As we enter into a new year, not knowing what we will encounter, how can we look ahead with understanding?
Looking ahead into the New Year is like driving a car in rain and thick fog with the windscreen wipers going flat out and your eyes straining to pick up familiar shapes and to distinguish signs of danger. But Christians have several weapons in their spiritual armoury enabling them to look ahead with understanding. In particular, they have the Bible and the Holy Spirit, who is the 'Counsellor' and the interpreter of the word of God.
The Promised Counsellor
Jesus promised his followers that the Holy Spirit would not only guide us into all truth but that he will even "tell you what is yet to come" (John 16:12). Obviously that does not mean some kind of soothsayer gift, or the ability to know everything that is going to happen in the future. This promise was made at the Last Supper when Jesus was preparing his disciples for the shock of his death and resurrection. He was reassuring them that they would never be separated from him once the Holy Spirit came into their lives.
Christians have several weapons in their armoury enabling them to look ahead with understanding. In particular we have the Bible and the Holy Spirit, who counsels us.
Jesus' emphasis was upon the truth being revealed to his disciples so that they could be his witnesses in the world. If, on some occasions, this meant that they needed to know what would happen in the future, then this would be revealed to them. That promise still holds good today, but only when it is essential for the furtherance of the gospel.
Of course, the broad outlines of the way God intends working out his purposes are already set out in Scripture, leading up to the day when he will draw all things together and the nations will be gathered before Jesus (Matt 25:32). But most biblical scholars believe there is quite a bit to be fulfilled before that day. Nevertheless, we clearly live in a day when momentous events are occurring, which may not only be turning points in history but actually milestones in the fulfilment of God's purposes.
The Year Past
As we noted earlier last year, 2015 was a year of anniversaries, such as the 1000th anniversary of the Viking invasion of England, the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, the 750th anniversary of our first parliament, the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. But what of the future? What does 2016 hold for Britain and for the nations of the world?
In the last week of 2015 the so-called Islamic State suffered its first major reversal in losing control of Ramadi, a key town in northern Iraq. But does this signal a turning point in the war against the Islamic fighters? Peace talks are scheduled for the New Year in the five year long civil war that has ravaged Syria and changed the demography of a large part of the Middle East. Is there anything in the Bible that helps us to understand what is happening in that part of the world?
We clearly live in a day when momentous events are occurring – not only turning points in history, but milestones in the fulfilment of God's purposes.
Understanding the Middle East Powers
Iraq and Iran generated some of the most violent and bloodthirsty empires that ruled the region in biblical times. Assyria, Babylon and Persia each had their capital cities in this territory. Between them they were responsible for hundreds of years of cruelty, oppression and injustice inflicted upon all the small nations around them including Israel and Judah. The ruthless atrocities committed by their armies struck terror into the hearts of their neighbours.
But the prophets foresaw a day of retribution coming upon them for the gross suffering they had inflicted upon others. Isaiah devoted two chapters (13 and 14) to the judgement that would come upon Babylon and Assyria. He foresaw Babylon being overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah. He said "She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations" (Isa 13:20) and Jeremiah also devoted two whole chapters (50 and 51) to what he foresaw coming upon Babylon. He prophesied that God would "stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon" (Jer 51:1). He continued "I will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster."
Prophecies Against Babylon
Historically that did not happen when the Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus, the Persian Ruler, in 539 BC because Babylon surrendered to him without a shot being fired and the city remained a centre of commerce and prosperity for many years. In fact, that prophecy was not fulfilled until hundreds of years later. Babylon gradually fell into decay during the Greek period and then when the Muslims conquered the land in AD 650, what remained of it was totally destroyed. Babylon has remained desolate to this day - despite Saddam Hussein's attempt to revive its ancient glory.
Prophecies about Babylon's destruction were eventually fulfilled so that it remains desolate to this day – despite Saddam Hussein's attempt to revive its ancient glory.
No-one lives in Babylon now, as both Isaiah and Jeremiah foresaw. Jeremiah wrote his long prophecy on a scroll and sent it via a messenger to Babylon in the year 593 BC with the instruction that the whole of the scroll should be read in Babylon - presumably on a bridge over the River Euphrates, because he gave the scroll to a man called Seraiah with this instruction, "When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. Then say, 'O Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither man nor animal will live in it; it will be desolate forever.' When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. Then say, 'So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring upon her'" (Jer 51:61-64).
Prophecies for Today
Are there any prophecies that are relevant for understanding what is happening today? The answer to this question lies in Ezekiel, Haggai, Malachi, as well as in the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels and in the Book of Revelation. Clearly we cannot review such a range of Scripture in a short article such as this. But we can note one or two salient points.
Anti-government protesters shout slogans against Assad, 28/12/15. See Photo Credits.A number of Arab leaders, such as Ahmadinejad the former President of Iran, have made clear declarations of their intention to destroy Israel. At the moment, with the Syrian conflict still at its height, none of the nations in the Middle East are in a position to launch an attack upon Israel, so apart from the odd incident of violence involving Palestinians, Israel has largely dropped below the radar of the world's media. But we all know that it will happen sometime.
The prophet Ezekiel devotes two chapters (38 and 39) to what he foresees as a combined attack upon Israel coming from many of the surrounding nations. But his prophecy is quite specific and everyone in Israel today is aware of his warnings. He says that a combined international army will invade Israel; "In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety" (Ezek 38:8). All of this sounds very much like the history of the modern state of Israel since 1948. But the prophecy also sees the Israeli population as being "a peaceful and unsuspecting people" (38:11) which certainly is not an accurate description of Israel today, where everyone is on the alert.
Ezekiel prophesied a combined attack on Israel from surrounding nations which has not yet come to pass – which requires Israel to be 'peaceful and unsuspecting'.
False Peace
Strangely enough, the greatest danger may be coming from the so-called 'peace talks' which the United Nations are organising, when they hope to bring together the warring factions in Syria together with President Assad, plus the support of unlikely bedfellows such as Iran, Russia, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Once the Arabs have settled their disputes, Israel may be in greater danger which inevitably brings a threat to world peace.
The outcome of these talks is more likely to be a false peace based upon a patched-up agreement - rather than a true peace. Such an agreement with the backing of the United Nations could lull Israel into a false sense of security which could endanger their future.
This is the kind of scenario referred to in the prophecy given by David Noakes in Jerusalem back in 2003 that we are printing alongside this article. We cannot look ahead into 2016 without sounding a note of warning. At the same time, we express our confidence in the sovereignty of God, who is clearly working out his purposes at this point in world history.
Strangely enough, the greatest danger may be from UN peace talks, which will likely create a false peace that will lull Israel into a false sense of security – but which will not last.
