It's important that believers have an answer when we are asked why we don't celebrate Halloween.

For many, this coming Monday night marks Halloween. According to The Week, "it's time once again for Americans to dig out their costumes and candy corn – and for Brits to turn off the lights, draw the curtains and pretend they're not at home."¹

In actual fact, every year in Britain this 'festival' seems to grow in scale and potency, thanks in part to US commercial and cultural influences (though the blame rests entirely with us), and perhaps also thanks to the spiritual vacuum of secular humanism that is leaving millions starved of spiritual truth and searching for an experience of something beyond themselves.

Halloween 2016 

According to The Telegraph, "Halloween has become one of the most important party dates in the nation's social calendar".² This year Strictly Come Dancing will be leading the charge, with a Halloween special over the weekend, whilst Pokemon Go will be trying to entice millions more to play the game with a Halloween themed 'event' running through until early November.

As workplaces, schools and social groups plan their costumes, stock up on sweets and prepare to take to the streets, many Christians are shuddering and turning away, hoping somehow to avoid it all. Sadly, some believers are more light-hearted about Halloween, taking it all 'in good fun'.

For all of us, it is worth stopping awhile to consider the roots of the festival, for Halloween comes from somewhere – and it leads somewhere. Apart from anything else, knowing about these roots helps those of us who hate Halloween to have an answer when we are asked why we are not joining in the 'fun'. 

Every year in Britain, Halloween celebrations seem to grow in scale and potency.

Roots and Fruits: from Samhain to Halloween

Modern Halloween celebrations have evolved from the ancient Celtic pagan festival of Samhain, which marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, half-way between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.

Samhain was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the spiritual world was thin and easily crossed by spirits (pagan gods, spirits of nature) and souls of the dead. Otherworldly sprites were thought to need appeasing in order for people's livestock to survive the winter, so plates of food and drink would be left out for them - and places would be set at the table for dead loved ones, to welcome their spirits back home.

Neo-pagans and Wiccans still celebrate Samhain today, but from the 9^th Century its populist celebration began to be Christianised, as the established Catholic Church celebration of Allhallowtide (a triage of All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day³ and All Souls' Day, when martyrs and departed loved ones were celebrated, commemorated and prayed for) was re-set to the same date – the turn of October to November. Pagan practices were blended with Catholic belief about the souls of the dead, and over the centuries these practices have evolved into today's distinctive cultural traditions that few now understand or question.

Origins of Modern-Day Practices

But how have we got from this pagan history to today's traditions of pumpkin-carving, apple-bobbing, costumes and trick-or-treating? And how do we explain to our children and grand-children (and interested friends) that these things are potentially dangerous?

Again, it's important to learn of their roots. Pumpkins, though carved across the world as lanterns for thousands of years, were also carved as part of the Samhain festival, to represent otherworldly spirits or to ward them off. Their connection to an Irish folk tale about a man who played games with the devil and ended up in purgatory meant that these 'Jack O'Lanterns' were easily adopted as part of Catholic celebrations of All Hallows' Eve, being used to represent souls in purgatory.

Modern Halloween stems back to the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain.

Apple-bobbing is a straightforwardly druidic tradition, stemming from the Celtic pagan connection of apples to the spirit world (apparently this is partly because the seeds and core of a sliced apple form a pentagram shape – which indicates particularly clearly the root of these ancient traditions in satanism). Apples were often used on Samhain in divination games and rituals.

Trick-or-Treating

Trick-or-treating on Halloween also originates in Samhain, when food, drink and crop offerings were left outside to appease pagan spirits. Over the centuries people began dressing up as these spirits, either to protect themselves or to receive offerings on their behalf. From the Middle Ages onwards this involved going from house to house and receiving food and drink, often in exchange for singing or reciting poetry – with children threatening mischief if they were not welcomed.

These traditions blended easily with the Catholic practice on All Hallows' Eve of children and the poor going door-to-door collecting 'soul cakes' (sweet biscuits marked with a cross) – either to represent the dead or in exchange for praying for the dead, with each cake representing a soul freed from purgatory. Those going door-to-door would often dress up as saints, angels or demons.

Halloween for Christians

Halloween taps into people's God-given desire for eternity and something beyond themselves, but its symbolic celebration of darkness and death represents the utter inverse of scriptural values – arguably, it represents everything the God of Light abhors.

For many believers, the spiritual and symbolic roots of its practices are more than enough reason to avoid all involvement with Halloween. After all, will we not all stand before God and have to give an answer for every single one of our actions – including those that were 'just for fun'? But whether or not they are 'harmless' in and of themselves, the billing of Halloween practices as such is thoroughly misleading, putting an innocuous and 'enjoyable' face on spiritual realities of evil, darkness, fear and the pagan supernatural – celebrating them rather than offering people a way to be saved from them.

Halloween taps into people's God-given desire for something beyond themselves, but it represents everything the God of Light abhors.

Halloween's heavy commercialisation and sanitisation today should not deceive us. Every form of occult – indeed every form of rebellion, right back to the first sin in the Garden of Eden – starts with an invitation to something seemingly harmless (the serpent to Eve) and is followed by peer pressure to join in (Eve to Adam). So with Halloween. The more we trivialise it, the more likely young people are to get drawn in unwittingly into occult practices.

"For You Were Once Darkness, But Now You Are Light in the Lord" (Ephesians 5:8)

As Christians, we should be wanting to move towards the Light, not away from it – and we should not be wanting to indulge in any activity that might constitute pagan (demon) worship, or lend credence to beliefs about evil, death and the supernatural that are unbiblical.

The easy response for Christians on Halloween is to go into hiding – to stay in for the night or meet up with other like-minded friends. But that would be letting a tremendous opportunity slip through our fingers. The darker the night, the brighter the Light can shine – if we don't hide it under a bowl, but put it on a stand for all to see. We have a real opportunity here to let the light of the Good News shine in the midst of ever-growing darkness.

Halloween is what it is today because the Church compromised, allowing its own celebrations (whatever you think of the theology behind them) to be blended with pagan ritual. There has never been a better time for the Church to accept the call to be distinctive – to stand apart from the crowd, eschew compromise and stand firm, holding out the Word of Life. The Light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the True and Only alternative to the darkness of sin and death – and offers complete freedom from the clutches of darkness.

Halloween is what it is today because the Church compromised.

Ideas for Action

So, here are a few ideas for your weekend/Monday evening:

• Host a 'Halloween alternative' event in your church – it's not too late to organise one! Many churches around the country will be holding 'light parties' or other family-friendly fun nights to offer people an alternative – ideally one in which the Gospel can be shared. E.g. see what churches in Norfolk are doing by clicking here. Meanwhile, Barnabas in Churches have some activity session ideas for children.
• Brave the streets to share the Gospel during Halloween – take a group with you or contact churches in your area to see if any they are sending any evangelism teams are going out.
• Pray: If you can't host or attend an alternative event, consider having a special prayer meeting to intercede for those in your area drawn into Halloween celebrations. The term 'Jack O'Lantern' literally means 'man with a lantern' – or 'night watchman'. Are we not the true Jack O'Lanterns of our day – those who keep watch during the night, faithfully waiting for the return of our Messiah?
• Stay in – and greet trick-or-treaters with the Gospel! The Bible Society have produced a handy booklet entitled 'Might there be more to Halloween?' and CPO have produced some useful tracts designed for young people.

