The dreadful consequences of touching the apple of God’s eye

As we once again recall with horror the terrorist atrocity witnessed by the whole world when New York’s Twin Towers were reduced to rubble in 2001, few will be aware of an earlier 9/11 that destroyed an entire city.

It happened on the night of 11 September 1944, when the German city of Darmstadt suffered a devastating air raid by RAF pilots sent out from my home town of Doncaster, headquarters of Bomber Command.

12,000 residents were killed and many more made homeless amid ongoing controversy even in Britain as to whether it was really necessary as the war was almost won by then.

But as fire swept through the smouldering ruins, a devoted young German Christian wept bitterly over her nation’s terrible sin against the Jewish people – she clearly saw the bombing as the judgment of God.

Sister Thekla (sitting) and Sister Glory pictured at Jesus’ Return, their home near London.Basilea Schlink determined to do something about it and subsequently founded the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, dedicated to confessing the sin of her nation and making restitution with God’s chosen people, chiefly by loving and serving them in whatever way they could.

Touching the Apple of God’s Eye

More than 70 years later, the order is represented in nations across the globe, including Australia and the United States, and I have just spent a weekend at their UK base near London where a coffee-table book on their history recalls that fateful night in Darmstadt:

For years our mothers had prayed for revival in the girls’ Bible study groups they led; now their prayers were answered – far differently than they had ever expected. That night the girls encountered God in his holiness as Judge and Lord over life and death…

Following that night of terror, there was a move among those young girls to bring sin into the light and receive forgiveness…God’s moment had come. Out of the ashes emerged new life.¹

Have we still not learned that there are shocking consequences for those who touch the apple of God’s eye, which is how the Bible refers to Israel?

Not surprisingly, the British-based sisters are deeply grieved at the rise of anti-Semitism all over Europe so soon after this terrible disaster caused by the Nazis’ sickening murder of six million Jews in the death camps of Poland and Germany.

Have we still not learned that there are shocking consequences for those who touch the apple of God’s eye, which is how the Bible refers to Israel (see Zechariah 2:8)?

When and Where to Flee

According to Alex Brummer in a Daily Mail article,² all the talk among British Jews is now focused on which country to flee to if Jeremy Corbyn gets into No. 10 as he has failed miserably to deal with the rise of anti-Semitism in his party, which has traditionally had the support of the Jewish community (and it now appears there has been a cover-up over party members allegedly involved in anti-Semitic hate crimes3).

According to my sources, many have already fled traditionally Jewish suburbs like Golders Green in north London in order to set up home in safer areas following a series of anti-Semitic incidents.

And although British Jews have become accustomed to bias against Israel in recent decades, “never before has a major political party in Britain regarded the creation by the post-war so-called Great Powers (including Russia) of the state of Israel in 1948…as an act of colonialist occupation”, Brummer writes, referring to Mr Corbyn’s stated beliefs.

“But that this [fleeing the country] is even being discussed, just 70 years on from the horrors of Auschwitz; that British Jews should be feeling so insecure in the country they love, is deeply disturbing,” Brummer adds.

And he pointed out that Israel wasn’t necessarily their first choice of destination, because some see it as a move from the frying pan into the fire. But I disagree with that. I go along with a participant on BBC2’s We Are British Jews programme⁴ who said that “It’s the safest place in the world to be”.

All the talk among British Jews is now focused on which country to flee to if Jeremy Corbyn gets into No. 10.

God’s Purposes

Yes, the Jewish state is surrounded by implacable enemies with an insatiable desire to wipe them off the map and, yes, they are threatened once more with annihilation. But Israel’s security is very tight – and effective.

In any case, should physical safety be their only consideration? Isn’t the safest place of all in the loving arms of God – the God of Israel? And his purpose is that they should return to the Land of their forefathers, the Land promised to Abraham as a permanent possession (Gen 17:8). After all, the Tenach (Old Testament) prophets foretold of a great ingathering of Jews from every corner of the globe.

Picture: Charles GardnerAlmost half of world Jewry are now living in Israel and, according to the Bible, it would appear to be God’s will that they should all return (Ezek 39:28). But don’t misunderstand me. I do not wish to encourage persecution so that they feel forced to flee. Jewish contribution to European societies has been priceless – without the ongoing input of their high achievers we would all suffer. But woe to those whose intimidation does cause them to leave; for they will come under a curse (Gen 12:3).