Need for Committed Prayer
Perhaps the greatest need today is for a greater commitment of Christians to the study of the word of God and to specifically focused intercession. The key to the future lies not so much with the activities of churches and denominations with their synods and assemblies, but with the multitude of small groups of believers who faithfully gather in prayer and Bible study, as they did in the earliest days of the church.
Prophecy given by David Noakes at the Intercessors for Israel Conference, Jerusalem, January 2003. It was specifically addressed to the nation of Israel and was accepted by the ministers and leaders to whom it was given in 2003. We are publishing it having tested it ourselves. However, we also encourage you to weigh it thoroughly yourself too.
Strengthen my people in the knowledge of their God and of his Word. Bring to them the whole Counsel of God that they may not be taken by surprise or deceived in the days to come.
Do not fear Islam for this principality shall not prevail. It has thrown down the gauntlet of challenge to the God of Israel and I have accepted the challenge.
This power will be put to shame and destroyed for I have taken the battlefield. Stand with me and fight for I am with you to overcome. Islam will fall, but not at once for the cup of iniquity is not yet full to the brim. There will be a lengthy struggle and it will involve many nations.
Do not fear the conflict or the hardships. There will be shaking and upheaval and turmoil but I have warned you in advance in my Word that this will be so. In the battle set your eyes on Me and remember that this is not your lasting home. Your destination and your inheritance is in the Kingdom cut out of the Rock without human hands and in the Eternal City that has unshakeable foundations whose Builder and Maker is God.
Comfort yourselves with the knowledge of this truth and let your encouragement come from Me alone. Do not fear the wars that must yet come but rather fear the peace that will finally result. It will not be My peace but a counterfeit peace inspired by the spirit of Babylon.
Prepare my people for these days with the knowledge of my revealed truth. Teach them the whole Counsel of God and pray that they and many others will not be deceived in the time before the 'lamb of peace' is revealed in its true colours as the 'dragon of destruction'.
The strategy of the adversary is to wear down by continual attrition to the point where in the weariness of conflict that desire for rest will make your people willing to accept a false peace which will prove in its working to be the deadliest weapon of all. Your nation will desire this peace and the world will desire to impose it upon you but do not be deceived. Prepare my people to watch and pray and keep alert: strong in the knowledge of the whole revelation of my Word until I come, for only then will your nation receive true security.
About the author: David Noakes was a solicitor in London until he joined Clifford Hill’s ministry in 1984. He has been part of the Prophetic Word Ministries/Prophecy Today team since that time, although he has also exercised an independent ministry speaking at conferences both in Britain and overseas. He has visited Israel many times and until recently was chairman of Hatikvah Film Trust, working with Hugh Kitson making films about Israel. He is a well-known Bible teacher with an established ministry and remains an official advisor to Issachar Ministries (Prophecy Today UK's parent charity).
Weekly readings: Genesis 44:18-47:27; Ezekiel 37:15-37:28; Ephesians 2:1-22
This week's Torah portion is called Vayigash, which is the first word of the portion, meaning 'and he came near'. It refers to Judah approaching the Egyptian ruler who, unbeknown to him, is his brother Joseph. He pleads for their mutual sibling Benjamin who, to ramp up the dramatic irony of the scene, is in fact Joseph's closest living relative (they share the same mother, Rachel) and the one whom he is least likely to harm.
Judah was the initiator of the plot to sell Joseph into slavery and appropriately he now offers his own life in place of Benjamin's:
So now let me remain as your slave in place of the lad. Let the lad go back with his brothers! (Gen 42:33)
The sages of Israel and Maimonides identify complete repentance as having the opportunity to commit the same crime again, but refraining from doing so because your heart has changed.1 Judah and the other brothers could have abandoned Benjamin, but he refuses to repeat history.
Judah's leadership of the brothers in appealing for Benjamin's freedom and offering to take his place reveals that he is worthy to bear the line of kings. From Judah, David is descended and therefore the Messiah.
Judah's self-sacrificial leadership and repentance reveal that he is worthy to bear the line of kings.
The Coming Revelation
Judah's contrition prompts Joseph to reveal his true identity. The late Derek Prince (of blessed memory) would describe with tears the moment that Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers because, prophetically, it foreshadows the beautiful intimacy and delicacy of the moment when Yeshua (Jesus) will reveal his identity to his brothers and sisters, the descendants of the 12 tribes represented by Joseph's brothers - the Jewish people.
It is a private moment, the palace servants are removed because this is close family reconciliation, a time for raw remorse and guilt to be confessed and forgiveness offered. The Gentile stranger disguised in foreign clothes reveals that beneath the Egyptian courtly finery he is the long-lost Hebrew brother Joseph.
Similarly, Jesus has been exiled from his brothers and handed over to the Gentiles, a foreigner and stranger to Jewish people, frequently depicted in Renaissance art as fair and blue-eyed wearing European dress - Christ of the Gentiles. One day will come the family reconciliation, the revelation of his true identity as their brother, the "firstborn from among the dead" (Col 1:18; Rev 1:5), the Messiah of Israel.
Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers, foreshadowing the beautiful moment when Messiah Jesus will reveal his true identity to his brothers and sisters - the Jewish people.
First Instance of Forgiveness
The former Chief Rabbi, now Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, describes the story of Joseph's actions as the first instance of forgiveness in recorded history. He quotes a study by David Konstan (Before Forgiveness: the origins of a moral idea, 2010), which posits that there was no concept of forgiveness in ancient Greek literature. There was appeasement of anger to prevent revenge and to limit shame and disgrace, but forgiveness is qualitatively different and proceeds from a sense of personal guilt rather than fear of public shame2.
Shame relates to pain caused by public dishonour or disgrace and is centred on injury to oneself, whereas guilt arouses feelings of remorse and regret for injury done to another. It relies on the ability to empathise with another's hurt.3 4
Finding Purpose in Suffering
Forgiveness involves what cognitive behavioural psychiatrists call a 'reframing' of adverse circumstances.5 Lord Sacks quotes the example of neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who discovered through treating suicide patients and after incarceration in Auschwitz that hope depends on realising that we have a unique mission to accomplish in life. Finding purpose is essential to psychological well-being.
Forgiveness involves reframing adverse circumstances, choosing to view them with hope and purpose rather than pain and bitterness.
He also realised that everything can be stripped from a person but their ability to choose how to respond to their circumstances, and if you change the way you think about your circumstances, you change how you feel about them. Joseph understood that his brothers' actions were part of God's plan, so rather than dwelling on the bitterness of his experience he reframed it:
I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life...God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. (Gen 45: 4-8) [emphasis added]
He recognises God's salvation purpose in his suffering. As a type of the future Messiah, Joseph suffered to win salvation for his people, enduring years in prison but eventually rescuing Israel from starvation (Israel being his father Jacob's name, but also the name all his descendants have since borne).
