This summer, whilst the media has shouted loudly about all the secular music festivals that have become so popular in Britain, tens of thousands of Christians have also been gathering at annual camps like New Wine, Newday and CreationFest.

Last week we took a party of young people from our church to Soul Survivor in Peterborough, where they enjoyed a week of worship, teaching, fellowship and fun. Gathering with roughly 9,000 others to worship the Lord (and this was just one week, of four) is always a huge encouragement to our youth group, who often struggle with feeling isolated in their faith at school or college.

Desperation for Rescue

I am aware that events like Soul Survivor are not perfect, but setting such debates aside for a moment, I was struck this year particularly by a palpable sense of desperation amongst young people for rescue by the Lord Jesus.

From the very first meeting – and this didn’t let up through the week – it seemed that the Lord was wasting no time in urging teens to draw near to Him, whether simply in asking for prayer or in surrendering their whole lives into His care for the very first time. Teenage shyness seemed absent from the room as hundreds jumped at the chance to come forward and express their need, receive prayer and pray for each other.

Three of our number gave their lives to the Lord which prompted much celebration in our camp – and I imagine even more in Heaven! One was so overcome that she spent most of the week crying with joy and grinning from ear to ear, her face seeming to glow with the beautiful presence of the Holy Spirit.

Across the four Soul Survivor festivals this summer, 1,350 young people committed their lives to Jesus. That’s encouraging news if ever I heard some! Do pray for these vulnerable youngsters as they head back to ‘real life’ (often to very challenging circumstances), that the Lord will complete this work and bring them to a full knowledge of their rescue and safety in the Messiah Jesus, strengthening them to stand firm and overcome in every trial that lies ahead.

The Harvest is Plentiful

We live in devastating times and it’s easy to become downcast and overwhelmed. Jesus Himself said that “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:12-13). It is important to keep reminding each other that the point of God shaking the nations – the reason He is allowing disasters and traumas to affect so many - is to turn a great many hearts to Him before the end.

The point, in other words, is the harvest that is ripening (or, if Soul Survivor is anything to go by, is already ready), even now. God’s immense work of salvation is alive and well today in Britain - “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Matt 9:37). Will you answer the call to the fields?

Author: Frances Rabbitts

Some thoughts about Hurricane Harvey.

The fierce storm with hurricane-force, 120 mph winds that hit the State of Texas in the USA last week has been headline news in the UK as well as in America.

The unprecedented quantity of rain that has been dumped on and around the city of Houston has caused enormous damage and left thousands homeless, triggering a major rescue operation. Amazingly the loss of life has been very small but the damage to property has been colossal.

We would like to express our condolences to all those who have suffered. Texas is known for its Christian population – so what is God saying to his people, especially those in the ‘Bible Belt’ of the USA? Many of the volunteers taking part in rescue operations expressed thanks to God for their own survival as they rescued others, which was a good witness on British TV.

We know that only those who are resident in Texas and who both know their Bibles and are aware of the moral and spiritual condition of their communities are able to know what God is saying through this natural disaster. But as a Brit who has family ties to the US and a genuine love for the country, I would like to offer some thoughts in this editorial.

The 1987 Hurricane

Back in 1987, on 16 October, a mini hurricane hit the south-east coast of England with winds gusting well over 100 mph causing enormous damage to buildings and ripping up some 15 million trees, smashing cars and power lines, blocking roads and rail travel from the south coast to London. It affected the richest area of the UK and for the first time in history the stock exchange in London was unable to open as its workers could not reach the capital.

The storm struck at 4am when hardly anyone was out of doors, so there was a minimum loss of life. But the damage to property was immense, affecting many of the richest houses in Britain, with trees crushing Rolls-Royces and Ferraris. If the storm had struck a few hours later in rush hour, the death toll would have been enormous. Amazingly also, the storm only affected the south-east area of England – 50 miles north of London there was hardly a breath of wind!

Texas is known for its Christian population – so what is God saying to his people through Hurricane Harvey?

We wrote about this at the time in the magazine Prophecy Today, asking if there was any word from the Lord. 48 hours after the hurricane, world stock markets began tumbling and London experienced the worst crash of all with millions of pounds wiped off share values. ‘Hurricane Friday’ was followed by ‘Black Monday’ in the City as winds of panic swept through the world’s financial markets and judgment on the rich nations began.

Hurricane damage, 1987. See Photo Credits.We saw this as the final warning about greed and corruption in the financial affairs of the nations. There had been many other warnings but this one was so specific, confined to property and in the richest area in the UK – its message should have been obvious even to those who never read the Bible.