Nevertheless, it is God’s purpose that his chosen people should be back in the Land before Messiah returns. Yes, there will be a battle over Jerusalem, and the nations will come against it, but the Lord will intervene and defeat the enemies of Israel, once and for all (see Zechariah 12-14).

Messiah’s Return

When Jesus ascended to heaven as his perplexed disciples watched in wonder, angels explained to them that he would one day return in the same way he had left – and this took place on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem (Acts 1:11).

The Prophet Zechariah confirms this – that Christ will indeed place his feet on the Mount of Olives and that the Jewish nation will have their eyes opened as they recognise Jesus as the One they had pierced (Zech 12:10).

Almost half of world Jewry are now living in Israel and, according to the Bible, it would appear to be God’s will that they should all return.

The Messiah for whom Jews have longed will appear on earth, and they will acknowledge that he has been here before – as the suffering servant (Isa 53). Although they will mourn over what they did to him (we all need to confess our sin in order to be cleansed), their hearts will be sprinkled clean – and “all Israel will be saved” (Ezek 36:25; Zech 13:1; Rom 11:26).

Jesus is coming again – and the establishing of the people of Israel in their Land is a major sign.

References

1 A Celebration of God’s Unfailing Love, published by the Evangelical Sisters of Mary.

2 Daily Mail, 30 August 2018. According to a Jewish Chronicle poll, almost 40% of UK Jews would ‘seriously consider’ leaving if Corbyn became PM (Times of Israel, 5 September 2018).

3 Daily Express, 5 September 2018.

4 A two-part series screened last week (on 4 and 5 September).

Why has God blessed Britain so much?

As we bring our short series to an end it is clear that we have barely scratched the surface of what God has done for Britain.

When God cut a covenant with Abraham, that he would be the father of many nations, and even when Jesus suffered on the Cross, making the New Covenant available to the whole world, it nevertheless remained hidden just how much God would do for nations such as ours. Yet history is full of testaments to God’s loving kindness towards the people of the British Isles.

But why have we chosen to write a book of remembrance, echoing Malachi 3:16?

Pleasing God Through Obedience

One reason is that we learn from the Book of Malachi that it pleased God for the people of Judah to recall his goodness to them (Mal 3:16-18). So, surely our remembrances might please God today in the same way – it is a good thing to do at any time.

Secondly, remembering is a principle built into the yearly cycle of the Feasts of the Lord. For example, at Passover deliverance from Egypt is remembered, which in New Covenant terms brings remembrance of the Lord’s sacrifice for sin – “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Quite simply, if we do not remember, then we will forget.

History is full of testaments to God’s loving kindness towards the people of the British Isles.

Thirdly, we live in days of great decline from the ways of God, particularly in Britain. In such days we can easily meditate only on the negative aspects of our times. Remembering God’s help in times past can give us a balanced perspective and, indeed, kindle our hope again, leading to thankfulness and renewed prayer:

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)

Fourthly, we live in a generation where more and more people, especially the young, have little knowledge of what God has done for us in the past. They must be taught.

Understanding His Deeper Purposes

But I think there is also another reason, deeper down, to be understood. As we set out all that God has done and consider it in prayer before him, we may find that he grants us a new perspective on what he is doing now, today.

God is always moving forward in fulfilment of his covenant promises. Historically, Britain has been greatly used as part of this – as a base for sending forth the Gospel message around the world, and also in helping to fulfil God’s purposes for Israel – working to prevent satan from annihilating the Jewish race in World War II, and participating (albeit imperfectly) in enabling the Jews to re-establish the land of Israel.

If we can understand some deeper reasons behind the blessings God bestowed upon Britain, we might wake up to what he is doing in our day.

As we consider what God has done for us in the past, we may find that he grants us a new perspective on what he is doing now, today.

As the nations fall into disarray, having had 2,000 years of opportunity for hearing the Gospel, the scene is set for God’s final plans for Israel to be fulfilled prior to the return of the Messiah. To put the past in perspective might enable us to understand where the time-clock of covenant history is now, so that we might participate in rather than oppose the work of God today.

Would God be pleased with us if, in our Bible study and prayer groups, we spent some more time recalling past blessings and asking him to show us how to prepare for and pray concerning the future? I think this is the deeper reason why we have been led to begin writing our Book of Remembrance.

