The regular cycle of Torah readings will begin again next week, so this week we have the opportunity to divert a little from the cycle. Let's go back to the time of Jesus and look at what happened when Jesus went to his own local synagogue and joined in the regular readings from the scriptures.

If a person were called forward to read a scripture in church today, we would listen in expectation to see if it were relevant to us, hoping to feed on the word.

2,000 years ago, in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus came forward to read from the Prophet Isaiah. Did Jesus share a scripture that he had privately prepared, just as we might in our churches? Or is there a context to this incident that brings an element of awe to this passage from Luke?

In Jesus' day, the Sabbath readings were prescribed from the Torah. Typically, four men, each considered mature in the community, would be given a share of the weekly parashah (Torah portion). They would come forward, stand to read and sit to teach briefly on an aspect of the reading. The teaching would be interactive (hence they would be seated to show equality). Following this would come the Haftarah reading, where one more trusted man from the community would come forward in the same way to read from the Prophets.

The origin of the Hafatarah (a Hebrew word translated as parting or taking leave) is uncertain. One theory is that the tradition of this additional reading came from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Seleucid King who invaded and ruled Judea ruthlessly from 168 BC prior to the time of the Maccabean Revolt. He forbade the reading of Torah as one of his strategies to destroy Judaism. Therefore, the Jewish leaders contrived a way of preserving their readings of scripture by taking parallel readings from the Prophets that reflected something from the prescribed Torah readings.

By the time of Jesus, Torah reading had been restored and the Haftarah reading was also preserved. This is still the tradition today.

It would be interesting to go back to Jesus' day and visit a synagogue (meeting place) and see how Torah and Haftarah readings were made relevant to the congregation by those who stood to read and sat to teach, and how the congregation interacted and discussed the passage. Would it be dry ritual or full of life? We might learn something from this structured approach to scripture where Torah was central.

So Jesus stepped forward and took the scroll of Isaiah. All eyes were fixed on him and all ears were open. He read from Isaiah 61 from verse 1 (as we have it in our Bibles) to halfway through verse 2:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. Because He has appointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

But where was this on the weekly schedule and what relevance would Jesus bring through it? The prescribed Haftarah reading nearest to this is on 21 Elul (24 September this year), when the reading is the whole of Isaiah 60. The following week the Haftarah begins from verse 10 of Isaiah 61.¹ Jesus' reading extended one week's portion and preceded the other.

Furthermore, these readings are in the middle of what is known as the 40 Days of Awe, the days leading up to the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) in the month of Tishrei, which follows Elul. My thought is that he read on 21 Elul and went beyond the prescribed reading.

Understood in this way, this was a very special day indeed! A reading from the Prophets that was a fulfilment of prophecy, all timed within the yearly cycle! It was no wonder the congregation was shocked and did not know quite how to react. Jesus extended their Haftarah reading right in the midst of the season leading up to the High Holy Days of Israel, not just reading from the Prophets but announcing who he was and is as Messiah of Israel!

Just as the Passover was fulfilled by his sacrifice three and a half years later, so his ministry began in his own town with this timely announcement as fulfilment of the exact scripture (give or take a verse) that they would have been reading anyway. This was the first place that Jesus went after his baptism and temptation in the wilderness (which also overlapped the Days of Awe). A day of awe indeed! He came to announce the opening of God's acceptable "year" first to his own little town.

Note that he did not finish verse 2 of Isaiah 61, which goes on to announce the beginning of the Day of vengeance of our God. That is reserved for a future time after the Gospel has gone to the entire world. We, today, are still halfway through Isaiah 61:2!

2,000 years on from that day in Nazareth, multitudes have had time to assess what came upon that congregation by surprise. Millions are still coming to faith in that carpenter from Nazareth who took his own town by surprise. He really is the Messiah of Israel, King of the Jews and Saviour of the world. How slow some people are to perceive it!

Oh that our own Bible readings would retain such life and relevance as we meet together in our own assemblies week by week. Yet if he is amongst us they will surely always be fresh and relevant, and bring new aspects of revelation of who he is - just as on that day.

Author: Dr Clifford Denton

Weekly Reading: Luke 4:16-30

Paul Luckraft reviews 'When the Cross Became a Sword' by Merrill Bolender (2011, 80 pages)

This book is described as a primer on the origin and consequences of Replacement Theology and as such it is slight in terms of pages and inexpensive. Its value is that its size makes it a simple reference guide and it has large print for easy reading.

The author admits his intention is not to provide a comprehensive treatment but "to paint a clear picture with 'broad brush strokes'" (p11). He adds that he is not trying to demean or judge others, but to help people to "learn and move ahead so that we can avoid repeating similar mistakes in the future" (p12).

Endorsing a Hebraic Mindset

He upholds the view of those who insist that Replacement Theology is nowhere to be found in the Bible being based on nothing more than presupposition, but he is aware that its impact can be highly destructive. He shows how small errors made early in its history has thrown the Church off course and has led over time to greater and greater divergence from biblical truth.

