| (Copyright 2011) by John Jewell (London, England) |
|---|
| It isn’t often that you encounter a reference by one of our politicians to a particular biblical situation. Least of all in an article this week in the Mail on Sunday, one of our Sunday newspapers. He was reminding us as to what our political position within the European Union rightly is! We are not and should not give the appearance of being supplicants. Daniel Hannan, Conservative member of the European Parliament for the Southeast of England, wrote that it was Winston Churchill who in 1946 first proposed Britain’s rightful position relative to any future combination of nations of Europe. Churchill called for a United States of Europe comprising France, Germany, and their satellite countries. Britain would look on benignly but would not participate. ‘In all this urgent work, France and Germany must take the lead together, he said. ‘Great Britain and the British Commonwealth of Nations must be the friends and sponsors.’ We have quoted Winston Churchill in previous editions of the Newsletter. He made it clear that Britain is in Europe but not of it! Mr Hannan went to the bible, a higher authority. In the second book of Kings, chapter 4 there is the account of a woman of an area called Shunem who recognised Elisha, the prophet, as a man of God as he travelled backwards and forwards through the area. She and her husband showed great courtesy to Elisha giving him a bed for the night and sharing dinner with him. Accordingly, he wanted to do something for her as she had no children, and her husband was old. So, Elisha talked to her and asked her if he could speak to the king, or the army leader, to do something for her in return. The passage in the bible says how she was a “great woman” in other words, one who was already rich and influential. To Elisha’s suggestion she responded by saying “I dwell among my own people!” So, Mr Hannan’s suggestion when our politicians are patronised by other nations’ politicians is this, and I quote, “Our present leaders would do well to ponder his (Churchill’s) reason: “We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it.” Should European statesmen address us, like Elisha, in the same words he used – “Shall I speak for you to the King or the Captain of the Host?” – we should reply, as the Shunnamite woman, who was already influential and wealthy, did “No, thank you, we live among our own people.” Like the Shunnamite, Britain has been and still is rich and influential. We live among our own people. The British Commonwealth of Nations is worldwide. The English language is virtually the world’s language. Britain, for all its mistakes, has generally meant well in the world. It has governed many nations, within the Commonwealth, basically justly. Britain ended a number of practices in many of those nations which were harsh and cruel and instituted a proper form of justice. Although, because of other factors, Britain totally misunderstood the truth of the bible nevertheless Britain took the bible all over the world and is responsible for the fact that the bible is now printed in virtually every known language. And what is more, is freely available to anyone who wants a copy. There is only one other nation that does this, and that is the United States, our brothers, helping to carry out this great task. Both nations have international bible societies. Societies which have truly been making the word of God freely available. Understanding it is another issue! However, that it IS clearly understood and that understanding is also freely available is again due to the efforts and dedication of those of the United States and Great Britain who were, and still are, called into the true church of God. But are there any other nations with similar programmes? We don’t know of any! Over the years citizens of both nations have tried hard to guide others in eradicating very wrong practices. Practices such as the Hindu one in India whereby, upon the death of her husband, the widow would cremate herself upon her husband’s funeral pyre in the practice of suttee! A practice ended by the British many years ago when governing the sub-continent. Obviously both nations have made their mistakes and haven’t always got things right. But on balance we would say that both the United States and Great Britain have been of service to the world at large more than not! Both have, at times, recognised the true God but have failed to understand Him and His purpose for Man on earth. This failure has caused both to embrace pagan doctrines, practices and beliefs calling them Christian when they certainly are not! However, that’s another story. One of the keys to understanding the bible is to understand the movements of peoples over the centuries. Man originated in the Middle East most likely in the area known as Mesopotamia. Another key is the one that unlocks our understanding of world events today. It is to identify the descendants of various individuals and where they are located today. One nation actually does know where it came from, who they are descended from. It actually does understand its history. That is the nation of Israel today, collectively called the Jews! Why? Because they know they are descended from Judah one of the sons of Jacob. Jacob was renamed by God to then be known as Israel. Jacob, now named Israel had 12 sons, one of which was Judah, and in chapter 49 of Genesis just as he is about to die he calls them all together and tells them what the future holds for each of them. He puts it this way: “gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.” Now it can’t be the individuals themselves, it has to be referring to the descendants of each at the time of the end of the world, or more accurately, the world society and system. When, in the bible, the term “Last Days” is used it should be taken to be referring to the end of the world system and the replacement of it by the rule of Jesus Christ on his return to the earth. A return which will end the conflict afflicting mankind throughout the planet which has been generated through the activities of Satan and the demons who have been infecting and affecting the planet ever since they rebelled against God and were then contained on the earth. A masterstroke of the Satan and the demon forces is to convince the people of the world that they don’t really exist, they are figments of an over-worked imagination that affects some people. Satan has even got mankind to believe, in general, that God and the angels don’t exist either. However, we never thought that a man would ever walk on the surface of the moon. But he did! Even just a few short years ago you would never have believed it possible to take a few cells of the human body and grow a new body part. It seems now, however, as though the science has developed so far and fast that it will be possible to grow even a new eye. One that could replace a diseased one. However, God and the spirit world do exist – the events recorded in the bible did happen. The things that the bible speaks of that are yet in the future are going to occur. We see Satan’s approach in Genesis chapter 3 where he appears as a serpent to Adam and Eve – there he convinces them that God had told them not to eat the fruit of one particular tree because He, God, wanted to keep some things from them. So, Satan engineered the first breaking of God’s law. The spirit of Satan today fills the entire world society. He is intent on destroying the planet and every living thing whether animal or human. Have you ever wondered why the earth is filled with violence? Worse now that we are in the “last days” The very last book of the bible is Revelation. It deals mainly with what is yet future. Chapter 12 and verse 9 speaks of Satan and what happened originally, it says “…. Satan, which deceives the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Now the book moves forward to our time now and verse 12 says … Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time. Have you ever known the world filled with so much violence as we are experiencing today? I was listening to BBC radio a little earlier today as I wrote. The focus was upon Greece. Not much has appeared in the press but the accounts of life today in Greece were frightening. People are in despair. The society has almost collapsed. Crime and violence are virtually out of control. Violence fills the Middle East. Accounts of life today in Syria alone are similarly frightening. The outlook for Russia is not good. And as for Britain! We have continued to live with our air of sublime complacency that these things happen in other countries but not in ours. Have we so quickly forgotten the events of earlier this year? The street riots in London and a number of other of our cities! Shops, department stores, smashed, set on fire and robbed by not just the odd one or two, but the whole crowd. These things can’t happen in Britain we might have earlier said but can say no longer! Then waiting in the wings for us is a confrontation with the European Union. More reports from Europe that were broadcast on BBC television and radio as to the European attitude towards our prime minister in particular and Britain in general. You will know that France and Germany virtually forming a new axis are endeavouring to push forward a new arrangement of financing and governing the EU. The prime minister told Europe that unless we have arrangements made to allow us to opt out of the agreement, we will veto it. That, in European eyes, is almost a declaration of war. We may get by it this time, but it will not be forgotten in Europe. Added to which we have broken just about every law of God, we have mocked Him, even the churches who pretend to worship Him, follow none of God’s commandments. As a result, this nation, once a Great Britain, is headed for an unprecedented time of trouble before the return of Jesus Christ. —————————————————————————————————– See John Jewell’s other articles at: Jewell, John – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) —————————————————————————————————– |
Views: 5
Sign up to Receive [The "New" Church of God Messenger] weekly newsletter: