Jeremiah begins his prophetic ministry.

“Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, now I have put my words in your mouth. ‘See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant’” (Jer 1:9-10).

This was Jeremiah’s ordination: it was God’s act of initiating him into the ministry that he was to fulfil. His calling to ministry had been from pre-birth, when the Spirit of God began preparing him for ministry in his mother’s womb. Now, the moment had arrived when God spoke to him directly about the kind of ministry he was to fulfil.

Six Verbs, One Ministry

The six verbs in this sentence, four negative and two positive, indicate the direction Jeremiah’s ministry was to take. God was warning about the corrupt moral and spiritual state of the nation. This was so severe that much had to be torn down and removed from the nation’s life before there could be a positive outpouring of God’s blessing which would bring prosperity upon the land and its people.

These six verbs outline the whole of the ministry that Jeremiah was to fulfil over a 40-year period in Jerusalem. It would be a time of great turmoil and suffering. The uprooting and tearing down was to get rid of the greed, injustice, immorality and idolatry at the heart of the nation. Jeremiah eloquently describes this in his famous Temple Sermon in chapter 7. Corruption, greed and injustice were everywhere among the people and the leadership - both political and religious, from the King to the Chief Priest.

As Jeremiah said in one of his earliest declarations “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, Peace’, they say, when there is no peace” (6:13-14).

The corrupt moral and spiritual state of the nation was so severe that much had to be torn down before there could be a positive outpouring of God’s blessing.

An Almond Tree and a Boiling Pot

Jeremiah’s ordination was immediately followed by a question from God: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” he replied. He probably spoke out loud saying the word ‘almond’ in Hebrew (shaqed), which sounded like the word ‘watching’ (shaqad). The pun was not lost on Jeremiah and the Lord immediately responded “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

This was just the kind of confirmation that the young man needed. It was his first test, showing that he was correctly interpreting the word of the Lord, which indicated that he was ready to receive a revelation of the task that lay ahead. A second question prepared the way for a major revelation: “What do you see?” asked the Lord; “I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the North,” Jeremiah answered.

Some biblical scholars believe that Jeremiah received some kind of picture or ecstatic vision in responding to each of these two questions. But this is unlikely – Jeremiah was not an ecstatic visionary like Ezekiel or Habakkuk. Jeremiah broadly stood in the same type of ministry as Amos, Micah and Hosea, who did not see pictures but heard God speaking his word to them. They were watchmen observing what was happening around them. They then spread it before God to give them understanding, while listening for his word in response. They were then able to declare with authority, “Thus says the Lord!”

At the beginning of Jeremiah’s ministry, seeing an almond tree simply confirmed his calling: that he was now ready to interpret rightly the things that God brought to his attention (later on, for example, he was told to go to the potter’s shop and watch the potter at work through which God would speak to him). In this first revelation he probably saw a housewife pouring out a pot. He noted each detail – even the direction in which the pot was pouring, and from this God gave him the warning that judgment was going to come from the ‘Land of the North’ which was the popular term for Babylon, whose army always skirted around the Golan Heights to the Sea of Galilee and entered Judah from the North.

Jeremiah, like Amos, Micah and Hosea, did not see visions but heard God’s word by observing what was happening around them, spreading it before God and listening for his response.

Judgment and Warning

From that moment, Jeremiah knew that disaster was on the horizon for the nation, as God was warning that he would not protect an unrighteous city filled with the blood of the innocent, with violence and murder on its streets as well as immorality and greed among the priests, and idolatry even practised in the Temple.

Jeremiah knew that his ministry was to uproot and tear down these abominable practices by telling both leaders and the people that God was deeply offended by their lifestyles. Jeremiah’s task was to call for repentance with the promise of forgiveness, while at the same time warning about the consequence of failing to listen.

Jeremiah had to declare that God was a covenant-keeping God who would undoubtedly protect his people and ensure their survival. But he was also a God of righteousness who would withdraw his protective covering over the land and the people, for a time, if they did not heed the words of warning that he was giving through his spokesman.

From this first direct encounter with God at the beginning of his ministry, Jeremiah knew the end from the beginning. Judgment and disaster would inevitably fall upon the land, the people and the city of Jerusalem. Even the Temple would be destroyed, although everyone believed it was inviolable as the dwelling-place of God.

From the beginning of his ministry, Jeremiah knew that he was going to meet bitter opposition. The word came to him, “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.” He received an assurance that God would give him extraordinary strength in the face of extraordinary opposition. Right from the beginning, he received a promise that was to strengthen and sustain him throughout his long and turbulent ministry: “They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declared the Lord (1:17-19).

Jeremiah was to declare that God was a covenant-keeping God who would not forsake his people, but he was also a God of righteousness.

Seeking the Lord’s Heart

It is this kind of ministry that we attempt to fulfil in Prophecy Today and Issachar Ministries: watching what is happening around us on the national domestic scene and observing the wider picture of what is happening among the nations in Europe and around the world, then spreading all this before the Lord and spending time listening for his response, so that we can know the word of the Lord for our times.

This is what the elders of the Tribe of Issachar did who came to King David at the time of his ordination, offering their services as watchmen and intercessors.

Of course, we don’t claim to be unique in this kind of ministry. We believe that all God’s people should be desiring to understand the times, and we are always open to hear from others who are seeking similarly to hear the word of the Lord.

But as Jeremiah was constantly troubled by false teachers and false prophets who gave words out of their own imaginations, promising peace and prosperity when God was calling for repentance and warning that disaster lay ahead, in the same way today there are many false teachers proclaiming another Gospel, and false prophets promising revival and glad tidings of peace and prosperity, when God is actually calling for repentance and turning.

This is why in recent weeks we have warned about the false teachings and false prophecies of the ‘New Apostolic Reformation’ (NAR). Of course, their messages are popular with the people, as were the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day. But those who know the whole word of God in the Bible and who genuinely seek for truth will surely recognise the true word of the Lord.

As Jeremiah declared in the letter he sent to the exiles in Babylon, the solemn promise of God is: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord (29:13-14).

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

The Prophet's message for our times.

The first in a new series looking at the lives and ministries of the Old Testament prophets, particularly in light of our situation in Britain today.

Jeremiah lived in a time of great turbulence, on both the international and the domestic scenes. Internationally, three great empires, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon, were vying for dominance, while on the domestic front Jeremiah saw the reigns of five kings, bitter political rivalries and moral and spiritual decay.

In the 22 years from the death of Josiah in 608 BC to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC, four kings reigned in Jerusalem, none of whom were godly men. Two of the four, Jehoiahaz and Jehoiachin each only reigned three months, while Jehoiakim and Zedekiah each reigned 11 years. The two short reigns were each the result of military conquest.

From One Tragedy to the Next

Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo when the Egyptian army was passing through the territory of Judah en route to face the Assyrians. Josiah foolishly decided to oppose them, despite the fact that the Egyptians had said that they had no quarrel with Judah.