Bolender starts with an examination of Romans 11 and exhorts a Hebrew mindset which enables us to interpret Scripture in a plain and literal way, without always having to resort to an allegorical or spiritualising approach. He shows how the early Church Fathers abandoned their Hebraic roots and embraced Greek thinking, in particular a 'Christianised' form of Plato's philosophy.

Bolender's book is a short and inexpensive primer on the origin and consequences of Replacement Theology – ideal for giving away to those new to the topic.

From Cross to Sword

As he works his way historically from Constantine through the atrocities of the Middle Ages to the Crusades there are plenty of examples and quotes which back up his main thesis that indeed the Cross became a sword. A particularly telling comment is that "the early apostles would not have recognised the Church in her new form" (p37).

In keeping with the overall aim of providing a brief introduction, Bolender provides short chapters (in some cases just two or three pages) on the Inquisition, examples from Russian history, the Reformation and Luther, and inevitably the Holocaust. Much of this material is found elsewhere in much more detail (see, for instance, other books previously reviewed in Prophecy Today, those by Gordon Pettie and Joel Richardson) but this book is perhaps the one that is the easiest to give away to those who need their eyes opening to this important topic. There is a good four-page glossary at the end to help those coming to this for the first time, and a useful two-page bibliography to enable further reading.

The author wants Gentiles to see how blessed they are by being grafted in to all the wonderful advantages of a rich Jewish heritage.

Above all, the author wants Gentiles to see how blessed they are by being grafted in to all the wonderful advantages of a rich Jewish heritage, and he strongly advocates that although we cannot correct past wrongs, we can certainly can do something about the present and, in so doing, we can help change the future.

'When the Cross Became a Sword' is available as an e-book for £3.07 via Amazon Kindle. Available elsewhere in paperback.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Babylon in Europe' by David Hathaway (2006, 74 pages, New Wine Ministries)

David Hathaway is well known as an evangelist who has ministered worldwide for over 60 years. He is also the founder and president of Eurovision Mission to Europe and the Editorial Director of Prophetic Vision magazine. This small book remains one of his most important contributions to a wider readership and one that would repay serious consideration as we approach the EU Referendum.

David makes no claim to be a prophet but he does insist that God has "given me a revelation which I believe to be not only scriptural but vitally important for today" (p7). If that was the case ten years ago, then how much more so today?

He starts by looking into what was behind the formation of a single European State and why pressure came in the 21^st Century to create a 'European Union' which had never previously existed.

He accepts that there are political, social and economic reasons but also asserts that there is a biblical background to this in terms of prophetic fulfilment. He gives a brief historical summary of the road to the European Union but his major purpose in the book is to make three significant links between the EU and Bible prophecy.

Hathaway starts by asking why pressure came in the first place to create a 'European Union' which never previously existed.

The EU in Prophecy: Hathaway's Interpretation

The first is that the European Parliament building in Strasbourg bears strong resemblance to the shape of the Tower of Babel (as depicted in the oil paintings of Bruegel the Elder, and cleverly merged with the parliament building on the book's cover) which was a symbol of rebellion against God. The EU "want to restore and finish what God destroyed" (p16).

The author also points us towards the vision of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 which showed five world empires, the last being interpreted as the restored Roman Empire which, according to David, "is the EU, exactly as we have it today" (p16).

His third link is that 'Europe' took its name from Europa, who in Greek myth was raped by Jupiter who took the form of a bull. She became the 'Queen of Heaven' and the EU constantly uses the image from Revelation 17 of this woman on the beast.

Banning God

Whether or not you agree with David that "the EU is part of the preparation for the rise of the False Prophet and the Antichrist" (p19), what is clear is that the EU deliberately set out to remove God from any of its foundational principles. The author shows how the decision to ban God from the Constitution was taken "behind closed doors, by an unelected group" (p47). All reference to God was removed leaving only the values of godless humanism and exalted human reason to undergird the whole Constitution of Europe. As such it is the spirit of Babylon that operates at the centre of Europe.

The EU was set up with God deliberately excluded from its foundational principles.

Being an evangelist at heart, David inevitably concludes that there is still a chance for change, and he offers his vision of a Europe won for Christ by those with a zeal to pray and preach the gospel. But these spiritual weapons can only be used effectively if it is clearly understood where the main challenge lies and what kind of battle we are in. To this end, David's book remains an important contribution today.

'Babylon in Europe' is available for £5 from David Hathaway's website, Prophetic Vision, or for £4.99 from RoperPenberthy.

Its accompanying documentary film, The Rape of Europe, is available on Youtube and has been reviewed recently over at Heart Newspaper.

 ***Event notice***

David Hathaway will be speaking at this year's Christian Resources Exhibition, at 2pm on Friday 20 May. For further information click here.

Clifford Denton discusses Jean Darnall's visions of revival in Britain and Europe.

