Simon Pease reviews ‘MidEast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Anti-Christ’ by Joel Richardson (2012).

Joel Richardson's thought-provoking MidEast Beast challenges the widely-held belief that the final empire of biblical prophecy is a European-revived Roman Empire. Instead, he makes the case for a resurrected Islamic Ottoman empire, a view which is increasingly being taken seriously by students of prophecy.

MidEast Beast is one book in a series by the author looking at biblical prophecy from a Middle East perspective and follows on directly from Islamic Anti-Christ, which studies the close parallels between Islam's eagerly-awaited messianic leader and the biblical Anti-Christ. His later work dealing with Jesus and Israel, When a Jew Rules the World, has already been reviewed by Prophecy Today.

Taking Prophecy Literally

The book opens with recommendations on interpreting biblical prophecy, such as starting with easier, literal prophecies, rather than diving straight into Revelation and highly symbolic material. Richardson takes biblical prophetic references to places such as Egypt and Persia (Iran) literally, rather than spiritualising them to refer in general to the enemies of God.

Applying this principle, the author demonstrates from several of the prophets how God will bring vengeance on Israel's enemies in the Middle East on the ‘Day of the Lord’, highlighting specific nations, all of which are Islamic. He challenges the view that the Anti-Christ will rule over the entire world, exploring the biblical use of hyperbole and drawing attention to passages which describe the Anti-Christ kingdom at war with opposing nations.

Referring to Daniel's vision of a fourth kingdom crushing the others which preceded it, Richardson presents an argument for this kingdom being the Islamic Ottoman Empire, rather than the Roman Empire (as is often assumed). He uses maps to illustrate strikingly how the Islamic caliphate, unlike Rome, conquered all the areas previously occupied by the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek empires.

Joel Richardson makes the case for the final empire of biblical prophecy being a resurrected Islamic Ottoman empire.

He argues that the related ‘legs of iron’ in Nebuchadnezzar's dream represent the Sunni and Shiite parts of the Ottoman Empire. He also presents historical evidence that the "people of the prince who is to come" (Dan 9:26), prophesied by Daniel and who destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, were legions recruited by Rome from the local populations of regions which today are mostly in Syria and are all Islamic.

Richardson also investigates the seven-headed beast of Revelation, pointing out that the argument for Rome being both the sixth beast which ‘is’ and the seventh which replaces it, is contradictory. Islam overtook Rome in the Middle East, conquering its capital Constantinople (now Istanbul), with the Ottoman Empire receiving a "fatal head wound" nearly 100 years ago. The author makes a compelling argument for its future reappearance as the eighth beast, which is intriguing in the light of recent developments in Turkey.

Direct, Analytical, Logical

Although Richardson writes primarily for the biblically-literate believer with an interest in ‘end times’ prophecy, his compelling argument for the veracity of Scripture has caused me to recommend MidEast Beast to believer and non-believer alike.

His style is direct, analytical and logical, whilst being highly readable and devoid of theological jargon. Not surprisingly, his views have generated much debate, so he engages in a spirited defence of his position against his critics, including citing the opinions of prominent believers from earlier generations who also understood biblical prophecy as referring to Islam.

As a result of the author’s meticulous research, some readers may find MidEast Beast overly long at nearly 270 pages, but this is probably necessitated by the controversy he has generated.

Richardson’s views have generated much debate, so he engages in a spirited defence of his position against his critics.

Thoroughly Recommended

This book is more than just theological argument – it is a call to action, challenging Christians to recognise that Islam will continue to grow powerfully. Richardson argues passionately that this knowledge should impact believers' attitudes towards the evangelisation of Muslims, our preparation for increasing persecution and our commitment to stand with the Jewish people.

I thoroughly recommend MidEast Beast, not only because it challenges us to consider carefully what the Bible actually teaches (rather than simply accepting recycled opinions at face value), but also because of the implications if his interpretation of Scripture proves to be correct.

Mid-East Beast (published by Joel Richardson) is available from Amazon in hardcover, Kindle and audio forms.

When I was 3 or 4 years old, near the end of WWII, our family lived in a little village in Devon, in a quiet rural environment. The kitchen had an old Rayburn solid-fuel stove. I knew little of the war except that we were fighting Germany. Apparently, early one summer morning I came downstairs and, feeling helpful, began to rake out the cold ash from the range (onto the floor!).

Although absorbed in this activity, when I heard a knock on the back door, I went to open it. It was the coal-delivery man who I hadn't seen before, though he knew me.

Imagine my horror when he leant his blackened face down to my level and said, in a gruff German accent, “Gut morgen, younge man. I have ze coal for you!” I ran in terror, shouting for my mother to rescue me!! Why had no-one told me that they had invaded our village?

What I clearly needed was someone who had watched out for the coal delivery (like we used to for the Corona man!) and warned me. But that morning I was taken completely by surprise. The Home Guard were our watchers for external danger in rural Devon in those days. Indeed, a German plane landed in a field near us, and the pilot was taken in and given tea and biscuits.

The Danger Within

Today, there is another danger, but it comes from within the nation. God watched over Britain during the war, and prevented invasion, but the present danger is as serious though far subtler. It comes from a national lifestyle in which everyday functions like eating and drinking, buying and selling have become increasingly secular, our culture becoming preoccupied by the accumulation of wealth with its associated anxieties, and increased demand for various liberal activities and human 'rights'.

