Newsletter 124 Summer 2017

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2: 15

I often ponder the words in 2 Thessalonians 2: 11 “God will send them strong delusion.” In teaching prophecy it is necessary to emphasise over and over the sovereignty of God in all that happens. The words ‘God will’ are frequently repeated in the Bible. As our knowledge of scripture broadens we come to understand that God will use Satan, his arch enemy, to fulfil his purposes.

The AV and NKJV versions of the Bible both translate the phrase in the above quote from Thessalonians as ‘strong delusion’. When reading the words we probably unconsciously insert the word ‘a’ before strong. This would make the delusion a particular reference to the acceptance of the ‘man of sin’, who is described earlier in the chapter. Mankind in its delusion will accept this false Christ as the saviour of the world. God will send this delusion and use it to separate those who believe the truth from those who accept Satan’s lie.

Leaving the ‘a’ out allows the delusion to have a much broader application. Towards the end of the age Mankind will suffer from a number of delusions leading up to the final delusion which accepts the Antichrist. These delusions lead people further and further away from the truth. Without the foundation of divinely inspired truth the ground is being prepared to receive the ultimate lie.

Three of the most powerful delusions at work in Britain today are, Evolution, gender confusion and Islam. Each in its own way undermines the truth of God as revealed in scripture.

Evolution denies the Creator. Evolution is the foundation of our secular society. By removing accountability to God man can take control his own destiny. Over the last 60 years laws based on the word of God have been repealed. They have been replaced with laws based on man’s faulty wisdom. The consequent break down of society is evidence of this futility for all to see, if only they would open their eyes.

Gender confusion has grown out of a belief in Evolution. As products of chance rather than a divine creation we can make our own choices. The ludicrous consequences of this delusion are illustrated in a following article.

Islam pretends to offer salvation without the need for an atonement. It denies the death of Christ for our sins. Islam sets out a number of religious rituals and rules for the faithful to follow. But even Islam admits that keeping of these does not guarantee a place in heaven. A Muslims deeds will be weighed in the balance on the Day of Judgment. However according to the Bible our good deeds can never pay the price for our sin. Only Jesus taking the penalty on Himself is sufficient to satisfy divine justice.

How do we counter these delusions? We need to return to a robust gospel which boldly declares our accountability to God. Many will mock but some will listen. The next article looks at the gospel as it was once preached.

 In this edition

Flee the wrath to Come

Gender Confusion

Water

D is for more Deception

The Wilton Park Report

Hallmarks of Design

Jerusalem

Flee the wrath to come.

“As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked and saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, “What shall I do?””

And so begins one of the most inspired books outside the Bible. John Bunyan’s, ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ is an outstanding work of literature. It is also a repository of Christian truth.

The story begins with the main character, Christian, being tormented by what he reads in the Bible. He goes home and shares his distress with his wife and children. They, with his relatives and neighbours, are hardened against his message. They mock and chide him hoping that this is a passing phase. But the torment of Christian’s soul does not subside. He fears death because after that comes judgment.

While wandering in the fields Christian meets Evangelist. The story continues; “Then said Evangelist, “If this be thy condition, why standest thou still?” He answered, “Because I know not whither to go.” Then he gave him a parchment roll, and there was written within, “Fly from the wrath to come.””

“The man therefore read it, and looking upon Evangelist very carefully, said, “Whither must I fly?” Then said Evangelist, (pointing with his finger over a very wide field,) “Do you see yonder wicket-gate?”  The man said, “No.” Then said the other, “Do you see yonder shining light?”  He said, “I think I do.” Then said Evangelist, “Keep that light in your eye, and go up directly thereto, so shalt thou see the gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do.””

‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ is the story of Christian’s journey out of the ‘City of Destruction’ toward the ‘Celestial City.’ On his travels he meets many who would gladly discourage or divert him from the way. Eventually he reaches his goal and enters the gates of the city. His journey to that city starts with his being warned that he must ‘fly from the wrath to come’.

The book, first published in 1678, has been continuously in print ever since. It is second only to the Bible as the all-time best seller in the English language.

Prepared for Harvest

When we get to glory I expect to find this impoverished English tinker, who spent much of his life in prison for his dissenting beliefs, up among the greatest advocates of the Christian faith. If English speaking people read any other book beside the Bible it would have been ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’. With its message that we need to flee the wrath to come and be resolute in our journey to the celestial city, it prepared the ground for the Methodist revival which, in the next century, would transform Britain.