This is the final instalment in our short summer series 'Our Book of Remembrance'. You can read the rest of the series by clicking here.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Israel’s Anointing’ by Sandra Teplinsky (Chosen Books, 2008).

Sandra Teplinsky’s book ‘Why Still Care About Israel’ was reviewed previously on Prophecy Today and highly recommended. Now we feature her other main book of this kind, ‘Israel’s Anointing’.

The book, subtitled ‘Your Inheritance and End-Time Destiny through Israel’, aims to prepare God’s people for the closing events of this age (and beyond) by providing insights into God’s heart and purpose for Israel and how these apply to us personally as individual believers in Jesus.

Messianic Understanding

In the author’s own words, “the chapters build on each other, taking us from the ancient paths into the prophetic future” (p17).

Two of the chapters focus on single books – Ruth and Song of Songs, respectively. Chapter 3 uses the story of Ruth to illustrate the mystery of Jew and Gentile as ‘one new man’ and the recent unprecedented move of the Spirit, destined to increase in the coming years, that is causing a “global rejoining of Gentile to Jewish believers in Messiah” (p40). Chapter 4 features the Song of Songs to emphasise that Jesus is coming for a Bride.

The next two chapters are particularly impressive as Teplinsky explores two key themes, Sabbath rest and Torah. The chapter on the Sabbath contains many useful insights. Rather than just being a repeat of familiar arguments, we are given a feel for the importance and potential impact of a Sabbath rest.

Teplinsky aims to prepare God’s people for the closing events of this age by providing insights into God’s heart and purpose for Israel and how these apply to us personally.

Her explanation of the role of Torah is one of the highlights of the book. Here is a brilliant exposition set within the context of the covenants. The level of understanding that comes through these pages is perhaps one that only a Messianic Jew can provide.

The Physical and the Spiritual

Chapter 8, ‘From Zion’s Battlegrounds’, is a fascinating description of the military pressures and battles that Israel faces, especially over Jerusalem. Teplinsky’s proposition is that we can only properly understand the physical warfare once we have grasped the nature and intensity of satan’s heavenly rebellion against the God of Israel.

She convincingly explores the link between what Israel has to face on the ground and what the Church faces in terms of spiritual warfare. “The Israeli Defence Forces have been called to fight battles in the natural that both prefigure and reflect battles the Church is called to fight in the supernatural” (p136). As Christians often don’t see these supernatural battles or feel called to engage in them, they remain largely unaware of the real aspects of ‘Zion’s battlegrounds’.

One interesting extra detail is Teplinsky’s link between the role of women in the IDF and that of women in the Church as intercessors. Whatever reaction this might cause amongst her readers, the whole chapter is nevertheless well expressed and thought out.

Encouragement to Stand Firm

In later chapters Teplinsky focuses on aspects of Jesus’ return and its aftermath. She maintains a steady position based upon a straightforward reading of the biblical texts. Jesus will set up a Messianic Millennial Kingdom in line with that of his role as the fulfiller of the Davidic covenant. Righteousness and peace will ensue and the earth will be progressively restored.

Teplinsky’s proposition is that we can only properly understand the physical warfare once we have grasped the nature and intensity of satan’s heavenly rebellion against the God of Israel.

The planet will be in tremendous need of rehabilitation after the havoc wreaked by the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation, and “resurrected saints will play a thrilling role in overseeing the millennial operation” (p166). Without trying to explain every detail of this, we are simply encouraged to stand firm to the end in order to have a part in this eternal destiny.

The book concludes with an extensive bibliography, end notes and index. Overall it succeeds in its aim of providing insights into God’s purposes for Israel and how individual believers can engage with this. It will enable both Gentile and Jewish believers to grow in maturity and come together as ‘one new man’ in Messiah.

'Israel’s Anointing' (215 pages, paperback) is available from Amazon for £7.99.

We look set for a turbulent autumn and a winter of discontent.

Our political masters are back from their summer break, refreshed and reinvigorated and ready to set the world right. But do they come back to Westminster with any fresh ideas, or is it back to the same old policies, antagonisms and graft? Both main parties are riven asunder from top to bottom with division so we look set for a turbulent autumn and a winter of discontent, with the Brexit battle absorbing the Tories and anti-Semitism troubling Labour.