History shows, however, that the warnings were ignored which eventually led to the great economic upheavals in 2008 when many great financial houses collapsed – and from which the economy has still not recovered.

The Rich in Laodicea

Today the oil-rich state in the richest nation in the world has been hit by a far greater hurricane and storm than the one that hit Britain 30 years ago. Also this week, floods have done enormous damage in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. Is this just coincidence, or is God saying something significant about the financial affairs of the world?

Here is another ‘coincidence’ – in the year AD 17, exactly 2,000 years ago, an enormous earthquake hit Asia Minor (now part of Turkey) destroying the great city of Laodicea, the richest city in the region. It was part of the Roman Empire at that time and Rome offered financial help in rebuilding, but the city elders refused saying that their own resources were perfectly adequate! They were adamant that they had sufficient wealth to meet their own needs and had no need of any help!

We saw the 1987 hurricane in England as the final warning about greed and corruption in the financial affairs of the nation.

40 years later the Apostle Paul, on the road between Antioch and Ephesus, stopped at Laodicea, newly rebuilt with amazing buildings. The people were rich, proud and self-sufficient. Paul planted a church there leaving a man called Epaphras in charge, who also oversaw the nearby congregations in Hierapolis and Colossae.

The three cities were joined by a huge stone aqueduct carrying water from the hot springs of Hierapolis at the top of the mountain to Colossae in the valley.¹ The water would have been lukewarm when it reached Laodicea and when writing his letter to the church in Laodicea the Apostle John charged the Christians with being lukewarm in their faith (Rev 3:16).

The message at that time was, “You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev 3:17). This must have been a devastating message for the Christians in Laodicea who were all living nice comfortable lives very similar to those of their non-Christian neighbours. The message to them was a call for repentance and to recognise the extent to which they had imbibed the values of their rich neighbours, ignoring the plight of the poor down in the valley at Colossae.

Take Note!

I wonder if this is saying anything to our Christian friends in Texas? It is for them to take it before the Lord in their prayer times and it is not for us to judge. But in Britain we know that there is still huge corruption and unrighteousness in the financial affairs of our nation where top businessmen, officials and celebrities are paid vast sums of money while the poor struggle to make ends meet.

This same injustice can be seen on a vast scale on the world scene where two thirds of the world’s population go to bed hungry every night. The rich nations with their control of global monopolies, patents and copyrights wield power over other economies, ensuring that wealth stays concentrated in the hands of the rich and the poor are kept in their place.

In Britain we know that there is still huge corruption and unrighteousness in the financial affairs of our nation.

The God of Creation who holds the nations in his hands as a drop in a bucket (Isa 40:15) scoffs at the nations, according to Psalm 2:4, when they do not realise their feeble situation and attempt to throw off all restraint in their greed and avarice. But to ignore the laws of the God of the Bible who hates injustice and oppression (Jer 7:3-11) is foolhardy and dangerous: it leads to disaster which comes suddenly without further notice when all the warning signs have been ignored.

Christians throughout the rich nations of the West should be taking note of the warning signs of the great storms that hit Texas and the financial centre of India this week. When God gives warning signs they should never be ignored. The message Isaiah received was, “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly in an instant” (Isa 30:12-13).

May the rich nations of the world take note!

References

1 See: Hill, C and Hill, M, 2005. Ephesus to Laodicea. Handsel Press, Edinburgh, p94f.

A question came up in a television quiz the other day that caught my attention. Apparently, there has been a recent survey of what people consider to be the best decade in Britain. At last, I thought, we will hear a sensible opinion from this sample of the British public and I will be encouraged that all is not lost.

Then the answer came: the 1960s were voted as best. What?! That decade where all those subtle changes of law began to take place, taking the nation on the slippery slope down? That decade where so-called ‘freedom’ among young people began to be expressed, freedom that has turned into licence and permissiveness?

I was hoping to hear that it was the 1950s - that decade of re-building after the war years when a generation of children grew up in a framework of safety and hope! That was surely the decade of unending sunny blue skies. But of course, we who experienced this are an older generation now and so the sample of people who gave their opinion in the survey would mostly not have shared this experience.

Yearning for the Best of the Past

We all have favourite memories and a point in time on which those memories pivot. I read a book recently in which the author reflected on the years prior to the Great War, generally focussed on what became the Edwardian era. The book was entitled When the lights went out. The author described how he ‘felt’ the change just as war was about to break out in 1914 and an era was left behind that has never returned. Of course, I don’t have an experience of that, so my nostalgia is rooted in the ‘50s!

