Riots in France should be a wake-up call to Britain.

It is often said that the only thing we ever learn from history is that we never learn anything from history. Watching the scenes on TV from Paris last weekend of rioting crowds wreaking havoc around the Arc de Triomphe reminded me of the fear that gripped Britain back in the days of William Pitt and William Wilberforce. There was genuine dread that the violence from the French Revolution would spread across the channel and sweep away law and order in Britain.

The anti-Macron riots ought to act as a wake-up call in Britain, with our politicians locked in acrimonious debate of the Brexit deal presented to Parliament by Theresa May. The latest polls indicate that the country is even more divided today than it was at the time of the 2016 Referendum. A poll this week showed that 44% of the nation would like to remain in the EU while 50% want the Government to get on with the deal and complete Brexit.

Despite overwhelming evidence that the country is evenly split on this issue there are still loud calls from the public (aided and abetted by the BBC) and among pro-EU politicians for a second referendum. The motive behind this is, of course, the desire to keep Britain locked into the European Union. But a second referendum would be disastrous - both in terms of the economy and for social order.

In the 2½ years since the Referendum a revolution has been taking place affecting social attitudes and values, driven by the advancing post-modernist agenda and the unrestrained use of hate-filled social media. Britain simply could not cope with another six months’ campaign as required by law in the lead up to another referendum. The breakdown in law and order would be horrendous. There would undoubtedly be riots on the streets of our cities with tempers running high and rival parties taking the nation to the brink of civil war.

The motive behind calls for a second referendum, which would be disastrous for the country, is the desire to keep Britain locked into the European Union.

Breaking Off the Yoke

Tim Ireland/Xinhua News Agency/PA ImagesBut what are the alternatives? Our politicians are faced with the choice between Mrs May’s EU deal, no deal, or going back to the people. It is surely time to face the fact that there is no easy solution, because we are a nation under judgment!

We chose to align ourselves with the secular humanist European Union 45 years ago, in defiance of our biblical heritage and the word of God that clearly warns against being unequally yoked: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14).

We are reaping the harvest of our own foolishness and lack of trust in God. We have had numerous warnings that our national life has been going in the wrong direction but every warning sign has been ignored since the 1980s when we joined the EU. In the printed version of this magazine we interpreted sign after sign, such as the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise, the 1987 hurricane that hit south-east England, Black Monday and the stock market crash, the King’s Cross fire and numerous others that carried a spiritual warning to the nation. But ears were deaf and eyes were blind to the word of the Lord.

We are now in a similar position to that of Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah when God told him to go up and down the streets of the city and see if he could find one person who dealt honestly and seeks the truth. He couldn’t find anyone and he thought “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).

They had severed all connection with God, so the nation was no longer under his protection at the time when the Babylonian army was already invading the land. The destruction of Jerusalem was inevitable unless there was divine intervention.

We are now in a similar position to that of Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah when God told him to go up and down the streets of the city and see if he could find one person who dealt honestly and seeks the truth.

Judgment on the Whole World

This is the situation facing us in Britain today. Our political leaders are in disarray. No-one knows what to do, so they spend their days in Parliament shouting at each other, heaping abuse on those who hold different views and growing in frustration and bitterness that is spilling over into the nation through the media. No one stops to ask, “Is there any word from the Lord?” If they would look back along the way we have come, they would see that God has been warning us for many years!

The word received in Jerusalem in 1986 was that a time of judgment was coming upon the whole world:

It will not only be by war and civil war, by anarchy and terrorism, and by monetary collapses that I will judge the nations but also by natural disasters: by earthquakes, by shortages and famines, and by old and new plague diseases.

I will also judge them by giving them over to their own ways, to lawlessness, to loveless selfishness, to delusion and to believing a lie, to false religion and an apostate church, even to a Christianity without me.¹

The Way Ahead

We cannot blame the PM for the deal she has reached, because the EU was never going to give us a good deal. They have plenty of problems of their own with the rising power of populism threatening to tear the Union apart. Even if we changed our PM for a radical Brexiteer, he would not achieve an advantageous deal for Britain and anyway, the public are rapidly losing faith in all politicians.