It foreshadows the ultimate rescue of all humanity from spiritual starvation, from the certainty of spiritual death resulting from our rejection of the Creator and the source of true life, Jesus (Jacob's descendant).
Family Reunited
Through Joseph, the founding family of God's people are reunited in one land through forgiveness and a new start, ruled by a prince who is one of their own, with the promise of future salvation and eventually a land of their own, as Jacob is shown:
And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes." (Gen 46:2-4)
Similar promises are contained in the Ezekiel reading: reunification of a cleansed and renewed Israel, in a land of their own, one Davidic king over them, settled peace, God in their midst forever.
Joseph suffered to save his family from starvation, pointing to the ultimate rescue from spiritual starvation provided for all humanity through the suffering of Jesus.
One New Humanity
Ephesians 2 further echoes both passages. Verses 1-10 promise that those who come to Messiah by his grace will be cleansed and made alive in him. In verses 11-22, the promise is expanded to include the Gentiles. Jew and Gentile in Messiah unite under one ruler who is our "peace", who "has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility" and in so doing has created "one new humanity" (Eph 2:14-15). The scope of territory for God's people is now the whole world and the Temple is a building of righteous souls in beautiful unity.
However, this does not fully answer Ezekiel's promise. The unity of those in Messiah is there: "one stick" no longer divided by tribe, but one holy nation under God with even the previously unclean 'goyim' (Gentiles) allowed to join the 'goy kadosh' (holy nation). Yet the majority of Jacob's descendants currently reject the Messianic revelation of Yeshua. They are "branches broken off" (Rom 11:19).
The supremely poignant and joyful moment of reconciliation with the "one they have pierced" (Zech 12:10) was partially fulfilled in Acts 26 when Peter preached the Joseph Messiah, the Suffering Servant (Isa 53), but it will find greater fulfilment when Yeshua returns to his waiting family as the triumphant King Messiah.
The majority of Jacob's descendants currently reject Jesus as Messiah – and so we still await the final fulfilment of the reconciliation provided by Jesus.
Our Salvation Purpose
Now, as we await his return, do we understand that, like Joseph, we have a salvation purpose to fulfil? Joseph's suffering and forgiveness affected multitudes. We may only influence a handful of people, but we all have our part to play as the "remnant on earth" (Gen 45:7).
Every member of the Body is called to be on full alert and in constant readiness, not only to fulfil our gospel purpose and to complete those tasks that only we can do according to our gifts, but also to shine like stars in the dark days ahead until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts (2 Pet 1:19).
Author: Helen Belton
References
1 Rabbi Lord Sacks, The Day Forgiveness Was Born. Aish.com, 26 December 2011.
2 Rabbi Lord Sacks. Vayigash (Genesis 44:18-47:27), The Birth of Forgiveness (Genesis 44:18-47:27), The Birth of Forgiveness. Aish.com, 21 December 2014.
3 Burgo, J. The Difference between Guilt and Shame. Pyschology Today, 30 May 2013.
4 Anthropologist Ruth Benedict's The Chrysanthemum and the Sword comparing North American and Japanese societies brought the idea of guilt versus shame cultures to prominence.
5 Rabbi Lord Sacks. Vayigash(Genesis 44:18-47:27), Reframing. Aish.com, 13 December 2015.
6 Acts 2:36-37: "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart..."
Prophecy Today UK sends an open letter to Her Majesty the Queen.
Despite all the problems our nation has faced over the last year, we at Prophecy Today found a little encouragement over the Christmas season to hear the Prime Minister's affirmation of Christian values in our nation and also the Education Secretary's resolve to promote the Christian heritage of Britain in our schools.
Most of all we were greatly encouraged by the Queen's Christmas message - perhaps the most overtly Christian message of her reign. The message can be accessed for three more weeks on the BBC website and is worth listening to several times as an encouragement and as a prompt to our New Year prayers for the nation.
The Board of Prophecy Today UK has sent a short letter to the Queen, copied in full below.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
Buckingham Palace
London
SW1A 1AA
Your Majesty,
We at Prophecy Today UK would like to thank you for your 2015 Christmas Broadcast. In these challenging days it was so refreshing and encouraging to hear such a clear message of hope and love founded firmly on the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We would also like to encourage you as you enter another year of service to our nation, and to assure you of our ongoing prayers for you, your family and the Government.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Clifford Denton
Chairman
Prophecy Today UK
On behalf of the Ministry Board and our Supporters
Clifford Denton discusses the principle that all Scripture is founded on the first five books of the Bible - the Torah.
In the last study we looked at the covenant purposes of God to show that there is an overarching principle of covenant throughout all history. This week we will look at another unifying principle of our faith, handed down by the nation of Israel. This is the principle that all Scripture is founded on the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.
All Scripture is for all of God's people. It is not to be seen as the Old Testament for the Jews and the New Testament for Christians. The basis of Scripture, from the Hebraic point of view, is the Torah. Now this is not to say that the basis of our faith is Torah - the basis of our faith is faith in Jesus the Messiah. So how are we to read all Scripture with the right balance?
All Scripture is for all of God's people. It is not to be seen as the Old Testament for the Jews and the New Testament for Christians.
We do not replace Jesus by the Torah, or Torah by Jesus. We see him as a fulfilment, a manifestation - a full realisation of Torah. So in saying that we are to take a Torah perspective on the scriptures, we are neither going into legalism nor a replacement of Jesus. In fact, by reading the scriptures as they should be read, Jesus will be central, and we will come to know him better.
Torah Foundations
So let us consider how Torah is the basis of all Scripture. A well-known and respected Jewish Rabbi, Samson Rafael Hirsh, wrote a book called Horeb (Soncino, 2002). Horeb was the mountain of God where God met with Moses to give him detailed aspects of Torah. Hirsch comments in his introduction:
As far as the term torot is concerned, it can without difficulty be applied to the general religious truths of Judaism because the word Torah, although sometimes used for the whole corpus of our laws, originally signifies teaching or doctrine.
To Hirsch, Horeb means to plant the seed in someone else - hence to implant the seeds of truth and morality in others to transform their lives.
So that torot are the teachings which God has revealed to us of truth and goodness, which we are to accept in our minds and feelings so as to beget in us the knowledge of truth and the decision to do good. The value of torot can therefore never lie in their merely doctrinal or theoretical character, but in their motive power leading to action as a transforming agency in the lives of men.