Acknowledgement of the God of Creation, and pursuit of spiritual, Kingdom values like righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, are increasingly being exchanged for values of self-fulfilment: each one doing what is right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25, KJV).

Deception about religion, sexual choice and 'freedom', corruption, suppression of the truth (even in the Church), social engineering especially in children, and a lack of personal moral character (2 Tim 3:1-7) make it very easy to miss the signs of the times in these last days.

Against these dangers from within, we need strong warning. Who will watch for these 'enemies' that can blind us to the anti-God changes in our society, and dull our hearing to what God is saying and doing in our nation? His call to us is 'Wake up, Britain!'

Watch for the Signs - Be Prepared

Jesus told us clearly many times to be on our guard: to “be always on the watch, and pray” (Luke 21:36, note the order). The signs are all around us if we are not asleep. Where are our watchmen, to blow the trumpet and warn us, our shepherds to protect the flock from unsuspected danger?

Jesus is returning, as He promised. But when the flood comes, it will come quickly. Read His warning in Matthew 24:37-42. God has appointed watchmen over you and said, Listen to the sound of the trumpet (Jer 6:17)! But will we? We need to be like the sons of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do when danger threatened (1 Chron 12:23, 32).

This warning applies very much to us in Britain today. Thank God there are faithful watchmen among us.

This is the question: Are you prepared? Do you know the Lord Jesus? Will you listen, and watch, and warn those you know of the present danger?

Author: Greg Stevenson

Tracking developments in Iran.

President Trump’s speech to the United Nations this week heightened tensions in East Asia, when he declared that the USA will “totally destroy” North Korea if US interests are threatened by the rogue state led by Kim Jong-un.¹ The rest of the world has watched anxiously as Kim’s antics have threatened global peace, while Japan has protested vehemently as rockets have been fired over its territory.

But could all this attention to North Korea be something of a red herring, diverting the eyes of the world away from a much greater and more imminent threat: Iran?

For alert, Bible-believing Christians, this should come as no surprise. After all, it is Iran, not North Korea, that is named in Scripture as a key player in the end times drama set to unfold around Israel.

A Vibrant History

The region we know today as Iran has a long and fascinating history stretching right back to the early chapters of Genesis.² The Iranian plateau was first dominated by the Elamites (descended from Noah’s son Shem), who were eventually subsumed into larger empires, including those of the Assyrians and Babylonians. When Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, the first Persian empire rose to prominence for around 200 years, becoming one of the largest empires in history.

‘Persia’, as the region became known,³ did not always set itself against God’s people Israel. Cyrus the Great, for instance, released the Jews from Babylonian captivity and allowed them to return to their land. The sparing of the Jewish people from the genocidal plans of Haman (perhaps a type of the Ayatollahs to come), as told in the Book of Esther, took place under the rule of the Persian King Xerxes nearly a century later. And Nehemiah oversaw the re-building of Jerusalem’s walls thanks to the support of Xerxes’ successor, Artaxerxes.

‘Persia’ has not always set itself against God’s people Israel.

After the Persian empire was overtaken by Alexander the Great, the region passed from one empire to another until the rise of Islam in the 7^th Century AD. This blotted out the territory’s pagan religious heritage,⁴ consolidating it under the distinctive influence of Shia Islam which has, for the most part, dominated it ever since.

The Making of Modern Iran

Fast forward to the start of the 20^th Century, and the Iranian plateau became a battle-ground as Britain and Russia competed for its oil reserves. After World War I Iran became a sovereign, secular nation, changing its name formally from ‘Persia’ in 1935.

The Islamic Revolution of 1979.Iran fought alongside the Allies against Germany and Russia during World War II, and afterwards entered into a long-term, positive relationship with the USA and Western Europe, exchanging oil for military and economic aid. It was this positive relationship with the West, and Iran’s increasing modernisation and secularisation, however, that fomented deep criticism from Islamic clerics, leading to an Islamist uprising in 1979.

The revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini (not to be confused with the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini), toppled the secular Shah, sieged the American embassy and replaced Western-friendly Iran with the fundamentalist Shia theocracy we see today. Iranian relations with the USA deteriorated rapidly as the US was recast as ‘The Great Satan’ and Israel ‘The Little Satan’. As its relations with the USA were upturned, so Iran’s connections with Russia also reversed – from bad to good. In fact, Iran has received long-term aid and investment from Russia since 1989.

From the 1980s onwards, Iran became involved in seeding anti-Semitic terrorism and has been outspoken about its intent to wipe Israel off the map (cf. Psalm 83:2, 4). It has even erected an audacious countdown clock in central Tehran giving Israel 25 years left to exist,⁵ whilst Iranian officials boasts that they could bring this deadline forward at any time. Last year a senior Iranian military commander threatened that Iran’s ballistic missiles, famously emblazoned with ‘Israel must be wiped off the earth’, could “raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes”.⁶

Iran’s positive relationship with the West collapsed after the Islamist uprising of 1979.

Iran’s Nuclear Capabilities

If Iran makes headlines in the West today, however, it is usually because of controversy surrounding its nuclear programme. It began developing nuclear capacity for peaceful purposes in the 1950s with US and Western European help. Following the 1979 revolution, these partnerships collapsed and Iran switched over to Russian expertise.

Soon after 2000, international suspicion was aroused that Iran’s nuclear activity may involve uranium enrichment for weapons. Investigations were followed by sanctions, but no amount of international pressure halted this activity.

Ayatollah Khameini, Iran's current Supreme Leader. See Photo Credits.In 2015, in a deal brokered by Obama, sanctions were eased in return for Iran’s agreement to “redesign, convert and reduce its nuclear facilities” and accept enhanced monitoring from external bodies.⁷ The deal was welcomed by most world leaders, except Israeli PM Netanyahu, who insisted that Iran could not be trusted and should be made to dismantle its nuclear facilities, not simply limit or convert them.

He declared at the time that "Such a deal would not block Iran’s path to the bomb. It would pave it"⁸ and assured the international community that safety would not be guaranteed until Iran’s regional aggression was curtailed and its vow to annihilate Israel rescinded. Indeed, only recently an Iranian official boasted that the country’s nuclear enrichment facilities could be back up and running in five days if the Obama deal is scrapped by President Trump.⁹

Greater Threat Than ISIS

Since the beginning of the 21^st Century, therefore, a fascinating global picture has been emerging. Every day we seem to move closer to the war depicted in Ezekiel 38-39, which prophesies a ‘last days’ alliance between Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya and Turkey coming against Israel and being utterly destroyed by Divine intervention.

Since the so-called ‘Arab spring’ of 2011, many Arab states have experienced instability or descended into civil war – yet Iran has been growing in power, investing in regional power struggles to its own advantage.¹⁰ Meanwhile, Israel has been watching with a wary eye.

Now, Iraq and Lebanon are acknowledged Iranian proxies¹¹ and Syria lies in ruins. The American and European concern to eradicate ISIS will further clear the path for Iran’s ascendancy, with experts warning that this will present a far greater threat to global stability than ISIS ever did.

Every day we seem to move closer to the war depicted in Ezekiel 38-39.

Indeed, there is a growing Iranian presence around Israel’s borders, with the US recently agreeing to allow Iran-sponsored militias within 10km of the Golan Heights.¹² Iran is making no secret of its agenda, its flag joining a host of others on a hill overlooking Israel’s northernmost town, Metulla. Nearby, a sinister poster depicting Ayatollah Khomeini’s face glowering over the Dome of the Rock reads “We are coming” in Hebrew and Arabic.¹³

Meanwhile, strong connections exist between Iran and North Korea, as journalist Melanie Phillips notes: “Iranian scientists and military brass have been reliably tracked to North Korea inspecting or witnessing its nuclear weapons programme development; and…almost certainly Tehran has outsourced some if not much of [its] programme to Pyongyang.”¹⁴ She argues that the current brouhaha with North Korea is actually a ‘dry run’ for Iran, testing out international responses for signs of weakness.

Where Next?

The biblical jigsaw puzzle is on the way to completion, but we are not there yet. Iran still has a complex relationship with Russia, which has its own regional agendas and is still open to working with Israel. Furthermore, the prophesied alliance with Turkey is yet to materialise.

However, the general trend in the region is clear to see: unchecked Iran consolidating its power, investing in strategic military operations and alliances to extend its reach westwards, obsessed with annihilating Israel. With all the fuss about North Korea – which may or may not yet prove to be a red herring – let’s not ignore the word of Scripture being fulfilled before our very eyes.

References

1 Read the full transcript here. 

2 The historical information in this article owes a significant debt to Darrell Young’s 2004 survey of Iranian history, found here.

3 The name ‘Persia’ comes from the Greek ‘Persis’, a Hellenised form of ‘Pars’ (a region in southern Iran), whereas the term ‘Mede’ was used for those who settled in the centre and north of the region.

4 The region’s religious heritage involves a blend of the Zoroastrianism of the Medes and Persians and the Hellenistic religion of the Greeks. But Medes and Persians are mentioned in Acts 2:9 as being present at Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit – and so may well have been among the first Christians. Today, Christians in Iran make up a sizeable minority – though many are secret believers.

5 Iran Sets Up Clock Counting Down to Israel’s Destruction in 2040. United with Israel, 26 June 2017.

6 Iranian commander: We can destroy Israel 'in under 8 minutes'. Times of Israel, 22 May 2016.

7 Iran nuclear deal framework, Wikipedia.

8 Toosi, N and Gass, N. Netanyahu warns of nuclear arms race. Politico, 3 April 2015.

9 Iran could make weapons-grade uranium within 5 days, nuclear chief claims. Jerusalem Post, 23 August 2017.

10 For instance, Iran has been known to fund Shia militias to fight against ISIS (which is Sunni), whilst also funding ISIS terror attacks against civilians in the West. It is now reportedly recruiting ex-ISIS fighters out of Mosul into its own regime.

11 Last week former Israeli defence minister Moshe Ya’alon described Lebanon as “kidnapped by a terrorist organization [i.e. Hezbollah] operated by another country [i.e. Iran], but the reality is that the international community has become used to the world order and does not deal with it”.

12 Winer, S. US to let Iranian-backed militias within 10 km of Golan Heights — report. Times of Israel, 31 August 2017.

13 Frantzmann, S. Iranian flag joins array of enemy symbols planted on Lebanon border. Jerusalem Post, 28 June 2017.

14 Phillips, M. The Iranian symptom of the West's auto-immune disease. 4 September 2017.

Christians must take back territory lost to Disney.

