The coming time of testing
“Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Revelation 12: 12
Time is running out for Satan. When cast down to the earth he knows that there is only a short time left. Revelation chapter 13 describes Satan’s last desperate attempt to establish his rule over all of this world. Defeated in heaven and knowing that Jesus is soon to return he must work fast.
The foremost of creation
Satan was the foremost of all creation. In Ezekiel he is praised for his beauty, wisdom and music. But his perfection was ruined by pride. He claimed to be equal to God and so God cast him out. Rejected by God, he deliberately destroyed the innocent fellowship that Adam and Eve enjoyed with their Creator.
In heaven Satan brings before God accusation after accusation against sinful man. Satan had been punished for his sin. If God is just, man must be punished likewise. But God has provided an answer in Jesus to all Satan’s complaints. When Satan finally loses his place in heaven he is determined to remain god of this world.
The godly remnant
Through the ages Satan’s claim to rule this world has met with opposition. There has always been a remnant who have resisted his rule. Instead of following him they chose to remain faithful to their Creator. The godly line of Seth led to Enoch who warned a fallen world of its need to repent. In that same godly line came Noah, who was just and walked with God.
Another godly line was established in Noah’s son Shem. From Shem’s line came Abram who was a friend of God. Then came the nation of Israel which God set apart to represent His kingdom on earth. Soon Satan had corrupted the nation so that it became like all the other nations. But still God preserved a godly remnant. When Elijah thought that he was the only one left, God said that there were seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
Even in the punishment of the exile in Babylon a faithful remnant remained. Daniel steadfastly kept faith in God, while Ezekiel became God’s spokesman to the slaves in the labour camps.
A Saviour
When God sought to bring His Son into the world He found, in the godly remnant, a lovely humble young woman and her stalwart betrothed. The godly remnant is also seen in Simeon who rejoiced to hold the baby Saviour in his arms and Anna who praised God for fulfilling His promise.
The baby was what Satan feared the most. A person who by His sacrificial love would win the hearts of many. A perfect man who could rightfully claim back dominion over creation. From the start, Satan sought to destroy his great enemy. He stirred Herod to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem. In time he would learn that he had failed. Satan knew that this man Jesus was God’s only Son. Like the vinedressers in the parable, he thought that if he could kill the Son, the inheritance would be his. His triumph was turned into defeat when the Father raised His Son from the dead.
Setting the captives free
That defeat was followed by another. Using a group of very ordinary people, the Lord sent them out to teach the nations how to serve Him. Soon the good news of reconciliation to God was spreading throughout the world. At first Satan tried to snuff out the light by persecution. He used lies to turn men against those who brought the good news. He used fear to intimidate the new followers of Christ. But both tactics failed. The followers of Christ continued to add to their numbers.
So Satan corrupted the church. He introduced false teaching which led to another gospel. Darkness would envelope the world for many centuries. But even in these times, when the church prevented people hearing the gospel, God had His faithful remnant.
Then came another awakening. The truth of scripture was rediscovered. The shackles of the Roman Church were thrown off. In that awakening one nation was foremost in the new thrust to take the gospel into all the world. Great Britain led the move for world evangelism. The gospel was taken to many nations which had never heard that Christ died for their sins. Satan’s kingdom was assaulted as never before and many he held captive were set free.
A fight to the death
Satan’s time is now running out. To re-establish his rule over this world, he must work fast to destroy all trust in the true and living God. If he fails he is defeated. He hates Israel for being a people chosen by God. Not able to destroy her he turns his attention to her “other offspring”. He is enraged and declares war against all “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”. Revelation 12: 17. God grants Satan permission to make war on the saints. Many will be taken into captivity and others will be killed. All who do not worship his false christ, will become outcasts of society.
That final time has not yet come. But Satan is already actively retaking his kingdom. In these closing years the battle is intensifying. Jesus will be victorious but that must not lead to complacency. Before that time comes there is a battle to be fought.
The eradication of faith
This long introduction brings me to the word I believe that the Lord has for us. Satan is not just against the faithful to Christ, he is intent on total eradication. There is one nation more than any other in which he intends to ethnically cleanse of all Christians. Great Britain has caused him great problems in the past, it must not be allowed to do so again. He is intent on silencing all Christian witness in Britain.
The onslaught against the Christian faith in the United Kingdom has been building for decades. As Christians we thought that we could live comfortably in the world. We thought that the gradual changes in society would not hinder us. Acceptance lulled us to sleep. We have awakened to a world in which all things are tolerated except faith in Jesus Christ. There are many countries in which once strong Christian churches have been obliterated. Could it happen here in Britain?
There will of course still be a church. Satan loves religion. It has been his preferred means of blinding eyes to the truth for millennia. A church which conforms to the values of the world will be praised. But it must never mention sin, repentance or judgment and especially no mention of Jesus Christ as Saviour.
Satan has assembled an arsenal of weapons against the faithful. Everywhere we look there are new threats to be seen. The pace of the onslaught is accelerating. It hasn’t boiled over yet but there is real hatred of Christians brewing under the surface. At present Satan is targeting individuals. Soon more widespread attacks will be launched. Through the education system and media children are particularly under attack. Over the years Trumpet Sounds has identified many of the weapons being developed to use against the true believers in Christ. The full scale war is about to break out.