The following quote is from a 19th Century book about that revival. “When people came to meet in the classes, which he [Wesley] had formed in different parts of the country, they were asked but one question, which was, “Do you desire to flee from the wrath to come, and be saved from your sins?” If they said ‘Yes’ and their conduct showed that they were sincere in what they said they were allowed to meet in class and no further questions were asked them.”1

How many churches today require, ‘a desire to flee the wrath to come and to be saved from sins’, as the primary qualification for membership?

When Jesus quoted the saying, “One Sows and another reaps”2, He was commenting on the Samaritans eagerness to find out if He was the promised Messiah. In Samaria Jesus found people ripe for harvest. This contrasted with the hardness of the Jews in Jerusalem and the seeking of miracles in Galilee. [Read John 4: 1 – 54].

What Bunyan sowed, Wesley reaped.

Scripture testifies that fields are not always ripe ready for harvest. There are times when the ground is hard and unproductive. We live in an age in which the Adversary, Satan, has been busy thickly sowing tares into what was once good ground. The ground being neglected has become hardened. The good corn struggles to grow among the thorns and thistles.

The God who warns.

In the Bible when people became hardened in their rebellion, God sent messengers to warn of judgement. The messengers were usually mocked and ignored, but they remained faithful to the call of God to be watchmen for the nations.

For 100 years Noah was building the Ark. Years before, Enoch had warned of coming judgment. The Ark was a physical reminder of that warning. This vast project must have been noticed and caused people to ask what it was all about. Noah would have repeated his great grandfather’s warning. There was room in the Ark for many to have escaped the Flood, but when the judgment fell, none came to find shelter from the storm.

When the angels visited Lot, they told him to warn those close to him of the coming destruction. His sons in law thought that he was joking. Only Lot and his daughters escaped the wrath poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah.

The prophets of Israel and Judah constantly warned of the consequences of going after other gods and copying the surrounding nations. The people would not listen and so they were sent into exile.

John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah. He went to the wilderness of Judea and preached a baptism of repentance. When multitudes started coming to him he condemned them declaring, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”3 Calling his audience vipers, would not have added to his popularity, but it forcefully conveyed the need to repent

Later John the Baptist questioned Jesus’ ministry. His questioning reveals that he had not foreseen a separation between the ‘day of the Lord’ when, “He will …… gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”4 and the Messiah’s first coming.

God, in His mercy, has delayed judgment for 2000 years. But delay does not mean that He will forever hold back on keeping His word.

Imminent wrath

We are living on the brink of another intervention by God into human history. It is an intervention comparable only to the Flood. With that in mind, what message should the church be bringing to this fallen world?

In Revelation chapter 14 three final warnings are given before the outpouring of God’s wrath.

First comes the preaching of the everlasting gospel to every nation, tribe, tongue and people5. When that everlasting gospel is rejected by the nations. God has to move on to the second of the final warnings, the fall of Babylon6.

Babylon is judged because it caused the nations to share in her fornications. In the Bible fornication by nations refers to the worship of false gods. I believe that Babylon describes the global, economic and religious system which we call civilisation. The fall of Babylon opens the way for the final warning.

For a brief period of time Satan will be allowed to rule the earth through his ‘man of sin’. In Revelation this ‘man of sin’ is called the beast7.

After these warnings comes wrath.

We are living in the time of the first warning. The gospel is being preached in all the world. It will continue to be preached and many individuals are still to be saved. But increasingly we see the nations of the world hardening themselves to the Christian faith. Because of that hardening God will allow the second of the final warnings to come about.

Babylon will soon fall. Revelation chapter 18 describes Babylon as suffering sudden and total economic collapse. In the ensuing chaos, lawlessness will prevail.  Despair over lawlessness will open the way for mankind to accept Satan’s rule.

Finally, God will pour out His wrath on Satan’s kingdom and a rebellious world.

Our message?

Facing such turbulent times what message would the head of the church, Jesus Christ, have us bring to the world? Is the gospel as presented by many churches robust enough for the times which lie ahead?

Bunyan and Wesley saw themselves as rescuing people from the City of Destruction. They warned of the need to escape from the wrath of the final judgement. The true Christian walk starts with the tormented knowledge that we are sinners destined for wrath. We need a way of escape. That way is via the cross and Jesus Christ.

The robust message which the church has to bring to a lawless and chaotic world is one which warns of wrath. We know that will open us up to ridicule. Peter wrote that in the last days scoffers would come who mock the idea of God intervening8.  As in the days of Noah, Lot and the prophets it may be that many will scoff and few will listen. Christians who recognise the reality of God’s wrath will reject compromise with the world and hold fast to His word.