No doubt we all reminisce on these matters sometimes, yearning for the best of the past. But in these momentous days in which we now live, we must be careful not to set our standards of expectation too low.

I am told that to the Jew the word ‘restoration’ means a return to how Israel had a special relationship with God through the wilderness years at the time of Moses. That seems a better benchmark to me, the desire for which echoes from the heart of the prophets:

Restore us, O God; cause your face to shine, and we shall be saved! (Psalm 80:3)

O Lord, revive your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)

The Best is Yet to Come!

But let us look higher still than the 50s, 60s, 1910s or even the wilderness years of Israel. Let us look back to the dawn of time and forward to the return of Jesus, no less. What was lost to Adam and Eve in their brief blissful life with God will be restored fully to Jesus’ family in the coming days, and it will certainly be infinitely better than any experience on this earth that any of us have had. That is what we are waiting for and that should be our meditation:

…that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of the restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:20-21)

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. (Luke 21:28)

Author: Clifford Denton

Charles Gardner and Maureen Trowbridge review ‘Beyond the Final Curtain: What Happens When We Die’ by Richard Roe (Zaccmedia, 2014).

As a journalist of more than 40 years, I am well used to deadlines. But I take my hat off to fellow writer Richard Roe for daring to tackle the ultimate deadline. In his excellent book, Beyond the Final Curtain (Zaccmedia), he addresses an issue most of us try all our lives to avoid – what happens when we die.

It may well be a taboo subject not suited to livening up a party, but it’s not as morbid as it sounds, and the book is both well-written and hugely insightful.

Man’s Greatest Enemy Defeated

Basically, Roe’s thesis is that the resurrection of Jesus has dealt with man’s greatest enemy, if only we will have the sense – and humility – to believe and act upon it. As Richard puts it, “Jesus is God’s solution to the problem of death; He has conquered death.”

But at the same time the author pulls no punches, asserting that Jesus is the only way to heaven and the only means of avoiding hell.

The resurrection of Jesus has dealt with man’s greatest enemy – if only we will have the sense to believe and act upon it!

His reasoning is intelligent, sound and practical, but essentially biblical, concluding that the word of God – the source of all wisdom and knowledge, and authenticated by Jesus himself – holds the key to the hereafter. And the Bible says that all of us are serving a ‘life sentence’ of being ‘enslaved’ by our fear of death (Heb 2:15).

Jesus the Ultimate Sacrifice

When faced with a deadline to complete a task, our minds become focused and we won’t rest until it is finished. Yet with a deadline we will certainly all face sooner or later, we pretend it will never happen and thus refuse to face the inevitable questions of life and death.

Endorsed by famous preacher RT Kendall, the book is a stirring challenge to that mindset. But it’s also a clear and beautiful presentation of the Gospel that tells us Jesus has paid the price for our sins, which would otherwise condemn us to everlasting torment.

And for those familiar with the Jewish Tanach (what Christians call the Old Testament), the author ably demonstrates how so many well-known Bible passages point to the role of their future Messiah, so perfectly fulfilled in Yeshua (Jesus). For example, the Passover lamb of Exodus, whose blood protected the Israelites and set them free from slavery in Egypt, foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb, who freed us from slavery to sin.

The word of God – the source of all wisdom and knowledge, and authenticated by Jesus himself – holds the key to the hereafter.

In the same way the bronze serpent Moses raised on a pole for those suffering snake-bite foreshadowed the ‘healing’ of our sin and sickness by Jesus, for “by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5).

Signs of the Messiah

Another such sign cited by the author (and Jesus himself – see Luke 11:29-32) is the Prophet Jonah, who was in the belly of a whale for three days before being spewed up on a beach. As with Jonah, Jesus died and was buried before being raised to life after three days.

And in his gospel, the Apostle John records Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine, which the author asserts as proof enough that he is the God of Creation, the Lord of the Universe to whom Jews pray every Sabbath.

This miracle also indicates that, when you put your trust in Jesus, life will taste sweeter. And if you read the account in John chapter 2 (verses 1-12), you will see how the Messiah saves the best wine till last!

Just taste and see that the Lord is good! (Ps 34:8)

Charles Gardner

Further comment from Maureen Trowbridge:

Richard Roe writes much about the assurance of eternal life after death for those who believe, quoting the words of Jesus. The book goes through the Old and New Testaments commenting on the lives and beliefs of the characters with much research and depth.