References

1 Halloween 2016: Why do we trick or treat? The Week, 26 October 2016.

2 Morris, H. The best Halloween parties in the UK this year. The Telegraph, 18 October 2016.

3 Or All Hallows' Day - 'Hallow' deriving from the Old English halig, meaning saint.

4 In its infancy All Hallows' Eve was set aside as a vigil for this celebration – when Christians across Europe would remember the example set by martyrs and pray that they might be like them. All Souls' Day (now 2^nd November), when the 'faithful departed' (particularly loved ones) would be commemorated and prayer for, tied down an already popular European Christian practice (though its origins are rather more Roman than biblical) to 2^nd November, as of the 11^th Century.

Jewish backpackers find a welcome in Christian homes.

A unique travel programme aimed at providing cheap accommodation for young Israeli backpackers is quite literally becoming an international hit!

Host Israeli Travellers (HIT) offers the hand of love and welcome to the many youngsters touring the world after their demanding stints in the Israeli Defence Forces. It is seen as an opportunity for Christians to express their indebtedness to Israel for the Bible, salvation and, above all, their Saviour – the Jewish Messiah Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus).

Beginnings in New Zealand

The scheme began in New Zealand, which has become a favourite destination for young Israelis travelling abroad following their IDF service. This has now been made more attractive by the HIT programme, offering inexpensive rooms in a friendly home environment and used by more than 15,000 young travellers over the past 15 years. Having expanded to Australia, over 1,000 homes in the two countries are now participating in the project, which has also been introduced to Fiji and Hong Kong.

Founder Omri Jaakobovich, who came to faith in Yeshua while backpacking in New Zealand, has just completed a speaking tour of Britain and Ireland to help launch the project on this side of the world.

HIT offers the hand of love and welcome to the many Israeli youngsters touring the world after demanding stints in the IDF.

Accommodation and RelationshipOmri Jaakobovich, HIT Founder

HIT membership cards are available for a nominal fee and most hosts make only a small charge of up to £5 a night to cover overheads, though many still prefer to offer rooms free, explains Susette, who organised Omri's tour: "The young travellers were ecstatic at the money they were able to save and the hosts were equally happy to have them."

The minimum requirement from hosts is the provision of bed, bathroom and cooking facilities, with the young people usually preparing their own meals.

One of the most significant developments over the years has been the ever-increasing openness of these young people to spiritual matters. Their questions, with special interest in knowing why they should be made so welcome, often begin over the very first meal together...Learning their host's personal belief that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah leads to endless discussion – examining the completeness with which Yeshua's life fulfilled prophecy, for example, and discovering that the New Covenant was made with them and not the Gentiles.

Every believer taking part has testimonies of God's personal intervention, direction and provision in their life and it is these evidences of personal relationship and assurance of salvation that speak the loudest.

Fantastic Opportunity for the Church

Omri is encouraging the Church to take up its calling to provoke the Jews to jealousy by sharing the Gospel with them (Rom 11:11-14). "How can they believe if they have not heard?" he asks, quoting Romans 10:14. "And how can they hear if we do not tell them?"

Hosting these travellers often opens up opportunities for sharing the Gospel.

Susette, a teacher who has been involved with the ministry since its inception in 2001, says HIT's launch in Britain last week is a fulfilment of a word God spoke to her during a visit here two years ago when she attended the CMJ (Church's Ministry among the Jewish people) UK Conference and the London CWI (Christian Witness to Israel) Summer School on Jewish Evangelism. She also served as a missionary to Indonesia for 15 years, ten with Asian Outreach and five with Derek Prince Ministries.

To learn more, or to sign up, visit www.hitinternational.net.

Fred Wright turns to the Prophet Zephaniah and his message against those who 'leap over the threshold'.

Zephaniah, the ninth of the minor prophets, focuses upon the Day of the Lord. In spirit, Zephaniah was akin to Isaiah (Isa 2:11, 17, 20) and Amos (5:18, 8:9), prophesying judgment upon Judea first and then the nations, climaxing with a hope for the future restoration of Judea. His warning to those who 'leap ever the threshold' has a particular relevance today.

Background: A Godly Influence on Josiah

Zephaniah may be assumed to have been of the royal house (Zeph 1:1) and probably included an Ethiopian in his ancestors ('Cushi' is a generic term for Ethiopian rather than a proper name). In the rabbinic writings he is on occasion referred to as an Ethiopian. Zephaniah was prophesying during the reign of Josiah and it may be assumed that, along with Hilkiah the high priest, he had a profound influence of godliness in the life of the young king.

After the death of Hezekiah, religion in Judea had rapidly deteriorated. The reign of Hezekiah's son Manassah was marked by the re-establishment of pagan worship abolished by his father. Zephaniah's name (literally YHWH has hidden) may indicate that he was born during the turbulent reign of Manasseh, who is credited with committing atrocities against the faithful including the sawing asunder of the Prophet Isaiah.¹

Zephaniah's presentation of the Day of the Lord illustrates the beginning of the genre that would develop into the apocalyptic writings of the inter-testament period.

Zephaniah probably had Ethiopian ancestry and was a Godly influence in the royal court.

Zephaniah's Cry

The key passage speaking to the modern Church is found in the address to the offenders in Zephaniah 3:1-7, where they are described as rebellious and defiled. They obey no-one and will receive no correction (Zeph 3:2); the officials are 'evening wolves' who leave nothing for the morning, the prophets are arrogant, and the priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.

We may observe the following comparisons today, in the hope that the prophet's cry may be heard, lest the Church be considered among the rebellious and defiled upon the Day of the Lord. The rebellious and the defiled are they who have leapt over the threshold (Zeph 1:9a) or gladly served their own idols of self-interest - attempting to conform the faith to their own perceptions (leaping over the threshold refers to the practice of mounting the steps of a platform upon which an idol was enthroned).

Leaping Over the Threshold 1: Rebellion in the Church

The first manifestation of leaping over the threshold is the rebellious lack of proper submission and authority within the Church. Whereas there is a wonderful unity that may be found in diversity, and whilst often practice has more to do with taste than theology, there is a responsibility within the body to be in submission to each other. By submission we may offer the following definition: preferring one another in honour (Rom 12:10) and seeking fraternal dialogue with mutual reference that will lead to biblical consensus concerning the theology of the Church. If Church leaderships are to exercise their function of protecting the flock, there must of necessity be a consensus of opinion, based upon the scriptures as to what the minimum standards are that may be taken to represent the faith.

The Anglican Church's recent acceptance of its first openly gay bishop is a prime example of the rebellious (people) and defiled (sanctuary and law). It is no longer just the gay and lesbian Christian movement that will not accept the biblical teaching upon this important matter – it is the entire established Church. Needless to say that, once a compromise is reached upon any one particular issue, there inevitably commences a downward spiral into a form of pragmatism that ultimately leads to an unbiblical, post-Christian religion.