Jean Darnall's visions of revival in Britain and Europe, originally seen in 1967, may well still be relevant today. They were published more recently in 1993.¹ Information concerning these visions has circulated widely and they have long been accepted as authentic prophecy to our nation. It is fitting, therefore, to include them in this short series leading up to the EU Referendum, as we consider the nation's future from a prophetic perspective.

Conditions on Prophecy

Before reviewing these visions let us first consider the matter of conditions on prophecy. Many visions and spoken words circulating today promise particular events or developments, but seem to lack conditions. It is as if they herald what is inevitably going to happen, irrespective of our response. I would, however, propose that conditions are almost always applicable to prophecies that promise future events.

Consider, for example, God's covenant with Israel. Deuteronomy 28 is a clear statement of blessings that will follow obedience and curses that will follow disobedience. This was summed up in Deuteronomy 11:26-28:

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God...The curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God... [emphases added]

The principle of conditions applying to God's vision for the future is instilled into the Hebraic mindset - a paradox of two futures simultaneously being set before a people. Which future unfolded for Israel was conditional on the way the people behaved.

The principle of conditions applying to God's vision for the future is instilled into the Hebraic mindset.

I would suggest that this Hebraic mindset should be implicit in our own testing of all prophecy. I am not saying that there are not times when the Lord acts unconditionally, but that we would be wise to accept that most predictive prophecy we receive today has conditions, even if they are not explicitly stated.

To verify this point let us read again the conditions that are stated in Jeremiah 18:7-10:

The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in my sight so that it does not obey my voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. [emphases added]

When we see a vision from the Lord or hear a word of prophecy concerning our nation, what lies ahead is conditional on our response to the word. If we have been given a promise of blessing, it is conditional on our continuing in God's ways. If we have been given a warning of woe, its withholding is conditional on our heeding the warning and turning from our wrongdoing.

Let us have this in mind as we continue to assess the situation of the UK before God in terms of the prophecies we are testing. We must also make sure to distinguish between what the Lord is saying about our nation as a whole, and what he is saying about the community of believers within the nation. Depending on what the focus is, the requirement for response may well vary.

Jean Darnall

Now let us turn to the visions for Britain given to Jean Darnall, which were expressly to the British Church. Jean Darnall was one of the influential leaders in the charismatic movement and considered to be a reliable prophetic voice in the nation. She ministered in many other countries too. The background to her ministry is on her website. I quote here the first paragraph of her testimony:

Converted as a teenager, following a miraculous healing, Jean Darnall began her preaching and healing ministry at the age of sixteen. Later, she and her husband, Elmer, went to Panama as ordained missionaries for the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Following their missionary service, they planted Foursquare churches in Canada and the eastern United States.

The visions that she had for Britain are published in the book referenced below.² A useful summary can also be found here.

The visions were seen in 1967 and were possibly fulfilled in the charismatic movement, which was soon to break forth. However, by revisiting the visions we can test whether they have been totally fulfilled or whether there are valid aspects of them that are still relevant for the future, especially concerning Europe.

When we receive a vision or prophecy from the Lord, what lies ahead is conditional on our response to the word.

Visions of Revival

At the time in 1967, Jean Darnall was planning to go from the USA to Hong Kong via England, where she had the third experience of a vision she had seen twice before. On account of the visions, she remained for ministry in the UK.

In the vision, the British Isles were covered in green mist and there were pinpoints of light breaking through in various places which, on closer examination, were seen to be fires breaking out all over the nation, from Scotland to Lands End.

As these fires were joined together they burned brighter. Then rivers of fire flowed from North to South; from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales into England, some crossing the channel into Europe.

The fires were interpreted to be groups of people who were intensely hungry for the word of God and for authentic New Testament Christianity, showing discontent with the Church as it was and coming together in Prayer and Bible study groups in church buildings and in homes.

Jean Darnall asked the Lord about the vision and had the distinct impression that there would be two moves of God. The first would be the renewal of Christian faith and fullness of the Holy Spirit within the Church.

This would be followed by renewal of life in the church through a fresh awakening which would move into every aspect of the nation's life, including universities, colleges, schools, and into the media and the government.

Jean Darnall saw visions of successive moves of God – renewing the Church, the nation and beyond into Europe.

The character of the nation of Britain would be transformed and be followed by a move of God in Europe. Every part of the nation's life would feel the impact of the spiritual awakening and God would move in signs and wonders. Gifted communicators would address the nation through the media, including the arts, journalism, radio and television. Actors, singers, teachers and other powerful communicators would be called to this ministry and the Lord would also call many of the younger generation to it.

Weighing and Testing

This is a very brief summary of the visions, which in 1967 were received by many as prophetic. This was a prophecy to the Church at the time, but with a vision for the nation as well.

No conditions were stated so, in the light of what was said at the beginning of this study, we must consider what the conditions might be.