The way ahead is to accept where we are now, repent, and urgently seek the Lord for the way forward. Of course, we know that repentance is not going to happen with our godless politicians. Meanwhile, Brexit itself is being threatened by a combined assault from post-modernists and assorted powers of darkness which are determined to force another referendum and keep Britain locked into the EU. God have mercy on us!

The way ahead is to accept where we are now, repent, and urgently seek the Lord for the way forward.

But…

But there is still a faithful remnant of believers in Britain whose prayers could change the situation. We should concentrate our prayers on Brexit being achieved on 29 March 2019 – one way or another – and put our trust in God for the future. The prayers of good and faithful men and women could still influence the future history of Britain.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Ps 46)

Not since the days of Dunkirk has there been so great a need for sustained, believing prayer for the future of Britain.

Editorial note: To this end, we are publishing some prayer points gleaned from prophetic words and editorials published on Prophecy Today UK since the Referendum in 2016. Read them here. We hope to publish more prayer resources in the coming weeks. We have also gathered together prophecies and articles of particular relevance that we have published since Prophecy Today re-launched in 2015, to aid you in your prayers. Find them here.

References

1 Read the full prophecy here.

No-one holds a candle to our Lord Jesus, who brought light and life to all who believe

As we approach the traditional season of Christmas, we (in the Northern Hemisphere) are all too aware of the gathering gloom of midwinter, and are anxious to help dispel the darkness with a multiple array of bright lights.

The Prophet Isaiah addressed this dilemma when he proclaimed that “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isa 9:2) – although he was thinking more of man’s spiritual condition than their general environment.

Written around 600 years before Christ, this is one of his many references to the coming Messiah, and points (in the preceding verse) to the very region where he would engage in most of his earthly ministry – “Galilee of the nations [or Gentiles]”.

In the midst of the oppression of Roman occupation, a Jewish virgin would give birth to a son, who would be ascribed a series of majestic titles including ‘Prince of Peace’.

Feast of Dedication

As with Christians, Jews at this time of year also light up the darkness with a glittering host of candles to celebrate Hanukkah, the feast of Dedication.

I well remember sharing the excitement of the occasion with Jerusalem residents five years ago, as joyful groups celebrated in restaurants festooned with brightly coloured lights and menorahs.

Though not among the prescribed seven feasts dating back to the time of Moses, Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival Jesus himself attended and is celebrated close to Christmas (appropriately, though not intentionally) to mark God’s miraculous intervention during the reign of the ruthless Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus Epiphanes. He desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig there and blasphemously proclaimed himself God.

As with Christians, Jews at this time of year also light up the darkness with a glittering host of candles

Judah Maccabee led a brave and successful revolt against the tyrant in 164 BC and re-established temple worship (Hanukkah means ‘Dedication’) with the aid of the menorah (seven-branched candlestick) which burned miraculously for eight days despite having only enough oil for a day. The Greeks had polluted the rest.

In my opinion, the feast also foreshadows the coming of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), described as “the light of the world”, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that it falls around the same time as Christmas (even though it is more likely that Jesus was born in the autumn) when much of the world is lit up with elaborate decorations to commemorate his birth some 2,000 years ago.

Messianic Jews (who do believe Jesus is their Messiah) celebrate both feasts and it is interesting to note that the sight of a menorah as part of the festive decorations is increasingly common.

The Only Hope for Peace

And yet, at a time when billions of people celebrate the coming of light into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, a dark evil casts a shadow over the place of his birth as sabre-rattling surrounding nations threaten the very existence of Israel.

Paradoxically, the spectre of Armageddon continues to loom each year just when the world focuses on the coming of the ‘Prince of Peace’.

Armageddon is not some sci-fi invention of a film-maker’s overactive imagination. It’s a reality; for there will come a time, very possibly in the near future, when the nations of the earth will clash in a catastrophic battle on the plains of Megiddo in northern Israel – the Bible makes this clear. But then the Messiah will return in power and great glory to put an end to war and usher in a thousand-year reign of absolute peace.

As my wife and I were reminded a few years ago in a Christmas card from the Jews for Jesus organisation, the baby born at Bethlehem is the only hope for peace in the Middle East.