Am I being melodramatic? Surely it can’t be as bad as I predict? Let me share an experience in which what I saw and heard was contrary to the general wisdom at the time.
The false prophets
While praying and meditating over this word, the Lord brought to mind an experience I had many years ago. I was in a prayer meeting in East London. Towards the end of the meeting I received a picture in my mind. It was of a crescent moon and star over the London skyline. With it came the words ‘London is lost’. Those with whom I shared this, dismissed it as me being over melodramatic. That was in 1986. At the time, and for some years after, prophets were proclaiming a vast revival coming to London, spreading out into the country and then into the world. Time has proved their prophecies false,
That revival never came. Instead the intervening years have seen the rise of Islam. Today, the idea does not seem as farfetched today as it did 30 years ago. There are Muslims who say that London is more Islamic than many cities in the Muslim World. I believe that through the picture the Lord was warning me that the future would be very different to what the false prophets were predicting.
The ‘Prophecy Today’ website recently serialised the book ‘Blessing the Church’. It was a reminder that false prophecies of revival are not just misleading but are very dangerous. In the hunger for revival many have chased after false spiritual experiences.
I asked the Lord if it was right to include this experience in this edition of Trumpet Sounds. I then happened to walk into our front room. When I looked out the window just above the horizon was a crescent moon and star in exactly the position I saw them in that picture many years ago.
A counsel of despair?
If you have read this far, I have probably filled you with gloom and doom. Go back to the verse quoted at the beginning of this article. It starts, “Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them!” Despair or rejoicing will depend on from where you are looking. Yes it is woe to the inhabitants of the earth. From here the situation looks desperate. To the Ephesians, Paul wrote that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places [Ephesians 2: 6]. Viewed from the throne of Christ and knowing His great love for us we can be sure that, “the sufferings of this present time are not to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us.” Romans 8: 18. In heaven we see the glorious Son of God preparing His armies in readiness to ride out to conquer. If we have taken our seat in heaven then we will rejoice at the prospect that soon, “the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2: 14. Jesus said that, “when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21: 28. In this be heavenly minded and then you will not fear.
What ever happened to the church?
At a time when Christians need to stand together and build strong bonds of fellowship the church is fragmenting. I am hearing of an increasing number of the faithful who are no longer part of a church. Roger Oakland’s book ‘The Good Shepherd Calls’ reviewed in TS 123, Spring 2017 addresses this issue. Leaders such as Clifford Hill have also recognised this growing problem.
Or is it a problem? In the light of what I have written above, it may be that the Lord is preparing His church. The primary purpose of Trumpet Sounds is to warn that we are nearing the end of this age and so help believers to prepare and to stand firm in the testing days ahead. The church in the UK and globally is on the brink of the most troubled time it has faced in 2000 years. The warning signs are all around us. Is the Lord warning that it is time to change our ways so that we can withstand the onslaught?
I would be very interested to hear from readers about their experiences. Are you out of a fellowship or concerned about the direction in which your church is heading? How did this come about? Are you on your own? What do you do for fellowship? What would help you in the situation you are in?
It would be good to know what others are experiencing so that we are better informed when praying about the way ahead.
Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy
The LGBT movement is one of the weapons which Satan has developed to silence the church. From comments people make it now appears to be accepted without question that being Gay is genetic. Equalities minister Penny Mordaunt, is quoted as saying on the BBC Today programme, “of course you can’t cure someone from being gay.”
There has been a long standing debate whether nature or nurture most influences our character. In the nineteenth century, hereditary was considered the determining factor. In the twentieth century the environment in which a person grew up was thought to have an overriding influence. Today scientists debate the extent to which either genes or environment determine our choices and behaviour.
It is recognised that the influence of genes is complex. There is no simple gene governing any aspect of our character. It has been found that environmental factors can modify gene function. Therefore both play a part in how we think and act.
There is one small part of a one gene which has been found to be more common in Gay men. The Weizmann Institute reported last year that, “Researchers identify 6,500 Genes that are expressed differently in Men and Women.” A minor variation in some men does not determine a life style.
If either genes or early environment determine later character it becomes a logical conclusion that there is no free will. If all our actions are governed by either our genetic makeup or upbringing, we cannot be held responsible. In the USA a murderer tried using a failing in his genetic makeup as a defence. Fortunately the judge had the sense to throw it out.
One day God will judge each of us on the basis that we have free will and therefore are morally accountable beings. He makes plain in the Bible that sexual relations between man and man or woman and woman are not acceptable. It is a matter of choice.
The government has proposed a number of measures to improve the lives of LGBT people. One measure is to outlaw Gay Conversion Therapy. What that covers is ill defined. Would praying with a person or counselling them about over coming unwanted sexual desires be seen as Gay Conversion Therapy? Because the answer will prove to be yes this will become an effective weapon in the hands of Satan to silence the church. Those who offer help will be targeted as criminals under the law.
It is to the shame of the hierarchy of the Church of England that they have led the way in proposing this ban. Matthew 7: 23 comes to mind.
A good article on current thinking on the impact of genes can be found at https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/19/do-your-genes-determine-your-entire-life
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