In the modern era of mass communication, deviant ideas and theologies may be promulgated at an amazing speed. There has been a sad lack of responsibility to protect the flock; leaders have 'leapt over the threshold' and followed fashionable, often unbiblical practices.

Zephaniah's strong words against those who 'leapt over the threshold' – those who worship idols – are highly relevant to today's Church.

Whereas there was a damaging trend toward theological intellectualism from the period of the Enlightenment, the reverse trend which started within parts of the Charismatic movement, has led to a departure from study and a move away from the scriptures. Consequently, the elevation of the experiential, along with the creation of private canons, pave the way to heresy and apostasy.

Unbiblical Worship and Preaching

The practice of elevating worship in music to the extent that on occasion it is the sole content of a weekly meeting can have adverse effects, particularly if the content of the music does not major on the Lord but upon the individual; the worship itself can become an idol.

Worship in music and dance are beautiful expressions of one's devotion to the Lord and as such should be highly valued - not brought down to the level of light entertainment. Let us not confuse worship with other forms of Christian music, which have inestimable value in the edification of the believer. Whereas both meet each other at various points, worship focuses upon the Lord only.

The practice of unbiblical preaching, and by this is meant the littering of unbiblical teaching with a few texts (although some now no longer even find this necessary), creates a situation where there can be little possibility of effecting any meaningful operation of Church discipline - as there is little or no common ground. Church discipline should be understood as the practice of approaching one in error in a loving manner to enable them to be restored to a right position with God. Discipline is not a punitive, or vengeful action, it is the act of discipling.

There is a rebellious lack of proper submission to authority in the modern Church.

If the body is united, the exercise should be easily transferrable and capable of being effective in most situations. Church discipline by its nature as well as having a beginning, needs an end. The circumstances surrounding the event(s) that lead to the instance, may by their nature be incapable of being processed in one church, or the subject better served in another church location.

The rebellious stance of some Christian leaders and the elevation of personal opinion over the scriptures has caused a raft of difficulties, not in the least that the process becomes non-transferable. Those who have found themselves in a situation that has needed correction often prefer to remain in their error and simply shop around for a fellowship where either there is no communication with other parts of the body or their particular error is either tolerated or tacitly approved.

Leaping Over the Threshold 2: Alien Practices

Secondly 'threshold leaping' has allowed alien practices to insinuate their way into both the practice and the theology of some parts of the Church. We are called to look to the Rock from which we were hewn (Isa 51:1); a clear call to build our faith upon that which has been entrusted once and for all to the saints (Jude v3). This faith was that which we refer to as the Old Testament, along with the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, which at the time Jude was writing were not contained in a single volume.

Since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948 there has been an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. A generation of both Jewish and Christian scholars have worked tirelessly to formulate a renewed understanding of the message of Jesus and attempt to find what that message meant the first hearers of that message.

Unbiblical preaching prevents the meaningful operation of Church discipline - as believers begin to drift apart.

There is nothing wrong with cultural distinctives in Christian worship - but these cultural distinctives must not replace or compromise the biblical basis of the faith. We have as a role model the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. James the Just, when faced with a presentation of Paul's work, simply required that the Gentiles observed the Noachide laws which were seen as being incumbent upon all mankind as they preceded the laws given to Moses: namely to abstain from the worship of idols, to maintain sexual morality and not to commit murder (or more correctly, not to shed blood unrighteously).

Many leaders have become like the 'evening wolves' promoting their personal canons; they are in danger of leaving the followers with absolutely nothing left to live by that has its foundation in the scriptures. Prophecy in similar manner must conform to biblical standards and not simply be a spiritualised 'quick fix' where one leader or other dispenses wisdom. The believer is called to study the scriptures and seek the Lord - not visit an oracle!

Leaping Over the Threshold 3: No Fear of the Lord

The third problem caused by 'threshold leaping' is that there is little or no fear of the Lord (Prov 1:7, 2:5 and many others). Absence of the fear of the Lord leads to a state of deception and, often, an inappropriate attitude of over-familiarity with God, expressed in both lifestyle and worship. In consequence the Day of the Lord is seen a naive and rosy way. Amos declares clearly that the day of the Lord is a day of darkness and not of light (Amos 5:18).

Zephaniah's graphic descriptions of the Lord sweeping away everything from the face of the earth and the cutting off of mankind should fill the reader with a healthy fear of this particular event (see also Joel 2:30-32 and many passages in the Book of Revelation).

The Lord says he will search out with lamps and punish those who are complacent. Judgment of course starts with the household of faith (1 Pet 4:17) and with the elders at the threshold (Ezek 9:6). The Lord, because of his impartiality, judges all of mankind - believer and unbeliever (Heb 9:27).

Today there is little or no fear of the Lord, which breeds deception.

Leaping Over the Threshold 4: Works and Faith

The final judgment will be founded upon two issues: works and faith in Messiah (Rev 20:13-15). The disturbing element in the picture of judgment is that it will be in accord with light. Those who did not receive the light of the Law of Moses will be judged outside the Law of Moses (Rom 2:12); their judgment will be on general revelation as instanced by Paul (Rom 1:20) and that which is written in the heart (Rom 2:15).

Believers who have little regard for the biblical precepts and have leapt over the threshold to worship extra-biblically are in the position of those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth. For them there will be wrath and anger (Rom 2:8).

In the tradition of Israel's great prophets, Zephaniah's pronouncement of judgment carries with it the remedy (Zeph 3:9). Using the figure of Jerusalem, which in biblical terms (often in addition to a primary application) stands as a figure of God's dealings in salvation, the prophet declares that the Lord will purify the lips of those that call out his name (in repentance). The reconciliation between the Lord and his people brings the prophecies to their close, with a great festal gathering where the Lord and his people rejoice together.

In conclusion, the Church will not attain the dynamic needed to be an effective tool in the Lord's hand until there is a unity of the Psalm 133 type. The early Church was empowered by their being of 'one accord' (Acts 1:14, 2:1, 2:43, 5:12). This accord may only be brought about by a return to biblical faith and mutual accountabilities.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 13 No 2, March/April 1997.

Notes

1 Martyrdom of Isaiah 5, cf. Heb 11:37. See here.

Rachel Tingle reviews 'The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope for Society' by Dr Joe Boot (Wilberforce Publications, 2016)

Since the 1960s Britain has seen a remarkable change in its culture and laws (as have many other countries in the West). Where once abortion and homosexual practice were outlawed, divorce was difficult, and sex outside marriage was frowned upon, we now kill the unborn child when convenient, create human embryos at will, and sex or marriage with whom and whenever is simply a matter of lifestyle choice. It is those Christians who protest that any of this is 'wrong' who may find themselves outside the law.

How did this extraordinary shift come about? Where is it likely to lead? And is there any hope for an alternative, more Godly, future? These are amongst the questions that British apologist, evangelist and theologian, Dr Joe Boot, sets out to discuss.

New Puritanism?

It has to be admitted at the outset that this book will not appeal to everyone. In the first place, at more than 600 pages, it is a long and complex work that requires a real commitment of time and intellectual energy.