Explaining the feast of Hanukkah, a Jews for Jesus spokeswoman said: “That is why each year we kindle our lamps, one light for each of the eight nights,” adding: “The Hanukkah Menorah has nine branches and we light each of the branches with the ninth candle, the shammas or servant candle. The light of the menorah reminds us of our Messiah Jesus, the Servant King, of whom the Apostle John said: ‘The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.’

“We can’t help but see the connection between the light of Hanukkah and the light that pierced the darkness when Yeshua [Jesus] was born. During this Hanukkah and Christmas season, let us remember that the light of the world has come among us to bring hope and life to all who believe.”

In my opinion, Hanukkah foreshadows the coming of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), described as “the light of the world”.

Shining in the Darkness

But as Jesus was misunderstood, so are his followers. As John also wrote: “The light [of Christ] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood [or overcome] it.” (John 1:5).

Conflict over Jesus’ claims was also apparent during the Hanukkah feast he attended. John writes: “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe…’” (John 10:22-25).

Millions of Christians today testify to being among those who once walked in darkness, but have since seen “a great light”. Their testimony is the same as the slave ship captain turned hymn-writer John Newton, who so beautifully reflected the truths of the Gospel with the words: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

The Son of God is coming soon, along with fiery judgment

Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of Britain’s Brexit prospects, doom-and-gloom merchants have assembled in Poland for a Global Warming summit expected to paint an apocalyptic picture of a world choking to death on carbon emissions.

Indeed, Sir David Attenborough predicts the collapse of civilisation if suitable action is not taken.¹

Admittedly it’s a touch warmer than usual for the time of year, no doubt aided by the amount of hot air generated from the 200 nations represented at the symposium, but the heat that should really concern us is the fire of God’s judgment soon likely to be unleashed on our planet.

I like the poster I saw outside our local parish church not so long ago: ‘Global warning – the Son of God is coming’.

Signs of His Coming

It is appropriate at this time of year – known as Advent in the Church – to focus, not only on Christ’s birth but also on his promised return in power and great glory. And prophecies of end time chaos as a prelude to his Second Coming abound in the scriptures.

I mentioned a significant one last week, indicating signs of a 2,600-year-old prophecy of Ezekiel being fulfilled with the Dead Sea coming to life as fresh water and fish flow back into an area choked with salt for thousands of years.

Jesus too, a fulfilment himself of hundreds of Old Testament scriptures pointing to the coming Messiah, outlined a number of specific signs he said would indicate the imminence of his return.

And one of those would indeed be climatic chaos! Listen to what Jesus describes, especially bearing in mind the frightening tsunamis we have seen in recent years:

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:25-27)

Signs of Jesus’ return include environmental chaos – not primarily due to our mismanagement of the earth, but as a wake-up call sent by God that judgment is inevitable.

In addition, wars, famines and earthquakes would occur with increasing severity, as with labour pains for a pregnant woman (Matt 24:7f).

But all this would not primarily be due to mismanagement of the earth, though it is no doubt partly to blame as, out of our selfishness, we do not take care of our God-given environment as we should.

No, it is chiefly a wake-up call to flag up inevitable judgment on a wicked world along with the Second Coming of our Saviour, Jesus. The earth is experiencing the pains of childbirth (see also Romans 8:22) that will ultimately usher in the rule of Christ.

Yes, the Bible is clear that he is coming back to reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years of perfect peace. But his coming will be preceded by terrible times of violence, immorality and rebellion against the Creator.

The Mount of Olives, where Jesus will return, according to the Scriptures (Zech 14:4; Acts 1:11). Photo: Charles GardnerJesus will finally place his feet on the Mt of Olives overlooking Jerusalem (Zech 14:4) and put an end to war. Those who love him will welcome him with great joy, but those who have rejected him will mourn over what they have done to him (Matt 24:30).

Not Yet Fulfilled

Ezekiel also predicted a terrible war in the last days that would see a group of nations coming against Israel, but great numbers would perish in the conflict as God ‘sends fire’ on the aggressors (Ezek 39:6).

50 years ago an elderly woman in Norway shared a frightening vision of the time leading up to Christ’s coming and the onset of a ‘Third World War’ that would be ended, she said, with a ‘nuclear atom bomb’.