The resignation of Frank Field from the Labour Party whip and the bitter criticism of Jeremy Corbyn by Margaret Hodge are signs of the deep trouble in the parliamentary Labour Party. The outbursts from Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees Mogg and other strong Brexiteers who say that Theresa May’s Chequers plan is dead in the water are all adding to the sense of confusion and turmoil surrounding Westminster at the moment.

Signs of Judgment

But these are classical biblical signs of judgment. Deuteronomy 28 gives a list of curses that would come upon Israel if they turned their backs upon the word of God and got heavily into idolatry and rejection of the truth.

One of the consequences would be “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him” (Deut 28:20). This prophecy was certainly fulfilled in 586 BC when Jerusalem including the temple, the palace and all the great houses of the city were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army.

Coronation Oath

Of course, Britain is not in a covenant relationship with God as was the nation of Israel; but our Sovereign, on behalf of the nation, swore an Oath of Allegiance to the God of the Bible in her Coronation Ceremony in 1953. Since then, as a nation, we have steadily turned away from biblical truth, passing one law after another that is directly against the word of God such as: The Abortion Act 1967, The Divorce Reform Act 1969, The Children’s Act 1989, The Sunday Trading Act 1993, The Gender Recognition Act 2004, The Equality Acts 2010, and The Marriage Same-Sex Couples Act 2013.

"We have steadily turned away from biblical truth"

Warnings

It is simply not possible to do all these ungodly things without bringing upon the nation the retribution we deserve. Another warning in Deuteronomy 28:28 says, “The Lord will inflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind.” We are certainly seeing this among our politicians today. We have had the truth in the Bible for centuries and as a nation we have chosen to discard it and go our own way.

In so doing, Britain, that had been under the protective cover of God for 1,000 years, moved outside that cover of protection and what we are seeing today is the result. There is no greater example of the rejection of the ‘God dimension’ in public life than Jeremy Corbyn’s behaviour in regard to the Jews and Zionism. 

Zionism

Zionism is the recognition of God’s covenant with Israel that is at the heart of our Judeo-Christian faith. The promise goes right back to the time of Abraham: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:2-3).

Has Corbyn never read the Bible? As leader of a major political party in Britain whose Sovereign has sworn on oath to uphold the word of God in the Bible, he surely should have some understanding of what this means and of his own responsibility for upholding biblical truth.

It is a simple historical fact that the people of Israel occupied the land of Israel for many hundreds of years until the Roman army slaughtered half a million Jews and drove the remainder out of the land, destroying Jerusalem, renaming it ‘Capitoline’ and renaming the land of Israel – ‘Palestine’ – ‘land of the Philistines’ – as a deliberate insult to the Jews. That was in AD 135 and they remained scattered across the globe until their land was restored to them in 1948. Until that date the hope of returning to their traditional homeland had been expressed in the term ‘Zionism’ since the 1890s. It was endorsed by British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour in a 1917 Declaration which was endorsed by Lloyd George and Winston Churchill and became part of British foreign policy.

Anti-Semitism

But anti-Semitic prejudice has plagued the British Foreign Office ever since the 1920s and that is what we see reflected in Jeremy Corbyn and his followers today. Their get-out-of-jail-free-card added to the international definition of anti-Semitism this week allowing them to criticise Israel is a pathetic cover for the anti-Jewish prejudice at the heart of their policy. But the prejudice they are trying to conceal is not just a social attitude. It is, at root, a hatred of God and of the Covenant he made with the people of Israel through whom he has given his teaching (Torah) and revealed his nature and purposes in the Bible; and as Christians believe – He has also given us the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Hope

Is there any hope for Britain? Of course there is! Bible-believing-praying Christians should be asking God to use this time of confusion to cause people to recognise our need of God’s help. The 100 young people who have died on the streets of London since the beginning of this year are evidence of a sick society that can only be cured by crying out to God for help. We have reached the stage in the corruption of society that only spiritual revival can cure! None of our problems can be solved by human ingenuity because at root they are spiritual rather than social problems that only God can solve.

None of our problems can be solved by human ingenunity.

Shaking the Nations

It is not only Britain that is in desperate need – the USA similarly is going through a time of political and social upheaval with President Trump under siege in the White House, and Democrats and Republicans hurling insults at one another in the run-up to the November mid-term elections.