Second, some readers (like myself) will disagree with its theological underpinnings, which are explicitly Calvinistic, including the view that Jesus' return will not be until after the establishment of his Kingdom on earth ('post-millennialism'). Indeed, this is Boot's cause for hope and his definition of the 'mission of God' - the establishment of "the kingdom and reign of God in the earth by his Spirit, through law and gospel" (p26).

This, he says, was the vision and motivating force of the Puritans of the English Commonwealth under Cromwell. For this reason, Joe Boot calls himself a 'new Puritan' and draws on the history of that period, as well as that of the similarly-motivated early settlers in America and Canada (where he now lives). He also draws on the extensive work of the 20^th Century American theologian, the late Rousas Rushdoony, who insisted that biblical law should be taken far more seriously than it is today, and that it has abiding validity in every sphere of life — the individual, family, church and wider society (referred to as 'theonomy').

Britain has seen a remarkable change in its culture and laws, but how did this extraordinary shift come about – where does it lead – and is there any hope for the future?

The Western Abandonment of God's Law

The first part of this book discusses God's law in detail, and attempts to explain why, in recent years, we have moved away from it. Boot gives a number of reasons, the primary one of which is the failure of the Church to integrate faith into every aspect of life and thought. He accuses the Church of 'dualism', separating life into the sacred and secular, personal and public - one part for ourselves and the other for God. Confused believers, he says, have sought retreat and escape from the world, rather than seeking to redeem it.

He blames this partly (and in my opinion, unfairly) on pre-millennialism: pessimistic believers expect no transformation of society before the Second Coming and so take no action to change it. Secondly, he blames it on 'spiritual amnesia'. In a fascinating discussion, drawing on the work of legal experts in Britain and America, Boot argues that the church has forgotten the degree to which the legal systems of the West were rooted in biblical law, the influence growing stronger after the Protestant Reformation. Legal principles were drawn not just from the Ten Commandments, but also the body of case law to be found in the Old Testament.

Thirdly, Boot argues, the Church has become 'antinomian' — by concentrating on grace it has overlooked the importance of biblical law. Boot argues that the work of salvation through Jesus' death on the cross did not replace the relevance for our lives of Old Testament case law, only the ceremonial law connected with Temple worship. We might sum up this relevant law as God's eternal moral law, referred to by Boot as God's 'justice'.

Boot draws on the work of American theologian Rousas Rushdoony, who insisted that biblical law has abiding validity in every sphere of life.

Even those evangelicals who do make an appeal to God's justice, he says, misunderstand it and tend to concentrate on the unbiblical concept of 'social' or 'distributive' justice - essentially a redistribution of goods by a coercive state to create equality. So some of them misuse the concept of the 'Kingdom of God' to argue for an essentially Marxist vision of society.

He argues, instead, that to the Puritans God's justice meant "receiving what one was due under God, not absolute equality where everyone gets the same as everyone else". Although he recognises the demands in the Old Testament to show love and care to one's needy neighbour, he argues these needs would be minimised if everyone were living a Godly life, and that, in any case, such needs should be met through the tithe, not coercive taxation and an over-extended welfare state.

Building a Theocracy?

Many will criticise these views on the grounds that they would involve establishing a theocracy, which might impose biblical law upon an unbelieving society. Boot insists that is a misunderstanding: that the adoption of biblical law must only be in response to a society which wants it, and that can only come about once there has been prior successful evangelisation.

In any case, Boot argues, the application of God's law must start first in the life of the individual, then the family (the building block of society), and only later in wider society.

Part 2 of this book looks at the implications of this in the life of the Church, the family and for education. He argues that the institutional Church should not be inward-looking but, rather, should be a "servant institution that equips, empowers and sends out every Christian in term of God's glorious kingdom purposes". Education in the whole of God's word, he says, is crucial and for that reason (again like Rushdoony who has been very influential in America in this respect) he is a strong proponent of Christian schools and home schooling.

Boot accuses the Church of 'dualism', separating life into the sacred and secular, personal and public - one part for ourselves and the other for God.

Is it Realistic?

All of this, of course, runs so counter to our prevailing culture that it will seem outrageous to many, including some Christians. Nevertheless, I learnt much from this book that made me think, and think hard, about the continued need to fight for God's moral law in all of society. Even though I doubt we will establish the Kingdom, we should continue to work as if we can.

You can buy 'The Mission of God' (682 pages, £36.99 HB; £15.99 PB) by clicking this link.

Why didn't God intervene in Aberfan? Greg Stevenson offers some thoughts on the classic question of why suffering is allowed.

Many people suffer disasters from external events that come unbidden into their lives, from illness or injuries (whether caused by ourselves or by others), to overwhelming events such as volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis, or extremes of weather like flooding. The natural question that is always asked is: Why? - as if we know that there must be a reason!

The Bible tells us clearly that God is in complete control of his world and its events. There is no god beside him (Isa 45:14, 21). Indeed, he intervenes in many situations to save, to heal, to deliver. So it's a good question to ask when disasters happen - where is God? Why does he allow it?

God Calls and Forewarns

The Bible tells us that God is righteous in all his works and holy in all his ways (Ps 145:17). So this means that everything God does and allows is for righteous reasons. What were the righteous reasons for which he allowed the terrifying tragedy in Aberfan 50 years ago?

When we look at God's dealings with his people Israel, we find that he gave them teaching and instruction (Torah) by which to live, so that the nations roundabout could see a righteous lifestyle that resulted in prosperity and security. When his people failed to live up to this standard, he disciplined them in all sorts of ways (1 Chron 21:13) to bring them back to him, and maintain this witness.

Many of these efforts to discipline were Sovereignly-ordained events (storms, pestilence, earthquakes, enemy attacks, etc), but several were the product of the people's own sin, including their blindness or deafness to his teaching/commandments.

Yet we see that God gave his Name (his character) to his people so that they might know him (Ex 34:6 – the most quoted verse in the Tanakh): "The LORD, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished". This speaks of the love and justice of God. So in each case of their turning away from him through sin (and consequently stepping outside of his blessing and protection), he gave them warnings about the consequences of their actions – Choose whom you will serve!

God is righteous and holy in all his ways, so this means that everything he does and allows is for righteous reasons.

The warnings were given so that they knew ahead of time the results of their choice. But when the warnings were ignored, God was patient with them. Again and again he called to them – "I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen. I called you but you did not answer. Day after day, again and again, I sent you my servants the prophets" (Jer 7:13, 25 – Heb. 'rising up early in the morning, and speaking'). He also sent examples of his sovereign power to bless or curse (Amos 4).

