NORTHERN STYLE NEWSWATCH NO.11
We doubt very much that when the Bard of England penned the phrase `time is
out of joint'
he would have considered it to have a prophetic content, but he does seem to
be speaking
into the times in which we live. A recent edition of the Israeli newspaper
Ma'ariv reported
that the recently deposed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak had, during the
Peace Talks at
Taba, proposed that Israel would give sovereignty over the Temple Mount to
Islamic
countries for a five-year trial period. During that trial period the final
status of the Temple
Mount would be discussed, and if no agreement was reached the two sides
would follow the
proposal of the former US President (Mr Clinton) and hand it over to
Palestinian control.
But since that report there have been fresh Israeli elections for a new
Prime Minister, the
results of which have rendered these reported proposals null and void.
However, as the final
status of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount will be a `cup of reeling' in the
lead-up to the
Coming of the Lord, we therefore know that these `proposals' will not be
removed from
the world's agenda as it seeks to bring peace to the Middle East.
Therefore, with this
understanding we can still consider that the proposals in the Ma'ariv report
will be put
forward in some form or other in the future!
Those who understand and accept the position of Israel in God's sight will
know that the
formation of the nation of Israel in 1948 was indeed an `act of God', and
the continuous
stream of Jews being brought back to the land is the ongoing work of God in
a people with
whom He has entered into a Covenant relationship. Regarding the Land: In
our study
booklet `The Temple of the LORD' we quoted from a commentary in the Jewish
Mishnah
which declared that the whole land of Israel was holy, and there were ten
degrees of holiness
within the land, rising to the height of holiness in the Most Holy Place.
We quote:
" The Holy of Holies is still more holy, for none may enter in save the
High Priest on the Day of Atonement at the time of the service. "
That comment takes us to the heart of the theme of this Newswatch, the Most
Holy Place,
in order to understand the intensity of the conflict in the days that lie
ahead, for there is
indeed an intensifying conflict which goes beyond the Palestinian/Israeli
`Peace Talks'. If
we leave aside that part of the proposal - that sovereignty of the Temple
Mount would be
given to the Palestinian Authorities if after the five-year period no
agreement is reached -
and ask the question `why negotiate at all if it will be handed over
whatever the outcome',
this would still leave the unbelievable proposal that the legally appointed
head of the nation
at that time, in order to obtain peace, would tear out the `heart' of the
nation and hand it
over to an authority who is sworn to anihilate the nation State of Israel!
Those who
understand the centrality of Jerusalem and Mount Zion in God's heart can
therefore be
certain that such a `proposal', if enacted, would indeed precipitate a
crisis of momentous
proportions. It is one thing for God to allow Jerusalem to be trampled down
by the Gentiles
until their times are fulfilled, but it is quite another for the Head of
State of that nation to
hand it over in order to try to achieve peace. Indeed, to quote a
well-respected Bible
teacher, `this would be a physical event which would release a spiritual
effect'. The fact
remains that this particular proposal of a `physical event' is now in the
realms of history,
for the recent Israeli elections have not removed the political thinking
that remains, which
will re-appear in some form or other in the immediate future. For although
there is a new
Prime Minister, with entirely different views to those of his predecessor,
the Knesset (the
ultimate source of political power in Israel's form of democracy) remains
unchanged in its
composition, and whoever finds himself in Prime Ministerial control will
continually battle
to hold his fractious, fragile coalition together!
However, we would return to the subject of this Newswatch, and with the
understanding that
the nation of Israel and the Church are joined together on a parallel
journey, through the
fulfillment of the New Covenant spoken of in Scripture, this incredible
report of the proposal
to tear the `heart' out of the land of Israel has led us to consider what
form the parallel
would take when appearing in the Church. It did not take long for that
consideration to bear
fruit, and it came in the form of `Thought for the Day' on BBC Radio 4,
spoken by a
Methodist minister. The minister was talking on the theme of redemption,
illustrating its
outworking through the contemporary life of a disgraced former politician in
the time of
Prime Minister MacMillan. The shame and disgrace experienced by this former
politician
has led him into a life of humanitarian acts of love towards his fellow
creatures, and the
Methodist minister expressed his belief that this former politican had
worked out his
redemption through a life of love `as exemplified by the life of Christ'!
It was, of course,
this last expression that revealed how Christians could indeed tear out
`the heart' of their
inheritance!