In view of the fact that much of her vision has come true – a long peace between the super-powers, a falling away from the Christian faith, a huge increase in violence and immorality and unprecedented immigration to Europe – it should at least be taken seriously.

Meanwhile a new book, Floodgates by David Parsons (Whitaker House), supports the biblical premise that while God’s judgment of flood on the ancient world at the time of Noah will not be repeated, judgment on the modern age is just as inevitable – except that it will be by fire, not water.

The Apostle Peter predicted that in the last days there would be much scoffing about such talk (of the Second Coming) by godless people suggesting life would continue as it always has done.

“But they deliberately forget”, he writes, “that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Pet 3:5-7).

In fact, if there is any delay in his coming, it is because he doesn’t want anyone to perish.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth…will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10)

If there is any delay in his coming, it is because he doesn’t want anyone to perish.

Peace in Christ

One person who has already experienced apocalyptic horror of this kind is Kim Phuc Phan Thi, the nine-year-old girl pictured running in terror from the effects of a napalm bomb during the Vietnam War – a photo that shocked the world. Though scarred for life, she found peace after committing her life to Christ on Christmas Eve 1982.

The pastor spoke of how Christmas is not about the gifts we give to each other, so much as it is about one gift in particular: the gift of Jesus Christ…How desperately I needed peace. How ready I was for love and joy. I had so much hatred in my heart – so much bitterness…My faith in Jesus has enabled me to forgive those who have hurt and scarred me.²

Hers is a true peace following a particularly bloody war. And you too can experience such transformation through Jesus, who loved you so much that he died in your place to give you eternal life!

References

1 Live Science, 3 December 2018.

2 New Life, December 2018 – www.newlife.co.uk

Advice for petitioning Heaven at this dark time in our nation.

From roots to fruits – and the future.

In the second part of our two-part critique of The Turning evangelistic campaign, Tom Lennie looks at the fruits of the movement and its future. Click here to read Part 1.

Easy-Believe-ism

A common counter-argument to all the concerns raised last week is that even if just one or two people prove to have genuinely come to Christ through The Turning campaign, it will make the whole thing worthwhile. Surely just one person’s salvation is utterly priceless! I would respond: certainly we should rejoice over any genuine conversion, but how many are also being turned away from Christ by this instant-results methodology?

Consider all those who believe themselves to be saved because they once made an on-street ‘decision’, or prayed a prayer, and were told they are now in the Kingdom of Heaven. They might have no real understanding of salvation or its cost (because no-one told them there would be any) and there might be no change whatsoever in their lives. Consider also those who become more cynical and hardened to the true Gospel because their ‘decision’ or prayer didn’t lead to any significant personal transformation. In either case, where will they end up on Judgment Day?

The Turning script used for outreach in Wales during 2017.Such easy-believe-ism would have been deplored by the great evangelist-preachers of former ages, who stressed the essence of repentance from sin. I mentioned The Turning to a full-time evangelist friend recently and he was appalled by the approach.

The underlying problem is that the present-day Church seems infatuated with instant, impressive results. It’s as if we insist on them for our own encouragement and gratification and then we proudly brandish them around. I feel that reducing souls to statistics in this manner effectively cheapens the Gospel. We’re called to sow seeds; we have no right to necessarily reap and record a harvest a few minutes later. Leonard Ravenhill calls it plucking unripe fruit: we’re trying to get folk saved who don’t even know they’re lost. We need to leave the Holy Spirit to do his work, in his time.

The Fruits

Jesus said regarding a person’s character, ‘Ye shall know them by their fruit’. He never said ‘Ye shall know them by their decision’, or even ‘Ye shall know them by their sincerity’. It takes considerable time after seeds are sown for fruit to appear: far more time than modern evangelism is willing to wait, apparently.

In a report given at a local church meeting I attended, it was stated that one third of the 1,850 who initially responded to The Turning in Reading have subsequently become associated with churches and are moving on in their faith. Such a proportion would be any evangelist’s dream come true! A third works out at over 600 extra church-goers - a massive boost to Reading’s congregations.

I’ve had contact with someone on the leadership team of another Reading church, who said that 2, 3 or 4 people have been added to various churches across the city as a result of the campaign. Nothing approaching 100, let alone 600. Another good Christian friend of mine who lives in Reading, when I asked him earlier this year about The Turning’s success, had no idea what I was talking about. He had never heard of it, nor anyone who claims to have come to Christ through it.