• How were/are the fellowships represented by the lights to come about? Was/is it conditional on prayer, and were/are the praying groups those whom the Lord would first awaken to be those lights?
• What are the conditions that would lead to the great move of the Lord across Britain and Europe also mentioned in the prophecy?
  • Reviewing the history of the Church over the decades since 1967, the charismatic movement could be seen as a fulfilment of this prophecy, but we have not yet seen a greater awakening in our nation and across Europe. Indeed, some would say, on overall reflection, that the charismatic movement has borne considerable good fruit, but also some bad fruit.
• This prophecy does not stand alone - perhaps it is part of the fulfilment of the Mother Barbara prophecy, which we highlighted two weeks ago. Also consider how it overlaps with the prophecy given by Smith Wigglesworth, which we highlighted last week. Perhaps the move of God's Spirit did not (or has not yet) merged with a thirst to study the Scriptures. Is that a condition that has to be fulfilled, and will it be fulfilled?

As we prayerfully test each of these prophecies and put them alongside others, does an overall picture emerge - of both vision and conditions for fulfilment? This is a sensitive issue and will not be resolved unless we turn to the Lord in prayer, so that is what we must do. This is a key moment in the history of the Church and of our nation.

Next time: Paul Slennett's vision concerning a coming financial earthquake.

References

¹ Black, H. Revival, Including the Prophetic Vision of Jean Darnall, New Dawn Books.

² See note 1.

Charles Gardner comments on the controversy.

I was struck with a mysterious sense of déjà vu when, having spent much of the afternoon researching the life and times of Theodor Herzl, inspiration for the Jewish nation, I heard on the news that a red-hot political row had broken out over anti-Semitism.

I had just been witnessing movie scenes¹ of the shocking racist incidents that probably drove Herzl into an early grave as he vowed to do something about it. Yet now, some 120 years after his campaign to establish a Jewish national home got off the ground, anti-Semitism is still rife in Europe's corridors of power.

The Labour Party, Britain's official opposition which has traditionally had the support of most Jews, is reeling from the shockwaves of anti-Jewish feeling expressed by some of its leading figures.

First we heard of the suspension of a Labour MP for having posted anti-Israel comments on social media,² then it was the resignation of an Oxford University Labour group leader sickened by anti-Semitism in its ranks.³ Then we learnt of a young Labour councillor forced to resign after it emerged she had tweeted that Hitler was "the greatest man in history".⁴

And now former London Mayor Ken Livingstone takes to the airwaves to defend a Labour MP suspended on similar grounds.

After claiming Hitler was a Zionist who, in 1932, believed Jews should be moved to Israel, Mr Livingstone invoked a tirade of invective not only from opponents, but from many within his own party including a Nottinghamshire MP, John Mann, who confronted him in the street and called him a "disgusting, lying racist" and "Nazi apologist".⁵

Britain's official opposition is reeling from shockwaves of anti-Jewish feeling expressed by some of its leading figures.

Around 30 Labour MPs, including several Shadow Cabinet members, demanded Mr Livingstone be expelled from the party (he has been suspended) and there was outrage over the decision by Mr Corbyn to issue a public telling off to Mr Mann.

Labour peer Lord Dubs – who escaped the Nazis as a child through Britain's Kindertransport scheme – is "enormously troubled" by the row. "What we need is firm leadership; the leadership has been a bit slow in responding [to anti-Semitism]", he told a British TV news programme. Jewish Labour donor David Abrahams, who has given £650,000 to the party, called for Mr Corbyn to resign, saying a new leader was needed to cut out the 'cancer' of anti-Semitism.⁶

As for Mr Livingstone's claim, historian Andrew Roberts says it's a "grotesque mangling of the historical record", adding: "The idea that Hitler ever wanted a fully-functioning successful Jewish state in Palestine...is ludicrous."⁷

Mr Corbyn, for his part, who has referred to terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah as "friends", denies the party is in crisis.

Godlessness in the Public Square

The chilling aspect of all this is that it is not something taking place in a dark corner. It's in the public square, at the very centre of British politics. And I have a hunch what lies behind it.

The root cause, I believe, is the growing godlessness in the nation, and especially in the Labour Party. What a travesty for a political movement launched by devout Christians like Keir Hardie determined to let their faith make a difference to society by campaigning for a fairer share of wealth (for example). But what motivates them now?

People who are godless hit out at those who are special to God. That's what happened in Hitler's case; it led to mass murder and mayhem, but ended in disaster and defeat for the dictator and his people. As Genesis 12:3 says, those who bless Israel will themselves be blessed - but those who curse Israel will be cursed.

The chilling aspect of all this is that it is not taking place in a dark corner. It's in the public square - at the centre of British politics.

Steven Jaffe, a member of the UK's Jewish Board of Deputies, made this point earlier in the year when he said that the Holocaust had been spawned by godlessness and the rejection of faith. He said the exodus from Egypt was immediately followed by the battle with Amalek, who had no reason to attack Israel. There was no territorial dispute or history of conflict, for example. And they attacked the sick and the elderly – those who were most vulnerable. (Deut 25:17-18)

"The conflict with Amalek is not over", he said. Amalek denied God and his power in the same way the Nazis did, and the latter mirrored their lack of mercy.