Hirsch seems to be a Jew speaking about these things from a Christian perspective, but really he is showing us that for both Jews and Gentiles called by faith, there is a purpose in Torah that goes beyond legalism. Legalism is certainly a valid criticism of much of the Jewish world. They took the teachings of Moses and legalised them so much as to take the life from them. But there is also a deep truth in what we read from Rabbi Hirsch, that the Torah is the heart of God's teaching for all mankind. Torah is to be manifest in our lives, and that is the pursuit of the Jew and the believing Gentile - all who come into this one family of faith. Remember that it was Jesus himself who said:
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)
All of God's teaching is to bring life. He also said in Matthew 5:17-18:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law [Torah], or the prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For I truly tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law [Torah], until everything is accomplished.
There is a purpose in the Torah that goes beyond legalism – it is the heart of God's teaching for all mankind.
We must reject the idea that a Torah foundation to Scripture leads to legalism. It can lead to legalism but need not do so. God does require standards, and he tells us what these are. Therefore, we must be disciplined in our walk of faith, but we must also find God's heart through his teaching. All the laws of God are full of his heart's concern for us. That is why the Holy Spirit came to write the teaching on our hearts.
Where is the Balance?
So where is the balance? How can we re-assess the scriptures and discover their Torah foundation? This is central to our Hebraic and Jewish heritage. Also handed on to us was the realisation that the Jewish world did not quite get it right. Indeed, Jesus criticised many of the teachers of the law about their interpretation and their lifestyle. But even so, it does not mean we should not look again and rediscover what Israel itself is seeking today - as we read from the introduction of the book by Hirsh, concerning the teaching of God at Horeb – "And I sought through all generations..."
We must reject the idea that a Torah foundation to Scripture leads to legalism. It can lead to legalism – but need not do so.
What is it that we are seeking together in that life of faith, using the Bible as our reference point? First, to understand that the Torah is the basic teaching of God. Although the whole Bible is Torah or teaching, the first five books are given a special place - these are the special revelations of God.
These books contain far more than the 'dos and don'ts' that God brought through Moses. We need to reassess what they really bring to us, and with confidence put them at the foundation of our Bible reading. If you go through these books carefully you will find in them the origins of all the truths contained in the Bible.
All Foundational Truths Begin in Torah
The first teaching of the Bible is the account of creation - nowhere else do we find this truth in the entirety of the libraries of the world. As we go on with our reading we begin to learn about God, mankind and their relationship. We learn how sin came into the world and about God's standards for mankind. We learn of the Fall and the situation that we are all in now after the Fall. We learn of the great Flood, and of the covenant purposes of God - all these things are laid out in the Torah.
These five books contain far more than the 'dos and don'ts' that God brought through Moses. If you go through them carefully you can find the origins of all the truths in the Bible.
Abraham's life is fully described in those first five books - as are the lives of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and later, the twelve tribes of Israel. Finally, the growth of the nation of Israel is described in the books of Torah.
Here too we learn how to apply the metaphors that God wants to teach us, through real life situations. From the toil in the land of Egypt and the release from captivity, we set the foundations for our own experiences with God, both physical and spiritual. We learn about the miracle workings of God. We learn about his active interventions in the world. He has not just separated himself so that it goes like some machine.
We learn about the Feasts of the Lord, which appear first in the Torah. We learn about the Sabbath and its importance. The priesthood is introduced, as are the principles of faith and of prayer.
If you go into the first five books of the Bible and try to assess the number of themes there, you will find them to be countless. We must, therefore, come away from a mindset that these are irrelevant books for Christians. They are the foundation of the faith for Israel and those saved from the Gentile world.
We must come away from a mindset that these books are irrelevant for Christians. They are the foundation of our faith.
Torah Dependency of all Scripture
So then, if Torah is the basis, how does the rest of Scripture fit into its pattern? The Jewish way of dividing Scripture is very valid. The division into three sections according to tradition is first the Torah itself, then the Nevi'im (or Prophets) and finally the Ketuvim (the Writings). That is the traditional way that was handed on to us.
The Bible books are set out in a different order in the Hebrew bible. If we look at them in those three sections, we can see better how they fit together as we try to re-establish the Torah as the basis of all Bible study.
The Prophets
What about the Prophets then? What message in addition to Torah do the prophets bring? The prophets have one purpose and it is Torah-based. When the people of God begin to stray, they also begin to not listen to him. They do not read the signs around them and they gradually ignore what God is saying. So God sends along a prophet, or a prophetic word, or prophetic movement in order to remind people and call them back to the one true God. How do the people get called back to the one true God? They must be called back to his teaching - to what he requires of us.
So the simple task of the prophet is to call the people of God back to himself through his teaching. In that sense, the prophets are Torah-based. There is second purpose in the prophets - a message that looks to the future for God's people. They all say, as it were, "Israel - people of God, cleave to God through his teaching. It may be hard but one day he will make it easier, because in the future there is a promised Messiah, and there is a promised new heaven and a new earth - that day will come but hang on - keep with him, walk it through with him in the meanwhile."
Even that is a Torah-based message, however, because it is all about Jesus, and Jesus is the fulfilment of Torah. In a subtle way the futuristic aspect of the prophetic message is aligned with the past prophetic message - to remember Torah and walk with your God. If you approach the prophets in that way you'll find that Torah is the basis of their whole message, and without Torah they have no real foundation. They do not bring a new message, but they remind you of an old message.
The prophets do not bring a new message, but remind you of an old one.
They may well give some clues as to what Torah really means, such as we find in Micah 6:8:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Sometimes, like this, the prophets give glimpses of the heart message of Torah, but it is not a new message, it is a message in context. Here is a simple example of how this applies. In the book of Amos, chapter 4, we read:
"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
"I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
Amos repeats one sign after another from God that has fallen upon the nation of Israel with increasing intensity as God's judgments became more severe. The people of Israel had lost sight of the signs of God, lost their walk with him, turning away - and so a prophet came to warn them.
But what about these signs? Well, Israel's history - Israel's prophetic history - can always go back to the Torah portions. If you look at Deuteronomy 28 and 29 you see it is exactly what God said that he would do. Part of this teaching was how Israel would receive blessings or curses from the Lord.
If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks...
...However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country...
So what does Israel perceive when things start to go wrong - blight on the crops, plague on the cattle, things going wrong in their community life, rain here and not rain there - these are signs from God, signs that were part of his teaching programme, and here it is in Deuteronomy - a central book of Torah. Amos did not bring a new message. It should not have been a surprise to Israel, but they were not heeding the signs, so a prophet came to explain what was happening. The prophet's message was Torah central.
