Paul Luckraft reviews 'Outcast Nation: Israel, the Jews...and You' by Steve Maltz (2012)

This book, subtitled The COMPLETE story from Abraham to Armageddon, is indeed an epic, almost encyclopaedic, account of Israel and the Jewish people. It traces the sweeping story of God's covenant people from Bible times, through European history, up to the current situation in the Middle East and (using Bible prophecy) beyond.

Originally two separate and now out-of-print books, The Land of Many Names and The People of Many Names, the material has been amalgamated and updated. The style is typical Maltz – lively and entertaining, while also very informative and challenging. The '...and you' of the title is no accident. The whole narrative is designed to change your thinking and impact your theology.

Act 1: Covenant

The book is in three 'Acts', titled Covenant, Exile and Return. The first of these is largely a re-telling of biblical history, tracing the outworking of God's covenants with his ancient people. It will be familiar to most Christians who read the whole Bible. However, there is plenty here to help cement our understanding as the author shows how a bunch of slaves became a kingdom of priests. There is a good explanation of the relationship between the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, and also of the central importance of Jerusalem to the entire story that will unfold.

To help us understand the areas of debate and dissension, Maltz introduces two characters, Mr Roots and Mr Shoots, who keep appearing throughout the book. Mr Roots takes the plain literal meaning of the scriptures and accepts that the promises made to Abraham and his descendants still apply. Mr Shoots looks for symbols and allegory and would say that now Jesus has come, there is no role for the Jewish people or the land of Israel in the Christian age. Overall, Maltz's approach works well. It is not too intrusive and will help some people identify their own position on such matters.

This book is an epic, almost encyclopaedic, account of Israel and the Jewish people.

Act 2: Exile

Act Two opens with a brief (perhaps too brief) section on the period between the Testaments before we reach the fulcrum of history: Jesus of Nazareth. There is also not much detail here but this is reasonable as "all we are doing here is to examine the effects that his life had on the Jews of his day" (p127).

The main thrust of the central Act of the book is what the Jews call 'Galut', which we know of as diaspora or exile. How did this happen? How could this happen to God's chosen kingdom of priests? This is an excellent section in which we travel through history with them. The author provides many extra details that may be new even to those well-read on these topics.

There is a good historical survey of the Muslim period and its relationship to Jerusalem and the Jewish people. Equally enlightening is the examination of 'Christian' anti-Semitism and what the author calls 'the longest hatred' (chapter 11). He poignantly asks, 'Why are the Jews still hated?'

Act 3: Return

Act Three maintains the high standard of writing and analysis as the emphasis shifts to the rise of Zionism and the return of the Jewish people to the land. Certain key figures are highlighted for their 'philo-Semitism'. These righteous Gentiles include Corrie Ten Boom, Balfour, Shaftesbury, Churchill, Orde Wingate and William Hechler. Here we have some excellent cameos of those who were instruments in God's hands. This is followed by a full chapter on the writing and teaching of JC Ryle and his prophetic insights.

There is much of great interest for us to learn as we are taken through the period from 1882 onwards, including the time of the British Mandate leading up to the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948. Mr Roots and Mr Shoots re-emerge at this point to demonstrate the various viewpoints on the significance of this event and the miracles that followed concerning the continuing survival of the Jewish people. Here we find a severe critique of those who hold that Israel is just another country in our modern world, with no Divine purpose attached to their existence.

While some sections are brief, in others the author provides many extra details that may be new even to those well-read on these topics.

More recent times are also analysed with clarity and insight, especially the truth regarding the refugee situation. This will be particularly illuminating to those who get their information purely from modern media sources.

The Jewish People

Maltz also demonstrates there is indeed 'something special about these folk' by listing their achievements and contributions to humanity across several different fields. Most people would not recognise a lot of these achievements as coming from Jewish people. Maltz adroitly comments that those who today advocate boycotting Israeli products might not want to give up all the benefits that have come from these remarkable people.

When it comes to matters of salvation, Maltz is clear that it is only as a people that God has promised certain things through the covenants. Each individual Jewish person must find salvation in the same way as Gentiles: through Jesus. To spell it out he uses capitals! He states, "INDIVIDUAL JEWISH PEOPLE ARE NOT SAVED UNLESS THEY ACCEPT JESUS AS THEIR MESSIAH" (p308). This distinction between the Jewish people and a Jewish person is constantly re-asserted in the pages that follow. Here is no automatic place in heaven for anyone just because they are born a Jew.

Your Story

Overall, this book contains a very thorough exploration of this kingdom of priests in terms of its origin, development and eventual destiny. It also offers explanations for both the survival and success of this Outcast Nation. Such a comprehensive book could do with an index, though it is always a lot of extra work to produce one. It does however end with some recommended reading and a list of organisations working for Israel and the Jewish people, as well as a liturgy of reconciliation adapted, with permission, from Fred Wright's book Father, Forgive Us.

This book contains a very thorough exploration of this kingdom of priests in terms of its origin, development and eventual destiny.

Once you have read this book and considered all it has to say then you are left with the '... and you'. Now what do you make of it all? It is part of your story too, but what you do with this information is up to you. The author is modest enough to say that "Whether you consider the subject material of this book relevant to your lifestyle is not important" but adds that "What is important is that the story of the Jews serves to help you realise that there's more to this World than what you can see, hear, touch, smell or feel." (p347-8).

Outcast Nation (384 pages) is available from Saffron Planet Publishing for £10. Click here to purchase and also for a short video from Steve Maltz about the book.

John Job explains the great modern relevance of Jeremiah's message and notes strong links with the life and teaching of Jesus.

Jeremiah's message was inextricably linked with the history of Israel in his day. He first addressed the North, with a plea for unity with the Southern Kingdom. Then, when his word to his own people was rejected with the burning of the first scroll (Jer 36), he moved to the theme of inevitable judgment and finally to a message of hope beyond the end.

Throughout his long ministry, optimistic prophets kept building up false hopes in the people by parroting "Peace, peace" when the situation was hopeless. Jerusalem's demise was long and drawn-out; but by refusing to heed Jeremiah's call for repentance and turning away from idolatry and corruption, the fate of the city and its people was sealed.

Conflicting Interpretations of Scripture

Jeremiah's conflict hinged on the interpretation of Deuteronomy: the 'Book of the Law' found during the repair of the Temple early in Jeremiah's lifetime (2 Chron 34:14). This book was the address by Moses to the Israelites on the threshold of the Promised Land.

Jeremiah's optimistic contemporaries saw the book as promising that the crossing of the Jordan and occupation of the Promised Land was a drama to be re-enacted as they regained independence from the Babylonians on their God-given soil.

Jeremiah, by contrast, saw it as a warning of three interlocking aspects of sin in response to which God was sending the Babylonians to bring judgment. Chapter 11:1-17 is particularly instructive as a parody of the nationalistic hopes built on Deuteronomy.