Aberfan: Warnings Ahead of Time

According to a recent BBC documentary,¹ the tragic events in Aberfan on 21 October 1966 that killed 116 children and 28 adults were preceded by many warnings:

1. 1939. A few miles from Aberfan, 180,000 tons of a coal waste tip in a privately-owned mine slipped. New guidelines about tipping over a water source were given, but not passed on.
2. 1944. Another tip near Aberfan moved.
3. January 1955. Flooding in the valley below the mountain of tip No 7 above Aberfan. The children presented a petition to their headmistress about the slurry moving, which was passed on, but ignored.
4. 1963. A slurry movement that didn't quite reach the village. Tipping on the site of No 7 tip was continued. No map or guidance was given to the engineers responsible for No 7 tip.
5. July 1963. A letter from Merthyr Tydfil council was sent to the National Coal Board (NCB) concerning the danger from coal waste being tipped above the Pantglas school. Despite assurances that tipping would cease, it was not stopped.
6. January 1964. Again concern was expressed by the council about the slurry - "If the tip moved, the entire school could be threatened"
7. January 1965. A petition was raised by mothers at the Pantglas school, and passed to the council by the headmistress. But there was no NCB action resulted.
8. 26 March 1965. A further slip at a nearby tip nearly went down the mine shaft. Warnings were given but ignored. The memo was sent to the civil and mechanical engineers but poor working relationships resulted in the memo not being followed up. A long list of concerns was sent to a senior NCB official about the tip safety but was not forwarded to the NCB.

Finally, the main reasons given by the NCB for not moving the No 7 tip after the disaster were the cost and the time it would take. In the Tribunal, senior NCB management denied any knowledge of the potential for slips from coal waste tips, but eventually changed their stance and admitted that the disaster was preventable. Of the £1.75 million that was raised for the disaster fund, £150,000 was taken from the fund for removal of the tip, and the NCB agreed to pay £500 for each child who died was offered as compensation (the value of a child's life?).

This list is not given to apportion blame, but to emphasise that God gives many warnings of the consequences of man's selfish and sinful ways. George Bernard Shaw said appositely: "The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. For that is the essence of inhumanity". Much is sacrificed to financial profit, and safeguarded by keeping a distance from the site of responsibility.

Whenever people turn away from God, stepping outside of his blessing and protection, he gives them warnings about the consequences of their sin.

Natural Disaster - or Natural Consequence?

Some of what we call 'natural' disasters are clearly the result of the shaking of the earth (and eventually the heavens also) that God has warned us of in Hebrews 12, and Scripture tells us that these tragedies are part of the birth-pangs that will bring in the end of this age. The whole creation has been 'groaning' as in the pains of childbirth, on account of man's sin.

But many disasters are the result of man's selfishness, or of rebellion against God's laws, and these are especially severe among nations that God has blessed and called to serve him, but which then turn away from him in disobedience.

God is sovereign, but he warns us about the consequences of the choices we make. Paul's letter to the Romans is very clear about this. Those who reject his way, he will give over to their 'shameful lusts' and to the consequences of those choices. But his love is always expressed by warnings first, proclaimed by those who see right action, so that mercy and justice can be evident. This was perfectly demonstrated in the life of Jesus, and ultimately at the Cross.

In order to avoid a potential tragedy from self-seeking in many forms, or from indifference to our fellow-man, we (individuals, families, businesses, governments and nations) simply have to set the choices that we make against the goodness and righteousness of God. In this, Jesus is our model.

We can't always know why God allows disasters (why he brings prosperity and creates disaster – Isaiah 45:7) but we do know that he desires to dwell with us, and that we live in his blessing and under his protection.

We cannot know the whole answer, but God has done all that is necessary to deal with our sin, our self, and our indifference, at the Cross. As we expend time, energy and resources for those who are caught up in the tragedies and disasters that are part of this fallen world, we can remember that what God does is always for righteous reasons, even when it takes the form of allowing loss, pain and death. For he has been there himself also.

References

1 Aberfan: The Fight for Justice. BBC, first broadcast on 18 October 2016. Available on iPlayer.

Why pilgrimage to the Holy Land is of such paramount importance.

I was thinking about the Feast of Tabernacles when I booked my train ticket to London and was rather tickled by the Virgin Trains slogan 'Be bound for glory', obviously based on the traditional gospel hit This Train. If it means Virgin boss Richard Branson is spreading the good news, who's complaining?

Why Visit Jerusalem?

I was making a pilgrimage to see my mother, but I was also mindful of Sukkot, one of three festivals for which the ancient Israelites were required to visit Jerusalem (Lev 23) and which, in the millennial reign of Messiah, every nation will be required to make (Zech 14:16). I was particularly thinking about pilgrimage at the time because of reports of a downturn in Israel tour bookings from the UK due to the pound's drop in value against the dollar.

Many Christians I have known over the years have taken the view: "God can meet me here, where I am. Why should I go over there where God is apparently pouring out his Spirit in a special way?" Yet there is a great emphasis in the Bible on places that are made special by God's extraordinary presence. Jerusalem is obviously the best earthly example. Even atheist TV documentary maker Simon Reeve, on arriving in the city, said it took his breath away.1 It did that for this journalist too and I can well understand the exiled psalmist's feelings as he considered Jerusalem his "highest joy" (Ps 137:6).

By the way, UNESCO's denial of Jewish ties to what another psalm referred to as "the joy of the whole earth" (Ps 48:2) would be laughable were it not so tragic. But my 'train of thought' is getting off track...

Even the Wise Men of the nativity story travelled some 1,000 miles to worship the Christ-child. The pioneers of the modern-day Pentecostal movement travelled halfway round the world back in 1906 to catch something of what God was doing at Azusa Street, Los Angeles. And I regularly took a 210-mile round trip for evening services in Sunderland when fresh stirrings of the Holy Spirit broke out there in 1994.

Seeking to Meet with God

There is no doubt that tours of the Holy Land bring the Bible to life and, though of course I understand that economic, security and other considerations will adversely affect bookings, there is clearly a need for a sharper focus on the important nature of such pilgrimage, which should be seen as a further expression of our Christian journey, of reaching deeper into God's wells of salvation and unearthing the treasures of His precious land.

In celebrating God's bountiful harvest and, in building temporary shelters, we are reminded how He provided for his people in the desert. We are also reminded of how we are only temporary sojourners here on earth and that our real destiny is "the city that is to come" (Heb 13:14). And we remember how Yeshua came to 'tabernacle' with us (John 1:14).

As with all discipleship, there is sacrifice – in terms of cost and effort – in pilgrimage. And we should surely take heed of Solomon's wisdom, that "whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap" (Ecc 11:4). In other words, don't wait until all the conditions are in perfect alignment. If pilgrimage is a passport to meet with God in a deeper way, it will surely be well worth it. Be bound for glory!

References

1 Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve, Episode 3. First broadcast on 16 May 2016, BBC2.

Clifford Denton, whose wife Christine's family come from Aberfan, comments on the tragedy from a personal perspective.

On Friday 21 October 1966 I was travelling home from Cornwall on weekend leave from the RAF to visit my parents in South Wales, when the news on my car radio was dominated by the report of the Aberfan disaster. There are many disasters to face in the world but this was one that shocked our entire nation.

On the long car drive I resolved to go up to Aberfan, just an hour away from my parents' home, and join in the relief effort. This was especially poignant because my fiance's aunt had until quite recently been the headmistress of Pantglas Junior School, which suffered most in the catastrophe.

By the time my fiance and I arrived in Aberfan to join the hundreds of others who threw a spade into their car boot in order to do what we could, it was pitch black at night - to add to the black of the dark slurry that had engulfed this mining village. The darkness was only punctuated by the lights here and there where earth-moving machinery was operating. We did our best with our spades, in the slippery slurry on that wet night, but it was literally only scratching the surface in an emotional gesture. It was the professionals who completed the task over the next few days but it was all too late to save any lives, and the death toll mounted.

