TV footage of the Prime Minister visiting the flooded areas of Yorkshire served to underline the powerlessness of humanity in the face of the might of nature. Inevitably, even the weather has become politicised in the run-up to the general election. Politicians, eager to score points, are happy to blame their opponents for the lack of flood defences and to make assurances that they would do better. But the reality is that despite our changeable weather patterns we never seem to be prepared for rain, or snow, or drought, or heat waves. It’s part of our British nature always to be playing catch-up. We simply don’t respond to warnings. We always think that things will get better.

For the past 39 weeks I have been publishing on this site studies from the Book of Jeremiah, following a chronology from the beginning of his ministry. All of them have been warnings of coming judgment. Today we have just reached the first joyful message that Jeremiah brought. Please do read it because I feel sure it has relevance for us today.

All Bible-believing Christians in Britain know that we are an ungodly nation deserving judgment. But we should also know that our God is not only loving and more ready to forgive than we are to repent; he is also very patient. We learn this, of course, from the way he treated his covenant people, the people of Israel and Judah. That is clearly demonstrated in the books of the Prophets of Israel, although it started right back at the time of Moses.

The people of Israel had just been miraculously released from slavery in Egypt and Moses had gone up the mountain to receive God’s teaching for them. On his return he discovered that the people had got fed up with waiting and had concluded that something must have happened to Moses and he would never return. Aaron had taken matters into his own hands, making a ‘golden calf’ for the people to worship, saying that this was YHWH who had redeemed them from slavery.

God’s anger was so great that he would have destroyed the people had it not been for Moses’ intervention and earnest intercession, begging God to be merciful. God not only relented, but actually made a covenant with the children of Israel that if they would have no other gods than him, he would surround them with his protection, lead them to the Promised Land and ensure their peace and prosperity.

All Bible-believing Christians in Britain know that we are an ungodly nation deserving judgment. But our God is also very patient.

How Much Longer?

In Jeremiah’s time the big question was: how much longer would God tolerate the backsliding of the people? In Britain today we face a similar question - and the outcome of the general election might help give us an answer.

The outgoing Parliament was the most indecisive and dysfunctional in modern history, unable to agree on anything and full of anger and mistrust. Eventually all sides capitulated and voted for their own demise, thus throwing back to the people the decision on the future of the nation.

The people of Judah faced similar momentous decisions in Jeremiah’s day, although there was no such thing as democracy and the election of politicians; they were all chosen by the king and his cronies, but hugely influenced by the religious leaders. Jeremiah’s verdict was: “The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly. Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness, declares the Lord” (Jer 23:10-11).

The Church Culpable

In Britain today we rarely hear the prophetic voice of the Church declaring the word of God with power and authority. I usually listen to ‘Thought for the Day’ on BBC Radio 4. In all the years I’ve been listening I have never once heard the gospel, although we are supposed to be a Christian nation – instead we are offered some trivial claptrap on current affairs with rarely any mention of biblical truth.

As an ordained clergyman who has had many years of contact with leaders of all branches of the Church in Britain, I am deeply ashamed of the moral and spiritual depravity in the nation today for which I know that God holds the Church, rather than the politicians, primarily responsible.

The most decisive point in the history of Britain in my lifetime was when a godly man, Donald Coggan, became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1975 and made a broadcast appeal to the nation for moral and spiritual reform that was greeted with a massively positive response from hundreds of thousands of the population as well as most parts of the media. He wanted to lead a movement of renewal from the grassroots upwards, but was fiercely resisted by the House of Bishops whose liberal theology was a kind of mishmash of Darwinian Marxism. After five years of battle Coggan gave up the struggle and retired.¹

In Britain today we rarely hear the prophetic voice of the Church declaring the word of God with power and authority.

What Next?

Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/PA ImagesIn my judgment, the spiritual battle for the soul of the nation has been on a downward spiral since those days and there has been neither recognition nor repentance for the lack of godly leadership from the Christian churches in the UK.

We now face a general election which will determine the future, possibly for decades to come. The faithful Bible-believing remnant are interceding for God to have mercy. But if God is using this time to shake all the institutions in the nation, including the denominational churches, we should be careful not to pray against his will. The outcome of the general election will show what God is determined to do in Britain. Will it be a time of judgment or mercy?

Another hung Parliament would undoubtedly signal an intensification of judgment, as would a ‘Remainer’ victory or coalition. But if there is a clear majority voting to leave the European Union, that will be a sign of mercy. It would not be a sign of blessing, because we cannot expect blessing in our state of unrepentant sinfulness. We can, however, hope for further opportunity for those who know the Lord to seek him humbly while finding ways to declare the word of God faithfully in the nation – with Holy Spirit power and authority!

References

1 Dr Coggan’s problems with the bishops in the Church of England are dealt with in my book The Reshaping of Britain: Church and State since the 1960s (Wilberforce Publications, London, 2018).