Jeremiah's contemporaries saw the Torah as promising liberation from Babylonian rule – Jeremiah knew that it was a warning of judgment.

Deuteronomy summarises human duty as to love God (Deut 6:5). Though Jesus included "and your neighbour as yourself" taken from Leviticus 19:18 (Matt 22:39), there is plenty of evidence in Deuteronomy that this is a major implication of loving God. Jeremiah's indictment, then, can be seen under three headings: failure to love God was idolatry; failure to love others was immorality; failure to change was rebellion.

Idolatry and Immorality

Idolatry is criticised as ingratitude (Jer 2:13) and as folly (Jer 2:27). Idolatry led to alliance with pagan powers, which amounted to reliance on their gods (Jer 14:10). Drought was seen as the penalty for misconceiving Baal as the source of fertility. Beyond all else, idolatry amounted to slighting the true God.

Spiritual adultery, as often in the prophets, was depicted as sexual immorality (Jer 2:20). But there is also a reference to failures in the area of justice, especially for the poor (Jer 5:26-28; 21:12; 22:13). The prophet inveighed too against commercial malpractice, and in the same passage, slander, which he himself suffered (Jer 9:3-4).

Rebellion

These first two areas of Jeremiah's teaching echo Amos and Hosea. But his emphasis on rebellion is his most distinctive perception of his people's predicament. A long sequence of pictures make this point:

1. The uncircumcised ear cannot hear (Jer 6:10);
2. No soap can wash away guilt (Jer 2:22);
3. Refining is futile when no precious metal underlies the dross (Jer 6:27-30);
4. The people are like a she-camel on heat, enslaved to instinct (Jer 2:24);
5. They are like a common harlot who legally (Deut 24:1-4) cannot, and practically will not, return to her husband (Jer 3:1-3);
6. They compare unfavourably with the swift and wryneck, mere birds well aware of the time for returning (a verb which in Hebrew also means 'repent') (Jer 8:7).

The sweep of the book makes the point more forcibly still: events and reality constantly vindicated Jeremiah; but he was ignored for 25 years. Why, though, was it so wrong to resist the Babylonians? Why was the situation so different from when the Assyrian Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem a century earlier? The answer must be that, however unwisely, the Judeans had made a covenant with Babylon.

Most distinctive about Jeremiah's teaching is his emphasis on rebellion.

Here, then, lay the great irony - Deuteronomy was itself couched in the form of a 'covenant document', and those who made their covenant with God needed to be the first to keep covenants with others. Deuteronomic condemnation of the stubborn and rebellious son (Deut 21:18ff) is referred to in Jeremiah 2:14-19, and the incorrigible son breaks the most fundamental covenant of all.

With Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll, Jeremiah's stance changed. This is reflected in the reversal of some of Israel's basic and most cherished spiritual convictions.

The Reversal of the Exodus

Jeremiah may have thought of himself as the prophetic successor to Moses, mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15 (Jer 1:4-10; 15:16). But he was told not to pray for the nation (Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:11). It was not for him to stand in the breach (cf Ps 106:23) as Moses had done over the Golden Calf: he actually prays for judgment (Jer 18:21f). In the end he goes back as a prisoner to Egypt, from which Moses had led the people from slavery into freedom.

The Reversal of Holy War

The original invasion of Canaan was a 'holy war', in which the Israelites were God's agents to punish the Amorites (Josh 5:1). Often in the story of Judges, God instils panic into Israel's enemies: now the opposite happens; God fights against Israel (Jer 4:9; 6:24) and they are driven out of the land.

The Reversal of Creation

The account of Creation in the Old Testament embodies two themes. The first is the notion of order rather than chaos (Gen 1:1-2). The second is the provision of a garden for human beings to live in (Gen 2:4ff). The first theme is linked with the turning of a motley collection of slaves into an organised community; and the second with their settlement in the garden-land of Canaan.

Jeremiah implied (Jer 4:23-28) that all this was to be undone. The salvation oracle was turned on its head (Jer 12:5). The Abrahamic promise was reversed (Jer 15:8).
Those who make their covenant with God need to be the first to keep covenants with others.

Close study of Jeremiah's ministry reveals strong resemblances to that of Jesus:

(i) Conflict with the 'Establishment'

In both cases this is centred on the interpretation of Deuteronomy - in Jesus's day this was the text-book for hopes of national autonomy (defeat of the Romans) and renewed national greatness. It is no accident that Jesus's three answers in the desert to satan, who represents these Jewish aspirations, come not simply from Scripture ("It is written"), but all from Deuteronomy (Luke 4).

(ii) 'Another Moses'

The Messiah was expected to be another Moses. Indeed, this was how New Testament writers saw Jesus. But like Jeremiah, Jesus also prophesied national disaster. The cross exposed the spirit of nationalism which was doomed to be broken on the wheel of Roman power. In just the same way, Jerusalem's nationalism was broken by Babylon in Jeremiah's time.

It could be said that both Jesus and Jeremiah were Moses' successor. But this has to be re-appraised in the light of the great contrasts between the way in which God carries out his purposes of salvation in Jesus and what had happened in Old Testament times.

(iii) Undeserved Suffering

Jeremiah could describe himself as a lamb led to the slaughter and together with the well-known passage in Isaiah 53, this paved the way for the widespread use of the lamb metaphor in the New Testament, notably on the lips of John the Baptist (John 1:29), and no fewer than 31 times in Revelation.

Striking too is the same misunderstanding and rejection within the family of Jeremiah and Jesus (Jer 12:6, cf Mark 3:32).

(iv) The Destruction of the Word

The desecrating act of Jehoiakim was for Jeremiah what the cross was for Jesus: the final act of the rejection of the covenant relationship with God. In Jeremiah's case it was confined to the Jews, but through the crucifixion of Jesus, guilt was extended to all mankind.

(v) The Emergence of Hope Out of Disaster

Jeremiah did not pray for his people (Jer 7:16) and Jesus did not pray for the world (John 17:9). The demise of the Jewish state in Jeremiah's time points to the doom of non-Christian society in its alienation from God. The only hope for the world is for those who become 'unworldly' by refusing to live according to worldly values.

Jeremiah spells out his hopes of a 'new covenant' (Jer 31:31) and the New Testament sees in Christ's death and resurrection a fulfilment of this promise (most explicitly in Hebrews 8 and 9). Just as the Babylonian sledgehammer's demise is part of Jeremiah's optimism, Revelation, depicting Rome (in the guise of the scarlet woman of Babylon), spells out in her doom the end of worldly corruption.

The desecrating act of Jehoiakim was for Jeremiah what the cross was for Jesus: the final act of the rejection of the covenant relationship with God.

Our Society the Same?

Our society is not unlike that which confronted Jeremiah. The point is made by Jesus in the parable of the 'Rich Fool' (Luke 12:13), who epitomised both self-help and idolatry. For him, death played the same role as the destruction of Jerusalem played for the Jews.