Germany, Italy and many other European nations are also going through a period of political turmoil; so too is Australia. Throughout the Western world there are many signs that the great shaking of the nations prophesied in Scripture (Haggai 2:7 and Hebrews 12) are coming true in our generation.

We are rapidly moving towards the time when the situation will become so desperate that Christians will be battering the gates of heaven with their prayers calling upon God to send spiritual revival as the only hope of saving the nations from destruction!

Prayer and the defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588.

As I write this, it is the uncelebrated 430^th anniversary of the service of national thanksgiving held in St Paul’s Cathedral for the defeat of the Spanish Armada and, consequently, the preservation of a Bible-based Britain.

By the late 16^th Century, trouble between Spain and England had been in the air for some time. Preparations for the Armada had begun in Cadiz in April 1587 under the Admiral Santa Cruz. In the same year Francis Drake had carried out a pre-emptive raid, damaging many vessels and supplies by fire, so causing appreciable delay. Early in 1588 the experienced and skilful Cruz died of typhoid and was replaced by the inexperienced and unwilling Medina Sidonia.

In late May the Armada set sail from Lisbon, made up of 130 ships and 18,000 soldiers. Its destination was the Netherlands, where it was to be reinforced by some 30,000 troops before attacking England. Its purpose was to remove the Protestant Queen, Elizabeth I, and bring the nation back under Papal authority. The Pope himself had authorised the mission, which was masterminded by King Philip of Spain.

The English fleet at the time had only 80 ships, 50 of these being privateers (i.e. not part of the Navy). But Admiral John Hawkins, writing to Sir Francis Walsingham (Principal Secretary to Queen Elizabeth I) on 1 February 1587, had said “God will defend us, for we defend the chief cause, our religion, God’s own cause, for if we would leave our profession and turn to serve Baal (as God forbid, and rather to die a thousand deaths), we might have peace, but not with God”¹.

The purpose of the Armada was to remove the Protestant Queen of England, Elizabeth I, and bring the nation back under Papal authority.

A Nation Prostrate Before God

The nation was called to prayer and fasting. Rev Thomas Lathbury, writing in 1840, described the situation thus:

While the military preparations were going forward, the Queen and her council were not unmindful of the source whence success and preservation were to be expected. They well knew that unless the Lord should keep the city, the watchmen might wait in vain.

In this emergency, therefore, the nation was called to humble itself before God. Public prayers were enjoined to be used weekly…and a Form of Prayer was composed for that special purpose. The clergy of London were summoned to meet together, when they were strictly charged to observe the appointed days of fasting and prayer.Undoubtedly the clergy in other parts of the country were charged in a similar manner. 

Strype² quotes the following words from a manuscript of one of the London clergy of the period: “That being called together, they were required to be zealous in prayers and almsgiving, namely, on Wednesdays and Fridays; and to stir up the people thereunto; and proper homilies to be read for fasting, praying and almsgiving.”³

Thanks to clergyman and historian John Strype, we have a record of one of the prayers used in the Queen’s chapel during the time when the invasion was expected. It had this title: For Preservation and Success against the Spanish Navy and Forces. It was written by Henry Marten, the Queen’s Steward. The following extracts clearly show its nature:

O, Lord God, heavenly Father, the Lord of Hosts, without whose providence nothing proceedeth, and without whose mercy nothing is saved; in whose power are the hearts of princes, and the end of all their actions, have mercy upon thine afflicted Church; and especially regard thy servant Elizabeth, our most excellent Queen; to whom thy dispersed flock do fly in the anguish of their souls and the zeal of thy truth…

Consider O Lord, how long thy servant hath laboured to them for peace; but how proudly they prepare themselves unto battle. Arise, therefore, maintain thine own cause, and judge thou between her and her enemies…

To vanquish is all one with thee, by few or by many, by want or wealth, by weakness or by strength. The cause is thine, the enemies thine, the afflicted thine; the honour, the victory, and triumph shall be thine…

Give unto all her councils and captains wisdom, wariness, and courage, that they may speedily prevent the devices, and valiantly withstand the forces of all our enemies, that the fame of the Gospel may be spread unto the ends of the world.⁴ (my emphasis)

A prayer written by the Queen’s Steward beseeched God for success, “that the fame of the Gospel may spread unto the ends of the world”.