He lost his life in an entirely unnecessary battle and was succeeded by Jehoiahaz who, only three months later, was taken in captivity to Egypt. This was following the surrender of Jerusalem and the payment of crippling amounts of gold and silver, none of which would have happened if Josiah had not intervened in a dispute between the two empires.

The history of Judah, from that moment, went from one tragedy to the next until the final decimation of all its towns and cities and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 586 BC. Jeremiah was in Jerusalem throughout this time, witnessing each stage of the national tragedy. This is reflected in the account of his ministry recorded in the book that bears his name in the Bible.

Jeremiah lived in a time of great turbulence, on both the international and the domestic scenes.

Vassal Kingdom

Following Jehoiahaz’s short reign, Jehoiakim was appointed by the Egyptians, whose power was greatly weakened later on in the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. This had involved all three empires, with Babylon emerging as the strongest power. Judah was seen as a vassal of Egypt, which drew the wrath of Babylon. As their army approached Jerusalem in 598 BC, Jehoiakim died (or was assassinated).

He was succeeded by his 18-year-old son Jehoiachin, who reigned just three months until Jerusalem surrendered to Babylon in the spring of 597 BC. He was taken captive to Babylon, together with many thousands of the leading citizens of the land plus most of Judah’s army and the most valuable articles from the temple (2 Kings 24).

Terrible Destruction Foretold

Then, Zedekiah was put on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah was a weak and foolish man who sought to enter into a conspiracy with the surrounding nations of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon – fiercely opposed by Jeremiah in chapter 27.

It was this act of treachery by Zedekiah, who had sworn allegiance to Babylon in the name of Yahweh, God of Israel, that enraged Nebuchadnezzar and caused him to come back ten years after the surrender of Jerusalem and this time decimate the whole land. He destroyed towns and villages, raped the countryside and laid siege to Jerusalem causing great suffering to the people, until the city fell in July 587 BC.

Most of the remaining citizens and many from the land were taken to Babylon in the second Exile. The great walls of Jerusalem were torn down; the Temple and the Palace and most of the great buildings were destroyed. Zedekiah’s family were murdered in front of him, then his eyes were gouged out and he was taken to Babylon as the prize exhibit in Nebuchadnezzar’s victory parade.

Jeremiah had foretold all these terrible events, more than once telling Zedekiah what his personal fate would be. But none of these things would have happened if the word of the Lord had been obeyed.

None of the terrible events foretold by Jeremiah would have happened if the word of the Lord had been obeyed.

Similarities with Today

If king and people had been willing to humble themselves and to put their trust in the Lord, they would have been preserved from destruction. God would have found a way of working out his purposes among the nations while preserving and protecting his own covenant people, among whom he had established his name and through whom it was his intention to reveal himself to the pagan nations.

It was God’s intention to use Babylon as part of his purposes so that for 70 years they would dominate the region. After that time, God would deal with the Babylonians themselves for their cruelty and arrogance, as Jeremiah records in 25:11-12. The Exile lasted until Cyrus the Persian overthrew the Babylonian Empire and took Babylon in 538 BC, when the people of Judah were released to return to their land and rebuild Jerusalem.

But the Exile would never have happened if the word of the Lord through Jeremiah had been heeded.

Forewarning

Jeremiah claimed that God had revealed to him the threat from Babylon and he gave clear warning of what would happen: “This is what the Lord says: Look, an army is coming from the land of the north [Babylon]; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, O Daughter of Zion” (Jer 6:22-23).

Jeremiah also knew that it was no use relying on either Egypt or Assyria to protect them from Babylon. He said “Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Shihor? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the River? Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realise how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me, declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty” (Jer 2:18-19).

Sadly, the politicians, the religious leaders and the people ignored the prophet among them, continuing in idolatry and turning their backs upon the word of the Lord. In one sentence Jeremiah describes the spiritual condition of the nation: “Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, ‘I will not serve you!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute” (Jer 2:20). Jeremiah knew that by turning their backs upon God, both leaders and people had put themselves outside the Lord’s protection.

Jeremiah knew that by turning their backs upon God, both leaders and people had put themselves outside the Lord’s protection.

Nevertheless, Jeremiah continued throughout his 40 years’ ministry in Jerusalem to call for repentance and returning to God as the only way, both to national safety and to salvation. He was still calling for repentance when the Babylonian army was surrounding the walls of Jerusalem, because he knew that repentance would immediately bring the forgiveness, restoration and protection of God. He knew that God had the power to send a plague through the enemy army overnight, as he had done in the time of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:35). But Jeremiah’s warnings were not heard or heeded.

This is the tragedy that history records - and this is why the Book of Jeremiah has great significance for the Western nations in the world today. They, like Israel, have had biblical truth for many generations and, like Zedekiah, have conspired with one another to reject the truth and follow other gods and philosophies and cultures, to their own harm.

In studying the Book of Jeremiah, we can see many similarities with modern history. This is why we are undertaking this study on Prophecy Today UK.

Next week we will begin our study of the ministry of Jeremiah by looking at his calling and some of his early words.

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

Some insights from the Editor-in-Chief at the head of the year.

1. What is God Doing Today?

We are entering a time of immense turbulence that is of great significance in the history of the nation. It is essential to understand what God is doing and not be blinded by what human beings are doing. What is God doing today?

In the past God has spoken to us about shaking the nations. Back in 1986 he highlighted Haggai 2:6 and 7: “I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations…” Much of what we are seeing today is God’s activity in shaking the nations, exposing corruption and turning upside-down the institutions in which people have put their trust; which is a modern form of idolatry. We need to keep our eyes upon him and understand what he is doing.

There is still a faithful remnant of Bible-believing Christians in Britain who are greatly needed in this time of turbulence. The message that Jesus gave in Nazareth when the scroll of Isaiah was given to him in the synagogue is important. Jesus chose to read from Chapter 61, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news…” The whole of this chapter is significant for the faithful remnant today and it needs careful study. The faithful remnant will be called “Oaks of righteousness” and be “a planting of the Lord for the display of HIS splendour.”

Their task is to “rebuild the ancient ruins”; to recall the nation to the biblical foundations of truth upon which the nation was founded. This requires study and teamwork, working together, honouring one another and in everything keeping our eyes upon the Lord and only doing what he tells us to do. A key Scripture is John 5:19: “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.”

So, what is God doing? What are we seeing all around us in Britain? An excellent description is in Ezekiel 12:2: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but they do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.” This provides the key to understanding what is happening in the nation – a nation that is under judgment, whose leaders have no vision, who rush about in confusion looking for solutions that cannot be found; because there are no political solutions to the spiritual problems in the nation.

It is essential to understand what God is doing and not be blinded by what human beings are doing.