Wesley posed the question to those who would join the movement, “Do you desire to flee from the wrath to come, and be saved from your sins?” In so doing he made clear that the Methodist movement was not there for everyone. It existed for those who were serious about salvation. We would have a strong and united church if we followed his example.

Notes: 1. ‘A Few Plain Words concerning the Established Church and the Wesleyans’ by a Methodist Minister. 1841, 2. John 4: 37, 3. Luke 3: 7, 4. Luke 3: 17, 5. Revelation 14: 6 – 7, 6. Revelation 14: 8, 7. Revelation 14: 9 – 11, 8. 2 Peter 3: 3 – 6.

Gender Confusion

The winter 2017 edition of Trumpet Sounds commented on this being the 50th anniversary year for the Sexual Offences Act 1967 which partially decriminalised homosexuality. Did anyone foresee the devastating affect this Act would have on our nation? Today gender confusion madness is everywhere.

You will probably have heard about a private Jewish school in London which has failed its third Ofsted inspection. Under the pretence of not providing a full understanding of fundamental British values the school was failed for not teaching LGBT issues such as ‘sexual orientation’. This is despite the report stating that, “The school’s culture is, however, clearly focused on teaching pupils to respect everybody, regardless of beliefs and lifestyle.” The school is for 3 to 8 year olds.

In Canada a mother, who defines herself as a non-binary trans person and is taking male hormones, has refused to declare the sex of her child. The child’s birth certificate registers the sex of the child as ‘U’ possibly standing for unknown. The mother belongs to a group which campaigns to remove all gender identification from official documents.

The Church of Sweden will soon require all pastors to perform same sex marriages. There will be no opt out on the grounds of conscience other than leaving the church.

Back in the UK the National Union of Teachers is asking the government that children as young as two be taught about transgender. In Universities there is an increasing use of gender neutral ‘ze’ as a substitute for he or she.

The Mayor of London has pledged to stop the use of the term ‘ladies and gentlemen’ on the capital’s public transport because the idea that people are either male or female is offensive.

Crowds numbering 1 million attended the Gay Pride event in London this July. Transport for London had installed rainbow banners that ran the entire length of some escalators to celebrate the day.

Sadly, the church is caving in to this transient culture. The Synod of the Church of England has passed a motion asking the government to ban therapy for those who want to be rid of unwanted same sex attraction. They have also voted to create a liturgy to mark a person’s gender transition.

With the church failing to take a Biblical stand, the government is accelerating the decent into the ridiculous. Recently, Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, announced that the Government will amend the Gender Recognition Act to allow people to self-determine their gender. Both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn support this change.

The image of God

As written in previous editions, the defining characteristic of mankind is that God created man as male and female. It is the glory of God that in man two people become one and work together in perfect harmony. We recognise that in a fallen world complete harmony is rarely achieved. But from the beginning it was the intention of God that man, male and female, would represent within creation the unity which exists between the Father and the Son.

Satan hates this unity of man and woman and has throughout history done all he can to destroy it. The LGBT movement is just the latest incarnation of Satan’s stirring mankind to rebel against God.

In denying therapy for those who wish to be rid of same sex attraction, the Synod is siding with the idea that homosexuality is genetic and not choice. Even if it has some biological or genetic roots [unproven] God can set people free to be the person He created them to be.

Michael Glatze was at one time a rising star in the US LGBT movement. He was founder of the Young Gay America magazine and editor of the influential XY magazine. He is now married [in the traditional Christian sense of the word] and a Pastor who deplores his former way of life. Apparently according to the C of E Synod it is a sin to help a person to make such a transition. Glatze is one of many who testify to being set free from their former sexuality. At very least if a person has an unwanted sexual attraction he should be free to seek counselling.

Love of the world makes the church an enemy of God. Such expedience as passed by Synod will have eternal consequences not just for those who are not warned of the error of their ways but more so for all those who endorse this rebellion.

Water

Water is a precious commodity in many parts of the world. It can provoke conflict. It is also possible that it can cement peace. That is the hope of American Secretary of State, Jason Greenblatt. A tripartite agreement has been reached between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to build a 137 mile pipeline to transfer water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The Red Sea water will replenish the dwindling Dead Sea. The plan is to use the water running down the gradient to produce hydroelectricity which in turn will power a desalination plant. This will allow 32 million cubic meters of drinking water to be supplied to the Palestinian Authority. Greenblatt believes that such cooperation will prove the most effective way to bring peace.

Answers in Prophecy

The meetings are now held at The Barn Church, Francis Edwards Way, Bewbush, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 8GG

Sessions run from 7.00 pm to 8.45 pm on Saturday evenings

We will be concluding the series of studies in the book of Revelation. This is a twelve part series covering the whole book. There will also be teaching on a topical or prophetic theme.