We went to Auntie Flor's house in Merthyr to wash the coal from our weary bodies, staying the night to bring some consolation to her as she remembered teaching staff with whom she had taught over many years and recalled many of the children who had died. Through the night, as we lay on our beds trying to rest, the clock she had received as a retirement present from the school chimed each hour.

We did our best with our spades, but it was literally only scratching the surface in an emotional gesture.

Looking Back

Since that day we have visited Aberfan a number of times. It is where my wife's family grave is situated, not far from where all those children from the disaster are buried.

Auntie Flor spent the last days of her life living with us in Banbury and I talked to her very much about life in Aberfan when she was a child in the early 1900s. Her family lived in a typical miner's cottage. She spoke of the Welsh Revival and of how every Sunday in those days every single person, except the sick and bedridden, went to Chapel – a river of people filling the streets on their way to Sunday Service.

Her father had been a deacon in Merthyr Vale Baptist Church and worked as a supervisor on the pithead of the local mine – the very mine that decades later would build up tip number 7, the fateful tip that was unsafe due to accumulation of water.

"When did all that end?" I asked her once, referring back to the picture of all those mining families moving as one to Chapel on Sunday. "Oh, it all changed after the Great War", was her answer. All communities of Britain suffered shock in that terrible war, and outward expressions of faith faded. How often this happens - doubts creep in about the Living God when trials hit us severely. So it is that the Aberfan disaster was and still is, 50 years on, a challenge to faith.

Why Does God Allow Such Things?

The question, "Why suffering?" is asked in every generation, especially when a disaster strikes of the immensity of that which came to Aberfan, when a generation of children was all but wiped out in one horrendous blow. Where was God on that day? Why did he allow it to happen?

We can all give opinions on the answer to these questions, but they challenge most deeply when we ourselves or our family, or indeed our entire community, is the subject of devastation. Did we do something wrong? The question is even harder to answer when a large percentage of the 116 children who lost their lives attended local churches. What do we learn?

Aberfan enjoyed revival in the early 1900s, but this all changed after the shock of the first world war.

The answer is clearer from the Bible than we often think. It is nevertheless a difficult truth to hold on to in times of trouble. We live in a fallen world where mankind exercises free will. God's purpose is to restore to himself for eternity those who seek to walk with him. That walk is in an alien world until the time that the Kingdom of God will come in fully. Then, but only then, will all pain and suffering cease.

Nevertheless, God has not left us isolated. He spoke to us through the prophets of Israel in ways that are recorded in our Bibles. His greatest commandments are to love him and to love one another. Our love for one another sets a high priority on care for one another. He makes it clear that neglect of care can leave blood on our hands for the lives of others.

More than this, he has shown that he shares in our pain. When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, seeing what would come on his people following a large-scale rejection of him, he showed that our pain is also his pain. If this was not enough his suffering on the cross, so that all who would believe would have a place reserved for them in heaven for all eternity, proved his great love for us.

Every one of the people who died in Aberfan was known individually by God and he knows their eternal destiny. His sorrow for the neglect of the mine-owners, who created an unsafe tip cutting corners on safety for financial reasons, matches the sorrow of the bereaved.

When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and then endured the Cross, he showed that our pain is also his pain.

Tests of Faith

As well as testimonies of doubts springing from the disaster of Aberfan there are also many testimonies of faith despite the pain. We can be thankful that God knew those many children who regularly attended the local churches and chapels and who had just come from their school assembly having sung the hymn 'All things bright and beautiful' prior to their deaths. Some from the community continue in our day to speak of good that came from the disaster, looking back over these 50 years. Though there is pain, continuing to reach out in trust to God is the good and right thing to do.

Those who suffer most in such disasters are the immediate family members, but surely next to them would be surviving teachers who had everyday contact with many of the children.

I can say for retired headmistress Miss Florence Havard that her faith never failed her right through her life. She died well into her 80s and she was always a beacon of light in the Christian community – in fact she was quite a character especially loved by children. She was able to balance, grow and maintain that faith that was born in the Welsh revival and matured through days of trial, through wars, national depression (which hit mining communities as strongly as any) and also a major disaster in her home town of Aberfan.

We Must All Take Responsibility

There is another twist in this story, however. The local MP, SO Davies, was a personal friend of Miss Havard. Mr Davies would often call around to her bungalow in Merthyr - one can only conjecture whether they had ever discussed that tip which hovered over the community, threatening to fall one day. At the tribunal, Mr Davies said he had often thought the tip was unsafe but been reluctant to bring it up officially, knowing there would be consequences for the work of miners in the community.

Following the disaster, it also came to light that the local Council had been warned about the tip in 1964 by one of its Councillors. The following year, two parents who also recognised the warning signs petitioned the then headmistress of Pantglas Junior School. She faithfully raised this at succeeding council meetings, but to no avail. Sadly, both the headmistress and children of those two parents all lost their lives in the disaster.

However small a contribution to the responsibility for not averting the disaster, does this not speak of shared responsibility much wider than the main colliery leaders and politicians involved? From the bottom to the top of society we must listen to one another and work together for the care and safety of all – this is in fulfilment of the second Great Commandments to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Can we learn something about this for the days ahead? Are we not corporately responsible for the safety of one another in our communities? Should this not be of the highest priority, especially when the world is becoming more and more unstable, when leadership is weakening and when finance is driving decisions more than care of one another?

Is it not God's intent that we all learn something from the lives that were needlessly lost and the families so sadly bereaved 50 years ago in Aberfan?

As well as testimonies of doubts springing from the disaster of Aberfan there are also many testimonies of faith despite the pain.

God Did and Does Speak

I would like to conclude by drawing attention to two poignant comments.

They both bring tears to the eyes - perhaps God still speaks to us through them this very day. We know from the story of Isaiah that God is not always to be found in the earthquake, fire and storm, but if we walk closely with him, he will be found speaking in the still quiet voice – a voice that comes prophetically from sometimes unexpected sources. Surely the following indicates that God did speak prior to the Aberfan disaster.

The first is the well-known story of Eryl Mai Jones (which has often been interpreted wrongly as psychic insight):

In early October 1966, a ten-year-old Welsh schoolgirl named Eryl Mai Jones had something important to tell her mother.

"Mummy," she said, "I'm not afraid to die."
"You're too young to be talking about dying," her mother said. "Do you want a lollipop?"
On October 20, Eryl Mai woke up after having a memorable dream.
"Mummy, let me tell you about my dream last night," she said.
"Darling, I've no time now. Tell me again later."
"No, Mummy, you must listen," she said. "I dreamt I went to school and there was no school there. Something black had come down all over it".¹

Her mother thought nothing more about the dream...Eryl Mai went off to Pantglas Junior School that day as usual. Nothing unusual happened. The next day, Friday, October 21, she did the same. But at 9:15 that morning, the coal tip gave way, sending tons of coal sludge, water, and boulders onto the village below. The avalanche mowed down everything in its path, including stone houses and trees, and swept toward the Pantglas School, where it crushed the back of the school.

