Great is the Lord - it's His people who are the problem!

It was not my intention to publish a post this evening but, having read two items, I have decided to do so.

The first of those items is from a daily e-mail that I receive from The Institute for Christian Research. It points me to I Chronicles 16:25-26 (AV) - “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” 

The following text reads: "This testimony is in the heart of a great hymn of thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 16:7-36) composed by David when the Ark of the Lord was brought back to Jerusalem. It is a testimony of the unique greatness of the God of Israel, with recurring expressions of gratitude for His deliverances and blessings.

This God of Israel was no mere tribal-god or nature-god, such as Dagon, the fish-god of the Philistines from whose hands the Ark had been delivered. All such “gods” of the peoples of the earth—whether wooden images in a shrine, astrological emblems in the heavens, or mental constructs of evolutionary humanistic philosophers—are nothing but idols (that is, literally, “good for nothing,” “vanities”).

It is Jehovah God who is not only in the heavens but who made the heavens! It is their Creator who one day will “let the sea roar” and “the fields rejoice,” when “the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth” (vv. 32-33).

As Creator and Saviour, all His people are exhorted also to “shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations” (vv. 23-24). Because of His power, the world itself “shall be stable [that is, ‘permanently established’], that it be not moved” (v. 30). This “God of our salvation” (v. 35), and the wonderful heavens and earth He created, will be forever. The psalm ends with the exhortation: “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. . . . Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever and ever” (vv. 34-36).

Now, if Israel needed such an exhortation, our modern science-worshiping world needs it still more urgently."

Just before I read those words, I read some words of Rev. Dr. Clifford Hill, of Prophecy Today (https://www.prophecytoday.uk/), a former clergyman in the Church of England. He is referring to the state of the British Parliament that was prorogued last night - but wrote these words on Sept.6th. In a longer article (recommended - "A Rebellious Generation"), he writes: "For 50 years this nation has been steadily eroding its biblical foundation that made it a great nation and what we now see in our dysfunctional, rebellious Parliament is the result. Both the Leader of the Opposition and our Prime Minister have been notorious rebels throughout their political careers. They now shout at each other across the despatch box, the world looking on with amazement to see the famous ‘Mother of Parliaments’ torn asunder by 650 rebels in utter disarray.

For the older generation who were brought up with biblical values of gentleness, respect and unselfishness – (God first, others second, self last) – it is simply excruciating to watch this generation of overgrown, unruly infants tearing the nation apart with their mindless behaviour. I can echo the words of the Prophet Ezekiel: “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” (Ezek 12:2).

When everything goes wrong in the nation, the biblical principle is not to blame the politicians but to blame the religious leaders. Listen to this, also from Ezekiel: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves” (Ezek 34:10).

And from Jeremiah: “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” (Jer 23:14).

As a senior churchman who has worked alongside the last four archbishops of Canterbury (Donald Coggan, Robert Runcie, George Carey and Rowan Williams), I have been a close observer of church leadership in the nation since the mid-1970s.

I saw at first-hand what a group of unbelieving bishops did when Donald Coggan made an impassioned ‘call to the nation’ to return to biblical values in 1975. They hounded him out of office, vowing that they would oppose any other Bible-believing evangelical getting into Lambeth Palace – hence the appointment of Robert Runcie, the most liberal Archbishop we have ever had, at a time of radical social change when the prophetic voice of the Church was desperately needed."

He continues: "Today we have a group of 25 Church of England bishops publishing a statement about Brexit that is full of political correctness but has no Gospel in it. It has no prophetic call to the nation to turn to God. In fact, there is no mention of God!!! No call to prayer, no call to ‘repentance’, no recognition of our departure from the word of the Lord which is why the nation is in such trouble!

The bishops reflect the same secular humanist, globalist spirit as the rest of the establishment who are defying the referendum and trying to keep Britain locked into the European Union.

If church leaders would only bother to read the Bible – the whole Bible, not just little bits of the New Testament – they would understand the nature of the spiritual battle that is raging across Britain and much of Europe today." (emphases in the original).

There is much more, but that may be sufficient. Last night's scenes in the House of Commons were surely, to any right-minded person, a total disgrace, and an affront to democracy. For a long time, I have been praying for our nation, and in my praying, asking that the Lord would raise up men and women of faith and integrity to replace, in every area of the secular realm, those in positions of power ,and authority, and influence - who are opposed to His will, and His Word. I pray, on a daily basis, for the government, that the Lord would use it to bring about His perfect will - yes, even for our relationship with the EU! However, I also pray that he would forgive the church - not any single denomination - for having failed, for so long, to be the prophetic voice to the nation that we are called to be.

I believe that what we are witnessing are clear signs that we are living in the "end-times". May those of us who claim to be disciples of the Lord Jesus, be faithful in our prayerful support of those in government. May we take every opportunity to "speak a word for Jesus" to a faithless, yet needy, population. May we be found "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2).

Genesis - Part 2

As a student of history, I am all too aware that nations and empires rise - and fall! Where are the ancient nations of Philistines and Persians, to name but two? Many will not have read, but most will be aware of, Edward Gibbon's monumental work: "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." However, there is one very real exception; one nation that, in spite of many attempts to destroy it, has survived for millennia. That nation is the Jewish Nation - the Children of Israel; the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The second part of the book of Genesis deals with the call of Abraham,and the events that followed. Here is the next video that gives a brief overview of all of that.

Now that you have seen the overview, may I encourage you to fill in much more of the detail by actually reading the book?! I would recommend a modern translation so that you are neither confused, nor 'put off'', by the somewhat archaic language of the Authorised (or King James) Version! My personal 'favourite' is still the RSV (Revised Standard Version), but the NRSV (New RSV) is also a good translation. Some will prefer the NIV (New International Version), but unless you already have a copy, I am informed that the 2011 publication is best!

Whichever version/translation you use, do read - and before doing so, take a minute to ask for the help of God the Holy Spirit, that you may understand what He is saying, specifically, to you.

A Brutal Terror Attack in the West Bank

On Tuesday — the eve of U.S.-led peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians (the Biblical Philistines) — four Israelis driving in the south Hebron hills near the West Bank town of Kiryat Arba were ambushed by terrorists. Their car was sprayed with bullets at close range and all were killed. One of the victims, it was reported, was pregnant. Among the dead are a married couple, Yitzhak and Tali Ames, who left behind six children, including an 18-month-old baby.

A statement released following the attack by the Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, said that Hamas takes "full responsibility for the heroic operation (just what is 'heroic' about an ambush??) in Hebron." One Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, called the attack "a natural response by the Palestinian resistance to the enemy's crimes." In Hamas-ruled Gaza, the mood was jubilant; photos from the area showed crowds celebrating in the streets, and Hamas supporters handing out sweets to occupants of passing cars.

The reality of such an attack — the thought that there are those who would not only perpetrate it but proudly claim responsibility for it and even celebrate it — is almost too horrible to contemplate. And yet we must face up to that reality — in order to try to bring the perpetrators to justice, to ensure against such a thing ever happening again, and, just as important, to come to a full understanding of the nature of Israel's enemies.

The fact is that the hatred Hamas and other radical Islamist groups feel for Jews and Israel is real. Those consumed by such hatred do not seek peaceful co-existence with Israel. Indeed, there are no possible changes in policy, no territorial concessions, no compromises that Israel could make that would satisfy them. They seek only one thing: the total elimination of the Jewish state.

The terrorists who committed this atrocity undoubtedly were attempting to sabotage peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians currently taking place in Washington. In this, they failed — the talks began as scheduled on Wednesday. Sadly, their attempt cost four innocent Israelis their lives.

The Bible tells us, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18), and promises that God "will keep in perfect peace" those who trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3). May God comfort and give His peace to those who are brokenhearted over the loss of the four men and women murdered in this cowardly attack — and may the peace that only He can give guide the talks in Washington, fill the streets of the Holy Land, and permeate our hearts as we go about His redeeming work in our broken world.

(With acknowledgement to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews - www.ifcj.org)