There will be a coffee break between the sessions.

9th September

Revelation Study 11, Christ the King

Studies on millennial reign of Christ

14th October

Revelation Study 12

Chrst and His bride

Understanding Eternity

11th November

Revelation a Concluding Study

The joy set before us

 D is for more Deception

In the last edition of Trumpet Sounds we included some terms from the ‘New’ Christianity which is corrupting the church. The definitions were taken from a booklet by Kevin Reeves with the title ‘D is for deception. The booklet is available from Lighthousetrails.com. Here are some more terms which you may hear being used in church.

Altered State of Consciousness: A meditative or drug-induced non-ordinary state of mind. In a religious context, a state where the seeker is drawn out of his normal thinking processes into “self-realization” or contact with what he considers the divine or divine wisdom

Aquarius/Aquarian Age: Sign of the Zodiac represented by the water carrier or the Earth Age associated with this astrological sign. The term New Age refers to the coming Aquarian age, which is in the process of replacing the Pisces Age. According to astrologers, every 2,000 years constitutes an age. New Agers predict this Aquarian age will be a time of utopia, when man will come into a fuller knowledge of his supposed inherent divinity

As Above, So Below:  This term is seen as the key to unlocking all occultic practice as described in the New Age book, As Above, So Below. Signifies that God is “in” everything and man is divine. Used in Eugene Peterson’s book, The Message “Bible”, in the Lord’s Prayer. (Warren B. Smith explains this term in further detail in Deceived on Purpose).

At-one-ment (replaces atonement): This term has nothing to do with the atonement of Jesus Christ on the Cross; rather it is the concept that every human being and all creation is at one with each other. We are all connected together because “God” is flowing through everything and everyone.

Be Still: Taken from Psalm 46:10—“Be Still and Know That I Am God.” Those promoting contemplative prayer use this phrase as part of their meditative exercises, claiming that the verse is a mandate in Scripture to practice the “silence,” when in fact, the Scripture, when taken in context, means to trust in the Lord. It has nothing to do with going into a meditative state by shutting down thought processes.

Breath Prayer: Practice consisting of picking a single word or short phrase and repeating it in conjunction with the breath. Rick Warren encourages the use of breath prayers in his highly popular book, The Purpose Driven Life.

“Christian” Yoga: Some claim that Yoga can be neutralized by performing a Christian rendition of it. But even Hindu yogis say there is no such thing as “Christian” yoga because the exercises cannot be separated from the religious aspects. Yoga is the heartbeat of Hinduism.

Civility: Basically, no one is to challenge or question another’s beliefs. All are valid

Conversation (or Conversation Journey): New Christianity followers reject the idea that truth is unchangeable or that we can have certainty in knowing truth; thus, we have “conversations” that are always seeking answers but never finding. To be certain of anything is arrogant, they say. This ongoing conversation journey is inclusive of all beliefs and ideas; nothing is rejected.

Cosmic Christ: All world religions will eventually be bound together by the “Cosmic Christ” principle, which is another term for the higher self; thus, the Cosmic Christ is the “Christ” within every human being. The Catholic Church now has in its Catechism the concept that we are all Christs.

Colonialism: A derogatory term used by New Spirituality advocates to describe those who are still clinging to the “old time religion,” which is seen as outdated, archaic, irrelevant, and unsuccessful.

Common Ground: Using the dialectic process, an agreement among people that “ameliorates the extremes,” thus effectually dispensing with tolerance for diversity. In practice, it is arriving at agreement through compromise. A one-world religion will be achieved through this means.

 

The Wilton Park Report

An analysis issued in July by the Barnabas Fund called attention to a report prepared by Wilton Park (an executive agency of the UK Foreign Office). The Wilton Park report has the title, ‘Opportunities and challenges: The intersection of faith and human rights of LGBTI+ persons’.

The report makes suggestions and sets down strategies for the implementation of the UK Government policy to promote the LBGTI+ agenda in other countries, particularly in Africa. The report states that its main focus was on Christianity, Judaism and Islam. These religions are seen as the main obstacles to LGBTI+ rights. As one reads the report, it is soon clear that evangelical Christians are seen as a primary source of negative attitudes to Homosexuals. They are accused of holding hate filled prejudicial views. Christian missionaries are blamed for spreading hate to traditionally more tolerant societies.

Item 11 of the report states that, “Negative attitudes towards LGBTI+ people by people of faith have their roots in religious texts and the way in which these have been interpreted over time”. To counter these attitudes the report urges the reinterpretation of scripture to make it compatible with LGBTI ideology and the teaching of LGBTI beliefs in Sunday Schools and Queer Theology in theological seminaries.