This may be considered by some to be a pendantic use of words over a point
of doctrine, but
the Christian's redemption is not made certain `as exemplified by the life
of Christ', for
it is through the Blood of Jesus being offered to God as a sacrifice, and
confirmed by God
as accepted by Him through the resurrection of Jesus, that our redemption is
certain. The
words of the Methodist minister could not, of course, themselves tear the
heart out of the
Gospel, any more than the former Israeli Prime Minister's words could tear
the heart out of
Israel, because each one is ultimately subject to a Higher Authority! (We
accept that his
words were spoken sincerely as a concerned person, but they nevertheless
reveal how easily
the Gospel of God can become corrupted and accepted by the Church in order
to be at one
with a secular, humanitarian society which is totally opposed to God!) We
therefore need
to urgently stop and consider how insiduous is this corruption which is
seeping into the life
blood of the Church, in order to guard against it. Persecution can be
tangibly experienced
and endured; alienation can be quickly seen and resisted; but for a people
who are longing
for peace (and who does not grow weary of fighting the flesh which craves
peace at any
price?) it is the seeping corruption of words and reasonable actions by
fellow citizens that
cause the immediate but long-lasting destruction of a Christian's spiritual
life, called as we
are to walk as strangers and pilgrims in a foreign land.
How, then, is this corruption to be seen in our contemporary society? We
would suggest that
it is already deeply entrenched in this country's political philosophy and
is being openly
released into the lifestream of churches, which will intensify after the
next, soon-to-come,
national election. James, when writing in his Epistle to `the twelve
tribes, scattered amongst
the nations', says it very plainly: (James 4:4)
" You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship
with the world is enmity towards God? "
For it is here, in the border-land of working in the world and extending the
Kingdom of
God, through the proclamation of the Gospel, that the Christian is most
likely to be drawn
into speaking of a redemption `as exemplified by the life of Christ', in
order to keep the
peace.
This political ideology outworking itself has, of course, been with us since
the time of Adam,
and over the centuries has been given many titles. The common title
re-emerging today is
Communitarianism (an ugly word to be sure), which was much in vogue
several decades
ago as a counter-ideology against Communism. It is a political effort to
bring together all
streams of civic life, emphasising social responsibility and community
projects, particularly
through voluntary groups, which people will be persuaded to join and to work
together for
the civic good. This ideology has many mutated titles: `Compassionate
Conservatism' as
propounded by the new US President, Mr G.W.Bush, and the UK Conservative
Party; `The
Third Way', about which little needs to be said; `Agenda 21' was another
mutation much
talked about by those of a New Age persuasion (in the so-recent 20th
century). It is populist
in its appeal to the people and allows no opposition to it by a separated
people! Last seen
in its most virulent form in the populist ideology of National Socialism, it
put dissenting
Christians in prison along with `separated' Jehovah's Witnesses, and
ultimately led to the
Jewish Holocaust!
Whilst we are not in any way suggesting that the political parties in the
West are intending
anything more than the creation of a more civic society that crosses over
political and
religious `party lines' by the removal of the individualism that so
separates and destroys the
corporate life of the nation, it is laying the sure foundation for that
which will eventually not
tolerate an exclusive Gospel that speaks of redemption only through the
Blood of Jesus! We
see this Communitarianism being outworked today through new Government
proposals
encouraging more voluntary `faith groups' to work together for the social
good in return
for cash grants! It can be seen in concerned Christian groups working
together with
Government agencies to strengthen the `family unit' (in whatever form that
is considered
to be politically correct!) as the foundation of civic society! We see it
in the Church Aided
Schools' programme now being advocated (which must extend to other
religious groups)!
We see it, as we reported in a recent Newswatch, through compulsory
educational civic
courses being included in the national curriculum! The plans being proposed
for a civic
society have no room for `a pendantic use of words over a point of
doctrine', and if not
resisted will lead to proposals by the Church to `tear the heart out of her
inheritance' in
order to gain peace from a secular society controlled by a spiritual force
committed to her
destruction!
However, in closing this Newswatch we need to remember that we are not
looking for a
developing system that will welcome the Son of Perdition, but we are looking
for the
Coming of the Son of God, who will rule and reign over all that He has
created. That is
our sure and certain hope. To truly use the Bard's words, that `Time is
out of joint', we
must finish that expression, for he goes on to say, `and we must needs do
something about
it'!
That something is summed up in Paul's final words to Timothy in his First
Letter:
1 Timothy 6:11-16
"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness,
godliness, faith,
love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.
Take hold of the
eternal life to which you were called when you made your good
confession in the
presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to
everything, and
of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the
good confession,
I charge you to keep this commandment without spot or blame until the
appearing of
our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time -
God, the
blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who
alone is immortal
and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no-one has seen or can
see. To Him
be honour and might for ever. Amen. "
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
March 2001
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