Jesus had a long struggle with a people determined to go their own way, and Jeremiah's teaching is parallel to the message of Jesus, which says 'You cannot save yourself! You cannot engineer a solution to sin, or to your present problems, or save yourself from death'.

It is common to see some code of ethics comparable with Deuteronomy as a 'ladder' or 'lever' for making oneself acceptable to God. No doubt Paul took lessons from Jeremiah as well as from Jesus in seeing that God's law is neither ladder nor lever, reaching the conclusion that through the law we become conscious of sin (Rom 7:7). Yet Jeremiah's teaching on the new covenant enables us to anticipate God's judgment, and begin a new life; to echo Paul and say, "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I: Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20).

Flouting of God's Word

Jeremiah's catalogue of sins is closely matched by our society. In his book about the Bible (The English Bible and Seventeenth-Century Revolution, Penguin, 1993), Christopher Hill shows that behind the theological divergences in Cromwell's day, the notion that Protestant England could be modelled on Old Testament Israel and see itself as a Christian nation in covenant relation with God was generally accepted. We need to be careful not to exaggerate the extent to which English history follows that of Judah, but some comparisons can safely be made.

Our society is not unlike that which confronted Jeremiah.

In recent years we have seen erosion of respect for the Ten Commandments as a summary of divine law - notably in the increase and supposed trivialisation of adultery and homosexual practices, the advocacy of euthanasia and abuse of abortion.

We have also seen sentimentality about disciplining children and decay of truthfulness in public life. The message of Jeremiah challenges us to look at the sins of our own nation. Are we not in danger of the same judgment that Jerusalem suffered in his day? Has not the church also sadly missed its way and followed the ways of the world?

It may not be easy to tell when God's word has been nationally rejected as finally as with Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll, but Godly standards are being flouted. There is a need for a prophetic call to repentance and warning of the inevitability of disaster if this call is rejected.

Hope Beyond the End

Even in the worst scenario, Jeremiah's message, seen through New Testament eyes, holds out today the same hope beyond the end. To those who have kept Christian faith in a watertight compartment away from politics, Jeremiah is a model for courageous interaction in the life of the nation.

In a sense his ministry was entirely fruitless. But he has been vindicated, not only because the preservation of his words in Scripture testifies to the fact that he was right and his opponents were wrong, but also because the resurrection of Jesus points to a world where the truths he stood for are, and always will be, upheld.

To that realm Christians already belong, and to that extent are impervious to the worst that this world can do to them.

First published in Prophecy Today Vol 12 No 2, March 1996. Revised September 2016.

Despite today's handshake between Abbas and Netanyahu, the Palestinians continue to make land claims that defy international law.

Amidst the ongoing conflict over land allegedly occupied by Israel, what is the truth and why is there so much confusion? The Bible is quite clear about it: the Jews were promised this land (significantly more than they presently occupy) thousands of years ago (Gen 17:8). But even on a political level, Israel has every right to this much fought-over real estate. It's just that politicians have agendas, along with short memories.

The Two-State 'Solution'

PA president Mahmoud Abbas, at the United Nations, has called for a Palestinian state based on the borders proposed in the 1947 UN Partition Plan¹ – borders the Arabs rejected outright at the time. So how likely is it to satisfy them now? Their real problem – then and now – is the existence of a Jewish state.

The 1947 UN plan recommended the land being divided to create independent Jewish and Arab states existing alongside one another. Even this was a betrayal of Jewish aspirations, for they had originally (through the 1920 Treaty of San Remo, which has never been superseded) been promised a much larger area including the land now known as Jordan.

The real problem the Palestinians have is not borders - but the very existence of a Jewish state.

But in a compromise designed to appease the wrath of dissenting Arabs, Britain imposed a 'two-state solution' by granting the region east of the Jordan River to the Arabs. It duly became known as Jordan. But memories are short, and there was soon talk of a further 'two-state solution'.

Nevertheless, the Jews accepted the UN offer despite the fact that it represented only a fraction of the territory originally promised them. Yet the Arabs rejected it, and are still seen by many as the victims.

Core Obstacles to Peace

Now Abbas calls on the UN to declare 2017 "the international year to end the Israeli occupation of our land and our people" [emphasis added]². But since when did it belong to the Palestinians, who did not exist as a people in 1947? In fact, Jews from the region were more likely to be known as Palestinians then.

Following the War of Independence in 1948, Jordan (not the PA) illegally took control of Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem. But when threatened with annihilation by surrounding Arab countries in 1967, Israel won an astounding victory in just six days and duly re-captured this disputed territory, which was certainly never 'Palestinian'. Now Abbas is claiming that Jewish settlements in these territories are an obstacle to peace.³

But as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu put it, the conflict is not about settlements. "If the Arabs had said yes to a Jewish state in 1947, there would be no war, no refugees, no conflict. And when they finally say yes to a Jewish state, we'll be able to end this conflict once and for all."⁴ Or as he told the UN, the core of the conflict is the "persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize the Jewish state within any boundary"⁵ [emphasis added].

As to the PA's demand that a Palestinian state be free of Jews, Mr Netanyahu described that as "ethnic cleansing", adding that "the concept of ethnic cleansing for peace is absurd".⁶

Even US President Barak Obama has got himself in a muddle over this, referring to Israel's persistence in occupying "Palestinian land", which is patently not the case, even in international law.⁷

Netanyahu has described the PA's demand that a Palestinian state be free of Jews as "ethnic cleansing".

Taking on Western Bias

Meanwhile the Israeli leader invited his PA counterpart to address the Knesset, Israel's parliament, and told him: "You have a choice to make. You can continue to stoke hatred, as you did today [at the UN], or you can confront hatred and work with me today."⁸ However, Bibi was uncharacteristically upbeat about the future. Citing growing relationships with countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and even among Arab nations, he predicted that delegates would soon get calls from their leaders with a short message: "The war against Israel at the UN has ended."⁹

But he was scathing about the General Assembly bias displayed last year when they passed 20 resolutions against his democratic state versus just three for the rest of the world where human rights violations abound.¹⁰

Britain was also taken to task by the PA president in his address at the UN for issuing the so-called Balfour Declaration in 1917, which promised to do all it could to create a homeland in Palestine (as the region was then known) for the Jewish people.¹¹ In fact, Abbas has threatened to sue Britain over this declaration, which he claimed had reaped catastrophe, misery and injustice for his people.

But Mr Netanyahu countered that if he went ahead with such an action, "he should also sue Cyrus the Great for letting the Jews come back to Israel to rebuild the Temple, and organize a class action suit against Abraham for buying a parcel of land in Hebron".¹²

Lessons from Ruth

We must pray for greater understanding – amongst politicians, writers and clergy – of the principle that blessing the Jews is the key to individual and national prosperity (Gen 12:3). Palestinians and other enemies of Israel would save their beleaguered peoples so much heartache, poverty and strife if only they would buy into this principle – so well understood and practised by the biblical Ruth.