Never Again?

The poisonous view that God does not exist naturally leads to godless behaviour and thought. Pledges of never letting another Holocaust occur are not enough, in my opinion; without a recovery of faith in the God of Israel, there can be no guarantee that it won't happen again.

The only safe place to be – in the long term – is in God's hands, doing his work. I challenge the Labour Party to return to its Judeo-Christian roots.

References

1 It is no dream. Moriah Films collection, Simon Wiesenthal Centre.

2 MP Naz Shah suspended from Labour. BBC News, 27 April 2016.

3 Tran, M. Labour opens inquiry into antisemitism allegations at Oxford student club. The Guardian, 17 February 2016.

4 Labour councillor suspended over claims she called Hitler 'the greatest man in history'. The Telegraph, 10 April 2016.

5 Daily Mail, 29 April 2016

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

Don't have time to browse our selection of reviews and interviews? Here's an alphabetical list (by title):

Reviews

A-E

Abraham's Vision (DVD, Hatikvah Films)

Almost Midnight (Richard Thompson)

Angela Merkel: The Authorized BiographyAngela Merkel: The Authorized Biography (Stefan Kornelius)

Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts (Richard Booker)

CFI Booklets: the Feasts and the Jewishness of Jesus

CFI Booklets: Jewish prayer, the Jewishness of Jesus and the Synagogue

CFI Booklets: Praying for Israel

The Christian in an Age of Terror: Selected Sermons of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Ed. Michael Eaton)

Christianity: A Complete Introduction (Young and Hoyland)

The Church and the Charter (Thomas Andrew)

The Day is Yours (Ian Stackhouse)

Embracing the Poor (New Frontiers)

End-Time Survivor (Neil Turner)

F-K

The Feasts of the Lord (Howard and Rosenthal)

God and Churchill (Sandys and Henley)

God Plus One: To Be Where He is and to Go Where He is Not (Andrew Fanstone)

God's Chaos Candidate (Lance Wallnau)

God's Faithfulness (Dowsett and Berry)

The Good Shepherd (Kenneth E Bailey)

Grace: The Remarkable Life of Grace Grattan Guinness (Michelle Guinness)

Has Anyone Seen My Father? (Marion Daniel)

Has God Really Finished With Israel? (Mark Dunman)

Hebraic Church (Steve Maltz)

Hebrew-English Bibles on CD-ROM

How the Church Lost The Truth...and How it Can Find it Again (Steve Maltz)

How the Church Lost The Way...and How it Can Find it AgainHow the Church Lost The Way...and How it Can Find it Again (Steve Maltz)

In the Footsteps of St PeterIn the Footsteps of St Peter (DVD, David Suchet, BBC)

Islam: Threat or Truth? (Andrew Baguley)

Israel: A Sign and a Wonder (Andrew Baguley)

Jacob's Tears (DVD, Hatikvah Films)

The Jews: Why Have Christians Hated Them? (Gordon Pettie)

The Lord's Orchard (Colin Urquhart)

M-O

Magna Carta, Religion and the Rule of Law (Ed. Griffith-Jones, Hill)

Magna Carta Unravelled (Wilberforce Publications, Voice for Justice)

The Mansion House of Liberty: The Untold Story of Christian Britain (John Bradley)

The Messianic Church Arising (Robert D Heidler)

Mission at Nuremberg (Tim Townsend)

The Mission of God (Joe Boot)

My Rock, My Refuge (Timothy Keller)

Nevertheless (CAP, John Kirkby)

NIV Audio Bible App (read by David Suchet)

NIV First-Century Study Bible (notes by Kent Dobson)

Older Younger Brother (Canon Andrew White)

On Rock or Sand? (John Sentamu)

One Flesh (Peter Sammons)

Outcast Nation (Steve Maltz)

Out of the Desert (Mike Dwight)

P-S

Paradoxology (Krish Kandiah)

Peace in Jerusalem - but the battle is not over yet! (Charles Gardner)

Preparing for the Economic Storm (Derrick Burns)

In the Footsteps of St Peter (John Petley)

Reading Backwards (Richard B Hays)

Ready or Not - He is Coming (Stephanie Cottam)

The Return of Jesus Christ (Mark Dunman)

The Returning King (Claire Lambert)

The Routledge Introductory Course in Biblical Hebrew (Lily Kahn)

The Secular Terrorist: The Slow Suicide of Christian Britain (Peter Mullen)

The Servant Queen (HOPE, LICC, Bible Society)

Signs: The Significance of Biblical Prophecy (Neil Mackereth)

Simply Good News (Tom Wright)

Storytelling (Martin Goldsmith)

T-Z

Teachings of the Torah (Ed. Kent Dobson)

Too Many to Jail - The Story of Iran's New Christians (Mark Bradley)

The Way of Wisdom (Patrick Whitworth)

To Life! (Steve Maltz)

What Am I Worth? (Marion Daniel)

What Are They Teaching the Children? (Ed. Lynda Rose)

What is God Doing in Israel? (Julia Fisher)

When a Jew Rules the World (Joel Richardson)

A Wind in the House of Islam (David Garrison)

A Wondering Jew (John Fieldsend)

Interviews

Marion Daniel and Sozo Ministries (Part 1)

Marion Daniel and Sozo Ministries (Part 2)

The David House

Instant Apostle Michelle Guinness (Author)

The Mount Moriah Trust

Neil Mackereth (Author)

Steve Maltz (Author)

Sally Richardson and the 'Israel and Prophecy' group

Neil Turner (Author)

The American College of Pediatricians speaks out about the damage that politically correct gender ideology can do to children.