The report makes another 60 recommendations for the promotion the LBGTI+ agenda including funding and helping LGBTI+ activists and looking for allies who can change organisations from within.

The Barnabas Fund analysis notes the repeated use of language which is highly prejudicial about evangelical Christians. They see in the report a redefinition of tolerance. The Chambers Dictionary defines tolerate as; “to endure especially with patience or forbearance, to put up with; to treat fairly, to accept a person (with different religious, political, etc. beliefs or opinions)”. While the Report in effect defines tolerance as; “Requiring people to agree with the ethical beliefs and ideological agenda of LGBTI activists, with anyone who does not do so branded as “intolerant” and even disseminators of “hate””.

For the UK Foreign Office this issue appears to be so important that it justifies medalling in other countries affairs. In contrast, when there is persecution of Christians there is no apparent action. The report also demonstrates the prevailing anti-Christian prejudice of the British establishment.

Christians do not hate homosexuals. If we did we would shut up and let them suffer the consequences of their actions. Only love causes us to warn the gender confused that their actions are not pleasing to God.

Hallmarks of Design by Professor Stuart Burgess

Having spent my working career in a design role it is easy to appreciate where Stuart Burgess as an engineer is coming from. Good design starts with a brief of functions which the design is required to perform. It does not matter whether the end result is to be a bridge, building, car or toaster the process is the same. The designer takes the brief and resolves it into a concept which will meet the brief. As the design is developed the designer goes into more and more detail until the concept can be turned into a finished object.

The theory of evolution turns this process on its head. Effectively the process starts with the detail and then is supposed to arrive at the concept. All this with no preplanning or overall concept of where the process is heading. The only guiding force allowed is called natural selection. If I had started working on my first day as a designer using this approach by the time I retired I would have progressed precisely nowhere.

In the book Stuart Burgess examines a number of topics which for a designer render the idea of evolution inconceivable.

He starts with irreducible mechanisms. An irreducible mechanism is a mechanism that must have several parts simultaneously present and assembled to perform a useful function. The knee joint is an example. It is far more than a simple hinge. The sophistication of the knee joint makes it a master piece of design. There are many other examples of irreducible design in the created world.

Designers particularly engineers strive for optimum design. A system has complete optimum design when it has the best mechanisms and materials to fulfil a set of functions and where there are no unnecessary parts. Many industries invest large sums of money in researching optimum design. Optimum design as found throughout creation is another testimony to a designer.

The mark of a good designer is added beauty. There is much in creation which we respond to as beautiful. Burgess looks at the peacock tail. To believe that something so technically sophisticated could develop without a guiding concept is extraordinary. It is recorded that Darwin said, “The sight of the peacock’s tail, whenever I gaze on it, makes me sick”. Later Darwin came up with the idea of sexual selection to try to explain this seemingly useless male ornament. [Recent research indicates that peahens are unimpressed by the male’s tale. It has no effect on their choice of partner1].

Hallmarks of Design is available from DayOne publishers. www.dayone.co.uk.

Note 1. http://creation.com/peacock-tail-tale-failure

Jerusalem

In July, the murder of two non-Jewish Israeli policemen on the Temple Mount caused Israel to extend the installation of metal detectors to the Muslim entrances. After riots, terrorism and global pressure Israel withdrew the metal detectors.

Fr. Ioan Sauca acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches said. “Denying access to holy sites for thousands of people who have travelled far to pray is not only a violation of the rights of those individuals, but also a corrosive act in the midst of an already-fragile peace”.

Nearly every major religious site in the world now has security measures aimed at protecting the visitors. The entrances to the Vatican in Rome and the Kaba in Mecca are protected by metal detectors. Christians and Jews visiting the Temple Mount have to pass through metal detectors. Therefore why should Fr. Sauca imagine that Muslims were denied access?

In an article for the Gatestone Institute Bassam Tawil wrote that the metal detectors would have been more accurately named lie detectors, because they exposed Palestinian lies.

The Palestinians claimed that Israel was seeking to ‘change the status quo’ at the Temple Mount and take over control. Tawil lists a number of ways in which the Palestinians have themselves been ‘changing the status quo’ in recent years. They have actively tried to prevent Jews from touring the site. They have paid Muslim men and women to come to the Temple Mount to insult and harass Jewish visitors and policemen. They have carried out illegal excavations. They have used the Mount to spew out anti-Semitism. Most recently the use of weapons to murder two policemen is an unprecedented development.

After their victory over the metal detectors the Palestinians are now demanding the removal of all security measures from the Temple Mount