A deeply disturbing report has highlighted what many have come to know, expect and even accept – that many of our children are missing out on religious education.

Flagging up the ‘state of the nation’ report published by the Religious Education Council and the National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE), the Daily Mail headline ‘Death knell for RE in schools’ was, I think, a tad over the top.¹

However, the neglect of this aspect of education is very serious and, as with so many sections of our broken society, the Church is in part responsible.

The Reason for Education

The very motive for introducing education for all in the 18^th and 19^th centuries was so that children could come to know the love of God. It was, in the first place, so that they could be taught the Bible, which contains a treasure trove of teaching on all matters of life and which equips new generations with unsurpassed knowledge on how to live – not just with your mind and body, but with your heart and soul.

The Bible teaches repeatedly that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10) and someone has said that godless education simply produces educated sinners.

The original motive for introducing education for all was so that children could come to know the love of God.

Deborah Weston, NATRE’s research officer, said: “By developing knowledge and understanding about different religions and world views in the security of a classroom, young people have the opportunity to engage with complex, diverse and constantly evolving subject matter.”² Indeed, what’s wrong with that – even for our humanist friends?

Julia Diamond-Conway of RE Today, an exhibitor at the Christian Resources Exhibition, said there was no excuse for breaking the law by not offering RE in schools. She told CRE News:

In collaboration with NATRE, we produce many high-quality resources to inspire and inform children – for their lives both now and in the future. There is just no excuse for not following the law and teaching a subject so relevant in today’s society. Many people think RE is about issues from centuries ago and no longer relevant. But our material talks of modern times and uses modern techniques to involve children fully in the learning process.³

A Department for Education spokesman said: “Religious education remains compulsory for all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, at all key stages and we expect all schools to fulfill their statutory duties.”⁴

Perhaps this latter phrase – ‘statutory duties’ - is part of the problem. We have lost the heart and soul of what education is really about. We treat people as computers. Back in the 19^th Century, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, speaking on the subject of education in various countries, said: “The truth was that wherever everything was left to the government the subject became a machine.”⁵

A Deprived Generation

According to the report, 28% of secondary schools told the Department for Education that they gave no dedicated curriculum time to RE. It is estimated that this equates to 800,000 pupils being deprived of their legal right to learn about major religions and beliefs, leaving them without the religious literacy they need for life in modern multi-faith Britain.

It further called for “a clear public statement that it is not acceptable in any circumstances for a school to be failing to provide RE at any key stage as part of its broad and balanced curriculum.”

We have lost the heart and soul of what education is really about - we treat people as computers.

It would be quite wrong to conclude that today’s youngsters are not interested in the spiritual side of life. It’s just that many have been denied the chance of exploring these things. And this is where much of the Christian Church is failing them. The average person in the pew is tragically ignorant of the huge opportunities we still have for sharing the Gospel in schools. They simply accept the perceived, but misinformed, notion that God has been thrown out of the school window (perhaps, in part, due to the teaching of evolution as opposed to creationism) – and all we can do is lick our wounds and sulk over a very sorry state of affairs.

Yet in stark contrast to the USA, where it may surprise many to learn that Christian teaching is banned from schools, we have a wide open door. And as with the vision St Paul had of the man from Macedonia (Acts 16:9), many are saying to us: “Come over here and help us!”

Opportunities Still There!

Conscientious head-teachers are only too willing to welcome those who have a heart to teach (though not preach to) children about the love of Jesus. In some cases, even qualified RE teachers (who are not necessarily Christians, after all) feel out of their depth when asked to lead assemblies.

But Christian youth workers can (and do) step up to the plate with an authoritative, passionate and winsome approach to the subject. And if they win the trust of staff, there are many opportunities to support pupils through the school curriculum.

For example, Bible Society’s Open the Book project is becoming increasingly popular in primary schools as teams from local churches around the country lead assemblies through a dramatic reading of Bible stories.

I declare an interest in this subject as my wife is involved in visiting primary schools across the large metropolitan borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. Along with other Christians, I have on many occasions accompanied her on various projects and witnessed the sheer delight of children – wide-eyed and open-mouthed – as they respond in rapt attention and wonder to the amazing stories of the Bible.

We share these stories because they are true – not fairytales – and yet there is something truly magical about them too! We need to take back territory lost to Disney and the like, and restore our confidence in the ‘greatest story ever told’. It should not surprise us that the Gospel story appeals to children. After all, Jesus said we could not enter the Kingdom of God unless we approached it as little children do (Matt 18:3).

It’s not that today’s youngsters are not interested in the spiritual side of life – it’s that many have been denied the chance of exploring these things.

Saving Priceless Souls

Our education has become too cerebral. Have we forgotten the importance of the soul? Jesus said: “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36). What price do we put on the soul of a child? It is priceless. Do we think that by filling them with facts they will live useful lives?

Jesus said he had come to give us “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10). Isn’t that what we would like to see in our children – that they would learn to live life to the full; knowing God, being comfortable with themselves, feeling secure in the love of Jesus and fulfilling a very clear purpose as they answer a particular calling on their lives?

Jesus put so much emphasis on children, and I’m told that Jewish tradition still bears that out in that those wishing to teach children, as opposed to adults, are required to spend far more time training for the role.