After Dr Lisa Nolland's article last week on the LGBT movement, today we quote at length from a statement made by the American College of Pediatricians (March 2016), which gives a professional medical perspective on the harm that gender ideology can do to children. You can read the full statement by clicking this link.

Originally posted March 21, 2016 – a temporary statement with references. A full statement will be published in summer 2016. Updated with Clarifications on April 6, 2016.

"The American College of Pediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality.

1. Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: "XY" and "XX" are genetic markers of health – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species. This principle is self-evident. The exceedingly rare disorders of sex development (DSDs), including but not limited to testicular feminization and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, are all medically identifiable deviations from the sexual binary norm, and are rightly recognized as disorders of human design. Individuals with DSDs do not constitute a third sex.

2. No one is born with a gender. Everyone is born with a biological sex. Gender (an awareness and sense of oneself as male or female) is a sociological and psychological concept; not an objective biological one. No one is born with an awareness of themselves as male or female; this awareness develops over time and, like all developmental processes, may be derailed by a child's subjective perceptions, relationships, and adverse experiences from infancy forward. People who identify as "feeling like the opposite sex" or "somewhere in between" do not comprise a third sex. They remain biological men or biological women.

3. A person's belief that he or she is something they are not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking. When an otherwise healthy biological boy believes he is a girl, or an otherwise healthy biological girl believes she is a boy, an objective psychological problem exists that lies in the mind not the body, and it should be treated as such. These children suffer from gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria (GD), formerly listed as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is a recognized mental disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V). The psychodynamic and social learning theories of GD/GID have never been disproved.

4. Puberty is not a disease and puberty-blocking hormones can be dangerous. Reversible or not, puberty- blocking hormones induce a state of disease – the absence of puberty – and inhibit growth and fertility in a previously biologically healthy child.

5. According to the DSM-V, as many as 98% of gender confused boys and 88% of gender confused girls eventually accept their biological sex after naturally passing through puberty.

6. Children who use puberty blockers to impersonate the opposite sex will require cross-sex hormones in late adolescence. Cross-sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) are associated with dangerous health risks including but not limited to high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke and cancer.

7. Rates of suicide are twenty times greater among adults who use cross-sex hormones and undergo sex reassignment surgery, even in Sweden which is among the most LGBQT – affirming countries. What compassionate and reasonable person would condemn young children to this fate knowing that after puberty as many as 88% of girls and 98% of boys will eventually accept reality and achieve a state of mental and physical health?

8. Conditioning children into believing that a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse. Endorsing gender discordance as normal via public education and legal policies will confuse children and parents, leading more children to present to "gender clinics" where they will be given puberty-blocking drugs. This, in turn, virtually ensures that they will "choose" a lifetime of carcinogenic and otherwise toxic cross-sex hormones, and likely consider unnecessary surgical mutilation of their healthy body parts as young adults.

Michelle A. Cretella, M.D.
President of the American College of Pediatricians

Quentin Van Meter, M.D.
Vice President of the American College of Pediatricians
Pediatric Endocrinologist

Paul McHugh, M.D.
University Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the former psychiatrist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital

The bottom line: Our opponents advocate a new scientifically baseless standard of care for children with a psychological condition (GD) that would otherwise resolve after puberty for the vast majority of patients concerned. Specifically, they advise: affirmation of children's thoughts which are contrary to physical reality; the chemical castration of these children prior to puberty with GnRH agonists (puberty blockers which cause infertility, stunted growth, low bone density, and an unknown impact upon their brain development), and, finally, the permanent sterilization of these children prior to age 18 via cross-sex hormones.

There is an obvious self-fulfilling nature to encouraging young GD children to impersonate the opposite sex and then institute pubertal suppression. If a boy who questions whether or not he is a boy (who is meant to grow into a man) is treated as a girl, then has his natural pubertal progression to manhood suppressed, have we not set in motion an inevitable outcome? All of his same sex peers develop into young men, his opposite sex friends develop into young women, but he remains a pre-pubertal boy. He will be left psychosocially isolated and alone. He will be left with the psychological impression that something is wrong. He will be less able to identify with his same sex peers and being male, and thus be more likely to self identify as "non-male" or female.