But this is not only the condition of our political leaders. It is also the condition of church leaders of all denominations, most of whom have either been swept up into the maelstrom of secular humanist values in a post-Christian world or have retreated into a cosy little pseudo-biblical world, feeding pastoral comfort to their flock, but have lost the prophetic cutting edge of the Gospel and no longer fearlessly declare the unchanging word of God to a lost generation!

The words of Jesus in telling the parable of the sower applies to the Church in Britain today: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matt 13:13). They do not understand because they do not have the Spirit of God. Paul makes this very clear in 1 Corinthians 2:12-14, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” … but the faithful remnant can say “But we have the mind of Christ”.

The faithful remnant in Britain today is largely composed of the older generation: but God is doing something quite remarkable! He is using the spirit of rebellion that is sweeping the nation to bring young people into the kingdom!

There are many signs that thinking young people are tired of the antics of our politicians and in their search for the truth they are rejecting the post-modernist philosophy that has driven society to the point we have reached today. They can see the social disaster vividly portrayed in social media that reflects their world. But God is actually using the spirit of rebellion to work out his purposes.

Young people are joining the faithful remnant and it is in the purposes of God to ensure that his precious word that has been kept in the old wineskins will not be lost, but will be poured out into the new wineskins before the older generation are taken into glory. My own grandson, Mark, who is due to be ordained this year, is an example of this.

2. The Faithful Remnant

The faithful remnant is a stump in the land. Isaiah 6:13 is significant and needs to be studied. As the oak leaves a stump when it is cut down so “The holy seed will be the stump in the land”. Issachar Ministries has a special calling for mobilising and resourcing the older generation of believers.

The Lord has given to Monica and me a living parable. In our garden we had a beautiful old plum tree that bore luscious fruit. In the middle of a very dry summer some six years ago it was heavily laden with fruit when a great storm with a powerful wind blew it down. We had no alternative but to harvest its fruit and then cut it in pieces for our log fire. With great sadness we cut its trunk near to the ground just leaving a stump. To our amazement another tree has grown up from the stump and in the past two or three years it has been producing fruit – not quite the same kind of fruit, smaller but good quality and very eatable.

The faithful remnant is the stump in the land – but that stump can bear good fruit.

The Lord spoke to us through this parable that the stump can produce good fruit, like the potter working at his wheel when Jeremiah called to see him (Jer 18) and the piece of clay he was working could not be fashioned into the intended pot. Instead of throwing away the clay the potter put it back onto the wheel and re-fashioned it into another pot – not the original beautiful vase intended to grace a rich person’s living room, but a useful pot that would bless a busy housewife in her kitchen.

The message for the faithful remnant is that the Lord never throws away any of his people, even when they have messed up their lives. Repentance and reformation are a key part of the Lord’s intention for all his people and it is this message of salvation through death and resurrection that is at the heart of the Gospel. It should always be present as part of the message of hope proclaimed by the faithful remnant.

3. God Holds the Church Responsible

God holds his Church responsible for the state of the nation. This is what we learn from the biblical account of God’s dealings with his covenant people Israel and Judah. A keyword to the institutional churches in Britain for 2019 is Ezekiel 13:4, “You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it.”

The wall around the city was there to protect all its citizens. The safety of everyone was in peril when there were breaks in the wall that were left unattended. Every walled city in ancient Israel had its engineers charged with the responsibility of constant surveillance. Hence the illustration in Amos 7, where he saw the Lord standing beside a wall with a plumb-line in his hand checking to see if there was a bulge, which would indicate corruption inside the wall that could lead to a sudden collapse such as that foreseen in Isaiah 30:12-14.

It was because Jeremiah had seen the inevitable consequences of the corruption in the nation that gave such an urgent cutting edge to his message: “Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart! Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet, I have heard the battle cry. Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins…” This had not yet happened but prophetically Jeremiah could already see the disaster and because he loved his nation and he loved the city of Jerusalem, he could not keep quiet.

This is the kind of urgent prophetic compulsion that is needed in the faithful remnant of Bible-believing Christians in Britain today, if there is to be any chance of saving the nation from utter disaster. It is not too late to save the nation! But the task is urgent. The faithful remnant in the older generation has to be mobilised and stirred into action to ensure that the truth of the Gospel reaches the younger generation. Grandparents are in a unique position in Britain today and they are valued by their grandchildren.

It is not too late to save the nation! But the task is urgent.

These young people understand social media and the multitude of apps on their mobile phones. Their spiritual antennae enables them to detect fake news in a way that is beyond the capacity of the older generation. It is God’s intention to blend the old and the new in a unique way to advance the kingdom.

The message the faithful remnant (old and young) have to declare will not win them many friends but it will have such a ring of truth that it will penetrate the darkness that is enveloping all generations. The word of the Lord in Jeremiah 5:21 needs to be declared and it will be heard through the mouths of the faithful remnant, “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. Should you not fear me? declares the Lord. Should you not tremble in my presence?”

The old and the new generations of believers are both needed in 2019 if the nation is to survive the period of intense turmoil that lies ahead. The battle facing us in Britain is a direct clash between the powers of darkness and those of the light. It is essential to understand the nature of this battle and much can be discerned from the life and ministry of Jeremiah.

In Jeremiah 5:3 he recognised that God had sent many warning signs to the nation: “You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them but they refused correction”. He saw that they were only the ordinary people, so he went to the leaders, religious and political, “but with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds” that connected them with the Lord God of Israel.

Jeremiah recognised that it was primarily the religious leaders of Judah who were responsible for the godless state of the nation: “Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness, declares the Lord” (Jer 23:11). He describes this in some detail:

Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: they prophesy by Baal and lead my people Israel astray. And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: they commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me, the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah... (Jer 23:13-14)

In understanding the spiritual battle erupting in Britain, much can be discerned from the life and ministry of Jeremiah.

This is what is happening in Britain among some of its church leaders who have embraced secular humanist values and are teaching lies to the people: devising celebrations for transgender people in the name of God instead of teaching them the truth and calling for repentance and change. They even pollute the minds of little children by encouraging them to cross-dress and to question their God-given gender created in the image of the God of Creation. God will hold to account the wickedness of these church leaders.

But even in the midst of judgment, the faithful remnant must proclaim a message of hope. Psalm 81 is a key to understanding this blend of judgment and hope. It begins with singing joyfully to God and moves into its message of warning and hope with the keywords “If only!”

Hear, O my people, and I will warn you – if you would but listen to me O Israel! You shall have no foreign God among you; you shall not bow down to an alien God. I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it…If My People would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!…You would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you… (Ps 81:8-16)

This is the message that needs to be proclaimed by the faithful remnant – the message of warning and of hope – if my people. It is the same message that Solomon received at the dedication of the First Temple (2 Chron 7:14). If those who are faithful in declaring the word of the Lord put their trust in him and are prepared to embody the message in their lifestyles as well as to fearlessly declare it through every media at their disposal, it will make an impact in the nation in the turbulent post-Brexit days ahead. We may yet see the promises of blessings given through the prophets coming into our nation.

Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing… (Joel 2:2-14)

Is there any hope for Britain?

Over the New Year holiday, I spent some time seeking the Lord for his word to Britain and I was strongly led to what God said to Ezekiel at a time when Jerusalem was in turmoil. He said, “Son of man you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.”

This message meant that people could not see what should have been blindingly obvious. The nation was facing disaster but her leaders, both religious and secular, were running around like headless chickens, fighting one another but not taking any positive steps to deal with the situation.

Jeremiah (unlike Ezekiel) was actually in the city. He was driven to despair. “Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you,” he said. “My people are fools…They have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good” (Jer 4:18-22). Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah knew that the nation was under judgment which the people had brought upon themselves by deliberately turning away from the truth of the word of God.

In Britain, we are in a similar situation. The scenes of turmoil in the House of Commons in the run-up to Christmas were a vivid illustration of the mood in the nation – it is a mood of dissatisfaction with everything; yet no-one has any idea what to do about it! It is in this situation of major disagreement among our political leaders that the voices of the mob in Westminster streets calling for a ‘people’s vote’ should be ringing alarm bells everywhere. Such a vote would spread dissension and conflict across the land.

People bring judgment upon themselves when they deliberately turn away from the truth of the word of God.

Social Problems Side-lined

The Brexit debates in Parliament for the past two months have been so all-consuming that major social issues affecting the welfare of the nation have been woefully neglected. A review of school exclusions was delayed which could have helped to deal with the crisis of knife crime that claimed the lives of more than a hundred young people on the streets of London in 2018.

The Green Paper on social care was also kicked into touch despite the crisis in the NHS, the shortage of beds and elderly people not being cared for in the community. Many other urgent social issues have been side-lined by the Brexit rows that have split the Conservative Party and exposed the weakness of the Opposition.

These are all signs of the serious moral and spiritual issues that underlie the great Brexit debate that is dividing the country. What is being exposed is the lack of an overriding standard of truth by which all issues can be judged.

It is because truth has been eroded from the public square and the forces of darkness have been allowed to spread deception that we are seeing the very thing that both Ezekiel and Jeremiah saw in Jerusalem. 500 years later Jesus saw the same thing when he wept over Jerusalem that both leaders and people were blinded by deceit. He said “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matt 13:13).

Good for Evil, Evil for Good

In Britain, we have not only abandoned truth, but we have actually embraced lies and deception. Even our language has changed to accommodate opposite values. Children and young people call good things ‘wicked’ and evil things that are harmful to them are celebrated as good. It is a rebellious generation that has no understanding of ultimate values. This is why we are seeing knife crime ruling city streets, as gang life is substituted for family life; loyalty to the gang for the love of parents and siblings.

Urgent social issues have been side-lined by the Brexit rows, which have split the country and exposed its lack of an overriding standard of truth.

Also driving society deeper into deception are the false values of LGBTQ+ that have been embraced by politicians from all our political parties. We are led by a Prime Minister who was the chief architect of radical changes when she was Home Secretary, driving the Same-Sex Marriage Bill through Parliament despite the opposition of more than a hundred MPs of her own party and all the warnings that were sounded across the nation.

That legislation, more than five years ago, marked a tipping-point in the nation: Britain went from at least nominally acknowledging the biblical foundations of its social value system to adopting a system based upon the total denial of truth. It was ignoring the clear warnings given in the Bible – “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isa 5:20).

You cannot ignore fundamental standards of truth that are part of the creation of the universe without bringing disaster upon society. But this is exactly what we have done in Britain and this is the reason why we are seeing the turmoil in our Parliament that is reflected across the nation.

The plain fact is we have brought judgment upon ourselves, one of the consequences of which is listed in Deuteronomy 28:28 as “madness, blindness and confusion of mind”, which we can see clearly by watching the debates in Parliament.

Hope for the New Year

But the Bible does not only warn us of the consequences of rejecting truth. It also sets out the remedy. Jeremiah was given a promise from God that applies to any nation at any time: “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned” (Jer 18:7).

The circumstances of the giving this promise should give us great hope and encouragement as a message for the New Year.

You cannot ignore fundamental standards of truth that are part of the creation of the universe without bringing disaster upon society.

Jeremiah was told to go to the potter’s shop where he watched the potter at work. The clay he was using simply did not run in his hands so he was unable to form it into the shape in his mind. He stopped the wheel and Jeremiah probably expected to see him throw that obstinate bit of clay into the dust across the floor of his workshop. But instead, the potter patiently kneaded it back into a ball, put it on the wheel and carefully made it into a pot. It was not the beautiful vase he originally envisioned but it was a useful pot that would no doubt serve a busy housewife.

From this, Jeremiah learned a message about God’s love and forgiveness. We all of us mess up our lives at some point; but God never abandons us, in the same way as the potter did not throw away that bit of clay. When we confess our sinfulness and our need of his love, he immediately re-makes our lives, as the potter re-shaped the clay.

This is the message of hope that God wishes to convey to us for 2019.

The Son of God is coming soon, along with fiery judgment

Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of Britain’s Brexit prospects, doom-and-gloom merchants have assembled in Poland for a Global Warming summit expected to paint an apocalyptic picture of a world choking to death on carbon emissions.

Indeed, Sir David Attenborough predicts the collapse of civilisation if suitable action is not taken.¹

Admittedly it’s a touch warmer than usual for the time of year, no doubt aided by the amount of hot air generated from the 200 nations represented at the symposium, but the heat that should really concern us is the fire of God’s judgment soon likely to be unleashed on our planet.

I like the poster I saw outside our local parish church not so long ago: ‘Global warning – the Son of God is coming’.

Signs of His Coming

It is appropriate at this time of year – known as Advent in the Church – to focus, not only on Christ’s birth but also on his promised return in power and great glory. And prophecies of end time chaos as a prelude to his Second Coming abound in the scriptures.

I mentioned a significant one last week, indicating signs of a 2,600-year-old prophecy of Ezekiel being fulfilled with the Dead Sea coming to life as fresh water and fish flow back into an area choked with salt for thousands of years.

Jesus too, a fulfilment himself of hundreds of Old Testament scriptures pointing to the coming Messiah, outlined a number of specific signs he said would indicate the imminence of his return.

And one of those would indeed be climatic chaos! Listen to what Jesus describes, especially bearing in mind the frightening tsunamis we have seen in recent years:

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:25-27)

Signs of Jesus’ return include environmental chaos – not primarily due to our mismanagement of the earth, but as a wake-up call sent by God that judgment is inevitable.

In addition, wars, famines and earthquakes would occur with increasing severity, as with labour pains for a pregnant woman (Matt 24:7f).

But all this would not primarily be due to mismanagement of the earth, though it is no doubt partly to blame as, out of our selfishness, we do not take care of our God-given environment as we should.