In answer to the question, "Where was God on that day?" the answer is surely, both warning us and with us through this troubled world, offering help where needed, suffering with us on this journey to the day that is not yet but one day will be, of a New Heaven and a New Earth.

The second quote is, to me, both metaphor of shared sufferings which God was fully part of, shared by God and expressed through human love at its highest level midst the trials of this earth. Quoting from the website of Richard Poole, who lost a cousin in the Aberfan tragedy:

144 people died in the Aberfan disaster: 116 of them were school children. About half of the children at Pantglas Junior School, and five of their teachers, were killed. In one classroom 14 bodies were found and outside mothers struggled deep in mud, clamouring to find their children. Many were led away weeping.
The deputy head teacher, Mr Beynon, was found dead. "He was clutching five children in his arms as if he had been protecting them," said a rescuer.²

References

1 Precognition: The Aberfan Disaster. James M Deen, with reference to Barker, J.C. Premonitions of the Aberfan Disaster. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, December 1967: 168-181.

2 Ray Poole's Family History: Merythr Vale and Aberfan.

This week a number of our articles remember the Aberfan tragedy. In his editorial, Clifford Hill thinks particularly of those who lost their faith that day.

50 years ago today, at 9:15am on Friday 21 October 1966, 144 people died in Aberfan near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. 116 of them were children, who were just beginning their lessons when their school was hit by a mountain of mud sliding down from a coal slag heap towering over the village.

The mudslide hit a farm cottage first, then hit the school and a row of houses before stopping. About half the children and teachers in the Pantglas school were killed. They had just reached their classrooms after leaving morning assembly, where they had been singing 'All things bright and beautiful', praising God for the beauty of the countryside.

The pathos of this tragedy still brings to tears to the eyes of those who remember that tragic day in the history of the valleys, and it can hardly fail to move those who today, 50 years later, read the accounts of eye-witnesses and survivors.

Decent Men Led Astray

There had been many warnings that the tip was unsafe due to the presence of a spring underneath, and heavy rainfall triggered the sudden slide. A board of enquiry was set up that concluded that the National Coal Board was largely to blame and legal liability for compensation was not contested. The report stated:

The Aberfan disaster is a terrifying tale of bungled ineptitude by many men charged with tasks for which they were totally unfitted, of failure to heed clear warnings, and of total lack of direction from above. Not villains but decent men, led astray by foolishness or by ignorance or by both in combination, are responsible for what happened at Aberfan.¹

The pathos of this tragedy still brings to tears to the eyes of those who remember that tragic day.

No one faced criminal proceedings, but those named (and others cleared) had to live with the disaster on their consciences for the rest of their lives. But it was not only officials in the National Coal Board whose lives were affected - everyone in the valleys will remember that day to the end of their lives. Many of them lost their Christian faith on that day. Typical of the comments on the BBC website is the following:

I was 14 at the time of the Aberfan disaster.
My school was very religious, and I had been trying to decide how much I believed in God. When the disaster struck it was the talk of the school, and in many of the classes we found ourselves discussing it with our teachers.
We particularly wanted to know why God would allow so many children to die.
The teachers had no answer. I turned away from the idea that there is a God. And that's my view, to this day.
John Adams, UK²

What is the answer that should have been given to John Adams and all the others who were asking similar questions? Today there are millions asking the same thing, not only of the Aberfan tragedy but of the terrible events we see on our TV news - such as what's happening in Aleppo, where human lives are being deliberately destroyed by bombs dropped upon women and children - not only killing but causing life-changing injuries.

Why doesn't God intervene? Hundreds of books have been written on the subject of human suffering, but the only authentic answers are to be found in the Bible.

The Power to Intervene

The Bible clearly teaches that God has given us freedom of will - to choose the truth, or to be driven to destruction by our own selfish and violent human nature. The Aberfan tragedy was created by human greed and mismanagement in creating a mountainous pile of coal slag and ignoring warnings about its unsafety. Also in this week's issue, Greg Stevenson lists alerts given before the disaster which were ignored, and Clifford Denton notes that God sent prophetic warnings ahead of time.

Many people lost their Christian faith on that day, asking why God didn't intervene.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God gave warning after warning to the people of Jerusalem that disaster would strike the city unless there was a drastic change in the behaviour of the people. They all believed that they could do what they liked and there would be no bad consequences because God would defend the city from the Babylonians. They ignored the warnings with disastrous results.

God Shares Our Distress

When we wilfully ignore warnings we should not be surprised when tragedy overwhelms us. But incredibly, when that happens, God does not desert us. Isaiah expresses this emphatically; "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old" (Isa 63:9). God actually enters into our tragedies alongside us and shares our distress.

This is the teaching of the God of the Bible: that when we bring disaster upon ourselves and cry out to him for help, he responds in love and compassion. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you...Do not be afraid, for I am with you." (Isa 43:2-5).

In the Midst of Trial

This does not mean that nothing will ever go wrong, or that we will not suffer hardship - but that in the midst of trial, God will never desert us. Jesus promised to be with his disciples for ever. "I will never leave you alone," he promised (John 14:18).

Jesus himself lived the message of God's love. He knew that his Father would not intervene to save him from a cruel death at the hands of evil men - but that by not intervening, God would actually use this suffering to work out his purposes of salvation to be available for all human beings.

God actually enters into our tragedies alongside us and shares in our distress.

Of course, I'm aware that the thoughts expressed on this page cannot possibly answer all the questions about human suffering. But I hope they may stimulate some of our readers to offer thoughts on this subject which may be a help to those who are struggling to understand why tragedies such as Aberfan occur. For myself I can affirm the words of the Apostle Paul, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life...nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39).

References

1 The Aberfan Disaster – Inquiries. The National Archives.

2 1966: Aberfan - A generation wiped out. BBC Witness, On This Day.

David Anderson looks at the Prophet Joel and his message to a nation that had walked away from God.

It was a perceptive remark, one that contained a precious gem of truth. An elderly man, in the course of a general discussion on the state of the world, expressed to me his heartfelt longing: "What is desperately needed is the communicating word from heaven which expresses what God is saying and what he is doing."

Such a word came to Joel, the son of Pethuel, probably a Temple prophet around 400 BC. Joel, a common enough name, carried such a unique and awe-inspiring message to his nation that one scholar, RA Stewart, has commented: "This is one of the briefest and yet one of the most disturbing and heart-searching books of the Old Testament."

In his day, Joel was God's man for God's hour but, like all the Old Testament prophets, Joel speaks not only to his own age, but to ours.

The Day of the Lord

This inspiring prophecy, comprising three chapters of similar length to each other, focuses on one central theme: the day of the Lord.

For the Jews, the day of the Lord was regarded as a great climax to history in which, beyond the terrible judgments of God, there would emerge a new and better world. Prior to that climax, there would be various foreshadowings of the day when God would intervene to defeat his enemies and restore his people.

Thus, in a breath-taking narrative about a contemporary plague of locusts, the prophet reflects in turn on this first judgment (Joel 1), a future judgment, possibly an enemy invasion from the north (Joel 2:1-11, 2:20) and a final judgment (Joel 3). In each case, though its time reference and application varies, the message is the same: "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand" (Joel 2:1).