This is a helpful book for any who are uncertain about their future. The end of the book includes a prayer for any who do not yet know Jesus, which is adapted from RT Kendall’s tract ‘Can you know for certain that you will go to Heaven when you Die?’ (Westminster Chapel, 1986).

Beyond the Final Curtain (140 pages) is available from Amazon for £7.99 + P&P. Also available on Kindle.

What he said resulted in the reformation of a nation.

One can easily be excused for not having heard of Azariah before. He appears once in the Old Testament for a few brief moments, during which he delivers a short message, before disappearing. However, what he said resulted in the reformation of a nation.

His few words were power-packed, not because of natural ability or personal charisma, but because ‘the Spirit of God came upon him’. He could have borrowed the words of one of the greatest of all the prophets, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach...” (Isa 61:1).

A Banishing Change

Azariah came at a critical time in Judah’s history. The days described as the ‘golden age of Israel’ were but a memory. Solomon had been succeeded by his son, Rehoboam. The nation became divided during his reign and, after ruling for seventeen years, his epitaph was, “He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord” (2 Chron 12:14). He was succeeded by his son Abijah, who followed in his father's footsteps, and in his short three-year reign, “committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 15:3).

There then came a refreshing change, when his son Asa took the throne. Asa was to be king of Judah For 41 years. He did what “was right in the eyes of the Lord” (1 Kings 15:11). He started to rid the nation of its idolatry, expelled those guilty of sexual perversion, and deposed the queen mother because of her blatant idolatry.

Azariah’s few words were power-packed, not because of natural ability or personal charisma, but because ‘the Spirit of God came upon him’.

While he was in the process of purging the nation, the task still unfinished, he was met by the prophet Azariah. Azariah brought a message from God of encouragement, commendation and comfort, but also of warning. He said:

Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.

In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. (2 Chronicles 15:2-7)

That’s it, end of message. It was first addressed to Asa personally, and then to the nation. First to the leader, then to the people. Here is God's recipe for blessing any leader, and any nation. It is completely up to date. It could be delivered to any national leader, and any nation; to the Prime Minister of this land, or the President of the United States; to every king or queen, every dictator, and also to you and me personally.

Let us consider the word and apply it.

Listen

When God speaks it is important to look for two things: first what God says he will do, and second what God tells us to do. The first thing he wants is to get our attention. With a multitude of voices we need to hear and recognise his voice, and to obey. What is the message? Put God first. If God is first, then God is with you. If you forsake God, he will forsake you. And if God is not with us we're in trouble.

When God speaks, look for two things: first what God says he will do, and second what God tells us to do.

This is the truth that Jesus taught: “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33, emphasis added). It is the truth that Asa’s great-grandfather taught, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov 14:34).

The failure to put God first is the cause of every personal or national failure. What a wonderful promise the prophet gave to the king and nation, ’If you seek him, he will be found by you,’ Again, this truth is confirmed by Jesus: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matt 7:7-8, emphasis added). The choice is presented: “if you seek him”…”if you forsake him”…”the Lord is with you when you are with him”.

Learn

The prophet encouraged Asa to learn from the history of his own nation. When Israel forsook God, and his word was not being taught, and God's standard set before the people, there was nothing but trouble. It wasn’t safe to travel. There was turmoil, chaos and confusion. There was international conflict and inter-city strife, and “every kind of distress”. Who was causing all these disasters? Who was responsible? It was God!! The prophet stated it clearly, “God was troubling them” (2 Chron 15:6).

They were learning by experience that when a people forsake God, he forsakes them. However, the good news is that when ungodliness is acknowledged and confessed and repented of, and the people seek the Lord, God in his great mercy, grace and compassion is found by them, and he delivers them from all their fears.

What lessons can we learn from our own history? When God was acknowledged in this land, it prospered. In World War Two, when we faced defeat and distress, and the nation was called to prayer to seek God, God heard and delivered us.

Today we are in great need yet how often do we hear national leaders declaring our need of God? How often do we hear God acknowledged at all? Without God we are doomed. Thank God for all his faithful people, for his church who acknowledge him day by day, who intercede, who pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”! People who look to the future with hope knowing, as Isaac Watts did, that:

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run,
His Kingdom stretch from shore to shore
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Today we are in great need yet how often do we hear national leaders declaring our need of God?

Look

Having looked to the past, Asa is encouraged to look to the present and to the future. Irrespective of the mistakes others have made, the personal word comes ‘as for you’. There must be for Asa, and for you and me, the personal application of God’s word to us.