On 15 July Lord Howard of Effingham, Lord High Admiral, right after the first sighting of the Armada, wrote to Sir Francis Walsingham, “Sir, the southerly wind that brought us back from the coast of Spain brought them out. God blessed us with turning us back. Sir, for the love of God and our country, let us have with some speed some great shot sent us of all bigness; for this service will continue long; and some powder with it.”⁵

Then, on 19 July, the Armada was sighted off the south-west coast of England by Thomas Fleming on the Golden Hinde. According to Emma Mason,

On July 22nd, the day after the first naval encounter south of Plymouth, Howard had arrived with his ships and starving crews at Harwich in Essex. In the evening, while Elizabeth was still at the English army camp at Tilbury, there were rumours that Parma and his invasion force had embarked and “would be here with as much speed as possibly he could”. The Queen refused to return for her own safety to London, declaring that she “would not think of deserting her army at a time of danger”. The next day her troops kept a public fast for victory.⁶

According to Richard Hakluyt, the great geographer, during these times “all people throughout England prostrated themselves with humble prayers and supplications unto God”.⁷ Such was the spiritual nature of the times.

‘Unexpected’ Events

Some totally unexpected things then occurred. On the very same day, the Spanish ship San Salvador was blown up, apparently by a German saboteur, and the following day the Rosario surrendered to Francis Drake without a fight. On 24 July the Spanish fleet departed from the original plans and attempted an attack on Southampton, but was frustrated by a change to unfavourable winds during an engagement off the Isle of Wight.

The Spanish fleet then proceeded with its plan to join forces with the Duke of Parma’s army in the Netherlands, anchoring off Gravelines, near Dunkirk, on 27 July. On 29 July Drake attacked with fireships and the Spanish fleet escaped in haste by cutting away their anchors. They were chased into the North Sea, where a change of wind drove them further north, causing Francis Drake to write to Walsingham, “God hath given us so good a day in forcing the enemy so far to leeward, as I hope in God the Duke of Parma and the Duke of Sidonia shall not shake hands this few days”.⁸

By 9 August, still fearing invasion by the Duke of Parma’s army, Queen Elizabeth visited her troops at Tilbury fort, where she gave a speech. According to William Leigh’s account in 1612, this included, “We commend your prayers, for they will move the heavens, so do we your powerful preaching, for that will shake the earth of our earthly hearts; and call us to repentance, whereby our good God may relieve us, and root up in mercy his deferred judgments against us, only be faithful and fear not.”⁹

Unseasonal storms and gale-force winds forced the Armada north around the British coastline, and onto Scottish and Irish rocks.

Then, unseasonal storms and gale-force winds struck the North Sea. Having cut away their anchors at Gravelines, the Spanish ships were unable to obtain safe anchorages. They were driven further north and half the remaining ships were destroyed. By 11 August the survivors had rounded Scotland, but more storms in late August wrecked even more ships on the Irish coast, where surviving crews were killed by the Irish. Meanwhile, Parma would not invade without naval support and instead turned to besiege the English garrison at Bergen op Zoom, where he was defeated.

Rejoicing in Prayers Answered

On 20 August a service of national thanksgiving was held in St Paul’s Cathedral in London, amid much rejoicing. Hakluyt remarked,

…there was in England, by the commandement of her Majestie, and in the united Provinces, by the direction of the States, a solemne festivall day publikely appointed, wherein all persons were enjoyned to resort unto the Church, and there to render thanks and praises unto God: and the Preachers were commanded to exhort the people thereunto. The foresayd solemnity was observed upon the 29 of November; which day was wholly spent in fasting, prayer, and giving of thanks.¹⁰

On the Spanish side, King Philip of Spain acknowledged the defeat of his forces as the result of what he called ‘The Protestant Wind’, whilst the Jesuit Pedro de Ribadeneira, having commented on God not being “moved by the pious prayers and tears of so many”, concluded, “It is both necessary and advisable to seek and consider the causes that may have moved God to punish us in this way.”¹¹

Figure 1. See Photo Credits.Coins and medallions were struck to commemorate the English victory, attributing success to God, as shown in Figure 1. The left one, struck at Dort in the Netherlands, shows people at prayer and reads: Homo proponit, Deus disponit (‘man proposes, God disposes’). The right one carries the text, Flavit JHVH [in Hebrew letters] et dissipati sunt (‘God blew and they were scattered’).