Jesus warned that in the case of those who cause any of these little ones who believe in him to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone tied around his neck and drowned in the depths of the sea (Matt 18:6). Denying the opportunity for children to hear about Jesus surely comes close to this – for you would be encouraging them to turn away from God and never know the joy of salvation and of sins forgiven.

A Calling of Great Honour

Without a compass, how do we find the way? Forget the Satnav and the iPhone. Without the measuring rod of the Bible, how will children know right from wrong; how will they discern lies from truth?

In searching for a memorial plaque to a Jewish relative on the Thames Embankment, I was taken aback somewhat by a magnificent statue to Robert Raikes (1736-1811), founder of the Sunday School movement – a reminder that in days of yore, educating children with the Bible was seen as a calling worthy of great honour.

May it become so again!

References

1 Daily Mail, 18 September 2017.
2 Ibid.
3 Hall, D. RE in schools: No excuse to break the law. CRE News, 21 September 2017.
4 See note 1.
5 Speech to the House of Commons, 20 June 1839.

Some of the week's news to aid your prayers.

Monica Hill begins the final portion of her series on the spiritual gifts.

This article is part of a series. Click here for the full archive.

“Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good…”

Having spent some time studying the spiritual gifts in three of the lists given in the New Testament we come now to the most controversial and most often misunderstood list in 1 Corinthians 12.

They are controversial because these gifts were neglected for many centuries, especially in the West once the Church was established, as they were felt to be relevant to the 1st Century Church only. They were misunderstood when re-discovered by the Pentecostal movement at the beginning of the 20^th Century, and even now there can be various interpretations of the meaning of these more experiential gifts.

Setting in Context

We need to start first by looking at the context in which Paul delivered his teaching on this list of nine ‘gifts’ – which more rightly should be termed ‘manifestations’ of the Spirit. This comes from the Greek pneumatikon, which has connotations of invisibility and power. Some of these ‘manifestations’ sound very similar to the gifts we have already studied, but they are also very different.

The Corinthian church was not a united community of believers and they must have caused Paul much heartache. He had to battle not only against a strong Greek culture and systemic thinking but also against immoral behaviour in the church, which affected its witness.

The manifestations of the Holy Spirit were neglected in the Church for many centuries.

Practical Help

1 Corinthians is a very practical book and shows Paul’s concern for this infant community, especially when there was so much division among the members. One of his practical concerns was very much for the use (or against the misuse) of the gifts or manifestations he lists in chapter 12.

In chapter 11 he endeavoured to get relationships in the church right and was especially concerned about the behaviour of its members in their worship times and when celebrating the Lord’s Supper. His concern was to combat their brazen concentration on themselves rather than thinking of others and this is reflected through the next two or three chapters.

Call for Unity

The ‘manifestations’ listed in chapter 12 have an emphasis on unity and use for ‘the common good’. They emphasise that the gifts are all coming from the same Spirit, although they may be of different kinds.

No one person owns these gifts (1 Cor 12:11) – they are available to any true believer and are only given as the Spirit wishes. As Edmund Heddle says “The initiative in the operation of these gifts must remain in the hands of the Spirit and once his purpose is completed the manifestation of the gift will cease”.¹

The Body of Christ

There then follows the lovely passage from verse 12 to the end of the chapter about the Body of Christ being many parts but still only one. Its analogy with the human body – every part is needed and none is more important than the others – is well worth reading and emphasising again and again.

The chapter concludes with a series of rhetorical questions. The translation of verse 31 can be confusing in some versions. I personally do not think it should be read as a challenge for believers to strive for the greater gifts - in view of the arguments that these are given by the Holy Spirit as he sees fit, how can this be? Rather, I believe that it is ridiculing what the Corinthians were trying to be seen doing and goes on to show them the better way of love.

As such, a better translation of 1 Corinthians 12:31 is “But you are striving for the greater gifts! And now I will show you the most excellent thing”. The love poem that follows in chapter 13 is not an intrusion into this section on spiritual gifts but complements it superbly. It can be used for individuals and is of course perfect for marriages - but do read it again thinking particularly of its relation to the use of gifts in the fellowship of believers.

No one person owns these gifts – they are available to any true believer and are only given as the Spirit wishes.

Practicalities

In chapter 14 we look again at the practicalities arising when the Corinthian assembly were using (or misusing) some of the most controversial of the manifestations – gifts of prophecy and tongues. Note how Paul attempted to deliver good teaching from a distance, some of which we will use when we study these specific manifestations in detail.

Need for Harmony

In the next few weeks we will be looking at the nine gifts mentioned here – but we will be looking at them in groups, as none of them should stand alone. Those speaking in tongues need others with the gift of interpretation alongside them; those prophesying need others to distinguish between the spirits bringing the prophetic words and a special kind of faith is needed for gifts of healing and miraculous powers.

When these work in harmony, the Lord’s name will be praised and blessed.

References

1 Heddle, E, 2016. Spiritual Gifts. Issachar Ministries, p16.

Hurricanes, floods and wildfires – are we in the last days?

“Are we in the last days?” is the question many people are asking as our newspapers and TVs are filled with horrendous accounts of the destructive powers of nature that are shaking the world.

Hurricane Irma has flattened whole islands where the rich and powerful enjoy their Caribbean paradise in the breath-taking beauty of secluded estates, surrounded by the frail wooden homes of those who serve them. Rich and poor alike have suffered catastrophic damage to their property and lives have been lost.