As a Moabite, Ruth was seen as a 'foreigner', yet she blessed her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi in staying by her side for her return to Judah (not Palestine) after losing her husband and sons. As Boaz put it, she had left her father, mother and homeland to come and live with a people she did not know. And his prayer for her was: "May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge" (Ruth 1:11f).

Blessing the Jews is the key to individual and national prosperity.

As with Ruth, who came from present-day Jordan, most Palestinian leaders are also foreigners from various Arab lands in the region (for example, PLO founder Yasser Arafat was Egyptian). The idea of Palestinian nationality is a political invention of recent times to provide an excuse for driving out the Jews. But we praise God for the growing number of Arabs and Palestinians who are being reconciled with their Jewish brothers through the atoning death of Jesus on a cross just outside Jerusalem.

Pray that eyes will continue to be opened to the wondrous truth expounded by Paul in his letter to the Gentile Ephesians, reminding them that they were once "separated from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..." (Eph 2:12-14).

References

1. Posselt, I. Abbas calls for Palestinian state based on 1947 borders. Bridges for Peace, 23 September 2016.
2. United with Israel, 23 September 2016.
3. JNN Newsletter, Arutz-7/Jerusalem News Network, 11 September 2016.
4. United with Israel, 25 September 2016.
5. United with Israel, 23 September 2016.
6. See note 3.
7. Obama told the UN: "Surely, Israelis and Palestinians will be better off if Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel, but Israel recognizes that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land." Arutz-7/JNN Newsletter, 27 September 2016.
8. See note 1.
9. Jerusalem Post/JNN Newsletter, 24 September 2016.
10. JNN Newsletter Newsletter, 24 September 2016.
11. See note 1.
12. See note 9.

With greed and corruption becoming an everyday part of life, Britain is looking more and more like it did in the 18^th Century - just before revival happened.

The sudden departure of England's much heralded football manager transferred sports news from the back page to the front page of our newspapers.

Sam Allardyce had only been in the job 67 days before he was forced to resign following a sting set up by the Daily Telegraph with men posing as businessmen from the Far East. They recorded him agreeing to a £400,000 deal in which he would help "get around" strict bans on third party transfer regulations.

Allardyce left his employment with the Football Association with a reported half £1 million payoff for just over two month's work, during which he organised just one international football match - which England won, giving him a 100% record for his England career!

It is astonishing that a man who was being paid a salary of £3 million a year could fall for such an entrapment. Why would he risk everything for an additional £400,000 on top of the immense salary he was receiving? It is surely an example of the incredible power of greed. However large the salary, greed will always try to get a bit more.

Greed is Now Normal

Greed is the driving force in so many people's lives today; it has become a banal part of our culture, affecting every area of life - from banking and the growth of vast international business conglomerates to sport and entertainment. It seems that no area of society is free from greed and corruption, with the result that the gap between rich and poor is getting ever wider.

The rich are growing richer and the poor are growing poorer, leaving the way open for injustice and exploitation of the powerless. The greatest health problem facing the rich nations is obesity while millions in the poorer nations go to bed hungry every night. Yet the vast injustice of this situation leaves most people in the Western nations untroubled. Why is this in nations that have had the Gospel for centuries, where biblical values of justice are part of the foundations of their civilisation?

Greed has become a banal part of our culture, affecting every area of life.

Abandonment of 'Traditional' Morality

Surely the reason has to be connected with our turning away from our biblical foundations. In Britain children are no longer taught basic biblical morality in state schools and we now have a generation of parents who have virtually no knowledge of the Bible, leaving many children growing up with no ultimate standards of right and wrong.

George Whitfield

What can change the nation? Can we learn from the past?

Revisiting 18^th Century Britain

A similar situation existed in the latter part of the 18^th Century and the beginning of the 19^th Century. Crime, lawlessness, adultery and drunkenness were the foremost characteristics in all ranks of society, as Hogarth's pictures of London vividly illustrate. Violence and unrest were everywhere and there were frequent riots, as well as fears that the French Revolution might spread across the Channel and engulf the nation.

Church attendance was the lowest it had been for centuries. In 1800, just six people took communion on Easter day in St Paul's Cathedral. It was at this stage that the Evangelical Revival began to change everything, with the Methodists and Nonconformists reaching the working classes and the evangelical Anglicans reaching the upper echelons and the burgeoning middle classes produced by the Industrial Revolution.

Today, many children are growing up with no ultimate standards of right and wrong.

Gospel-Driven Cultural ChangeJohn Wesley

A striking example of their success in changing the nation can be seen in the social statistics. Throughout the 19^th Century, crime rates fell dramatically. By 1870 there were only 10,000 in the jails of England and Wales. But even more remarkable was the continuing fall over the next 30 years. By 1910 there were only 3,000 prisoners in the nation's jails, despite the population rising from 25 million to 35 million!

Social historians attribute this astonishing fall in the crime rate to the success of the Evangelical Revival in transforming the moral and spiritual life of the nation. It all began with a small group of Christians, like Wilberforce, Wesley and Whitfield, in the dark days of the late 18^th Century. They had a passion for the Gospel and cared deeply about people.

In addition to preaching the truth, they also applied the Gospel to the great social issues of their day, working for causes such as the abolition of colonial slavery and the end of child exploitation in the mines, mills and factories of England. It was through their faith in God that the nation was transformed.

Dramatic Loss of Faith

Today, there are many similarities with the early 19^th Century. The latest British Attitude Survey (published May 2016) shows that 48% of the population say they have 'no religion'. It is remarkable that 50 years of immigration has not resulted in significant numbers converting to other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism - the British people have simply lost faith in any religion, so they have nothing to hold onto when difficult times come.

The mission field is wide open for Christians with a passion for the gospel to share their faith with their non-Christian friends and neighbours. An even greater Evangelical Revival could happen in 21^st Century Britain!

The British people have lost faith in any religion, so they have nothing to hold onto when difficult times come.

Revival Happening Now?

Churches in Reading have been sharing their faith on the streets since May this year with some amazing results - and a similar movement has been happening this month in Liverpool, where Christians report an astonishing new openness to the Gospel and hundreds of ordinary people giving their lives to Christ on the streets.

People are fed up with the greed and corruption they see everywhere. The fields are ripe for harvest. We hope to publish details of the developments in Liverpool next week. Maybe the only thing holding back revival in Britain is that many people in churches have not yet woken up to the spiritual hunger of people around them!

Jesus said, "The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)

In exciting confirmation of the words brought recently in Chichester and by David Noakes, we review words given at an intercessory prayer day held in Somerset in July.

Across Britain, God is speaking to those who will listen. Just because you pray alone or in a small group, it doesn't mean that God will not speak words of national significance to and through you! He is simply looking for dedicated servants who will spend time in his presence, learning his word faithfully and listening to his heart.