God indeed answered prayer - and the long-term outcome was that the Gospel truly was spread to the ends of the world! Let’s be encouraged in prayer and thanksgiving. Let’s also recognise that, given the current desperate state of our nation, it is surely time to follow the example set by our Elizabethan forebears. Their calls should be taken up anew with urgency – for powerful preaching, for repentance, for fasting and prayer, to seek God’s mercy and intervention. Such is the need of the hour.

References

1. Lawton, JK (Ed), 1894. State Papers Relating to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada. Vol 1, p58.
2. Strype, J. Annals of the Reformation, III, ii, p15 (John Strype was a curate, lecturer and author, 1643-1737).
3. Lathbury, T, 1840. The Spanish Armada, A.D. 1588: Or The Attempt of Philip II and Pope Sixtus to Re-Establish Popery in England. London: Parker, pp63-67.
4. See note 2, p546.
5. See note 1, pp288-289.
6. 10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Spanish Armada. BBC History Extra, 16 April 2015.
7. Hakluyt, R. The Vanquishing of the Spanish Armada: Anno 1588.
8. Wilson, AN, 2011. The Elizabethans. Random House, p255.
9. Ridgeway, C. 9 August 1588 – Elizabeth I’s Tilbury Speech. The Tudor Society.
10. Richard Hakluyt, op.cit.
11. Martin, C and Parker, G, 1999. The Spanish Armada. 2nd Edition, Manchester University Press.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘That Hideous Strength: How the West was Lost’ by Melvin Tinker (Evangelical Press, 2018).

This slim volume is an excellent resource on the state of our society in the light of the creeping revolution known as ‘cultural Marxism’.

Much is now being written on this topic but here is a book which provides an interesting take by drawing on the works of CS Lewis (hence the book’s title) and the account in Genesis 11 of the Tower of Babel.

Insights into Spiritual War

The Lewis book in question, ‘That Hideous Strength’ (1945), is the third in a fictional space trilogy and in some ways itself follows on from a talk Lewis gave called The Abolition of Man (1943). It is helpful to have read these or at least be aware of them, but it is not essential as Tinker explains the connections clearly throughout his book.

The author believes that Lewis’s novel and the Babel story in Genesis provide “penetrating insights into the spiritual warfare which rages today in the West” (p20).

From this standpoint Tinker explores the ideology of cultural Marxism, describing it as “the machine which drives much of the political correctness which is stifling free thought and speech in our society today, as well as providing the philosophical matrix of much of the gender agenda” (p20).

This slim volume is an excellent resource on the state of our society in the light of the creeping revolution known as ‘cultural Marxism’.

Here is ‘that hideous strength’ of our day - no longer fictional but a reality of the manifestation of the principalities and powers seeking to dethrone God and destroy man. The Babel account adds to our understanding by providing one of the earliest expressions of a similar rebellion and arrogance. Here is “a parabolic lens through which we can view and come to understand what has been happening in our society” (p34).

Dethroning God, Destroying Man

Aided by both these works, Tinker shows how an intellectual elite of ideologues is capable of changing what great swathes of the population consider to be ‘common sense’, thus determining which views are permissible, which are outdated and which are dangerous.

Alongside this ability to reshape thinking is the promotion of the representation of the self as the ‘be all and end all’ of human existence. This thoroughly egocentric understanding is projected as reality, setting up the exciting possibility of Man’s power to make of himself what he pleases.

This anti-God rebellion ultimately destroys Man as he was originally created - namely, in the image of God.

Bringing Down Judeo-Christian Society

The first two chapters take us through the Lewis novel and the Babel account as preparation for the heart of Tinker’s book. The third chapter begins the discussion of cultural Marxism as a modern variant of what we find in these earlier works.

Cultural Marxism seeks to ‘liberate’ humanity from the social institutions that have ‘enslaved’ it, such as the family and the Church. Traditional social values have, so the theory goes, promoted repression through inequalities which in turn have prevented the individual from realising his true self and expressing his true desires. He now can achieve full autonomy and be anything he wants to be. He has no need of any reference to God.

Tinker explains the thinking and writings of Herbert Marcuse and Antonio Gramsci, who were at the forefront of this movement, and the later Frankfurt School and Critical Theory, the goal of which is to bring down Judeo-Christian society and culture through unremitting destructive criticism. Mention is also made of Theodor Adorno, who established that anyone who disagrees with this new movement can legitimately be labelled ‘fascist’.