But it’s not only the small islands that have suffered; a powerful earthquake hit Mexico at the same time as the Irma made landfall on the USA mainland around Miami and tremendous damage was done as the hurricane moved inland across Florida. This was hot on the heels of Hurricane Harvey and ahead of Hurricanes José and Katia: battering the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and south-east USA with unprecedented fury.

Other parts of the world have also been experiencing devastating flooding and landslides. Monsoonal rains sweeping across a vast swathe of northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh have left 1,200 dead and over 40 million people affected in the worst flooding for half a century.¹ Also, wildfires driven by high winds have been wreaking havoc in many parts of the world.² So, what’s the significance of all this?

While hurricanes have battered the Americas, other parts of the world have been experiencing devastating flooding and landslides.

Signs in the Heavens and on the Earth

2017 has seen an unusually high number of wildfires worldwide.Bible-believing Christians are asking if these horrendous events have any bearing upon the times of great shaking among the nations that we are experiencing. When referring to his own Second Coming, Jesus said:

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. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming upon the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. (Luke 21:25-26)

Is it just an interesting coincidence that last week there was a spectacular aurora of lights dancing across Britain’s skies as a huge solar flare, the most powerful for 12 years, erupted on the sun? The Times reported that “Its blast of radiation was so intense that it caused high-frequency radio blackouts for an hour over Europe, Africa and the Atlantic.”³

The report said that the explosion on the sun “unleashed vast bubbles of superheated electrified gas that shot through space at 1 million mph…and came crashing into Earth.”⁴

First Israel, Then the World

Warnings of vast disturbances on earth are found throughout the Bible. Isaiah 24 begins with the statement, “See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it.” This is followed by, “The earth will be completely laid waste…The earth dries up and withers…The earth is defiled by people…Therefore a curse consumes the earth.”

This sounds as though some catastrophic worldwide destruction is forecast, such as a nuclear holocaust that many are fearing today as Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un face each other, with North Korea’s newly acquired nuclear capability. But reading Isaiah 24 in the Hebrew gives a very different impression.

Isaiah 24 seems to predict some catastrophic worldwide destruction, but reading it in the Hebrew gives a different impression.

All the above references to ‘the Earth’ use the Hebrew word erets which throughout the Bible usually means ‘the land’, or more specifically ‘the land of Israel’. Suddenly in verse 21 (of Isaiah 24) the word changes from ‘erets’ to ‘adarmah’ which elsewhere in the Bible means ‘the whole world’.

So, suddenly, the text changes from the land of Israel being thoroughly shaken to the statement “In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the Earth below”, meaning that some great judgment will come upon the land of Israel, after which the great shaking is extended to bring judgment upon the whole world.

The Times of the Gentiles

If we now go forward to the New Testament, we find Jesus probably referring to Isaiah 24 when he says “For this is the time of punishment in fulfilment of all that has been written” (Luke 21:22). He follows that by referring to events that took place just 40 years later in the war with Rome (AD 66-70), which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the slaughter of some half a million people in Judea.⁵

Jesus then jumps forward to the times approaching his own Second Coming. He says “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).

The big question facing us today is whether or not “the times of the Gentiles” have been fulfilled. Although most of Jerusalem is back in Jewish hands, the Temple Mount is still occupied by Muslims which causes many biblical scholars to say that the prophetic words of Jesus have not yet been fulfilled.

The big question facing us today is whether or not the ‘times of the Gentiles’ have been fulfilled.

The Days of Noah

Jesus also referred to ‘the days of Noah’:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:37-39)

This warning about being prepared should at least make us stop and think about what is happening in our world today, and review our own relationship with God through our faith in the Lord Jesus. The Second Coming of our Lord may be much nearer than we think. An unbelieving generation takes no notice of the warning signs. Bible-believing Christians have no such excuse!

References

1 E.g. see news coverage here.

2 Click here to see maps of 2017 wildfires around the world.

3 Simons, P. Solar storm means aurora borealis could light up British skies. The Times, 9 September 2017.

4 Ibid.

5 It is always difficult to be sure of what Jesus meant in his statements to the disciples in Luke 21 and Matthew 24, because some of his words refer to events in the near future and others to the far future. He was clearly in conversation with them about the Temple which they had just left when he said that "not one stone will be left on another" (Matt 24:2). This was undoubtedly fulfilled in AD 70. But his prophecy that the Gospel will be preached in all the world (Matt 24:14) has obviously not yet been fulfilled, although with the present rapid worldwide growth of the Church, it may be fulfilled in the lifetime of the present generation of young people. It should also be remembered that biblical prophecies can refer to more than one event.

70 years on, the Dead Sea Scrolls still back up the Bible’s divine authorship.

The threats of the North Korean dictator are frightening indeed, and could well ignite a nuclear war, but they are part of a bigger picture of worldwide rebellion against the God of Creation.

On a more specific front, they’re a smokescreen for a potential Armageddon in the Middle East as Russian-backed Iran and its allies move dangerously close to Israel’s borders.

Only last week (7 September) Israel carried out a daring air strike against an Iranian-run weapons factory in the heart of Syria, severely damaging (if not destroying) the facility where chemical and biological munitions as well as medium-range missiles are being developed.¹ Syria has in turn warned about “dangerous repercussions”.²

The strike took place exactly 10 years after Israel – the only country in recent years that has stood up to North Korea until now – destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor being built with the help of the rogue regime.