Moreover, neuroscience reveals that the pre-frontal cortex of the brain which is responsible for judgment and risk assessment is not mature until the mid-twenties. Never has it been more scientifically clear that children and adolescents are incapable of making informed decisions regarding permanent, irreversible and life-altering medical interventions.

For this reason, the College maintains it is abusive to promote this ideology, first and foremost for the well-being of the gender dysphoric children themselves, and secondly, for all of their non-gender-discordant peers, many of whom will subsequently question their own gender identity, and face violations of their right to bodily privacy and safety."

For the full statement with footnotes and explanations, click here.

Quoted with permission from the American College of Pediatricians (ACPEDS). The ACPEDS website contains a wealth of scientific information and resources in defence of biblical principles regarding family, sexuality, health and life.

Join with us this week to test Smith Wigglesworth's 1947 prophecy of revival.

Smith Wigglesworth was a well-known evangelist. He had humble beginnings in life, took up the trade of a plumber and was then powerfully used in a world-wide ministry of evangelism with miraculous healings and miracles accompanying the ministry of the word. He lived from 8 June 1859 to 12 March 1947.¹

Shortly before he died in 1947, he delivered the following prophecy:

During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it, and will be characterised by the restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches. In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say, 'This is a great revival.' But the Lord says, 'No, neither is this the great revival but both are steps towards it.'

When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidence in the churches of something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit.

When the word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest move of the Holy Spirit that the nations, and indeed, the world have ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and Welsh revivals of former years.

The outpouring of God's Spirit will flow over from the United Kingdom to mainland Europe, and from there, will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.

Our purpose in highlighting these prophecies in Prophecy Today is to ask our readers to test them afresh, especially with the upcoming EU Referendum in mind. What is God doing in the world in these crucial days? What is he saying to our nation as a whole and to the Church in particular?

God uses the ministry of prophecy in our day but rather differently from Old Testament time. Since the special Day of Pentecost when God began to pour out his Spirit on all believers, the New Covenant brought about a new way when all believers would know God personally. Prophecy comes in whatever way God chooses and it then becomes a matter for our local communities to test together.

Over the weeks leading up to the Referendum of 23 June it is wise for our local Christian communities to seek the Lord for what he has said historically and what he is saying now.

Testing Smith's Prophecy

Last week we considered Mother Barbara's prophecy and sought to discover if it contained an accurate word for the UK. If so, the call to prayer, especially among our women-folk, would be critical in the saving of our nation.

Nevertheless, we have to admit that there were some questions relating to the prophecy that were hard to untangle, such as what it meant for a nation to be saved, especially when no conditions were given except the response to engage in faithful prayer.

Smith Wigglesworth's prophecy is of equal magnitude, but also provokes some questions:

• What of the timing and the validity? Next year the prophecy will be 70 years old. Would that fit with the "During the next few decades" of the first sentence?
• Was Smith Wigglesworth foreseeing the charismatic revival which some would say now needs the stability of a revival in the study of the Bible?
• Is a new thirst for Bible study occurring in our day, and is the dissatisfaction with traditional denominations in our day a manifestation of what was prophesied?
• Finally, will we really witness such an outpouring of God's Spirit as was prophesied? If so, does this have a bearing on our position in or out of the EU?

We encourage you to pray through these and other questions communally, using the 12 tests of prophecy featured in our last issue of Prophecy Today. See what God says and how the prophetic word for our nation is emerging over the coming weeks. Please share any useful insights below.

Next Week: Jean Darnall's visions

References

1 A brief introduction to his life and ministry can be found here.

Paul Luckraft interviews author Steve Maltz, whose books have been reviewed recently in Prophecy Today UK.

"I was born to write, that is my gift" says Steve Maltz. Or rather, that is what he writes in one of his many books (The Bishop's New Clothes). He would not claim to be a preacher or teacher, he just writes what God puts on his heart, and that for him makes life interesting and ultimately rewarding.

I had heard of Steve many years ago through his 'Saltshakers' website and a handful of his books, but once I discovered the extent of his ever-expanding output and the subject matter of his writings, my desire grew to learn more of how God had shaped his life and was using his remarkable gift. So when we met for coffee in London I knew I was in for a fascinating time.

From Secular Judaism to Christianity

Steve's background is one of secular Judaism. His family expected him to go through his Bar Mitzvah, which he dutifully did but without any real religious convictions. Instead, he entered the Gentile world still seeking reality and truth but always with the fear that this would separate him from his Jewish roots and community.

Going to university enabled him to continue his search alongside others on similar paths. It also meant he met Christians who began to have an influence on his life. After several more years of searching, a heart change eventually took place and he began his Christian life in 1987.

Trying to Bless God

Steve would describe himself as a bit of a maverick. In effect he is a freelance writer, designer and innovator. He is an ideas man, not afraid to try out anything that he thinks could be successful, and if one thing doesn't work out he moves on to something else. But he has always been a writer or creator of one kind or another, whether writing secular screenplays and dramas, video and computer games, or inventing board games and designing websites, all of which he would sum up as being 'nearly successful'. His early professional life was a frustrating time. Looking back, he realised that God was saying "you are not ready yet". He was about to find out why.