Cultural Marxism is today’s manifestation of the principalities and powers seeking to dethrone God and destroy man.

Such early 20^th Century advocates of cultural Marxism knew they were in for the long haul. Changing society that radically would take time, but the ‘long march’ over 75 years is at last reaching its destination.

Christianity is now seen as implausible and easily ignored, or worse, bigoted and oppressive. Old truths are now declared non-truths, subject to state censorship because they are considered offensive or intolerant. Here is a totalitarianism that masquerades as freedom.

Preaching Christ and the Cross

In Chapter 4 Tinker explores gender issues, revealing the programme undertaken to change societal views and penalise disagreement. It is devastating to see what has happened and what this means for our future. Throwing off all traditional values and sexual restraints has led to a ‘polymorphous perversity’. The power of hormones has triumphed!

In the next chapter he shows how the gates have been breached within the Church. In particular, the cultural Marxist agenda is now embedded within the organisational structure of the Church of England which has become an insipid and derivative mouthpiece for modernism.

Thankfully, the final chapter offers some hope for ‘Bringing Down Babel’. Although this is ultimately for God to do, declaring the duality of Christ’s person (human and divine) is the best way to counter cultural Marxism, Tinker argues. We can still preach Christ and the Cross. But will we speak out or run and hide?

Overall this book is a worthwhile contribution to the growing and necessary discussion of this important issue.

‘That Hideous Strength’ (128pp, paperback) is available from the publisher for £6.99. Also available elsewhere online.

Readers may also be interested in Steve Maltz’s recent book on cultural Marxism, ‘Into the Lions’ Den’, which we reviewed here, as well as the upcoming Foundations 10 conference on the same theme.

Divine deliverance during World War II.

Continuing our ‘Book of Remembrance’ looking back on God’s faithfulness to Britain through the ages, this week we dwell on instances of divine intervention in our nation during times of conflict and threat.

Alongside David Longworth’s article on the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, it is also important to remember God’s intervention in World War II, not a century ago – a topic on which we often reflect on Prophecy Today, not least because it laid the groundwork for the re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 – the most important prophetic fulfilment of our times.

For example, both Dr Clifford Hill and David Longworth have discussed the miracles which allowed the safe rescue of British troops from Dunkirk in 1940, after the King called the nation to prayer and repentance. Thousands assembled outside packed churches to intercede for the Lord’s help, with thanksgiving and rejoicing in the aftermath also turning into intercession for deliverance in what became known as the Battle of Britain. You can read these articles here:

• The Miracle of Dunkirk (Dr Clifford Hill)
  
• Dunkirk: Divine Deliverance (David Longworth)
  

We have also been alerted recently to a leaflet featuring testimonies about God’s intervention from six of the most senior figures of the War. The Wartime Miracles leaflet is currently being circulated around UK churches by the Strengthen the Faithful team as part of a campaign “to give true Christians hope, encouragement and reassurance, which is so greatly needed in these unsettling and frightening times.”¹

Elsewhere on Prophecy Today, David Longworth has written about the lesser known Allied victory at El-Alamein (Egypt) in 1942, also preceded by a national day of prayer, which marked a turning point in the war and prevented the Nazi genocide of Jews in both Egypt and Palestine. You can read David’s article here:

• The Battles of El Alamein: Prayer and the Sovereignty of God
  

Finally, of course, these and many other points of divine intervention in the war were accompanied by faithful intercession from British Christians, especially at the Bible College in Wales, where students were led in fervent prayer by Rees Howells. This spiritual warfare has been mentioned many times on Prophecy Today, but we recommend particularly the following article by Dr Clifford Denton about how the Swansea intercessors supported the re-birthing of Israel:

• Israel Re-Born: the Fruit of Prayer
  

May God be praised as we give thanks for his marvellous action on our behalf in times past – and may we be inspired to give ourselves afresh to prayer for our otherwise helpless nation. The Lord has not finished with Britain yet!

Notes

1 Free paper copies of this leaflet can be obtained by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., stating ‘Wartime Miracles’ in the subject line.

Times of refreshment: a look at historic revivals in Britain.

Look to the sky for an everlasting love