The Writings
In 2 Chronicles 7 there is a similar parallel, and this is part of the 'Writings'. Solomon had built the great temple to the Lord and wanted to dedicate it. In 2 Chronicles 6, he asks God if he will bring blessing upon this place. The Lord responds and says:
"I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chron 7:12-14)
Here again, God speaks in a way that is founded upon all that went before in Torah. His ways have not changed. This is just one example, but in one way or another, this is verified wherever we read in Scripture. All the teaching of the whole Bible is bound together by principles and parallels from the Torah. Christians, like Jews, have this same heritage.
All the teaching of the whole Bible is bound together by principles and parallels from the Torah.
Another clear example of the way the Torah, rightly interpreted, is in the heart of all God's people, is in Psalm 119: "O I love your law [Torah], I meditate upon it night and day." Again, in Job, he accepted all that he had suffered, when he realised that God is his Creator. That was the central part of the message of Job - a Torah-based message for a suffering world.
New Testament
Moving into the New Testament scriptures, we remember that Jesus said that he came to fulfil Torah - not one small letter or stroke of the pen would be taken away until all is fulfilled. On the road to Emmaus he reminded the two disciples of how he was to be found there in the Torah and the prophets and the writings. He showed that he was at the heart of God's teaching, rather than replacing it. All the gospels are about fulfilment.
Paul, whose writings form a substantial part of the rest of the New Testament, was first taught as a Jewish rabbi, at the best schools of the day. He was taught about the Torah basis of all scripture and Torah basis of Jewish lifestyle, before ever he went out with the Gospel message. Just as it was for Paul, we should read Torah not with a legalistic approach but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul does not deny this teaching; he brings a right interpretation of this teaching.
We, too, need to read the whole of the New Testament in the light of Torah. Our flawed understanding is in a wrong perception of Torah, rather than setting it on correct foundations. If we have a wrong perception of Torah we are afraid to touch it, but Torah reveals the heart of God. This is fulfilled in the New Covenant, written onto our hearts. In this way, the entire Bible is one united whole which brings us to that purpose.
Our foundational Scriptural inheritance is the same for Jews and for Gentiles.
For Reflection and Comment
Can you devise a reading plan which keeps the Torah in balance with all Scripture?
(Consider Under the Fig Tree in the Online Courses of www.tishrei.org)
Next time: Root and Fruit
Prophets in the Old Testament often seem to be lone rangers - single solitary figures taking a stand against nations and kings. But they existed in far greater numbers than we usually realise - and frequently worked in groups.
At first sight it would appear that the outstanding characteristic of the Old Testament prophets was their individualism. They stood alone against what they saw to be wrong in the lives of nations, their kings, and secular and religious leaders.
They were remarkable for the courage by which they stood single-handed against the evils of their day. Men such as Samuel, Elijah, Amos and Jeremiah had to conduct their prophetic ministries on their own, without the sympathy and support of other like-minded people.
Paucity of Numbers
Alongside their individualism it might appear to many Bible students that there were apparently only a small number of these people during Israel's history. We know the names of 16 writing prophets (that is, men whose books appear in the Bible) and 21 others. In addition, there are another four whose names are not recorded. Thus a total of 41 prophets proclaimed the word of the Lord between the ministry of Samuel, around 1050 BC, and the rebuilding of the Temple and the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah sometime about 450 BC.
41 prophets distributed over 600 years does not seem a generous figure. But in fact there were many more, as we see by examining the continuous ministry of prophets during the Old Testament period, from the crossing of the Red Sea until the cessation of prophecy spoken of by the writer of Psalm 74:9.
We know of 41 prophets proclaiming God's word between the ministry of Samuel and that of Ezra and Nehemiah – but there were many more.
Continuous Prophetic Ministry
Jeremiah tells us what the Lord had to say about the continuous ministry of prophets over the span of Israel's history: "From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again, I sent you my servants the prophets" (Jer 7:26). In the confession of the Israelites after their return from exile Nehemiah records, "For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets" (Neh 9:30).
The pity of Yahweh was shown to be the reason for the continued ministry of the prophets throughout Israel's history. "The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again because he had pity on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets..." (2 Chron 36:15,16). The Lord challenged his people through Amos: '"I also raised up prophets from among your sons...is this not true, people of Israel?' declares the Lord. 'But you...commanded the prophets not to prophesy'" (Amos 2:11, 12).
God continually sent prophets to Israel throughout their history, because he took pity on his people.
My Servants the Prophets
In many of the references to the continuous ministry of the prophets they are called 'my servants' by the Lord. They were his men and women, raised up in society to serve his interests. "This is what the Lord says, 'If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, who I have sent to you again and again...then I will make this house like Shiloh'" (Jer 26:4-6). "Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate! But they did not listen...'" (Jer 44:4).
Daniel in his prayer confessed the disobedience of God's people to the message God's servants had faithfully proclaimed. "We have not listened to your servants the prophets" (Dan 9:6). This is a serious state of affairs that occurred in both Old and New Testament times, and one which found ultimate expression in the killing of God's servants (Matt 23:31, 32, 35). But accounts are kept by their righteous Lord: "I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets" (2 Ki 9:7).
The prophets were God's servants, his men and women raised up in society to serve his interests.
Prophets Urged Obedience to God's Law
The standard which the prophets required of God's people was that of the law of Moses, and they were continually urging them to obey it in its entirety. "Observe my commands and decrees in accordance with the entire law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets" (2 Ki 17:13). But as Daniel also confesses, "We have been wicked and rebelled; we have turned away from your laws and commands" (Dan 9:5).
God showed Amos that the behaviour of his people was to be compared with the plumb-line of his standard (Amos 7:7, 8). Part of the duty of God's people is still to proclaim his law and his standards, which are binding on all peoples universally.
The Prophets Were a Recognised Group
In Old Testament society the prophets formed a recognised group. For example, Jehosaphat, king of Judah, advised that the Lord's counsel should be sought over a particular matter, and the group of prophets was summoned (1 Ki 22:5, 6). When the Book of the Law was discovered during the reign of King Josiah, he called together the elders, the people, the priests and the prophets (2 Ki 23:1, 2), and read it in their hearing. Nehemiah's prayer refers to the hardship that had come upon kings, leaders, priests and prophets (Neh 9:32).
We are dealing here not with important individual prophets but with groups of these gifted people. In one of the instances just noted, the group numbered as many as 400 men.
The prophets urged God's people to obey his law in its entirety, proclaiming its standards in comparison to their behaviour.
Numbers of Prophets
The earliest reference in Scripture to a group of prophets records the descent of the Spirit on to the 70 men chosen to be Moses' assistants (Num 11:25). We read later that Samuel told Saul he would meet a procession of prophets as he entered Gibeah, though we do not know the number involved (1 Sam 10:5, 6).