Steve's early professional life was frustrating – looking back, he realised that God was saying "you are not ready yet".

Steve always knew he had a creative writing gift and on becoming a Christian assumed automatically that God would use him in his Kingdom in this way. He believed he had to devote his skills to ministry. God surely needed him. "Here am I. Send me!" he cried out, before God had even asked "Whom shall I send?"

So Steve drew up a strategy of how he was going to bless God, and set about implementing it, thinking how glad God must be that he was now on his side. For many years he plodded away, writing and devising, but most of what he attempted soon fizzled out. Undaunted, he simply moved on to the next project. There was always something new up his sleeve, another idea to take out the drawer, dust down and put before God, whether he wanted it or not.

On God's Terms

But when his initial attempts at Christian ministry failed to produce much fruit he turned again to the secular world, writing screenplays and designing websites. Eventually God got through to him: if you stop your vain efforts trying to 'make it' and write what I want, I will find you an audience. With this fresh revelation in mind, his latest carefully-researched TV drama was ditched and instead he wrote a short article entitled 'The Idiot's Guide to the Middle East conflict.' From this point he testifies that "God's favour came my way."

This short guide was published in 2002 by CFI as a booklet, re-titled (perhaps not surprisingly!) as The Plain Man's Guide to the Middle East, and something new had begun. A ministry was birthed on God's terms. Steve had learnt that his ministry should serve God - rather than the other way round!

Eventually God got through to Steve and persuaded him to stop his own efforts to 'make it', and instead write what the Lord wanted.

When a fuller book version of the original article was produced, under the title The Land of Many Names: towards a Christian understanding of the Middle East conflict, two publishers wanted it. It not only sold well but led to another book, The People of Many Names, about the Jewish people and God's plans for them. But Steve was to find that the publishing world wasn't always a straightforward one to deal with. However, now that he was writing the books God wanted he wasn't going to stop! Steve isn't the sort of person to be put off that easily – he simply set up his own outlet, Saffron Planet Publishing.

Recent Projects

The last few years have been the most interesting for Steve as God opened his eyes to the dynamics that have driven the Church for 2,000 years, in particular the battle between the original Hebraic way of thinking and the pagan Greek mindset that had infiltrated the Church from the first century onwards. Once he realised the importance of this he committed to exploring it thoroughly and this has been the theme of many of his recent books.

Meanwhile, he is also busy in many other areas. One of his earlier successes, the Saltshakers website, is still going strong and now also contains a radio page featuring recorded audio material running on a 24/7 loop, but which also allows for live chats, discussions and talks at regular intervals. The overall vision for Saltshakers is that it should be a biblical Messianic community, providing a portal for teaching, news, articles and videos.

Clearly Steve's web skills come to the fore in projects like this but despite being capable of doing so much himself he also recognises he needs others around him. Every new venture needs partners and support, and God has always provided Steve with the right people at the right time, whether in the realm of technical support, practical help or spiritual guidance.

God has always provided Steve with the right people at the right time, whether in terms of technical support, practical help or spiritual guidance.

Chris Hill has been his spiritual mentor over many years and is a key figure in another aspect of Steve's ministry – the Foundations conferences. The initial conference was in January 2012 on the theme of what has gone wrong with the Church. The aim was not only to provide teaching from the front but also for people to come and share, and to find out what God is saying today. The conferences have developed over time and this year sees the seventh one, the theme being Hebraic Church - also the title of Steve's latest book.

These conferences are an amazing venture for a man who initially feared speaking in front of any kind of large group, something he avoided until he realised he could do so no longer. Once it had become a necessary part of what God wanted him to do, then he found that God gave him the courage to fulfil this part of his calling.

Doing What God Wants

Steve can say that he has become more aware of 'God moments', times when God takes charge and controls what he is doing, making sure it grows without becoming burdensome or unmanageable. Steve knows he is part of something big but that he doesn't need to carry it all. He believes that "Everything is a matter of God's timing". In the right time people come to him, he doesn't need to find them, and the snowball rolls on, growing as it goes.

Steve is a visionary, an enterprising chap with a lively creative mind, bursting with ideas. But he knows that effort and ideas are not enough. Many false starts have taught him that what God wants is what really matters.

Steve has become more aware of 'God moments', times when God takes charge and things grow without becoming burdensome or unmanageable.

Words pour out of him, whether spoken or written, but always with wit, warmth and wisdom. His words make so much sense both to the mind and the heart. He modestly says that his books were written largely for his own benefit, to explain to himself what he was learning, but by inviting you to share his journey he hopes you will benefit too. Everything he does serves to help others grow in understanding, love and Christian service. And that is the best gift of all.

Find out more about Steve Maltz's ministry by visiting the Saltshakers website. You can read our reviews of three of his books by clicking these links: How the Church Lost The WayThe Way, How the Church Lost The Truth and To Life.