At the end of his life, Joshua resolved: “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15). “As for you…be strong” and remember what Moses sang: “The Lord is my strength and song, he has become my salvation” (Ex 15:2). Be strong…don't give up…keep going. Asa had started a good work, but there was still much to do.

Look to the future, “your work will be rewarded”. In spite of opposition, discouragement and obstacles: when you are with God, God is with you. When you seek him he will be found by you. Be of good courage, there is only one direction, forward.

Liberation

Asa heard the prophet and obeyed the message. He took courage, returned to the unfinished task with all his heart, destroyed the idols, repaired the altar of the Lord, assembled the people together, and unitedly entered into a covenant with God to seek him (2 Chron 15).

The result was great joy among the people, and rest to the land. News of God's blessing spread and large numbers of people came to join them. The verdict on Asa's life was that, “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life” (2 Chron 15:17).

Listen…the Lord is with you, when you are with him…be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

Originally published in Prophecy Today, 1999, Vol 15(2).

Why the Princess should have avoided a deadly encounter with a spirit medium.

Amidst all the hype and nostalgia over the 20^th anniversary of the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, I feel a duty to point something out that political correctness has deemed the great unmentionable (though not quite an elephant in the room, because few among our biblically illiterate mainstream media are aware of its seriousness).

I well remember the concern I felt in the summer of 1997 when it was reported that Diana and her lover, Dodi Al Fayed, were visiting a spiritist medium in Derbyshire. They arrived by helicopter and there was much press coverage, as was always the case when the so-called ‘Queen of Hearts’ was involved.¹

The Paris car crash in which the couple were killed just over a fortnight after this deadly encounter in Derbyshire should have served as a warning to the millions of others dabbling in the dark world of the occult. I will explain what I mean by ‘deadly encounter’ in due course.

The Paris car crash should have served as a warning to millions dabbling in the dark world of the occult.

Meanwhile Dodi’s father Mohamed concocted a bizarre conspiracy theory around the tragedy – claiming that it was an assassination engineered by Buckingham Palace and MI6 in order to deal with the supposed unsuitability of a possible Muslim match with royalty. Others blamed the chasing paparazzi for causing the crash as an apparently drunk ‘chauffeur’ drove at nearly 100mph to get away from them.

Spurning Advice

In looking back, most of our media paint a glossy picture of Diana as a tragic victim of so much misunderstanding – and indeed she was; a beautiful woman rejected by her husband, her insecurity driving her to search for love in the wrong places. Yes, very much the story of our age, hence the great outpouring of grief as millions, including myself, could identify with her (in fact, the evidence of my family tree even suggests an ancestral connection with the Spencers).

While it is right and proper to extend compassion to Diana’s sons William and Harry over their grievous loss of an evidently wonderful mother, it was refreshing to get a somewhat different perspective from Daily Mail columnist Dominic Lawson, who revealed that the Princess had spurned his advice about keeping away from the Fayeds.²

In Dominic’s own words, Mohamed Fayed was “nothing but trouble”, citing for example “the almost toxically controversial nature of the Egyptian (then owner of Harrods) and the fact that having been condemned eight years earlier in a 752-page Department of Trade report as a serial liar and fantasist, he was not a suitable holiday host either for her or her sons.”

More serious still was her spurning of warnings given in God’s Word, the Bible, described as “the most valuable thing this world affords” at our Queen’s coronation. Warnings against consulting mediums are repeated throughout the book on which our democracy – and indeed monarchy – has been built, such as: “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God” (Lev 19:31). See also Leviticus 20:27, where death is the result, and Deuteronomy 18:11, where it is described as “detestable”. And in 1 Chronicles 10:13, we see that it was in part the cause of King Saul’s death!

Warnings against consulting mediums are repeated throughout the Bible.

Sexual Promiscuity and the Occult

The New Testament contains a most illuminating passage on the subject, which involved a female fortune-teller who earned a great deal of money for her owners. She followed the disciples, shouting: “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days until St Paul got so annoyed that he commanded the spirit to come out of her “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:16-18). It did, and that was the end of her owners’ business.

