England needs something to lift her spirits. So, could our football team’s World Cup exploits be the answer? They certainly show class and good teamwork.
Which is a lot more than can be said for our government – in shocking disarray and on the verge of making it worse by inviting what the Daily Mail has labelled a ‘Messiah without a mandate’ to become our seventh Prime Minister in ten years.
As journalist/broadcaster Andrew Neil points out, even the Italians (with 70 different administrations in the 80 years since World War II – will be laughing at us now.
But the required transformation in our fortunes will not be achieved by astute political leadership alone. We are like sheep who have gone astray, having truly lost our way after turning our backs on the Good Shepherd who made us Great Britain as we built our nation on the Judeo-Christian principles of the Bible.
And as I have said many times, our betrayal of Israel – especially over recognising a Palestinian state that doesn’t exist – is to blame for much of our current troubles which have left us leaderless, rudderless, defenceless and morally bankrupt.
As the prophet Isaiah put it some 2,700 years ago: “For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you [Israel] will perish; it will be utterly ruined.” (Isaiah 60:12)
Thankfully, there are millions in Britain who believe (or say they believe) that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and even the floor of our Parliament is inscribed with its words (in Latin), that “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
As Andrew Neil also mentions, politics here has become inward-looking: instead of being about the big economic issues of the day, it is more likely to be about “wokery, issues of culture, gender, race and identity – matters peripheral to most folks’ lives.” And he added that much public spending is determined by powerful interest groups whom politicians are afraid to challenge.
Granted. But something is going on under the radar. People are daring to ask questions about the real issues of life, which isn’t just about the economy. What’s the purpose of it all?
Cue the 25-minute Awakening in the UK YouTube film. You will discover that something truly marvellous is happening among young people who are searching, not for a Reality TV fix, but for true reality and for the presence of God in their lives. They’re even flocking to prayer meetings as they discover, in the peace and quiet of their souls, that the Creator himself really does make his presence felt, and it is a discovery much more precious than gold itself.
Jesus, for example, said more about money than any other subject, and that you couldn’t love both God and money. Yes, we all need it, but if we seek God above all else, we will know true riches and have our material needs met as well (see Matthew 6:33).
On Sunday I watched a TV discussion between Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Laurie and Matt Crouch and a US Congressman on how politics and religion used to be separate issues you didn’t discuss on the same page or in the same place. But now there’s a crossover with faith and morality increasingly becoming a focus in the political realm. As in America, so it is here.
Thus, the basic tenets of the Christian faith – including the hot topics of sex and Israel – are being discussed in political and other forums, and not just from pulpits, which is surely good for the gospel.
We are even now seeing biblical and apocalyptic terminology being used to describe the latest political bombshells, as in “the second coming of Andy Burnham,” likely to replace Sir Keir Starmer following the latter’s resignation.
Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn writes that “the Red Sea is parting to facilitate the Messiah’s safe passage to No 10 Downing Street without bothering to trouble the wider electorate.”
Burnham was Mayor of Manchester when the sitting MP of a nearby constituency stepped aside to allow him to contest a hastily called by-election so he could re-enter Parliament. (The biblical terms here have been used tongue-in-cheek, not in an offensive way. In fact, Richard has shown great support for the Jewish people over the years.)
I am minded to refer back to the 2010 Lance Lambert prophecy I quoted recently, predicting ‘devastating judgment’ on those nations who have set themselves on dividing the land of Israel; of how a great shaking will affect their economies and even their climate (think sizzling heatwaves of late); and of the old and powerful nations becoming like Third World countries.
Roll on the Awakening to which I have referred! We certainly need to wake up and wise up to the glory and majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ. For all of us, especially those aspiring to leadership roles, the Bible says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) And a little further on, it adds: “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy.” (Proverbs 29:18 New Living Translation)
Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon; Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com; To the Jew First, A Nation Reborn, and King of the Jews, all available from Christian Publications International.