Issachar Ministries has been running a number of intercessory events around the country in recent months, gathering local prayer groups together to intercede for the nation and listen to what God is saying. Last week we reported on their Chichester meeting – this week we bring further news from a similar event held in July, near Wells in Somerset.

Those in attendance gathered themselves into small groups to spend time listening to the Lord, taking notes and feeding back afterwards to the rest of the gathering. Below we have written up the main points and themes that were shared – see if you can spot the similarities to those shared at the Chichester meeting a couple of weeks ago!

Opportunity in Difficult Times

First, many people felt strongly that difficult times lie ahead for Britain, but that in this the Church will have great opportunity for witness.

Warnings were given that our withdrawal from the European Union will not be easy, and that the enemy will try to fight against what God has done. There will be a great need for mature Christians, interceding for the negotiations, helping others to understand God's purposes in Brexit and being directly involved in the business and politics of the exit process. "Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (Heb 5:14).

Words were also given about the degree to which Britain has abandoned her Christian heritage – and how the Church needs to recognise this, and grieve it as Jeremiah grieved over Jerusalem (e.g. Jer 4:19).

Yet, groups also heard that in the difficult times ahead there will come great opportunity for sharing our faith with an unbelieving world. Christians need to arise, pray and actively help others to recognise Jesus – including young people who receive no Christian input in school or at home.

Israel and the Middle East

Some groups were led to pray about the situation in Syria. They fed back that God is weeping over the destruction in that nation, desiring all people to know his love and mercy. It was also felt that Christians should be actively watching what God is doing so that they can explain his purposes to unbelievers.

A number of groups had words about Islam, that God is at work across the Muslim world setting people free from darkness and giving Christians opportunities to witness about their faith. Christians also need to pray for those who come out of Islam into Christianity.

Trusting in the Lord

There were also many encouragements to trust and hope in the Lord, so that the testing times ahead will bear fruit and cause the Church to grow. "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lam 3:25-26). "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength" (Isa 30:15). Finally, it is essential that we become a listening people (not just interceding), so that we are able to proclaim the word of the Lord that he is speaking to his people today.

The teaching of Jesus is that Christians are those who have "crossed over from death to life" (John 5:19). This is the good news that we have to share with others!

By the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses...

You may notice, reading the above, a close congruency with the words shared last week from the Chichester meeting, and also with the word published the previous week from David Noakes. Please note that the Somerset meeting was held in July – well before these others were given or published!

It is wonderful to have such a confirmation of God's 'now' word for Britain, being given through ordinary Christians gathering in different areas across the nation. "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established" (2 Cor 13:1, NKJV).

The Lord is speaking – we hope you will be as encouraged by this as we are, especially if you regularly pray for the nation and/or are part of a local prayer group!

This week's scriptures: Deuteronomy 26:1-29:9; Isaiah 60:1-22; Ephesians 1:3-6; Revelation 21:10-27

As we approach the end of Deuteronomy and the entire Torah, it is good to step back for a little perspective. Deuteronomy comprises a series of farewell sermons given by Moses at the end of Israel's 40-year wanderings in the desert.

He was stepping down as their leader, handing this role on to Joshua, and also stepping down as mediator between the people and God, handing this responsibility on to the Levites. Moses was coming to the end of his life on earth – and one gets the sense reading his final speeches that he knew this, and was going out all guns blazing.

Moses' Swansong

Meanwhile, Israel were poised on the cusp of something entirely new – entry into the Promised Land of milk and honey, which they had been anticipating for generations. And yet, Moses warned them persistently to not detach this new season from their past. They were to never, ever forget where they had come from, nor how God had faithfully and lovingly brought them through to this point.

As Moses led the people through a reminder of their history and their covenant agreement to be the people of God, striking about this week's portion of Scripture is its resemblance to a marriage ceremony. Israel declared their fidelity to God, He declared His fidelity to them (see Deut 26:16-19; 27:9-10), and their mutual devotion was ratified. Then followed the famous blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, which were to be proclaimed from two separate, opposing mountains once Israel had entered the Land (Deut 27:12-13).

As far as Moses went, these messages about obedience were his swansong. What message would you leave with your loved ones if it were your last days on earth? For Moses, it was the injunction to love the Lord, to forget not His benefits and to follow always in His ways.

Why Must We Obey?

Despite the lengths to which some theologians and church leaders have gone to dismiss 'the Law' as irrelevant to Christians today (out with the Old, in with the New), the fact remains that obedience to the Lord's ways always brings blessing – and disobedience always brings consequences that are bad for us and for others, whether these work out in obvious practical ways, or as inner brokenness, or as an open door to the influence of the enemy.

It is simply the way God has ordered creation – that His ways are good and abound in goodness, and that choosing to seek 'the good life' some other way is ultimately futile, since goodness and life reside in God alone. Obedience brings life, allowing God's people to enter into the full inheritance He has for them, and (crucially) to retain permanent hold of it once they enter in. Rebellion can only ever bring pain and death, for there is no other go(o)d besides our awesome and amazing Father.

Deep down, all of us have a gut reaction against obedience, as if it signifies some sort of vindictive slavery. The realisation many of us fail to reach is that every human is a slave to something – if not God and righteousness, then to the power of sin. The goal of our salvation is not to be liberated from slavery – but to see our bondage fully transferred from subservience to the power of sin and death to service in the blessed and glorious Kingdom of God (just read Romans 5:15-23!).

In this, we discover the glorious paradox that God, in His incredible grace, grants us true freedom even as we submit ourselves to His loving rule and reign – He no longer calls us servants, but friends!

Sin Anticipated

Sadly, the bulk of Deuteronomy 28 is given over to curses for disobedience, in ominous and heart-breaking anticipation that Israel would ultimately fail to keep their side of the covenant.

Indeed, we all know that Israel failed time and again to keep their agreement with the Lord (and deep down, we also know that had it been us, we would have likely done the same). But we also know the efforts to which God has gone to restore them (and every single one of us) to His heart, His ways, blessing and abundant life, not through our own attempts at righteousness, but through His "abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness" (Rom 5:17) conferred upon us, through faith, to the praise of His glory.

Though often we must suffer them, God does not abandon us to the consequences of our actions – but uses them to draw us back to Him, with the ultimate goal of total restoration and even more glory brought to His name.

Entering into Salvation

On the cusp of 'life abundant', promised through Jesus Messiah, can we hope to fare any better than Israel did? Only through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit can we ever hope to walk as God sets out for us. Jesus Messiah fulfils the Law entirely so that we might be enabled to do the same, not in our own strength but in His! And that enabling brings us back round full circle, for in following in God's ways, we come to know Jesus Himself more and more (Rom 10:4).

Just as Israel 'entered in' to the Promised Land, so we today can enter in to that promised rest from our own attempts to save (and nourish, and provide for, and protect) ourselves. In so doing, we can be assured of every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3) as we work out the eternal salvation of our souls.