No, it is chiefly a wake-up call to flag up inevitable judgment on a wicked world along with the Second Coming of our Saviour, Jesus. The earth is experiencing the pains of childbirth (see also Romans 8:22) that will ultimately usher in the rule of Christ.

Yes, the Bible is clear that he is coming back to reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years of perfect peace. But his coming will be preceded by terrible times of violence, immorality and rebellion against the Creator.

The Mount of Olives, where Jesus will return, according to the Scriptures (Zech 14:4; Acts 1:11). Photo: Charles GardnerJesus will finally place his feet on the Mt of Olives overlooking Jerusalem (Zech 14:4) and put an end to war. Those who love him will welcome him with great joy, but those who have rejected him will mourn over what they have done to him (Matt 24:30).

Not Yet Fulfilled

Ezekiel also predicted a terrible war in the last days that would see a group of nations coming against Israel, but great numbers would perish in the conflict as God ‘sends fire’ on the aggressors (Ezek 39:6).

50 years ago an elderly woman in Norway shared a frightening vision of the time leading up to Christ’s coming and the onset of a ‘Third World War’ that would be ended, she said, with a ‘nuclear atom bomb’.

In view of the fact that much of her vision has come true – a long peace between the super-powers, a falling away from the Christian faith, a huge increase in violence and immorality and unprecedented immigration to Europe – it should at least be taken seriously.

Meanwhile a new book, Floodgates by David Parsons (Whitaker House), supports the biblical premise that while God’s judgment of flood on the ancient world at the time of Noah will not be repeated, judgment on the modern age is just as inevitable – except that it will be by fire, not water.

The Apostle Peter predicted that in the last days there would be much scoffing about such talk (of the Second Coming) by godless people suggesting life would continue as it always has done.

“But they deliberately forget”, he writes, “that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Pet 3:5-7).

In fact, if there is any delay in his coming, it is because he doesn’t want anyone to perish.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth…will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10)

If there is any delay in his coming, it is because he doesn’t want anyone to perish.

Peace in Christ

One person who has already experienced apocalyptic horror of this kind is Kim Phuc Phan Thi, the nine-year-old girl pictured running in terror from the effects of a napalm bomb during the Vietnam War – a photo that shocked the world. Though scarred for life, she found peace after committing her life to Christ on Christmas Eve 1982.

The pastor spoke of how Christmas is not about the gifts we give to each other, so much as it is about one gift in particular: the gift of Jesus Christ…How desperately I needed peace. How ready I was for love and joy. I had so much hatred in my heart – so much bitterness…My faith in Jesus has enabled me to forgive those who have hurt and scarred me.²

Hers is a true peace following a particularly bloody war. And you too can experience such transformation through Jesus, who loved you so much that he died in your place to give you eternal life!

References

1 Live Science, 3 December 2018.

2 New Life, December 2018 – www.newlife.co.uk

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Floodgates’ by David Parsons (Whitaker House, 2018).

This is a highly significant and well-researched book on the end times and, perhaps more importantly, what is already happening around us as we head towards the coming wrath.

David Parsons is an attorney, journalist, ordained minister and Middle East specialist working for the ICEJ. In the book, he aims to identify God’s specific ‘end game’ strategy for bringing this present age to a close.

Parsons claims that the moment we enter the Tribulation will be self-evident, but what about the period leading up to it? The author sets out “to break new ground in our understanding of the prophetic Scriptures” and attempts to widen the lens “to reveal what will transpire before we reach those last seven years” (p15).

The Genesis Flood as a ‘Type’

His approach is to take the Genesis Flood as a ‘type’, and in particular, the “days of Noah” as a parallel, just as Jesus does in Matthew 24. Parsons asserts that whereas in the first global judgment God opened the water floodgates, in the end judgment it will be the fire floodgates.

Just as God opened the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens (Gen 7:11), so there is fire stored up above our atmosphere and below the earth’s crust, waiting to be released to destroy the current world before the new Heaven and new Earth are created.

Parsons’ approach is to take the Genesis Flood as a ‘type’, and in particular, the “days of Noah” as a parallel, just as Jesus does in Matthew 24.

Parsons explains that biblical references to the ‘days of Noah’ point us back to the long period before the Genesis Flood during which the Ark was being built. This period – possibly as long as 120 years (based on Gen 6:3) - represents the time between God’s decision that judgment would come and the actual execution of that decision. He had made up his mind to flood the world long before he opened the floodgates. In legal terms, the verdict was in, judgement was inevitable - it was just a matter of time before the sentence was executed.

Parsons asks: what if we are already in a similar period leading up to the final floodgates of fire being opened? What would that look like?

Deconstructing Humanity

Part One of the book is taken up with considering the Flood of Noah, with chapters about the Divine Nature and proof that the biblical Flood was a real event.

There is also a very helpful discussion on the ‘forbidden union’ between angels and women which created the Nephilim (Gen 6:4). Here, the author brings clarity and certainty to a passage that is often seen as complicated and controversial. The vital conclusion is that hybrid humans could not be allowed to continue and multiply further. Mankind had gone against the natural order of God’s Creation and this, together with high levels of violence and sexual perversion, meant that humanity from that point was doomed.

Part Two, The Modern Rebellion, explores the ‘parallel plunge’ today, with chapters on the blight of violence and the sexual revolution. But the heart of this section is Parsons’ assertion that the verdict for the ‘end time’ judgment has already been given. We have passed the tipping point, identified by Parsons as the acceptance of evolution as a mainstream idea. This outright denial of God as our Creator has led to devastating consequences in all parts of human society and encouraged us to explore ourselves as a species without fear of God or his judgment.

Without being too specific regarding dates, Parsons asserts that this tipping point was not during the life of Darwin or at the time of publication of his works; rather it was the subsequent proliferation of his ideas and their embedding within human thinking and development. Once in place, they set us on a new path, from which Parsons argues there is now no turning back.

God had made up his mind to flood the world long before he opened the floodgates. In legal terms, the verdict was in, judgement was inevitable - it was just a matter of time before the sentence was executed.

Transgressing God’s Created Order

In Parsons’ view, this ‘social Darwinism’ began around 1900, with one obvious outworking being the horrors of Nazism. He writes well on this topic, which incidentally was what led him to write the book in the first place.

Interestingly, Parsons highlights two other features from the turn of the 20^th Century: the emergence of evangelical Pentecostalism and the rise of Zionism leading to the re-creation of the State of Israel. Together, these three strands are all vital in God’s end time plans. True Spirit-filled believers and the restoration of the Jewish people together form an Ark-like contrast to the majority of humanity.

We often see our times as characterised by violence and sexual perversion, and discern these as precursors of judgment, but Parsons adds an extra dimension. What is unredeemable is the belief that God is no longer a credible Creator and hence we can go our own way, transgressing his boundaries with abandon. We seek to create and fulfil our own destinies, but by playing with our God-given humanity we will lose it and final destruction will follow.