The interesting thing is that she actually told the truth. But the devil also knows who Jesus is. The problem was that she was not serving God, but the devil. She was enslaved by the evil one and her freedom brought trouble – and jail – for Paul and his companion Silas, because a money-making racket based on a forbidden activity had been stopped. The authorities sided with the owners of the occult practice, just as often happens today. Could this be why apparently little effort is being made to prevent so-called kinky sex festivals taking place on the doorsteps of protesting neighbours in Kent? One such festival, in woodland near Tunbridge Wells, was billed as a chance for hedonists to “fulfill fantasies on a mystical site where witches’ covens have met for centuries”.³

Sexual promiscuity and the occult go together. Occult in all its forms – and that includes horoscopes – can be bracketed under the general heading of witchcraft. It is demonic, deceptive and disastrous.

The Whole Truth

According to the Derby Telegraph, Diana’s visit to psychic Rita Rogers in Lower Pilsley was not a one-off, as she kept in regular touch. Rita apparently warned Dodi to avoid France for fear of an accident in a tunnel and had earlier predicted Diana meeting a man with the initial D on water (they met on his yacht).

So there could well have been elements of truth that drew Diana and her lover into a deadly trap. This is where dabbling into the occult leads, and why unsuspecting Britons need to be warned to avoid it, and instead pursue the beautiful truth personified in Jesus, who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life; no-one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Fortune-telling enslaves you, because it ties you to the course dictated by whatever ‘revelation’ has supposedly been given rather than freeing you to make your own decisions and trust God to lead you in his “paths of righteousness” (Ps 23:3).

Fortune-telling enslaves you, tying you to the course dictated by whatever ‘revelation’ has supposedly been given.

Of course I can’t say for certain whether Diana ever read the passages I have quoted or was aware of them. But the Bible is God’s word to us. It is not just a history book. It contains a vast breadth of advice and wisdom on how to live our lives. Ignorance on the day when we will all have to give account of our lives will be no excuse (2 Cor 5:10).

The fulfillment of many ancient prophecies, particularly those concerning the coming of Messiah Jesus as well as the more recent extraordinary re-gathering of Jews to their promised land from every corner of the globe, is surely proof enough that the Bible can be trusted absolutely.

Prophecy vs Fortune-Telling

Prophecy – the forth-telling of God’s will, ways and purposes – is one thing. Consulting mediums is quite another, an activity strictly forbidden by the Lord. It’s about seeking secret knowledge in order to feel in control by delving into a future that God has chosen not to reveal. He wants us to live by faith – that is, by trusting him for our daily needs. “Without faith it is impossible to please God…” (Heb 11:6). It is not for us to know precisely what lies ahead (see Deut 29:29).

Prophecy – the forth-telling of God’s will, ways and purposes – is quite different to consulting mediums in order to gain secret knowledge, an activity strictly forbidden by the Lord.

Dabbling with darkness will invite all kinds of trouble to our lives. God wants us to live in the light, and he has shown us the perfect way by sending Jesus, His Son, “the light of the world” (John 8:12).

One of the most famous passages of Scripture is preceded just a few verses earlier by this question: “When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God?” (Isa 8:19). The former leads only to distress, darkness and fearful gloom… (v22)

Nevertheless…”The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:1-6).

Notes

1 Quinn, S. Anniversary of Princess Diana's visit to Derbyshire psychic Rita Rogers. Derby Telegraph, 14 August 2017.

2 The Daily Mail, 28 August 2017 – Princess Diana was godmother to Domenica, the Down’s Syndrome daughter of Dominic Lawson and his wife Rosa Monckton.

3 The Independent, 14 August 2017.

The significance of Israel’s restoration in the light of world events.

While spending time in north London looking after my mum this summer, I was once again inspired by a verdant overhanging fig tree almost blocking my path as I walked (and ran) around Hampstead Heath. Laden with ripening fruit, it was another reminder of one of the most significant events of our time, largely missed by most people – including Christians.

In speaking to his disciples about Israel’s restoration and of his own return to reign on earth, Jesus said one of the signs of his imminent return was “when the fig tree blossoms…” (Matthew 24:32f) The fig tree is a biblical symbol of Israel.¹

Expectations of Revival

For the past 40 years there have been expectations of revival in Britain. There is certainly a need for one! My understanding is that, along with much trouble and strife, there will be revival in the last days. Joel prophesied that the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28). That was partly fulfilled at Pentecost, but its final fulfilment is yet to come, although Asia, Africa, the Far East and South America have already witnessed great outpourings of heavenly rain in recent decades.

But who in the church is preparing for the great revival prophesied for Israel? God has not forgotten them, nor has he replaced them with the Church as some preachers suggest. He has made an everlasting covenant with Israel – with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants.