Choose Today Whom You Will Serve

Ultimately, the 'now but not yet' dynamic of salvation will be fulfilled in far more than an earth populated with weak, fallible Christians who constantly fall short of God's standards and see only 'through a glass darkly'. We are moving towards the consummation of history: the marriage of the Messiah to His Bride, a holy people called by His name and prepared in advance for glory (Rev 21). We are still in the preparation stage!

Deuteronomy 28 – indeed the entire Torah – builds up to this eternal choice: life abundant, forever, in intimate love and fellowship with our Creator, or eternal darkness and curse. Today that choice, which Moses presented to the Israelites thousands of years ago, is still as relevant as ever. 

Author: Frances Rabbitts

Maureen Trowbridge reviews 'God Plus One: To Be Where He is and Go Where He is Not' by Andrew Fanstone (2016, New Wine Press).

This is an inspiring and exciting book; I enjoyed it so much I didn't want to get to the end of it! I wanted it to keep going.

Andrew Fanstone was a physiotherapist working in England. Through studying the Bible and listening to what God was saying to him, he came to the conclusion that God wanted him "to be willing to walk as Jesus walked", and that however large the difficulty and opposition might be, 'God + 1 = the majority'. So at 27 years old (in 2001), he left England to go and live and work in Brazil amongst the poor, the drug addicts and the street children.

One Step at a Time

All through the book he gives lucid explanations of walking as Jesus walked, taking one step at a time, because to change the world means stopping each time to change the life of the person in front of you. However difficult the situations were, God was always there with the reassuring words '"I am with you".

Whilst working with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Brazil, Andrew was inspired to pray and believe that God would provide for a building where the street children could be "cared for, restored and meet with God". It was a great challenge but eventually it became a reality, even greater than he had expected.

Throughout the book there are amazing, and very moving, accounts of young people being miraculously rescued from drugs, crime and squalor in the slums and drug dens.

Learning to Listen

After a while God gave Andrew a new instruction to go and listen to people. As he listened, people opened up their hearts and lives to him. Eventually, two other missionaries moved to Fortaleza and it became clear that God wanted them to work together with Andrew. And so, Iris Fortaleza was set up; a group of young radical Christians was formed and a house of prayer was acquired. Although the slum area where they live and work is known for its violence, God's protection has been miraculous throughout.

The teaching in this book on the love and goodness of God and the insights into the way he works are powerful. As Andrew says at the end – "This book is all about people who not only talk the talk but walk the walk".

Do read this book - it will inspire, bless and challenge you.

God Plus One (142 pages) is available from the publisher for £6.99.

In the next part of our series on the relevance of the message of the Prophets for today, Jock Stein gives us another perspective on Ezekiel.

Ezekiel married at the age of 23, in the year 600 BC. Several years later, after Jerusalem fell In 597 BC to King Nebuchadnezzar, he was taken to Babylon as a captive. By the age of 30 he should have been taking up the task for which he was trained, to serve in the house of the Lord as a priest. Instead, God called him to be a prophet. The call had three aspects: "I saw visions of God"; "the word of the Lord came to [him]"; and "the hand of the Lord was upon him" (Ezek 1:1-3).

The book of Ezekiel is an outworking of these three marks of the prophet, and of his threefold response: to see and share the vision; to understand and pass on the word; and, through his behaviour, to become a prophetic sign to Israel. The book of Ezekiel Is made up of two major sections, two minor sections, and a final section:

• Section 1 contains visions of God and of events In Jerusalem, and messages of judgment on Jerusalem -ending with the death of Ezekiel's wife (chapter 24).
• Section 2 contains messages against the surrounding nations (25-32).
• Section 3 contains messages about the fall of Jerusalem (33-34), another word against Edom (35), and two chapters of hope for Israel (36-37).
• Section 4 contains the prophecy against Gog (38-39).
• Section 5 contains a vision of the new temple and of the blessing flowing out to the entire land (40-48).

The prophet clearly had a message for his own day. God said to the exiles through Ezekiel what the prophet Jeremiah was saying to the people back in Jerusalem. The two men had the same dual focus – God, and how he saw the situation; and Jerusalem, and the disobedience of its leaders.

Ezekiel was trained to serve as a priest, but instead God called him to be a prophet.

For most people since then, Ezekiel has been known for just three things:

1. His Vision of God (Ezek 4-28)

This is described in language similar to, but not identical with, that of the book of Revelation. "The big wheel moves by faith, and the little wheel moves by the grace of God", goes a Negro spiritual. What is more important is that it is a dynamic vision – God is on the move!

First, in himself. It is vital to a biblical view that we recognise God's unfolding revelation of himself and that Scripture slowly but steadily prepares us for the doctrine of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit being part of the 'one God'. This is not a theological trick, it is a basic truth about God which tells us that life – human and eternal – requires relationship and community.

Secondly, God is on the move in relation to his people. The blessing of his presence leaves Jerusalem and goes east (Ezek 11:23), to occupy the Mount of Olives, the hill of judgment (Zech 14:4). From there, several hundred years later, Jesus entered Jerusalem as King, to be rejected. From there the Lord returned to the glory of heaven.

The prophet's task is to see and share the vision; to understand and pass on the word; and to live symbolically, as a prophetic sign.

Later in the book of Ezekiel, it is from the east that glory returns to the new temple in Jerusalem (Ezek 43:1-4). Perhaps God has been in exile with his people! That is certainly the message of Scripture as a whole, that nothing can separate us from the love of God - that holy love which judges sin today, as it judged the sin of Jerusalem – and which blesses today, as it blessed the land as a life-giving stream from the presence of God (Ezek 47).

2. His Vision of Bones (Ezek 37:1-14)

This represents the burden of the prophet, and the burden of praying people today. "Can these bones live?" asks the Lord. Ezekiel's response, whether through humility or lack of faith, is, "Lord, you alone know".

Instead of an answer, the Lord tells him to speak the word of life. The dry bones will live, and "then you will know that I am the Lord". That phrase comes 50 times in the book; it is a passion that God and his glory should be, in Lesslie Newbigin's words, 'public truth'. Exile is not the last word. And note this: the fulfilment of prophecy – the return of Israel then, and again today – is a public event. We need the Old Testament to remind us that God intends real change in humanity's political, economic and social life, not just a 'spiritual blessing'. Blessing is a physical as well as a spiritual reality.

One does not take a great risk when prophesying, 'God is going to really bless you next week'! That kind of prophecy is almost as banal (though certainly not as dangerous) as newspaper astrology, and comes very close to 'peddling the word of God' (2 Cor 2:17).

Real prophecy is risky, and may not be fulfilled in the way you expect. Ezekiel in chapters 26-28 prophesied the dramatic fall of Tyre, although chapter 29:17-18 indicates that Tyre was still standing 16 years later – Nebuchadnezzar's 13-year siege actually ending in a diplomatic compromise!