At the conclusion of Elijah's ministry, we meet with companies of prophets who lived together in various places (2 Ki 2, 3, 5, 7 and 16). A figure of 50 is mentioned twice, and there may well have been hundreds resident in these schools of the prophets.
During the time of Queen Jezebel, a hundred prophets were given food and shelter by Obadiah, who is called "a devout believer in the Lord"; at that time this wicked woman had already killed many of God's servants. Baal's prophets totalled 450 and in addition there were 400 prophets of Asherah who were regularly entertained at the queen's table (1 Ki 18:3, 19).
Elijah was convinced that after the massacre Jezebel had organised he was the only true prophet remaining (1 Ki 19:10, 14). But Yahweh assured him that in fact there remained no fewer than 7,000 people who had not bowed the knee to Baal, though we do not know how many actual prophets were included in this figure. Could the statement mean that they were all prophets? If not, 7,000 seems a small figure for the total number of believers in a nation that by then numbered well over a million.
Groups of False Prophets
On the occasion of Jehosaphat's meeting with Ahab we learn that the two kings consulted 400 prophets as to whether they should attack Ramoth Gilead. Even so, their advice was wrong and only the prophet Micaiah was really hearing from the Lord. For bringing true counsel he was slapped across the face by the false prophet Zedekiah, and on orders from Israel's King Ahab was put in prison, to subsist on bread and water (1 Ki 22:4-6, 23-27). There was clearly no surprise at the appearance of such a large number of prophets but, sadly, all were under the influence of a lying spirit.
These false prophets and others who followed in their footsteps did all in their power at every stage to intimidate the true servants of God. Right at the end of the Old Testament period we find them attacking Nehemiah as he sought to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He cried out, "Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me!" (Neh 6:14).
These false prophets had inspired a lie about Nehemiah. They accused him of planning to be proclaimed king of Jerusalem and claimed that he had gone so far as to arrange for prophets to announce, 'There is a king in Judah!' (Neh 6:6,7). The significance of this account (at least in the context of our subject) is that groups of prophets were still to be found at the close of the Old Testament period.
Despite persecution, massacres and the opposition of large numbers of false prophets, groups of true prophets were still to be found at the close of the Old Testament period.
The True Prophets' Message
As well as declaring the standards specified by God's law and demanding that his people live up to those standards, the prophets repeatedly urged God's men and women to turn from their backsliding (2 Chron 24:19). They called them back also from idolatry: "Again and again I sent all my servants to you. They said, 'Each one of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them'" (Jer 35:15), and again, "Do not do this detestable thing that I hate" (Jer 44:4).
The prophets reproved not only ordinary people but also had the God¬-given courage to accuse monarchs themselves when they did wrong things, as we see for example in the case of Manasseh: "The Lord said through his servants the prophets: 'Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him'" (2 Ki 21:10, 11).
Sadly, the people did not repent, and they refused to listen to the prophetic warnings: "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry" (Zech 7:11, 12).
The prophets reproved ordinary people but also had the God-given courage to accuse monarchs themselves when they did wrong things.
The Fall of Two Cities
Because it failed to respond to God's warnings through the prophets, Samaria the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel came to ruin. The date was 723 BC. "The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their home into exile in Assyria..." (2 Ki 17:22, 23).
In 587 BC Jerusalem, capital city of the southern kingdom, fell to the Babylonians because the people of Judah refused to repent of the sins of Manasseh: "He sent them to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. Surely these things happened to Judah...because of the sins of Manasseh" (2 Ki 24:2, 3). "But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets...and there was no remedy...God handed them all over to Nebuchadnezzar" (2 Chron 36:16, 17).
The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets
Whenever the church sings the Te Deum alongside the glorious company of the apostles and the noble army of martyrs, it celebrates the goodly fellowship of the prophets. Our study has hopefully made this description more meaningful. For behind and alongside the great prophets whose names are household words, there were always groups of prophets living and working in fellowship with one another.
Behind and alongside the great prophets who are household names, there were always groups of prophets living and working in fellowship with one another.
We know that in the early days they lived together in the schools or guilds of the prophets. We do not know for certain whether they continued to live in community, but there is a clue in Psalm 74. The psalmist is speaking of the very end of Israel's history, so far as the Bible period is concerned, and it laments the sad situation then prevailing: "We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none knows how long this will be" (Ps 74:9). But in the previous verse there is an intriguing statement: "They burned every place where God was worshipped in the land." This was before the time of the synagogue, and the Authorised Version is anachronistic to use that word.
Perhaps the prophets continued to live together, enjoying the goodly fellowship of which we sing!
First Published in Prophecy Today Vol 5, No 6, November/December 1989.
As this is the last issue this year of Prophecy Today and in a somewhat festive spirit, we thought that we would publish a humorous piece in contrast to our usual comment articles. We hope you find it thought-provoking!
In case you don't know what's happening in the Middle East...
President Assad (who is bad) is a nasty guy who got so nasty his people rebelled and the Rebels (who are good) started winning (Hurrah!). But then some of the rebels turned a bit nasty and are now called Islamic State (who are definitely bad!) but some continued to support democracy (who are still good).
So the Americans (who are good) started bombing Islamic State (who are bad) and giving arms to the Syrian Rebels (who are good) so they could fight Assad (who is still bad) which was good.
By the way, there is a breakaway state in the north run by the Kurds who want to fight IS (which is a good thing) but the Turkish authorities think they are bad, so we have to say they are bad whilst secretly thinking they're good and giving them guns to fight IS (which is good) - but that is another matter.
Getting back to Syria...
So President Putin (who is bad, 'cos he invaded Crimea and the Ukraine and killed lots of folks including that nice Russian man in London with polonium poisoned sushi) has decided to back Assad (who is still bad) by attacking IS (who are also bad) which is sort of a good thing?
But Putin (still bad) thinks the Syrian Rebels (who are good) are also bad, and so he bombs them too, much to the annoyance of the Americans (who are good) who are busy backing and arming the rebels (who are also good).
Now Iran (who used to be bad, but now they have agreed not to build any nuclear weapons and bomb Israel are now good) are going to provide ground troops to support Assad (still bad) as are the Russians (bad) who now have ground troops and aircraft in Syria.
So a Coalition of Assad (still bad), Putin (extra bad!) and the Iranians (good, but in a bad sort of way), are going to attack IS (who are bad) which is a good thing, but also the Syrian Rebels (who are good) which is bad.
Enter Britain...
Now the British (obviously good, except that nice Mr Corbyn in the corduroy jacket, who is probably bad) and the Americans (also good) cannot attack Assad (still bad) for fear of upsetting Putin (bad) and Iran (good / bad) and now they have to accept that Assad might not be that bad after all compared to IS (who are super bad).