God’s Faithfulness

Covenants are not meant to be broken; a disciple of Christ who expects God to go back on his word has completely misunderstood his character! If Israel is cut off from God because of unfaithfulness, what chance has the Church with all her backsliding over the centuries – especially in terms of persecution of the Jewish people? No, God will never reject his chosen ones. “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 31:37).

The New Covenant received by Jeremiah is not addressed to the Church, but only to Israel!

The New Covenant received by Jeremiah is not addressed to the Church, but only to Israel! “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). Earlier in the same chapter, he declares his “everlasting love” for his chosen people whom he vows to restore – to their land, which would once more become fruitful he says: “I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow” (v13).

Look at Israel

Christians need to take a closer look at Israel and God’s dealings with his chosen people which enables us to understand what he is doing in the world today. The very existence of the State of Israel is a testimony to the faithfulness of God in keeping his promises. The New Testament tells us that the day will come when all Israel will accept Jesus as Lord and Messiah. Paul writes, “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so, all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25-26).

Many people in Israel today are secular humanists rather than followers of the faith of their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Some 200,000 recently marched through the streets of Tel Aviv in support of Gay Pride. But the fig tree is blossoming: a nation has been rebuilt from a barren wasteland and is now supplying the world with fruit. It is a global leader in technology, using their agricultural genius to help African and other countries, and even using their medical expertise to heal their ‘enemies’ as they tend to the wounds of Syrian soldiers wounded in the civil war that rages on their northern border.

Messianic Jews

The real clue to the future lies in the growing number of Messianic Jews – those who have recognised Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) as their Messiah. Despite the high price paid by Jewish believers in Jesus (being cut off from their families in many cases), they keep ‘coming home’, like the Prodigal Son – not only in Israel but throughout the world.

Yet the fig tree is still only a bud, not yet in full blossom; soon to be laden with fruit, like the one in Hampstead’s Spring Path (pictured).

The Church really does need to ‘watch’ Israel, especially the growth of Messianic Judaism, for it is key to the unfolding events leading up to the second coming of Christ. It is also key to understanding the loving-kindness, forbearance and longsuffering of our God, who watches over his word to see it fulfilled (Jeremiah 1:12).

Yet the fig tree is still only a bud, not yet in full blossom; soon to be laden with fruit.

Dreams and Visions

Sadly, many Christians can’t see what Israel has to do with them; they seem to forget that we worship the God of Israel. Many Jews and Arabs are having dreams and visions of Jesus as he reveals himself to the children of Abraham, as Joseph revealed himself to his brothers in Egypt. This surely underscores the truth that Jesus holds the answer to world peace.

Even on the war front, there are lessons to be learnt. The ongoing tension on the Temple Mount, for instance, needs to be understood as a spiritual battle, representing on a grand scale what Christians are taught to expect in their individual lives.

Ignorance of Israel will leave your faith weakened while knowledge of Israel, even in its present largely unrepentant state, will edify your soul as you realise afresh that you can trust in the One and only Saviour of the world, who is a covenant keeping God who never breaks his promises.

The Budding Fig-tree

Some date the budding of the fig tree from the year 1967, fifty years ago, when Israel recaptured the Old City of Jerusalem for the first time in 2,000 years, thereby ending (in the understanding of some) the ‘trampling down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles’ spoken of by our Lord (Luke 21:24).

The One and only Saviour of the world is a covenant keeping God who never breaks his promises.

It’s an interesting point that 1967 is generally also regarded as the year the Messianic Movement began in earnest, coinciding with the start of the Charismatic Movement that brought a restoration of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the old historic churches.

The feast of Pentecost (known to Jews as Shavuot) is still seen in Israel as a celebration of the Law received by Moses, which of course is now ‘written on our hearts’ through the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with Ezekiel 36:26f. It seems that there is a ‘golden’ thread holding together this Trinitarian truth.

So, in this golden year of celebrations, make sure that ‘Jerusalem the Golden’ lightens up your understanding of the Scriptures and of God’s wonderful – though sometimes mysterious – ways.

References 

¹ Dr Clifford Denton goes a step farther and interprets the budding of the fig tree as a restoration in Israel of the authority to interpret Torah. See, for example 

A Famous Clock and a Total Eclipse

After more than 150 years of continuous chiming on the hour, Big Ben has temporarily ceased to gong. The four-year moratorium on the famous bell is so that repairs can be made without bursting the eardrums of the workers. And judging by the TV footage, there are serious cracks in the structure of the clock tower. And yet MPs, including Prime Minister Theresa May, have protested at what they consider to be this unnecessary deference to health and safety regulations.