These days we have both the capacity and the desire to interfere with our species to an extent that blurs the distinctions that God has ordained. With genetic engineering, cross-breeding, sex changes and attempts to augment and enhance human bodies using technology, we can create human hybrids without input from fallen angels.

Distinctive Slant

The book has been 20 years in the writing, during which Parsons has been living and working in Jerusalem. As such, it has slowly crystallised into a comprehensive prophetic thesis about our times with a distinctive slant that is well worth thinking through. It certainly makes sense, both biblically and in terms of what is happening in the world today. If Parsons is right, the verdict has already been declared. Denying God as Creator has primed the final judgment.

We seek to create and fulfil our own destinies, but by playing with our God-given humanity we will lose it and final destruction will follow.

The book has good and full endnotes and an extensive bibliography of books, articles and websites. There is no index but this is not really a problem. Overall, a valuable book and highly commended.

‘Floodgates: Recognize the End-Time Signs to Survive the Coming Wrath’ (272pp) is available from Eden for £12.99. Also available on Amazon, including Kindle.

Parsons’ blog and website, www.floodgatesblog.com, includes updates and commentaries from the author, reviews and endorsements, videos and more background information about the book.

A new message of hope for Britain.

Something quite amazing happened to me last month – in my quiet times I began hearing a new message – a message of hope!

For the past 30 years I’ve been carrying much the same message. Older readers who remember the early days of the printed magazine Prophecy Today, back in the 1980s, will confirm that we were constantly warning about the consequences of the changes that were taking place as the nation abandoned its biblical heritage and embraced secular humanism. We were always calling for repentance and turning – especially in the Church.

The message we gave in those days was in stark contrast to the joyful messages of popular charismatic preachers promising imminent revival. Of course, we were not the only ones giving these warnings. But so many Christians and churches were embracing the teachings of false prophets, that it was not easy to go against the popular tide.

Bible-believing Christians who could see what was happening in the nation were often voices crying in the wilderness and they frequently had to endure vilification. There were strong pressures upon church leaders and others to go with the crowd and give a popular message.

It is quite rare today to hear such upbeat messages. But last month I began hearing God speaking about revival! For me, this was the first time in 30 years and I’ve been holding onto it for nearly two months seeking confirmation before daring to say anything in public.

A Virgin Mission Field

Let me explain what I began hearing. I believe the Lord is saying that the possibilities of spiritual revival, or re-awakening, are now coming onto the horizon. I am certainly not believing that this is imminent, but the first little signs are already to be seen of a change of mood among some young people.

A recent survey of attitudes showed that 52% of the British public now say that they have no religion.¹ This is an indication of the rapid cultural change that has taken place in the space of a single lifetime. In 1960 some 90% of the population would have said that they were Christians. Since then, other religions have flooded into Britain, leading to the construction of all sorts of mosques and temples. But it is important to note that although the native British population have largely abandoned their Judeo-Christian heritage, they have not turned to these other religions in significant numbers – they have simply turned away from all religious belief.

I believe the Lord is saying that the possibilities of spiritual revival, or re-awakening, are now coming onto the horizon.

What we now have is virtually a virgin mission field, which is good news for those who are evangelists and are eager to share their faith with others. But while it presents an amazing opportunity, a spiritual vacuum is also dangerous! As Jesus said, when one devil is cast out, its place can easily be taken by seven others, even more evil. I think it was GK Chesterton said that when we stop believing in God, we do not believe nothing, we believe anything! This may be true today.

Disaster Bringing Opportunity

I think that most Bible-believing Christians would agree that Britain is a nation that has been under judgment for some time – at least since we passed the same-sex marriage act in defiance of the God of Creation. We have had the truth and rejected it, putting ourselves outside God’s protection. This is the situation not only in Britain, but in most Western nations.

Moses described the classic signs of judgment that would follow the rejection of the word of God. He said, “The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind” (Deut 28:28). This is a good description of our politicians struggling to deal with Brexit. I know this was said to Israel, a nation in a covenant relationship with God, but the spiritual principle can be applied to those who have had the word of God and deliberately turned away, as the promises in Jeremiah 18 testify.

Anata, the West Bank village thought to be on the site of the biblical Anathoth, where Jeremiah bought his field.

I certainly believe that some kind of calamity will come upon our nation in the not-too-distant future, but I also believe that this will produce a new openness to the truth and provide new opportunity for the Gospel. This is what I began hearing last month, in much the same way as Jeremiah was given the revelation of the New Covenant at the very time when the Babylonians were about to break down the walls of Jerusalem and bring tragedy upon the nation.

Jeremiah was imprisoned in the guardhouse, but in faith he bought a piece of land that was already in enemy-occupied territory, as a sign that he was looking forward to the restoration of Israel after the disaster (Jer 32).

The native British population have largely abandoned their Judeo-Christian heritage, but they have not turned to other religions – they have simply turned away from religion altogether.

Generation Sensible

I am certainly not comparing myself to Jeremiah – but in much the same way, I believe that ‘times of refreshing’ will come. As a little sign of confirmation, I heard last week that in some universities in Britain, the usual intoxicated hijinks associated with ‘Freshers Week’ are being scrapped. But they have not been cancelled by university authorities - they have been stopped by a ‘lack of demand’ from students!

Young people are turning away from the kind of society that has been produced by their parents, in what The Times has dubbed ‘Generation Sensible’.² They are looking for changes in the culture away from the corrupt and unhealthy practices of the previous generation. Maybe this is the reason why Jordan Peterson is so popular with young people.

In Hull University, it is reported, one campus bar has been transformed into an ice-cream parlour and nightclub hours have been reduced. Other universities are holding plant-potting workshops and setting aside quiet rooms for meditation. On the London Underground, there are adverts on the boards up and down the escalators calling for October to be an alcohol-free month and surveys indicate that many young people are drinking far less than their parents’ generation.

The Turning of the Tide

All these things are part of a popular backlash against the kind of libertarian culture of excess that has been produced by postmodernism and its driving forces – Marxism, Darwinism, secular humanism – behind which lie what I can only describe as the forces of darkness. These ‘postmodern’ forms of rebellion against God are nothing new, but go back to the days of the Tower of Babel. They simply re-affirm the timeless fact that once you reject the basis of truth in the God of Creation, as the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 1, processes of decay automatically follow.

I certainly believe some kind of calamity will come upon our nation in the not-too-distant future, but that this will produce a new openness to the truth and new opportunity for the Gospel.

But for those who are called to be watchmen for the Lord and have eyes to see, I believe there are already little signs of a turning of the tide. Remember that when the tide turns far out in the main, it is a very long time before the first waves start rippling up the beach for everyone to see.

The hope for the future is that Bible-believing Christians will seize the opportunity of filling the spiritual vacuum among young people with the truth of the Gospel, praying in the turning of the tide: that God may breathe his life-giving Spirit upon a new generation revolting against the culture of their parents, but not yet knowing where else to turn for truth in an age of fake news. What a great opportunity for the Gospel!!!