And yet, the entire Turning initiative spreading all across the United Kingdom is based purely on the ‘phenomenal’ success of the supposed mighty ‘outpouring’ of the Spirit on Reading – as it was reported by The Turning’s own leaders. In his report, Yinka Oyekan claims that The Turning represents a similar outpouring to Azusa Street in 1906, and is comparable to Billy Graham’s mass outreaches – only better.¹

The significant hype that accompanies The Turning is, for me, another warning sign. As I often share in my talks on revival history, where you find a lot of puffed-up talk about a spiritual awakening, it’s a tell-tale sign there was no genuine revival in the first place. No true move of the Spirit requires hype.

Where you find a lot of puffed-up talk about a spiritual awakening, it’s a tell-tale sign there was no genuine revival in the first place.

Even if the above statistical claim is true, it still means that two-thirds of those who ‘made a decision’ on the streets of Reading have now, in Oyekan’s words, ‘brushed off’ attempts at follow-up and “not wished to continue the dialogue”.² Again, this speaks volumes about the types of ‘decision’ being made.

I’ve tried to engage politely with Yinka by email and on Facebook, thanking him for his heart for evangelism and sharing a few of my concerns, hoping to receive a constructive reply. He refused to answer me and quickly proceeded to block me completely.

The Future

We can only hope and pray that as The Turning gathers momentum (there is now an app, a network of regional hubs and plans for a nationwide mission in 2020) in conjunction with other mission groups, it will be developed into a helpful mission campaign. But at present, I am afraid I cannot put much store in what appears to be a quick-fix strategy.

To the extent that the Turning is inspiring Christians to get out and share the Gospel within their needy communities, it’s a positive thing. I have several friends who are involved in the initiative and in no way do I wish to dampen their genuine, compassionate, evangelistic enthusiasm. But how we do mission is very important.

I do believe the harvest is ripe. I long to see the people of my neighbourhood and city come to a true personal knowledge of Christ. But this will be by our obeying the word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit for our own precious locality.

We need to be bold, and be ready to become the answers to our own prayers for our neighbourhoods. Lord, send the workers into the harvest field, following the leading of Your Spirit all the way.

About the author: Tom Lennie has a long-standing interest in revival and has authored a trilogy of historical studies on Scottish revivals: ‘Land of Many Revivals’ (1527-1857), ‘Glory in the Glen’ (1880-1940) and the newly-published, ‘Scotland Ablaze: The Twenty-Year Fire of Revival That Swept Scotland 1858-79’ (December 2018). His interest in The Turning was sparked by reports of the Reading ‘outpouring’ and fuelled further by its arrival in Edinburgh, his home city, as well as by the involvement of several acquaintances.

References

1 Oyekan, Y. The Turning Learning Review: ‘The Outpouring’, p6 and p8, respectively. This document is also available at http://theturning.eu/learning-review/.

2 Ibid, p20.

Paul Luckraft interviews a Christian activist daring to expose the hidden deeds of darkness.

Wilfred Wong is an international human rights activist, campaigner and fundraiser for persecuted Christians and also on children’s issues. His life is currently divided between these two strands, but how did this begin and where has God led him along these paths?

Wilfred was born and brought up in Singapore. He did not have a Christian upbringing but was sent to a Christian school where, aged 8, he gave his life to the Lord. He came to the UK in 1986 to study law and qualified as a barrister, practising for a short time. Before long the Lord led him into two specialist areas - persecuted Christians and the welfare of children – and this became a full-time ministry. His background in law would prove helpful but there would be no time for him to continue working as a barrister.

Early Campaign Work

From 1989 Wilfred undertook voluntary work campaigning on behalf of Christian prisoners in the USSR, as well as on behalf of persecuted Christians in some Muslim-majority countries, including Egypt. But the big change came in 1993 when he felt called to leave his legal career and become a full-time activist. Although this was tough at first, God clearly led him, opening doors and overcoming obstacles.

For the next 16 years, Wilfred was a Parliamentary lobbyist with an office in the House of Commons. In this role, obtained through the Jubilee Campaign, he was responsible for arranging meetings and helping MPs speak out on these important topics.