So Assad (bad) is now probably good, being better than ISIS. And since Putin and Iran are also fighting IS, that may now make them good. America (still good) will find it hard to arm a group of rebels being attacked by the Russians for fear of upsetting Mr Putin (now good) and that nice mad Ayatollah in Iran (also good) and so they may be forced to say that the Rebels are now bad, or at the very least abandon them to their fate. This will lead most of them to flee to Turkey and on to Europe or join IS (still the only constantly bad group).
Sunnis vs Shias
To Sunni Muslims, an attack by Shia Muslims (Assad and Iran) backed by Russians will be seen as something of a Holy War, and the ranks of IS will now be seen by the Sunnis as the only Jihadis fighting in the Holy War. Hence many Muslims will now see IS as good (doh!). Sunni Muslims will also see the lack of action by Britain and America in support of their Sunni rebel brothers as something of a betrayal (mmm-might have a point) and hence we will be seen as bad.
A Helpful Summary
So now we have America (now bad) and Britain (also bad) providing limited support to Sunni Rebels (bad), many of whom are looking to ISIS (good / bad) for support against Assad (now good) who, along with Iran (also good) and Putin (also, now, unbelievably, good) are attempting to retake the country Assad used to run before all this started.
So now you fully understand everything, all your questions are answered!!
Thousands of refugees and migrants continue to pour into Europe every day, fear of terrorism grows daily and the nations struggle to find a long-term solution. What does the future hold?
The boats keep coming. Overcrowded, unsafe boats flounder and capsize in the rough seas of the Aegean and still they keep coming – this autumn the number reaching Lesbos and other small Greek islands topped 7,000 per day.1
People smuggling from Turkey to Greece across the dangerous seas is a multi-million dollar business. The people smugglers care nothing for humanity. They are making a fortune from the human misery of those who have lost everything in the war zones of Syria and Iraq – people so desperate that they will risk their lives boarding unsafe boats.
Looking for a Solution
Thousands are plucked from the sea every day and hundreds more simply drown, nameless victims of the greatest tragedy the Middle East has ever witnessed. This is the scene at the Eastern extremities of Europe.
At the other end of Europe, leaders of the EU nations are meeting to discuss desperate measures to deal with the crisis. How can they cope with the million strong flood of humanity that has descended upon Europe this year? How can such a human avalanche be absorbed among the nations? Even more urgently, how can it be halted, or even put on hold for a period, to give time for dealing with the situation in the war zones?
The humanitarian crisis engulfing Europe has no easy solution: neither is it a short-term problem that will be all over in a few weeks or months. Whole populations are on the move and there appears no end to the conflict that is destroying cities and towns across the Middle East and inflicting homelessness, injury and death on vast numbers of people.
The humanitarian crisis engulfing Europe has no easy solution – neither is it a short-term problem.
Europe on High Alert
The complexity is confounded by the mixture of migrants and refugees. The numbers are so great that it is impossible to discover who are the genuine refugees, who are the economic migrants and who are the jihadis slipped in among them by the Islamic State fighters.
Ever since the Paris atrocities on that notorious Friday 13 November, when at least one of the bombers had entered Europe through Greece posing as a refugee, the whole of the EU has been on high alert. The fact that the Paris bombers were a mixture of home-grown and migrant terrorists has added to the sense of fear and confusion.
Mass Fear
That fear and confusion is not confined to Europe but has spread to America as well. Just weeks after the Paris slaughter, a couple went on the rampage with automatic weapons in San Bernadino, California, slaughtering people as they were eating a meal together. President Obama used the occasion for an impassioned appeal for gun reform in the USA where he said that these mass killings were becoming routine.
The danger facing Europe is that mass killings will also become routine in the EU - unless the source of the problem in the killing-fields of the Middle East is dealt with effectively.
The danger facing Europe is that mass killings will also become routine here – unless the source of the problem can be dealt with.
Islamic 'Alliance'
Saudi Arabia has now announced the formation of a new military alliance of 34 Arab nations to fight terrorism. But who will they fight? Who do they define as 'terrorists'? Saudi Arabia has already beheaded more people this year than the Islamic State.2 Their branch of Sunni Wahhabi Islam based upon the strict observance of Sharia law is rejected by half the Islamic world, including the coalition led by Iran which is presently fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have been locked in a proxy conflict for several years, with Iran backing the rebels in Yemen who the Saudis have been bombing. So the chance of this new initiative bringing peace to the Middle East is virtually nil. The most likely outcome is to extend the conflict between the different branches of Islam.
But could this be within the purposes of God?
Though all-out war between Islam and the Western nations (which in some respects would be a war between Christianity and Islam) looks ever more plausible, it could be that internal conflict between the different sects of Islam will save us from World War III.
All-out war between Islam and the Western nations could be avoided – if Islam implodes due to the internal conflict between its various sects.
Looking Forward
In the New Year's Day issue of Prophecy Today we will look more closely at what is happening in the Middle East, particularly in the context of biblical prophecy. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has gone quiet - the world's attention is upon Syria. But what does the future hold?
References
1 IOM Monitors Mediterranean Migrant Flows: 7,000 Crossing Daily to Greece. International Organization for Migration, Press Release, 10 September 2015.
2 Saudi Arabia Beheads Nearly Twice As Many People As ISIS So Far This Year. MintPress News Desk, 25 August 2015.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is one of God's great successes. Paul Luckraft reports on what CAP is doing today and how you can get involved.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is one of God's great successes. This week on Prophecy Today we are reviewing the book Nevertheless, which records CAP's origins and early progress. Our Resources Editor Paul Luckraft decided to investigate further and caught up with Helen Norris, CAP's Partnerships Manager for London, to find out what CAP is doing today and how you can get involved. Here is his report.
Transforming Lives
It is always encouraging and stimulating to discover how God is at work in society and how each one of us can take part in the transformation of lives. CAP provides such an opportunity as it always works in partnership with local churches. CAP's aim is not to do it all but to empower Christians to serve Christ within their own communities. There are now four ways in which this can happen. The primary method remains the Debt Centre.
Debt Centres
With 1 in 12 people in the UK now in unmanageable debt, a Debt Centre is a lifeline to many. Every church can become a Debt Centre. CAP will train a Centre Manager to oversee the deliverance of the most comprehensive debt counselling service available anywhere. A Centre Manager doesn't need in-depth financial knowledge. He or she is backed up by over 150 professional Caseworkers and Specialist Advisers at head office.
CAP takes care of all the basic elements of debt counselling centrally, putting together budgets and negotiating with creditors. It assesses the best route for each client to become debt free and equips the volunteer workers and befrienders to take this solution into people's homes, together with the love of Jesus - for it is an essential ingredient of CAP to offer the gospel alongside the financial service. As people find relief from the misery and stress of debt then new hope grows and they become more open to the Christian message.