British politicians, while appalled by the antics of Kim Jong-un, are nevertheless shaking their fists at God in their own way as, with their atheist agenda, they question the existence of a Divine order. Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden (see Gen 3:1), they pose the subtle question: “Did God really create man and woman to procreate?”

Last week Israel carried out a daring air strike against an Iranian-run weapons factory in Syria, 10 years after a similar strike on a nuclear reactor.

Proving Israel’s Claim to the Land

At the centre of the earth today stands a small Jewish state. And what the world interprets as an ideological battle over a piece of land the size of Wales is in effect an Arab-Muslim challenge to the God of Israel, revealed to us through his Son Jesus Christ.

Their claim that the land does not belong to the Jews despite thousands of years of historical, archeological and biblical evidence was decisively countered by the 1947 discovery – 70 years ago - on the shores of the Dead Sea of ancient scrolls proving Jewish connection to the territory well before the emergence of Islam. This was recognised as such by the United Nations that same year.

The findings in caves at Qumran included the entire original text of the Book of Isaiah, over 2,500 years old. This was found intact among hundreds of parchment scrolls hidden in the desert cliffs³ exactly as it is recorded in modern times – no Chinese whispers here, but God’s authentic hand.

There is no doubt that the unearthing of these scrolls – along with much more archeological evidence – fully vindicated Israel’s claim to the land, quite apart from other political and biblical factors.

Battle Over Who God Is

At the heart of all the sabre-rattling going on now is a battle – not really over whether there is a God, but over who he is. And the Judeo-Christian position that formed the basis of Western civilisation is that he is the God of Israel. When Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, threatened Jerusalem with destruction in ancient times (2 Kings 18 and 19), Judah’s King Hezekiah prayed to the ‘God of Israel’ and the result was a resounding defeat for their enemies. The emphasis of his prayer was that his Lord would demonstrate that he alone was God (2 Kings 19:14-19).

What the world interprets as an ideological battle over a piece of land the size of Wales is in effect an Arab-Muslim challenge to the God of Israel.

Similar threats are heard today from those opposed to Israel. The former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, has been denied the chance “to promote dialogue and a better understanding of the Palestinian narrative” in the UK Parliament thanks, it seems, to an 18,000-strong petition.⁴ But the barefaced nerve of a man who has called for the destruction of Britain to attempt to infiltrate its Parliament with his poisonous lies takes some beating.

This man represents the same ideological ethos as Islamic State. We are investing so much in the prevention of terror, yet are pathetically slow to recognise such threats to our democracy. ‘We all worship the same God,’ I hear so many naïve people say – even in church pews. But Sheikh Sabri says that when he enters the Al-Aqsa Mosque (on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount) he is “filled with rage toward the Jews”.⁵

Contrast this with Jesus’ command to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors (Matt 5:44). As the Sheikh makes clear, Islam is a death cult committed to the destruction of ‘infidels’. “The Muslim loves death and martyrdom,” he says.

Absurd Accusations

Part of the ‘Palestinian narrative’ is that Israel is guilty of human rights violations and of being an apartheid state. But the absurdity of these accusations is underlined by the emergence of a transgender Arab Christian from Nazareth as a new secret weapon against BDS, the boycott Israel campaign. Talleen Abu Hana, winner of the first Miss Trans Israel pageant, was guest of honour at the Israeli Embassy in Washington during LGBT Pride month.⁶

At the heart of all the sabre-rattling going on now is a battle – not really over whether there is a God, but over who he is.

Abu declared: “I’m happy to be Israeli because being Israeli means being truly free.” And when an American journalist questioned Israel’s record on human rights, she replied: “Are you crazy? In what other country in the Middle East can I live my life openly.”

Most Christians, including myself, do not agree with her lifestyle choice, but far more distasteful is the rank hypocrisy behind much liberal thought which sets politically correct agendas that are inevitably contradictory.

The Fig Tree and the Olive Tree

The olive tree symbolises Israel as a nation under God.In any case, Israel’s restoration – according to biblical prophecy – is not yet complete. A restoration to the land (i.e. a political re-birth) is what we are witnessing today; this will be followed by a restoration to their Lord and Messiah, which is in the process of happening but still in the early stages.

One line of theological thought sees the fig tree (Matt 24:32) as a symbol of political Israel while the olive tree is seen as representing a return to its original purpose as a nation under God.
The fig tree is certainly blossoming as Israel becomes a powerful nation once more, but many of its inhabitants are still in rebellion against the Almighty.

Christians are privileged to have been grafted into the natural olive tree of Israel (Rom 11:11-24). But the day is coming when all Israel will finally turn to their Messiah (Rom 11:26). All the hordes of hell are trying to stop that happening – hence the current battle – because it will usher in the Lord of Glory who will crush the enemies of Israel and rule over the earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years of peace.

Notes

1 Amir Tsarfati, Behold Israel update, YouTube, 7 September 2017.

2 IDF attacks Syrian chemical weapons base. United with Israel, 7 September 2017.

3 Drosnin, M, 1997. The Bible Code. Orion, p91.

4 BREAKING: Extremist former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem to visit UK Parliament. Christians United for Israel, 31 August. Also VICTORY! Islamic extremist sheikh DENIED entry to UK. Christians United for Israel, 5 September 2017.