In 1993, Wilfred felt called to leave his legal career and become a full-time activist. Although this was tough at first, God clearly led him, opening doors and overcoming obstacles.

At this time, Wilfred began writing articles for Prophecy Today, including a regular column and feature articles. He was also part of the Editorial Board of the magazine as it then was.

Later, in 2010, Wilfred took a part-time role setting up the UK branch of Stephen’s Children, an Egypt-based Christian ministry. Starting this from scratch and becoming the UK Director was a tough job, but brought its own rewards. The charity is now going strong.

Exposing the Depths of Evil

One of Wilfred’s main concerns is for persecuted Christians in Syria and Iraq, an issue which has been slowly gaining attention in recent times. But the intense persecution of Iraq’s Christians had been going on long before ISIS became mainstream news in the West.

The other major part of Wilfred’s calling has been his involvement in investigating and uncovering SRA (Satanist Ritual Abuse). This began in 1993 when he was approached by an MP on the matter. It would occupy Wilfred’s attention for the next 25 years. Being a Parliamentary lobbyist put him in the right place at the right time to take up this challenging issue, but it has clearly also been part of God’s call on his life to expose an extremely dark, covert aspect of our society’s ungodliness.

It is sad and appalling to record that SRA is far more prevalent than is ever reported, and that it is growing in the UK. Thus, it seems, Wilfred has his work cut out, both in terms of raising awareness about this awful matter and in reporting successful UK prosecutions of Satanist Ritual Abusers. To this end he established CASRA (Coalition Against Satanist Ritual Abuse) in February 2014, whose website was launched earlier this year (http://casra.org.uk/).

It is sad and appalling to record that SRA is far more prevalent than is ever reported, and that it is growing in the UK.

Since the revelations concerning Jimmy Savile became public knowledge there has been an increasing acceptance that SRA does exist and needs to be countered. Some of the UK media have reported on Savile’s involvement in Satanism and SRA. The Metropolitan Police Service has publicly acknowledged on its website the existence of satanist abuse (see here).

At the Forefront of the Battle

Evidence is becoming more widely available of the scope and depths of depravity involved in SRA, and there is a growing openness amongst institutions and the public to consider what can be done on the matter to prevent further suffering.

Wilfred is at the forefront of this battle and needs our prayers. He is also available to give talks at local churches or other meetings on this subject. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information or to join the campaign against SRA.

The words of this prophecy came to Paul Slennett at an Intercessors for Britain meeting in 1989. He was woken abruptly in the night and found himself writing the words as if they were being dictated. I helped Paul to test the prophecy and we then wrote a book together entitled Earthquake in the City.

Despite being closely involved in the publication of the prophecy I, nevertheless, am endeavouring to take a neutral position in writing this article, including it in this series for the purpose of communal testing. If it is from God, then it carries a serious warning which must prompt a response. Even if at this late stage it is shown to be an invalid prophecy, then it must be rejected.

The Big Picture

Over the last few weeks an overall picture of what God is saying to our nation may have been building up as we have taken seriously the task of testing prophecies about Britain given over many years. Aspects of these prophecies may be especially relevant in light of the coming Referendum on 23 June, relating to our membership of the EU.

If we have our Bibles open while testing these prophecies, and if the prophecies themselves are valid, we should find that they fit well into the overall framework of prophetic fulfilment in which we live. For any age there are particular details within the general picture and to fill in these details is one reason why God may speak.

Another reason why God has spoken through prophecy through the ages is that at such times his own people have become rather negligent in discerning the times. Unfortunately, it is at such a time that the prophetic voice is often rejected. "Why should God speak through that man or woman and not to me?", might be the response, or, "We are doing fine, so why am I being confronted with these rantings?" or, plain and simple, "I don't want to listen". The prophetic task is never easy, and testing prophecy is just as hard as delivering it.

Sometimes God speaks through prophecy when his own people have become negligent in discerning the times.

Paul Slennett's Prophecy

The following is Paul Slennett's prophecy, in full:

My children, the alarm bells are sounding all over Europe, for judgment is being spoken out over the nations. Over your nation, Great Britain, a mighty earthquake is about to occur, an earthquake that will swallow up the whole City. Whole companies and city institutions will collapse in this earthquake, some never to rise again.