With 1 in 12 people in the UK now in unmanageable debt, a Debt Centre is a lifeline to many - and every church can become one.
To date CAP has 290 church-based Debt Centres, covering 60% of the UK. The aim is for 500 to cover the whole of the UK. Could your church become a CAP Debt Centre?
Money Courses
More recently CAP has started running Money Courses as a preventative measure. As financial illiteracy is a major cause of debt and poverty this is a vital practical tool to help people avoid getting into debt in the first place. As always this venture is done in partnership with local churches and blended with their passion to share the gospel at the same time as passing on skills that will have a lasting impact on people's finances.
The CAP Money Course has become their greatest weapon against debt. In a society increasingly reliant on credit cards and loans this course provides the simple principles of how to budget, save and spend wisely, giving people a better chance to take control of their finances. CAP is now the largest provider of adult face-to-face money education.
CAP trains volunteers to run these courses in their local churches. Could this be your way of contributing to CAP's work? If you have the confidence and basic skills to present the material, then with extra specialist training you could make a real difference. The course is usually run over three 90 minute sessions, one per week, but this can be flexible. Each session involves a DVD and interactive discussions. By the end of the course those attending will know how to build a good budget and keep it balanced, understand the importance of savings and how to deal with debt. The motto is, prevention is better than cure!
Although primarily designed for adults, there is no reason why these courses cannot be used with youth groups or taken into schools and colleges. Such basic money management is often ignored among young people, at a time of life when it is most needed.
Job Clubs
A CAP Job Club is another tool in the fight against poverty and is designed to equip people to find employment while rebuilding their confidence and self-esteem (often lost when unemployment strikes). These Clubs are, as usual, run through local churches and have become nationally recognised and recommended by the Department of Work and Pensions.
The CAP Money Course has become their greatest weapon against debt, providing people with the simple principles of how to budget, save and spend wisely.
The Club meets once a week and is run by a trained CAP Job Club Manager. A key aspect is the Steps to Employment course, an interactive course that covers practical topics such as CV writing and interviewing techniques, all designed to improve employability. Coaching sessions are then run alongside the course to give members chance to discuss their individual needs in more detail and set goals for themselves. All this is set in a friendly and inclusive environment that combats isolation and also provides members with the taste of a church family.
The first Job Club was opened in 2013 and there are now 140 such clubs, but more are needed. Is this an area where you can help? CAP offers the necessary training so you can provide one-to-one coaching over an 8 week course. The format is flexible enough to run successfully in both small and large churches.
Release Groups
The fourth way to help is the most recent to be developed. A Release Group aims to tackle addiction and dependence in whatever area is needed, not just financial. CAP Release Groups provide a safe, confidential place for people to seek help alongside the support of others who understand what they are going through. The groups teach people practical steps to tackle their dependency head on through interactive sessions and individual coaching.
The eight week course is run by a trained CAP Release Group Coach and offers a place of trust and security for people to take steps to find freedom from their life-controlling habits. Clearly over-spending is one such addiction and one of the main causes of debt and poverty, but the course is flexible enough to cover other addictive behaviours. If your heart is to see people released from addiction then perhaps this is where you could become involved!
Release Groups aim to tackle all kinds of addiction and dependence, providing people with a safe place and practical help to find freedom from life-controlling habits.
Funding
CAP is well respected in the credit industry and in 2015 was the UK Debt Advice Provider of the Year, as awarded by Credit Today.
As their mission statement declares, CAP is passionate about releasing people from a life sentence of poverty, debt, unemployment and addiction. Their vision is to serve the poor and save the lost through 1,000 church based CAP services, so that anyone in the UK can access their life-transforming help.
But how is this funded? There is no Government funding as this would force CAP to give up their Christian emphasis. Sharing the gospel and God's love is key to their mission and all workers do this (90% of the clients accept this as they understand the help is from a Christian organisation and provided via local churches). Funding is provided by 27,000 regular givers (or Life Changers) who give monthly. All donations are welcome, however small. This provides 70% of the annual £10 million budget. The rest comes from legacies and other one-off gifts.
It is important to stress that money is never given out to those in debt. Handouts are not provided. All the money goes towards training and support so that people find their own way out of debt and dependency.
Get Involved Now
Debt is a very pressing social problem. It cripples lives and often leads to other problems. Families and relationships can be destroyed, and medical issues frequently follow as fear and depression set in. The very nature of Christ and his love means that necessarily Christians are against poverty. The only question is what they do about it. Through CAP there is a very real and successful way of putting our faith into action.
How you can help:
- Could you run a CAP Money Course and help give people the basic skills to take control of their own finances?
- Could you start a Job Club and work to equip people to find employment?
- Could you become a CAP Release Group Coach and help free people from addictive behaviours?
- Could your church become a CAP Debt Centre to serve the local community?
To help in any way or to get further details about any aspect of CAP's work, email the Church Partnership Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01274 760580, or visit capuk.org. All enquiries are welcome.
"...one man's mission to change thousands of people's lives": We review the exciting story of how Christians Against Poverty (CAP) was founded.
'Nevertheless' by John Kirkby (Christians Against Poverty Books, 2014, 229 pages, RRP £6.99 with proceeds going to CAP, but also available free from the CAP website)
In 'Nevertheless' we have the exciting account of how John Kirkby founded Christians Against Poverty (CAP). Both he and his family had gone through the experience of debt and dire poverty themselves, which meant he was both well qualified for the task and compassionate towards those he was seeking to help.
Faith in Adversity
In 1996, Christians Against Poverty was started in Bradford with few financial assets but with an incredible example of faith and trust in God. With encouraging words from Scripture and the assurance that God was leading him, the first centre was set up to deliver people from the misery of debt. Through much adversity and many hard times John and his team persevered and in 2001 CAP purchased Jubilee Mill in Bradford as their headquarters. John has kept a diary (set out in the book) of the faith shown by CAP staff through financial problems along the way.
It is wonderful to read how this was achieved and the way that the staff supported a network of church-based debt centres throughout England. Thousands of lives have been changed and there are amazing testimonies from people who have become free from debt – and many are also now Christians.
Growing Network
As well as changing lives in the UK, CAP has now an international ministry with centres established in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In 2008 the CAP Money Course was formed to teach people how to manage their finances. By 2014 there were five thousand trained CAP Money Coaches from churches and an estimated thirty-two thousand people had been through the course.
As John says in his acknowledgement at the beginning of the book: "I have always known that it is not about me, and as CAP now helps more than 30,000 individuals worldwide each year, it is still all about bringing glory to God" (p7).