References

1 Church of England numbers at record low. NatCen, 7 September 2018.

2 Narwan, G and Woolcock, N. Freshers week thirst for alcohol is drying up. The Times, 15 September 2018.

A study on eternal judgment.

In our final article on the basic principles of Hebrews 6, Campbell MacAlpine turns to the subject of eternal judgment.

We now come to the last of the six truths which should be absorbed into our lives if we are going to continually advance to maturity. We considered in the previous two articles the glorious prospect and hope for the Christian who dies before Jesus returns. However, as well as a resurrection of the just, there is also a resurrection of the unjust. As well as salvation, there is condemnation; as well as heaven there is hell; as well as there being eternal bliss, there is also eternal judgment.

Why should this teaching be so important? How should it affect our lives? There are various answers:

• We should be continually grateful to God that he ever saved us. Daily we should be thankful for his mercy to us, and that he has “delivered us from wrath to come”. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him” (Rom 5:89).
  
• We should continually desire to see people saved. The truth is that man without Christ is lost, and lost forever. We are called to be signposts to Jesus, to intercede for the lost, and to be available to bring the good news of the Gospel so that people can be saved from eternal judgment. As the old hymn puts it, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.”
  
• We should present the truth of the Gospel. Paul could boldly declare, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew; then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom 1:16-18).

Paul states that the Gospel reveals two things: the righteousness of God and the wrath of God.

The Righteousness of God

First, the Gospel reveals that for man, who is totally unrighteous and can do nothing to make himself righteous, Christ's righteousness has been imputed to him when he believes in the Lord Jesus. “There is no-one righteous, not even one” (Rom 3:10); “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21) and “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

Paul states that the Gospel reveals two things: the righteousness of God and the wrath of God.

What a powerful, life-changing message is contained in the Gospel. How gracious of God to pronounce a ‘not guilty’ verdict on us when we came to him. How merciful of him to look upon us as righteous because on the Cross Jesus took our unrighteousness.

The Wrath of God

The second thing the Gospel reveals is God’s wrath; his holy and just anger against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the sceptre of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy” (Heb 1:8-9).

How is the wrath of God revealed?

• It is revealed in man’s conscience. If a man does something wrong, he knows it, and although he may not agree, knows his wrong deserves punishment. Therefore, his first impulse is to hide his sin.
  
• God’s wrath is revealed in history when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. The wickedness of mankind increased and increased, until God in his holy justice had to intervene and everyone was destroyed when the Flood came, with the exception of eight people who were saved in the ark. God’s wrath on cities rife with immorality was revealed in Sodom and Gomorrah.
  
• As well as nations and cities, God's wrath against all ungodliness has been revealed in his judgments on individuals such as King Belshazzar, Korah, Gehazi, King Uzziah, King Herod, Ananias and Sapphira and the Corinthian believers failing to discern the Lord's Body during communion.
  
• God’s wrath is revealed in death. Satan lied to our first parents and assured them that if they disobeyed God they would not suffer – “you will not surely die” he whispered to them. “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.” Every time we pass a cemetery, or see a funeral, or read an obituary, we need to remember that the word of God declares, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).
  
• However, the greatest revelation of God's wrath against sin is seen at the Cross. There we see what it cost the Lord Jesus, sinless, holy, spotless, pure, taking the punishment for our sins, taking the judgment, taking the wrath, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Hallelujah, what a Saviour! “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5).

The greatest revelation of God’s wrath against sin is seen at the Cross.

Importance of Warning

There are two essential contents of good teaching. One is feeding, and the other is warning. When you study the ministry of the Lord Jesus you find that his teaching was punctuated by warnings. “Watch out for false prophets”; “Be on your guard against men”; “Watch out! be on your guard against all kinds of greed.”

You also find this content in the teaching of Paul and the other Apostles. When Paul was visiting the leaders in Ephesus for the last time he exhorted them to “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers”. Then he said, “…for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:28, 31).

So it is with the message of the Gospel. There is the proclamation and teaching of its glorious message which is “the power of God unto salvation.” It brings the wonderful invitation “whosoever will may come”, although the late Dr Tozer, in one of his wonderful writings, said the Gospel is not an invitation but an ultimatum: “God commandeth all men everywhere to repent.”

However, the message also brings a warning. The verse that says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned”, is the same verse that says, “whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).

We do not seem to hear much warning today. When did you last hear a sermon on hell, or the wrath of God, or eternal punishment? I am not speaking about preachers taking delight in dangling their congregations over the hot flames or hell to try and scare them into the Kingdom of God. In years gone by that kind of preaching seemed to be quite prevalent. However, I think the pendulum has swung in the other direction.

Years ago I asked God never to allow me to preach about judgment unless my heart was filled with his love for the lost. In his faithfulness he has answered that prayer, sometimes causing others embarrassment. Although I have not been embarrassed, I have had to pause and weep.

In the same way that we cannot fully anticipate the joy awaiting the Christian, neither can we understand the desperate loss for those who reject the message of his love and grace. At a conference in Belgium some years ago, I sat next to a lady from a Middle Eastern country one lunch-time. In conversation I asked her how she came to know the Lord Jesus. She told me it was the result of a dream. She dreamt that she was in hell and described some terrors and horrors that were shown her. One thing that so impressed her was that there was fire but there was no light. She never rested until she came to the place of yielding her life to Christ. Yes, the message speaks of the righteousness of God, and the wrath of God.

In the same way that we cannot fully anticipate the joy awaiting the Christian, neither can we understand the desperate loss for those who reject the message of his love and grace.

What Then is Eternal Punishment?

There is no need to conjure up some human description or pass one’s personal opinion. The safest thing to do is simply take what the word of God says. Eternal punishment is:

• Eternal separation from God: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power” (2 Thess 1:7-9).
• Being in the company of the devil and his angels: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41).
• Darkness and sorrow: They “will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 8:12).
• Everlasting shame: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake; some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan 12:2).
• A place of no return: Jesus gave one of the most revealing insights when he told the story in Luke 16, of the rich man and Lazarus. To the rich man who lived without God, and died without God, he said, “And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us” (Luke 16:26).

Who Will Be There?

Those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36). “If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death” (Rev 21:8).

In the light of this sobering truth it is good to know that God does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). How great is the love and grace of God in sending the Lord Jesus to die and rise again that we might be delivered from wrath to come. What confidence we can have in the Gospel. It is the power of God for salvation to all who will believe it. So let us be thankful for his salvation and his keeping power. Let us proclaim the good news of a Saviour, and let us go on to maturity.

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (Heb 6:1, NKJV).

Let us take as our resolve the words of the next verse, “This will we do…”

Questions

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is an invitation, and also a warning. Why is the warning so important?
   
2. Why is it, do you think, that so little is preached about God’s wrath?
3. How will this teaching affect your life in the future?
4. Why do you think that Jesus preached more about hell than anyone else?