My judgment that has been withheld for so long must now be unleashed on your nation in order that my church repent and lead this nation in repentance, for I am a righteous and holy God, just in all my ways, a God who longs to show mercy, but one who will no longer tolerate the unrighteousness of my dear church. It is out of love that I visit this nation with judgment - you must know that this must always be the case. My children, repent now before it is too late, for already the day of my return draws near and you must not be found wanting, like the virgins who did not fill their lamps with oil; but awake, my children, and be my watchmen, and speak with a prophetic voice of the judgment that is about to come upon the nations.

If you repent and turn from your wicked ways, I will visit your nation, Great Britain, once again, not with judgment, but with revival power, and I will protect you from all the strategy of the enemy.

In regard to Europe, come out of her, my dear children, for she will align herself with the Beast and the False Prophet who will arise and appear for just a short while. My children, take heart, for I am with you always. Do not give up, but pray without ceasing and see the salvation of your God.

Weighing and Testing

Here are some points to consider:

• To whom is the prophecy addressed? 'My children' seems to imply that it is to the Church within the nation.
• What are the 'alarm bells'? When the prophecy was presented to the leaders of an Intercessors for Britain meeting, there were unusual weather patterns over Europe, but much more has happened since then. If valid, perhaps the prophecy was given much earlier than was thought at the time. Did God foresee, in 1989, the border and migrant problems in Europe and also the fragile economic conditions that are visible now? What else might these warning bells be?
• What would the nature of the earthquake be? This has caused much discussion, especially during the writing of the book. With physical earthquakes in many other countries, could this be a physical earthquake coming even to London, or is it a metaphor for a financial shaking? We have already experienced financial shaking and economists predict there is more to follow.
  • On the side of the physical earthquake, the very weekend when Kingsway were about to decide whether to publish the book, a national newspaper contained a warning from the British Geological Survey that Britain is overdue for a major earthquake, which we received at the time as a prophetic confirmation. Such earthquakes have occurred historically around once every 200 years. The mainstream media occasionally report with some sensationalism an impending, devastating quake,¹ although experts can never predict with accuracy when, where and with what magnitude such an event may occur. However, it remains that a significant earthquake occurring in Britain is a scientific possibility.
  • When we consider the way God gave advanced warning of the Hillsborough stadium disaster and our recent reflections on how we might have brought warning, we realise how important it is to test this part of the prophecy. Additionally, there have been some Christians who have had dreams or visions of buildings collapsing in London, but what is the Lord really saying? Perhaps if we prayerfully test this prophecy together then he will give further insight and take away our uncertainties.
• It was while this prophecy was being tested, during the writing of the book, that insight was given concerning the centrality of the Coronation Oath to our nation, against which we can assess the nation's falling away from God's ways, especially in the liberalisation of many of our laws.
• Notice that a condition is given in the third paragraph (which we look for in relation to Jeremiah 18:7-8).
• The reason why it is particularly important to test this prophecy at this time is that it includes a clear injunction to come out of Europe. During the writing of the book we reasoned that the only way out would be if a treaty could be re-negotiated, but at the time we foresaw no way, outside of an act of God, for such an opportunity to come about. Now, with such an opportunity, do we really see this as given by God?
• It may seem alarming to speak of the Beast and the False Prophet in regard to the EU, but is this similar to what Boris Johnson spoke about (in a more political way) last weekend, when he warned about the EU fulfilling, in a different way, what the Nazis had in mind?
• If the prophecy is valid then what is the timing? How does it fit with the overriding prophecy from Haggai concerning the shaking of the nations, which we believe is imminent (if not happening right now)? Could it be that we are being shown no less than the fall of cities in the anti-Christian world foretold in Revelation 18:19? Could this be the importance for Britain of taking a first step to repentance by coming out of the EU?

If this prophecy is correct it will fit into the general picture of other prophecies that we can see being fulfilled. Please join us in testing it very carefully, and do contribute to the discussion.

References

1 E.g. see Connor, S. Expert predicts 5.5 magnitude earthquake could hit London at any time. The Independent, 16 September 2010.