Indeed, not until two centuries later was it conquered, by Alexander the Great. God, however, says that his word will not return empty (Isa 55:11), it will accomplish all that he intends. He can, however, alter his intentions so that his original warning of destruction is not fulfilled – the prophecy having served its purpose in warning people and leading them to repentance (e.g. Jonah 3; Jer 18:5-10).

Real prophecy is risky, and may not be fulfilled when or in the way you expect.

3. His Vision of Himself

There has been a long debate among Christians over the issue of human nature, e.g. how far should we address people as creatures who retain something of the image of God (children of the one Father), and how far should we address them as sinners who are totally lost (rebels who need the Redeemer)? Liberal and conservative spiritualities, whether Catholic or Protestant, have tended to go their separate ways on this particular theological battleground.

The book of Ezekiel, however, provides us with a third approach – Pentecostal spirituality, which is uncomfortable and strange, and therefore more likely to have something to teach us! Ezekiel is a man on whom the hand of the Lord falls, a man filled with the Spirit, and one who sees what is really happening.

Further, he is called through his visions to be a full participant in the message, by acting out the message he has received from God. He becomes a pavement artist to illustrate the siege of Jerusalem (Ezek 4:1-3); he lies on first one side and then the other to portray the punishments of Israel and Judah (Ezek 4:4-8); he eats starvation rations in public (Ezek 4:9-17); he shaves his head and beard as a sign of fire, sword and exile (Ezek 5:1-17) and becomes a refugee (Ezek 12:1-7). People watch, and he explains the meaning of his actions to them.

In Ezekiel's day the market-place was the focus of public meeting. Today it is perhaps the media, especially television. Let us pray for two things: for prophets who will be faithful in 'becoming' the message, and for occasions when the media will make the message public, without distortion. Perhaps this will happen only during a crisis, as was the case at the time when Jeremiah and Ezekiel were raised up to prophesy.

Let us pray for prophets who will faithfully 'become' the message today, and for media opportunities for this to be made public without distortion.

Other Important Aspects of Ezekiel's Message

In addition to the above, there are other aspects of Ezekiel and his message which we need to heed today. Here are just two:

1. The significance of Gog. This is not yet another attempt to identify Gog! Instead, look how the Gog theme is taken up in Revelation (Magog is probably the land of Gog). One commentator describes Gog and his minions as "the enemy who strikes when all seems safe".

In Revelation 20, Gog appears after the millennium of peace, when Satan is let loose for a while to bring out of the darkness every last trace of evil, so that Satan and his empire can be finally destroyed. In the light of this New Testament interpretation, and with the hints of symbolic language in Ezekiel 39 ('seven years, seven months'), we may be wiser to see Ezekiel describing 'the last battle' than a particular Middle East war.

In any case, the main purpose of what is sometimes called 'apocalyptic' in Scripture is not to send us to our television sets looking with unspiritual curiosity for violence in far-off lands, but to bring us to our knees in repentance, and to pray the prayers of the saints – that God will have mercy and hold back his judgment; or that God will work out his righteous will and hasten the day of judgment (i.e. Jer 14:11-12).

2. The clean and the unclean. Ezekiel was a priest as well as a prophet (perhaps this is a reminder that gifts can overlap, and that worship leaders may also be called to prophesy). As a priest he had a keen sense of the holy. That has been lost today for two principal reasons:

1. First, because standards of thought and behaviour among Christians are often low, and reflect the world's view that 'nothing is holy'.
2. Second, because there has been a fashion among theologians to discard any distinction between the sacred and the secular on the grounds that Christ has come to do away with sacrifices, and that, as a result, 'everything is holy'.

The Bible is, however, extremely balanced in its approach to this issue. WS Gilbert (1836-1911), author of comic operas such as HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, once wrote the lyric, "If everyone is somebody, then no-one's anybody". It is true that the Christian faith is relevant to our daily lives, not just Sunday. It is also true that God sets some things and some people apart as special – one day in seven; a tithe on income; a priesthood of believers; salt in an unsalted world – in order that the whole might be blessed.

The Christian faith is relevant to all aspects of daily life – but God also sets some things apart as special.

God gave this message very clearly to Ezekiel; to distinguish between the sacred and the profane, the clean and the unclean (Ezek 44:23). The principle applies today, as in every age, to the conduct of worship; to the character of the believer; and to the life of the church.

We should therefore not be indiscriminate in the way in which we exercise our spiritual gifts or conduct ourselves as believers, but should remember Ezekiel's example and be prepared to act as wholeheartedly as this sixth century BC prophet, who embodied the message he was given by God, and whose life was entirely consistent with the message he preached.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 11 No 3, June 1995. Revised September 2016.

More prophetic words are brought at a day of prayer in Chichester, confirming the prophecy that was given through David Noakes last week.

In last week's editorial we looked at events that have taken place since the Referendum and the vote to leave the European Union. We published a word from my colleague David Noakes that assured us that God is fully in control and that although we must expect "darkness and upheaval in the European institution" we should not be anxious, because God is working out his purposes and will walk with us in the difficult times that lie ahead.

Chichester Day of Prayer and Prophecy

Last week my wife and I led a day of prayer in Chichester. There were quite a large number, most of whom were mature Christians having a good knowledge of the Bible and Christian teaching. At one point during the day we set aside a time of complete quiet to listen to the Lord for what he is saying to his people in Britain today.

Individuals took a note of what they heard and then shared it with others in groups of about ten, who together weighed what was brought. Following this a spokesperson for each group reported back to the whole gathering the most significant words that had been accepted in their group.

Learning from Past Examples

During the day, we had already done some teaching on how the biblical prophets had received revelation from God: how they listened and how they knew that what they were hearing really was from the Lord. We noted that Isaiah heard from God early in the morning, "He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught" (Isa 50:4). We noted how Jeremiah learnt to "stand in the Council of the Lord" (Jer 23:18).

We noted that Jesus promised that his disciples would recognise his voice in the same way as sheep recognise the voice of their shepherd. He said "I am the good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me" (Jn 10:14). Jesus also promised that we would be able to hear the truth through the Holy Spirit. He said "When he the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come" (Jn 16:12-13).

Hearing God Speak

Only two of all those present had seen David's prophecy, which had only just been published. But the remarkable thing was how many of the words reported in the feedback time were in accordance with it. Of course, we should not be surprised at this because if we are all listening to the same Source on behalf of the nation, we should hear a similar message!

At a prayer day in Chichester last weekend, many prophetic words were given in accordance with that given by David Noakes, despite only two people present having read it.

Warnings of Trouble, Hope for Opportunity

Many of the words were warnings of troubled times that lie ahead. A typical word reported by one group was, "Times of great turmoil are coming because the enemy is angry with the vote to leave the European Union. The praying church will be important in the coming battle nevertheless the exit will be successfully completed", but we were also warned about deception, "Watch out that you are not deceived" (Luke 21:8).