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.

The resurrection of the dead. (Part 2)

Resurrection Day is the Coming Again of Jesus

The resurrection of Christians is going to take place the day that Jesus returns. As certain as his first coming to Bethlehem is the fact that he is coming a second time. This truth, like the truth of the resurrection of the dead, is a wonderful hope for the Christian. Jesus is coming again. We have his word for it. He told his disciples, “I will come again.”

It was confirmed to the disciples after they had watched Jesus ascend to Heaven:

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven’. (Acts 1:10-11)

Many Christians will be alive when Jesus comes and they will be changed immediately. No-one knows when the Lord Jesus will return, although Jesus taught his disciples about certain conditions which would be in the world at his coming. He taught that his coming would be sudden, it would be unexpected, that he would come, ‘as a thief in the night’. When he comes there will be a shout, the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. It is going to be gloriously noisy!

When Jesus was teaching this truth, he said, be watchful and be ready. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…so you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt 24:42-4). The best thing to do is to live and work as if Jesus was coming today. John wrote, “Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).

The best thing to do is to live and work as if Jesus was coming today.

I read of a missionary who went away for a weekend's meetings. He told his wife he would return on Monday on the one train that came each day. On Monday she spruced up her two little boys and went to the station to meet Dad. The train came, but no Dad. They came back again on Tuesday and again the boys were all cleaned up. The train came, but again, no Dad. Back they came on Wednesday, and this time Dad came. One of the little fellows said, “Dad, we’ve been waiting for you for three days.” Looking down at them, he said, “Yes, I see it’s kept you clean!” Let's be ready! Let's be clean!

Resurrection Day is Reward Day

There is a very important truth linked with the doctrine of resurrection of the dead, and that is that we are accountable. One day Jesus was teaching in the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees. He was encouraging his listeners that, when they had a feast, they should not invite people who would return their hospitality, but invite those who could not invite them back. Then he said: “And you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14).

At the resurrection we are going to be asked by the Lord to give an account of how we lived as Christians. This is an incentive to live holy lives. We are going to appear at what Paul called, ‘the judgment seat of Christ’. There are applications for this teaching, which should affect our lives in various ways:

• We should live in the fear of God: Paul wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10-11).
  
• We should stop judging others: We will never be asked to give an account of how other people lived, but how we lived. “’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:11-13).
  
• We should live and work sincerely and with the right motive: “Whatever You do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:23-24). This reminds us of the importance of avoiding dead works, and to live with faith toward God by the power of his Spirit, with the purpose of glorifying God.

At the resurrection we are going to be asked by the Lord to give an account of how we lived as Christians. This is an incentive to live holy lives.

The Rewards

Rewards are going to be given in that day. Paul wrote, “If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward” (1 Cor 3:14). Some of these rewards are described as ‘crowns’:

• An incorruptible crown. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Cor 9:24-25).
  
• A crown of righteousness: Towards the end of his life Paul wrote to Timothy. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim 4:7-8).
  
• A crown of life. There will be reward for those who have overcome temptations. James writes, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (Jam 1:12). What an encouragement to endure the trials and testings and persecutions. Resurrection day will be reward day.
  
• A crown of glory. Reward is promised to pastors and elders who properly care for his flock. “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Pet 5:4).

We do not serve the Lord merely for a reward. The greatest privilege on earth is to live and work for him, but it is just like his loving heart to bless in that coming day. So let us live with resurrection day before us. Not only will there be rewards but there will also be loss of reward. “If [anyone’s work] is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor 3:15).

The teaching on the judgment seat of Christ is clearly summarised in the words of an unknown poet:

When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and he shows me his plan for me,

the plan of my life as it might have been, had he had his way, and I see

how I blocked him here and checked Him there, and would not yield my will,

will there be grief in my Saviour’s eyes, grief, though he loves me still?

He would have me rich, but I stand there poor, stripped of all but his grace,

as memory runs like a haunted thing through the years I cannot retrace.

Then my desolate heart will well nigh break, with the tears that I cannot shed;

I will cover my face with my empty hands, and bow my uncrowned head.

Lord, of the years that are left to me, I yield them to thy hand,

Take me, melt me, mould me, to the pattern thou hast planned.

Resurrection day will be reward day – but there will also be loss.

Application

• Praise God for his grace that saved us.
  
• Thank God for the glorious prospect of spending eternity with him, with changed bodies, sinless bodies, healthy bodies, never-get-old bodies, a body like his glorious body.
  
• Let us realise that it is here on earth that ‘we lay up treasure in heaven’.

Questions

1. What is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus?
2. What would your answer be to a person who said that death ended everything?
3. In view of the judgment seat of Christ, would you like to finish as you are now?
4. If not, what adjustments do you think you should make? When is the best time to make these adjustments?

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.

Charles Gardner reviews RT Kendall’s new book.

‘Whatever happened to the Gospel?’ is a question I have been asking for some time. And it is now the title of a brilliant new book by much-loved author and preacher RT Kendall, published by Charisma House.

In a very timely expose of the superficiality and error of much of Western Christianity, RT (short for Robert Tillman) attempts to rouse the Church from its slumbers with a passionate wake-up call.

Eternity Matters

Wielding his sharp, perceptive pen with the skill of a writer very much in tune with the Bible’s Author, he shows how the fear of God has been largely lost, with heaven and hell hardly ever mentioned from the pulpit.

John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus, spoke of the “wrath to come” when people flocked from miles around to hear him.

The neglect of preaching on hell, in particular, has lulled generations of believers and would-be Christians into a false sense of security, and to a lack of urgency in proclaiming the Gospel to a dying world.

This is a timely expose of the superficiality and error of much of Western Christianity.

We are too often allowed to bask in the sunshine of our Western comfort and prosperity with teaching about making the most of life in the here-and-now, rather than urgent calls to rescue those in danger of perishing in eternal fire.

After all, RT argues, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life” – the words of Jesus himself (John 3:16, my emphasis added). It’s surely a matter of everlasting life or death. The wrath of God is coming upon all ungodliness and wickedness, and the only way of escape is through the blood of Jesus. This is the Gospel – not health and wealth, prosperity, social outreach or even happiness on this earth.

Not Ashamed

It’s a thrilling read – punchy, shocking, beautifully written, honest and full of fascinating anecdotes. The author is not afraid to tell stories against himself; he owns up to having made many mistakes but, as he says, he would stake his life on the truth expounded in this volume.

The Church urgently needs to rediscover the main thing!

I am greatly indebted to friends from London who sent me a copy, but not before travelling across the capital to get RT to sign it. Alongside his signature, he noted down the Bible reference Romans 1:16, which says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

‘Whatever Happened to the Gospel’ (240pp) is available on Amazon and elsewhere online, in paperback, Kindle and audio forms.

Please note that a review from Prophecy Today UK concerns the book only: in no way does it constitute support for official book endorsers such as shown on the image above.