, 1944

“Four years ago, our Nation and Empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall. Tested as never before in our history, in God's providence we survived that test; the spirit of the people, resolute, dedicated, burned like a bright flame, lit surely from those unseen fires which nothing can quench.

Now once more a supreme test has to be faced. This time, the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause. Once again what is demanded from us all is something more than courage and endurance; we need a revival of spirit, a new unconquerable resolve. After nearly five years of toil and suffering, we must renew that crusading impulse on which we entered the war and met its darkest hour. We and our Allies are sure that our fight is against evil and for a world in which goodness and honour may be the foundation of the life of men in every land.

That we may be worthily matched with this new summons of destiny, I desire solemnly to call my people to prayer and dedication. We are not unmindful of our own shortcomings, past and present. We shall ask not that God may do our will, but that we may be enabled to do the will of God: and we dare to believe that God has used our Nation and Empire as an instrument for fulfilling his high purpose.

I hope that throughout the present crisis of the liberation of Europe there may be offered up earnest, continuous and widespread prayer. We who remain in this land can most effectively enter into the sufferings of subjugated Europe by prayer, whereby we can fortify the determination of our sailors, soldiers and airmen who go forth to set the captives free.

The Queen joins with me in sending you this message. She well understands the anxieties and cares of our womenfolk at this time and she knows that many of them will find, as she does herself, fresh strength and comfort in such waiting upon God. She feels that many women will be glad in this way to keep vigil with their menfolk as they man the ships, storm the beaches and fill the skies.

At this historic moment surely not one of us is too busy, too young or too old to play a part in a nationwide, perchance a worldwide, vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth. If from every place of worship, from home and factory, from men and women of all ages and many races and occupations, our intercessions rise, then, please God, both now and in a future not remote, the predictions of an ancient Psalm may be fulfilled: "The Lord will give strength unto his people: the Lord will give his people the blessing of peace."”

D-Day and the fight for Britain's future.

The old adage “A week in politics is a long time” should be altered from a ‘week’ to a ‘day’, with the current rate of change being so rapid. By any standard the events of the past week have been remarkable.

The beginning of the week saw the arrival of President Trump with his message of celebrating the special relationship between the USA and Britain. The next day we had the unseemly sight of protesters flying an insulting inflatable representation of the President. He was the Queen’s guest on an official state visit: this was NOT a very flattering view of British hospitality presented to the world via the media. Whatever has happened to the nation I knew in my youth where politeness and courtesy were part of the national character?

Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/PA ImagesOn Wednesday the scene moved to Portsmouth beginning the commemorations of the 75^th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Yesterday we were remembering the 150,000 men who took part in the D-Day operations on 6 June 1944 and the 4,000 British young men who died on that first day, plus thousands of French civilians caught up in the fighting, the bombing and the naval shelling. Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Macron together laid a wreath at the newly installed memorial to the 22,442 men who died in the Normandy campaign during the invasion.

The Price of Freedom

Throughout this weekend the D-Day commemorations will continue with many opportunities for the veterans, now in their 90s, to remember the events of those incredible days that changed the history of the world. The D-Day landings, in which some 5,300 ships and 12,000 planes took part, together formed the greatest seaborne operation ever to take place, but they were terribly expensive in terms of human life.

No-one knows exactly how many died on that first day, but estimates put fatalities between 14,000 and 19,000. These included Allied forces, German soldiers and French civilians.

The D-Day landings together formed the greatest seaborne operation in history, but they were terribly expensive in terms of human life.

Inevitably, historians have spent the last 75 years poring over the events of that day and several films have been made. Military strategists have assessed the tactics used in the landings, which included airborne troops aiming to take strategic bridges and crossing points inland and meet up with those coming off the beaches.

Big questions still remain, especially about the advisability of sending men straight off the landing barges into a withering storm of machine gun fire sweeping the beaches. But no-one questions the rightness of the invasion to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation. It is this major objective that should be the focal point for all the commemorations at this time.

A Nation Deceived

No right-minded person would want to glorify war and the terrible loss of life and disruption to whole nations that took place from 1939 to 1945, but now, 75 years later, we have a generation that knows nothing of the reality of the Nazi occupation of most of Europe, or the horrors of the death camps which some people even dare to question. It is therefore right, not only to remember the Allied military conquest that brought victory, but also the cause for which so many young men died.

It always amazes me that virtually the whole population of Germany were groomed into supporting the Nazi philosophy of Aryan superiority and hatred of the Jews. It is highly enlightening to watch footage of the ‘night of broken glass’ (9-10 November 1938) when Jewish homes, shops and synagogues were looted by civilian mobs, as well as footage of vast German crowds listening approvingly to Hitler’s maniacal speeches. It shows how easily human beings can be led astray by powerfully persuasive individuals and collectively be driven by an evil spirit to commit or support unspeakable atrocities.

The German people were highly educated and their civilisation was considered the most advanced in the Western world, but there were very few like Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemoller who publicly opposed the Nazi regime. The majority of the population simply accepted it; which shows how easy it is to brainwash a whole nation.

Nazi Germany shows how easily human beings can be led astray by powerfully persuasive individuals and led to commit or support unspeakable atrocities.

Searching Questions

The 75^th anniversary of the Normandy landings with its enormous cost in the lives of young men should make us ask some fundamental questions about our own political and social philosophy today. 75 years ago, the vast majority of the British population believed in God and were linked, either actively or nominally, with a Christian church. They shared values learned from the Bible – unselfish love, truthfulness, faithfulness, integrity, loyalty and service. They gave their lives for these values.

Ray Tang/Zuma Press/PA ImagesLooking at our nation today one has to ask: did they give their lives in vain? On the TV news earlier this week I looked at the faces of some of the people taking part in the protests against the visit of Donald Trump and saw the hatred expressed there. I found it profoundly disturbing and the fact that senior politicians took part in addressing the crowd was a national disgrace.

On the same day as these demonstrations were taking place, I read a report of research carried out by Manchester University showing that one in five girls aged 16 to 24 are self-harming.¹ This is widely thought to be due to the destructive effect of social media amplifying the concern of girls for the shape of their bodies. The problem is said to be increasing at an alarming rate and putting extra strain on the health services, which are already struggling to deal with the increase of mental health problems across the nation.

Most of these problems stem from the loss of Christian faith in the nation, the turning away from our spiritual heritage and the values that once guided our personal relationships as well as our corporate behaviour. This has left the nation at the mercy of those who have deliberately introduced false values for commercial gain, or to advance their own secular humanist philosophy and social agenda.

The majority of the population no longer believe in God. We are rapidly becoming a nation deceived and driven by evil spirits of hatred and violence, propagated by social media and lobby groups. Was this really what 4,000 young men gave their lives for on D-Day 75 years ago?

References

1 Read more here.

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

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

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

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

The Battle to Control Europe

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

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

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

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

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

Gotthard Tunnel Opening

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

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

Historical Turning Point

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jewish Persecution by Christians

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anti-Semitism Rising Today

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

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

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

Spiritual Attack on Europe

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

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

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

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

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

D-Day Approaches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is the theme of next week's editorial.

References

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

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

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

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