5 Ibid, 31 August.

6 Israel Today, Aug/Sept 2017.

Who is God holding accountable in Britain – and why?

We at Prophecy Today are encouraging our readers to pray in a focussed way as we face an inevitable shaking of the nation. Looking around the world at one catastrophe after another, it is rather like the situation in Amos’s time.

At the beginning of the Book of Amos the prophet considered one nation surrounding Israel after another whom God was calling to repentance. Then he turned to Judah and Israel last of all: “Thus says the Lord: for three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not turn away its punishment…” (Amos 2:6). Proud Israel may have felt immune from God’s displeasure and quite ready to watch him judge other nations, but Israel of all nations should have known the ways of God. The time did come when it was no use praying for God to turn back his judgment.

So it will be for Britain, which once built herself upon the foundation of Scripture and chose to declare herself a Christian nation, faithful to God. We believe that God has said it is no use praying against the woe that will soon come to our nation, as part of the redemptive purposes of God.

Looking around the world at one catastrophe after another, it is rather like the situation in Amos’s time.

But who is being judged? Who has displeased God to bring this shaking upon us? My purpose in this article is to urge our readers to fine-tune their perspective, distinguishing the good from the bad in the nation, so that we might target our prayers effectively.

‘Church’ and ‘Nation’

For too long, many of us have over-generalised. We may want to pray for ‘the nation’. We may believe that ‘the Church’ must repent. There is some value in using these generalisations, but now perhaps the time has come for a sharper focus.

There is a diverse population in our nation and there are many branches of the Christian Church. There will always be areas for ‘Church’ and ‘nation’ to each address in collective repentance but if we are to understand God’s coming judgment fully, we should not bunch everything together as if all Christians (i.e. ‘the Church’) are apostate and all members of ‘the nation’ are being judged equally.

Achieving a Sharper Focus

As far as the Christian Church is concerned, surely God is pleased with many individual praying and serving Christians and many fellowships who seek holiness, true worship and outreach, desiring ‘holiness to the Lord’ constantly. They may still need to continue to listen to God and keep maturing, but they are willing.

God knows those who are seeking to walk close to him, so the general call for repentance in the Church must be brought into sharper focus, in consideration of those branches and denominations that are wilfully departing from God’s ways and deafening themselves to the prophetic voice.

We should not bunch everything together as if all Christians are apostate and all members of ‘the nation’ are being judged equally.

The same goes for the nation as a whole. There is still a residue of our historical biblical heritage within Britain’s culture and many people, though as yet unbelievers, have consciences and mindsets cultivated by our biblical heritage. Their good deeds will not save them but there are many people loving their neighbours, bringing up their families well, and genuinely seeking answers to life’s fundamental questions, whom God is not seeking to punish for their sins but to win to salvation.

God’s Care for the ‘Good Figs’

There are no simple divisions in either Church or nation, but it is my suggestion that we cease to lump everyone into broad categories. This is reminiscent of the good figs and the bad figs of Jeremiah 24. When the Babylonian captivity came, God kept a special eye on those whom he considered to be ‘good figs’.

These ‘good figs’ still felt the effects of the captivity and all of them needed to consider their ways and their relationship with God, but God did not raise up the Babylonians to be the agents of judgment on Judah because of their wrongdoing.

More recently, take for example the catastrophe of Grenfell Tower. The way the local churches mobilised to care for the needy and the way the local community rose up to provide food and shelter was wonderful to see. Yet, it was negligence from those responsible for care and protection that had left the building vulnerable to be consumed by fire in the first place. It was those who did not properly secure the building who were responsible, not those who lived in the building.

Many such areas of poor leadership are evident behind the scenes in our national life, leading to God’s protection being removed for a season in our land, so that what has been sown will be reaped. But there are remnants of good in both Church and wider society that are not the prime cause of this judgment from on high.

When the Babylonian captivity came, God kept a special eye on those whom he considered to be ‘good figs’.

Shepherds Held Responsible

In the days of Israel and Judah, God’s main accusations were always against the shepherds (e.g. Jer 10:21), rather than the flock - for it is the leaders who determine the direction of a nation. Surely this is the same in Britain.

Every leader of our nation who serves in Government, constitutionally, is intended to serve in the light of biblical truth. This is on account of the Queen’s Coronation Oath. Where they have strayed as leaders (shepherds) they have led vulnerable subjects of the Queen (sheep) into wrong pasture. This applies especially to law changes that are against the ways of God, but also to changes in our national priorities, which have been increasingly for financial security over faithfulness to God.

The same goes for the shepherds of the churches, whether leaders of denominations or of individual fellowships. It is the responsibility of these shepherds to follow the Chief Shepherd and lead believers into good pastures.

Time to Seek God’s Heart

If there is woe on the horizon for Britain we need to fine-tune more clearly whom we believe God holds accountable and for what reason. It is time for us to seek the heart of God, which surely is full of sadness, and to avoid over-generalising, so that our prayers may come into clearer and more meaningful focus.

Meanwhile, there should be no sense of guilt descending on those who are willing to rise up, pray and serve when the nation as a whole is shaken, providing we carefully consider the precise reasons for Britain’s decline before God and come before him in confession and renewed willingness to serve the needy as the time draws near.