We were warned that getting out of Europe will not be easy. It was not easy for the people of Israel to get out of slavery in Egypt. Although they were given permission to leave, the Egyptians chased after them and God had to do a miracle to save them. "When the King of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, 'What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!'" (Ex 14:5). The battle to get out of the EU will be long and hard. There is a great need for Christians to intercede and pray for our negotiators, businessmen and politicians, that righteousness will prevail.

There were a number of prophetic words about the 'fields being ripe for harvest', suggesting that God is giving us a great opportunity to share his truth with others and that many will respond to the Gospel – particularly young people, who are searching for truth in a confusing world of strife and conflict.

Warnings About Israel and the Middle East

There were strong warnings about the situation in the Middle East; "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of the ruins" (Isa 17:1). This is coming true today as Syria is being destroyed, but there is great danger that when the destruction of Syria is completed the nations will turn upon Israel "Come, they say, let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more" (Ps 83:4).

There were strong calls for Christians to stand with Israel in prayer as we approach the close of this age. There were further warnings of storm clouds gathering and a time of darkness coming when the faith of Christians will be severely tested. But this was accompanied by promises that we should not be afraid in difficult times because God knows the way he is taking us (Job 23:10) and he will use the difficult times to cleanse his people.

We were warned that getting out of Europe will not be easy - it was not easy for the people of Israel to get out of slavery in Egypt.

With Jesus' Help

God will also strengthen us during the testing times for Jesus has promised that he will never leave us alone. As he prayed for his first disciples, he is still interceding with the Father for his disciples today. In his prayer to the Father, Jesus said, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" (Jn 17:15).

We know that this editorial is different from our usual brand, but the editors felt that it was important to report these words, which we believe to be from the Lord at this special time in the history of our nation. They are particularly important because they have come through ordinary Christians, who are members of prayer groups from many different churches – not ministry leaders or clergy. Clearly God is speaking to his people today!

These prayer groups are scattered around the South Downs area of England – and our team has been leading similar days in different parts of the country. Next month we are in Rochester, Kent, when we may publish a further report. We do hope that this is an encouragement to all praying Christians.

This week's scriptures: Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19; Isaiah 54:1-10; Matthew 5:27-30; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5

This week's Torah portion contains a large number of different "miscellaneous laws". Christians might be tempted to scan them quickly and, respectfully noting with interest what Moses taught to the ancient tribes of Israel, move on to what might seem more relevant.

Yet, would Paul the Apostle have done this? Or would he have meditated carefully on each law so that he could understand it in the context of the New Covenant?

Paul's Awakening

We don't have many examples to go on. I wonder what Paul discussed with the congregations of believers that are not recorded in his letters, expounding the Torah in the light of the New Covenant. Wouldn't you have liked to listen in to some of those unrecorded sermons?

He had the advantage of being schooled in the Torah by Rabbi Gamaliel before the blinding light on the Road to Damascus enabled him to understand that Jesus was the perfect and final focus of the Torah. Then, later, he would understand how the Holy Spirit would write the Torah on the hearts of Jesus' disciples.

Feeding Oxen and Paying Ministers

One example of his teaching that we do have illustrates how Paul understood the heart principles of Torah in a practical way. In our Torah portion this week, Moses taught, "you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain" (Deut 25:4). Paul took the heart principle of this 'law' to show Timothy that ministers of the Gospel are deserving of double honour and worthy of being paid (1 Tim 5:17-18). Most of us would not have drawn this link between feeding oxen and providing for ministers of the Gospel.

It is a pity we do not have some more examples, but this means we are left to do the work ourselves. Paul did not turn the New Testament into a New Covenant rulebook. If he did, we might find ourselves returning to the written law overmuch rather than the life of the Spirit. Instead, there is balance to achieve between the foundation of the Old Covenant and the fulfilment of the New. We have our own studies to do in order to be able to understand Torah from a heart perspective.

My view is that the Holy Spirit, who writes Torah on our hearts, uses the written Torah as a prompt in our meditations. By careful study of even what seems remote and irrelevant in Scripture, we will find ourselves gradually becoming like Paul, handling the entire Bible like a skilled workman.

Parapets and Protection

Let's take another seemingly 'miscellaneous' law and draw out a deeper meaning.

When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring guilt of bloodshed on your household if anyone falls from it. (Deut 22:8)

Taken literally this seems hardly applicable to our houses in the West with their pointed roofs, especially with our weather, when no-one would go up on our roof for recreation! Yet, the heart principle comes straight from the second of the greatest commandments – "you shall love your neighbour as yourself". This aspect of love is concerned with their safety when they visit you, perhaps sharing a meal with you in the evening sun, on your roof. Yet, when we realise this is about health and safety, we realise it is but one example of the many ways we must build protection around our neighbours.

Nations that have been impacted deeply by the truths of the Bible have also been safety-conscious, conforming to this principle of parapets perhaps without even realising it – guards on machinery, insulation on electric components, nailing carpets down, safety equipment, search and rescue organisations, medical care, etc. These are all 'safety parapets' of protection.¹

Going Deeper

There are deep spiritual parallels too. Consider the call of the watchman in Ezekiel 33:

When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, the wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. (Ezek 33:8)

Here the 'parapet' is the word of warning that the watchman has been told to deliver by the mouth of the watchman - a metaphorical parapet. The word of God is a spiritual protection, in the same way as a physical parapet on a roof is a physical protection. Both are matters of life and death and related to responsibility for the blood of another.

How much blood is on the hands of our nation's leaders (both physical and spiritual) for the way protection has been taken away from many areas of the nation's life in the present day? It even begins in the protective environment of the womb, where 'parapets' have been taken down in our generation. Lifeblood of unborn children has been shed by the liberalisation of our abortion laws. That is how serious it is to maintain the heart principles of Torah.

And Yet Deeper

Nearing the end of his ministry Paul was able to say,

Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:26-27)

When he sat under Gamaliel and studied Torah he would surely have know the importance of the parapet on a flat roof. With that principle of protection growing by the Spirit in his heart he also knew the depth of responsibility to fulfil his ministry. The word of God became a protection to those who received it – in this life and for the future life to come. This is responsibility for the blood (life) of others as much as a parapet on a roof.

Our Ministry Too

All of us who are given a portion of ministry in the world and church have this same responsibility, to bring protection to others afforded by the proclamation of the word of God, as God himself directs.

Oxen and parapets are just two example from the 'miscellaneous laws' of our Torah portion this week. Let's take time over the entire portion this week and see what other spiritual truths the Lord plants and waters in our hearts.

Author: Dr Clifford Denton

¹It is important to distinguish between Spirit-led care for others and the wrongly motivated hyper-consciousness of health and safety so rife today. The latter may be motivated by exactly the opposite of love for one's neighbour (e.g. concern to protect oneself from legal battles caused by an accusation of some form of negligence, itself often motivated by greed by someone pursuing an exaggerated claim for compensation).