Testing the Source of Prophecy

Joel's very name, meaning 'God is God', emphasises the much-needed truth that, whether it be in revival or in judgment, God is sovereign. Nothing can ultimately hinder his sovereign purposes: The Lord Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand" (Isa 14:24).

Another truth of vital importance here concerns the origin of this famous prophecy. In these days when rumours of revival abound, never was there a more paramount need for the church to head the biblical injunction, "Guard the truth" (2 Tim 1:14) and, "Test everything" (1 Thess 5:21).

Significantly, right at the outset of the book, we read that this message is "The word of the Lord that came to Joel" (Joel 1:1). In other words, what the prophet says is not something out of his own head, but is inspired by God. The most important aspect of any prophecy is not its message, but its source.

Whether it be in revival or in judgment, God is sovereign, and nothing can ultimately hinder his purposes.

If the source is not God but man, even if it be a wonderful and inspiring communication, it is immediately invalidated. When the true prophet speaks, like Joel here, it is God speaking and we need to open our ears to hear what he is saying.

The burden of Joel's message is that he sees the problem of the nation (Joel 1) which, in turn, calls for the priority of repentance (Joel 1:13,14; 2:12-17). Finally, in two glorious passages he describes the prospects for the future (Joel 2:18-3:21).

1. The Problem of the Nation

According to the prophet, there is something rotten at the heart of the nation. Something quite unprecedented has happened: successive swarms of locusts have come in ever-increasing numbers, laying waste the countryside, destroying the fragile economy, and leaving the barns empty and even the cattle perplexed.

Such calamities are not uncommon in Israel even to this day, although this particular locust plague was of unusual scope and size - not unlike the one which hit Jerusalem in 1915, possibly involving billions of insects, and causing widespread devastation.

Like all true prophets, however, Joel sees beyond the dreadful tragedy to what God is saying to us through it. How important it is, when significant events occur (e.g. the Aberfan disaster, the anniversary of which we are marking this week, or recent terror attacks), that we take time to pray the prayer of Samuel - not, "Listen, Lord, for your servant is speaking" but, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening" (1 Sam 3:9).

For the Israel of Joel's day, the all-important truth is that this plague was a sign from God, unmistakable and undeniable, that the entire land stood under his judgment. This was not a judgment that was specific to some folk and not to others. It was literally 'a plague on all their houses'. Everyone, from the greatest to the least, was called to heed what God was saying.

The suggestion is occasionally made that when Joel calls later for repentance in the light of God's judgment, he does not name any specific sin of which the people are guilty. Only a superficial reading of the text could reach such a conclusion. Indeed, it is striking how the sins of Joel's day parallel the problems we face in 21st Century Britain.

The most important aspect of any prophecy is not its message, but its source.

There were leaders who obviously did not listen to God: "Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land" (Joel 1:2). How many leaders, secular or spiritual, are listening to that still small voice - the voice of conscience and the voice of Christ? Some would rather sit on the fence than nail their colours to the mast! As someone remarked, "When did you last hear of a Conservative MP or member of the Cabinet who resigned on a matter of principle?"

In turn, there is usually a clear link between the kind of leadership we have and the kind of life we live. This is a common theme for the prophets and Joel was no exception to the general rule. Evidently, self-indulgence was rife, especially addiction to alcohol (Joel 1:5). Most people lived for themselves and were lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. As a result, the house of God was the first to suffer as the offerings dropped and then dried up altogether (Joel 1:13). Even wild animals, cattle and sheep are suffering (Joel 1:18-20).

Someone once said that the nation that refuses to learn from its history is condemned to repeat it. The facts were obvious. The nation was simply reaping what it had sown. Joy had gone (Joel 1:12), judgment had come, and, if they continued in their rebellious ways, worse would soon follow (Joel 1:15). So the crucial question for Israel here, as for our own nation today, was, 'Can this future judgment be averted? Can God restore this people, his people, who deserve only his wrath and judgment?'

2. The Priority of Repentance

Joel's answer is both clear and costly. In one of the greatest of all prophetic utterances in the Old Testament, he says that the nation's problems underline the urgent priority of repentance. "'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God'" (Joel 2:12,13). Repentance must be heartfelt.

Here, surely, is a word for us today. Such is the perilous state of Britain, with so many of its leaders devoid of conscience, and with so many people selfishly living for themselves, that the nation is morally bankrupt. Anything goes and everything is acceptable; the country having become spiritually rudderless because the Church so often fails to speak out. As a result, we are in grave danger of losing the wonderful Christian heritage that previous generations have bequeathed us.

There is usually a clear link between the kind of leadership we have and the kind of life we live.

At this very moment a persuasive combination of multi-cultural, humanistic, secular and New Age philosophies threatens to drown out the Christian voice and relegate it to the lunatic fringe. Only one thing can save us - only if we return to God and really mean it, will he forgive us, restore us and heal our land. That, in essence, is Joel's timely message. In it, we can surely hear echoes of 1 Peter 4:17: Judgment begins with the family of God.

What is needed in the first instance is not repentance in the nation, but repentance in the Church; one that begins in the pulpit (Joel 1:13), spreads to the few (Joel 1:14), and then reaches out from the people of God to our lost nation outside. Nothing else, nothing less, can bring God's mercy to a nation that has long since forfeited his blessing.

I believe that God is calling for spiritual leaders, heads of denominations, and leaders of local churches throughout the nation to recognise that things will not improve but only grow worse unless and until we weep for the sins of Church and nation in genuine and heartfelt repentance.

Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, 'Spare your people, O Lord'. (Joel 2:17)

When leadership truly weeps, God will surely work. As the history of revival reminds us, it is the tears of repentance that are so often the harbinger of times of refreshing: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

3. The Prospect for the Future

The concluding part of Joel's message (Joel 2:18-3:21) turns from the gloom of the present to the glory God has in store for his people, a future that will lead to unprecedented blessing on a universal scale for all who call upon the Lord. Material blessings will abound (Joel 2:19, 23-27). In particular, God will restore the years of waste and rebellion (Joel 2:25).

It is a timely reminder to us that, for the people of God, the future is always one to which we can look forward. Joel's prophecy looks towards Pentecost and beyond. The best is yet to be: "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions...And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:28-32).

I believe that God is calling spiritual leaders to recognise that things will only grow worse until we weep for the sins of Church and nation in genuine repentance.

There is a new dawn, says Joel, for the people of God, and a glorious future. For those who reject God, however, there will be a valley of decision in which people's destinies will be decided on the basis of their response to God: "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near" (Joel 3:14). These are the two prospects facing the world in the coming days.

In the light of all this, who would not wish to be a Christian? What a thrilling prospect for those who love the Lord! What a dreadful prospect for those who reject his love and, in so doing, go their own way - the way of destruction. What a challenge, too, to each one of us!

As one of the Puritans of old once said, "Let us who love the Lord, live each day as if Christ had died yesterday, had risen again today, and was coming again tomorrow!"

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 11 No 2, March 1995. Revised October 2016.