Day: July 6, 2018 - Watchman Research Media

Warnings from God

For more than thirty years this ministry has sought to interpret the signs of the times that point the way back to God. Bringing warnings to a people falling away and turning from God has been central to the prophetic ministry throughout history. God does not delight in removing his protection that, like a wall that has crumbled, allows our spiritual enemy to bring confusion and harm.

Earlier Signs

If we look through the pages of Prophecy Today over all these years we will discover many signs that were interpreted as warnings to the Nation during an era of decline. Sometimes they seemed to the natural eye like ordinary occurrences, accidents that happen from time to time in our world, such as the BSE that infected our cattle in the late 1980s, or the fire in Kings Cross station in 1987 and the Windsor Castle fire of 1992.

Sometimes there was an incident that could have been seen as a “natural coincidence” such the bolt of lightning that came from a clear blue sky to strike York Minster at the time when the liberal Bishop Jenkins of Durham had been consecrated there. Taken together, we see that a catalogue of warning signs has been given to our nation over this generation.

Biblical Precedent

We, who read our Bibles, should not be surprised. The Prophet Amos interpreted similar signs to ancient Israel prior to their being scattered as a nation by the Assyrians. They had become a nation who oppressed the poor, crushed the needy and revelled in drunkenness (Amos 4:1). God sent signs of hunger, strange weather patterns, blight and mildew, plagues like those in the days of Moses in Egypt, and judgements on those whose behaviour was similar to Sodom and Gomorrah.

After each of a catalogue of signs came the words, “Yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord.” (Amos 4:6-11). These signs were a call for Israel to return to God and avoid inevitable disaster, but the signs were not heeded, and so eventually God removed his protection and allowed Assyria to take the Northern Kingdom of Israel captive to be lost even to this day.

In our day, God’s signs are among the Gentile nations at a time close to fulfilment of his final covenant purposes including the restoration of Israel (Amos 9:14).

Signs all Around us

Britain’s position before God has been one of great blessing but now there is a falling away just as in the days of ancient Israel, so it should be no surprise that the signs continue to be seen all around us for those who have eyes to see.

Consider the confusion over Brexit, our withdrawal from Europe hanging at times by a thin thread. Surely a spiritual battle is raging for the soul of our country! Consider the difficulties that our country faces financially so that there are insufficient resources to fund the National Health Service which is itself sick.

We may yet have further economic tremors in the nation that will make it even harder to maintain our services. Look across the nation and consider the sad situation of many of the poor and needy. There is a catalogue of situations that would make one weep if they were brought to our attention.

Consider the strange weather patterns of this year; a long winter, a late spring that seemed to merge with summer, characterised by unusual hot days in June with no water for our gardens which are already showing early signs of autumn.

Consider the fire on the Lancashire moors that cannot be easily extinguished but could be extinguished in one day if God sent a heavy shower – such as are common in the Manchester area. Then two other fires coincided with the anniversary of the Grenfell disaster. Are these not similar signs to those interpreted by the Prophet Amos when God was calling a stubborn sinful people to return to him? Are these not signs that show us how impotent we are without the help of God?

Prepare!

In Prophecy Today we have recognised an important moment in our own ministry and we are beginning preparations for the future when there will be a renewed call to prayer and study to take us through days of spiritual warfare similar to those behind the World Wars of the last Century.

We recognise that there is only a limited window of opportunity for continued warning to our nation, possibly coinciding with the remaining years of our Queen’s life.

With a new monarch who lacks the biblical faith of our Queen, once-blessed Britain could fall even farther from God. But days of opportunity have not yet fully passed. I have taken responsibility for this week’s Editorial while Dr Clifford Hill puts the finishing touches to his latest book, which in my opinion has a great significance. He has written a personal review of the many years of ministry both he and his wife Monica have exercised.

It has spanned the Queen’s reign and that of four Archbishops whom he knew personally, so that he has first hand experience of the Church and State over these years leading to the present decline in our nation. We expect this book to bring a significant contribution to the rallying cry for our nation to turn to the Lord, in the time that is still available.

Trumpet Call

This is also a rallying cry, a trumpet call, to all of God’s people especially those with prophetic and intercessory ministries, to bring a wake-up call to the Church and as a consequence to the Nation while there is still time. We must not be like the people of Jesus’ day who knew how to forecast the weather but did not know how to interpret the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3-4).