Clock-Tower Corruption

It appears that they are not wishing to face up to the severe corruption of the clock-tower which needs major repairs. Maybe God is speaking to us through this episode – it’s more than a facelift that is needed. There has been talk for some time about MPs having to move out of the Commons while repairs are made to the crumbling foundations adjacent to the iconic clock. But that conversation has also gone rather quiet.

All of this is a clear picture of the state of the nation and the corruption in our national moral and spiritual life , thanks in large part to the diabolical laws passed in these hallowed buildings.
What a shocking betrayal of our esteemed forefathers who, inspired by their Christian faith, campaigned for laws – including the abolition of slavery and child labour – that set an example of moral righteousness to the rest of the world.

Parliament’s Foundations

It is well to remind ourselves that our Parliament is quite literally founded on the word of God – its floor is inscribed in Latin with the words of Psalm 127, verse 1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.” The Moses Room, which is the largest assembly room in the House of Lords has huge wall murals of Moses receiving the 10 Commandments which is a reminder to all MPs of the centrality of the word of God in our Parliamentary history.

This is a clear picture of the state of the nation and the corruption in our national moral and spiritual life.

But in the past 50 years Parliament has agreed to one law after another that directly contradicts biblical truth. Our MPs have deliberately rejected our Christian heritage with everything we have stood for as a nation for hundreds of years.

Abortion Act

Among the most heinous of these was the Abortion Act, which has seen the legalised murder of nine million unborn children. And yet, in our topsy-turvy politically-correct world, we have heard little about the horrors of this subject 50 years on while at the same time being bombarded with ‘celebrations’ of the decriminalisation of homosexuality – another law passed in 1967!

Life is cheap while evil is flagged up as good, and good as evil: turning upside down God’s law. (Isaiah 5:20). Our Parliament that was once the envy of the world and the ‘Mother of Parliaments’ is now in a state of weakness and confusion, symbolised by the decaying state of the historic buildings.

Our Parliament was once the envy of the world and the ‘Mother of Parliaments’.

Unless our leaders – political and spiritual – face up to the moral decadence of the nation to which they have contributed and instigate major repairs by reaffirming our biblical heritage in the same way as they are carrying out major repairs to the buildings the whole of our social order is in danger of collapse in the same way as the buildings are in danger.

Western Civilisation Cracking

God’s judgment is at the door, but we are not alone. The whole of Western civilisation is showing cracks similar to those in our Parliament buildings. The political turmoil in the USA grows steadily more serious with Trump’s White House administration at loggerheads even with his own Republican majority in Congress. The recent outbreak of racial problems in Charlottesville with clashes between far right and far left groups reviving the old problems that have assailed America ever since their Civil War, is greatly troubling.

Total Eclipse

The eclipse of the sun which enthralled many Americans should also be seen as a sign of the times. The darkness that came over America is also a warning that, like Britain, America also has been deliberately rejecting its great Christian heritage. The great faith of the pilgrims who founded America on the word of God has been steadily rejected for the past 40 years. The eclipse symbolises the darkness that is increasingly enveloping America .¹

The total eclipse over America is both a warning and a message of hope to our world.

Evangelist Billy Graham is reputed to have said that if God doesn’t judge America, he will have to apologise to Sodom and Gomorrah. Speaking of events that would indicate his near return, Jesus said: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars…nations will be in anguish…People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” (Luke 21:25f)

Joel’s Prophecy

Luke also alludes to these signs from heaven happening in the ‘last days’ in reporting Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost during which the Apostle quotes the prophet Joel, thus: “I will show wonders in the heavens above, and signs on the earth below…the sun will be turned to darkness…before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” (Acts 2:19f)

But the verse immediately following gives us great cause for hope, for it says: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”Solar Eclipse

An Awesome Sign

Yes, the eclipse is a wondrous and awesome sign – but also a fearful one, in the light of God’s word which shall never fail (Isaiah 40:8). For the God of creation is also the God who cannot look on evil; that is why he turned his face away when his Son bore our sins on the Cross, causing our Lord to declare in his agony: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” quoting Psalm 22:1.

Our sins were judged on the Cross; they were condemned in fact. But if we trust in Christ for our salvation, we escape God’s judgment, for there is no condemnation for those who are “in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

The total eclipse over America is both a warning and a message of hope to our world in these days. The Apostle John records: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil…. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (John 3:19-21).

A stable society can only be built on Jesus, who said: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

References 

¹ According to Space.com, this was the first total solar eclipse whose path of totality remained completely within the United States since the nation’s founding in 1776.