NORTHERN STYLE NEWSWATCH No. 36 CREDO
` The king will do as he pleases . . .'
It is accepted by many thoughtful people that today's use of words often obscures the true meaning of the word used. We call it `dumbing down' - a crude expression in itself - which gives only a shallow explanation of that which can be artfully used in certain circles by some who may wish to hide their actions or policies. Such a word is `spin' . . the seeking to distort . . to spin out. . a situation or policy by someone in such a way as to hide their true intentions. Among those working in respectable organizations with nothing in their activities to hide the more correct word to use would be `propaganda', but unfortunately even that word has sinister connotations, misused as it has been by unscrupulous people. According to our trusty dictionary the actual meaning of the word `propaganda' is `a well thought-out scheme for the propagation of doctrine or policy emanating from an organization or official body'.

One such organization comes to mind: the SPCK, its full title being `The Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge', a Society springing from the work of a past Evangelical Christian, Lord Shaftsbury. Unfortunately, through the past practices of evil regimes, and very often the `spin-doctoring' of today's official political Press Offices, the word `propaganda' has lost its true meaning and has been tarnished with a sinister meaning. One such way which has caused this problem has come by the constant repetition of doctrines and policies with a slight - and, it would seem, deliberate - twisting of the truth, spinning it out of the original setting and meaning so as to make it an untruth, a lie! If it is repeated often enough, the vast majority of the people will come to believe it as truth and it will become `set in stone' in their imagination, particularly if the `spin' is spoken or written by so-called people in authority! This kind of misinformation is often used by political Press Offices, and when exposed by the media is then often used for even more repetitive spinning which is unfortunately often done by the media which has its own agenda that needs 'spinning'! The desired end-result: `You cannot trust the politicians' becomes set in stone in the peoples' imagination, leading to a withdrawal in political engagement by the people and a deteriorating democratic society. This bodes ill for the immediate future of the Western democracies!

Unfortunately we all too often find this same process at work within `Christian circles'. Repetitive propagation of knowledge by `leaders in authority' has all too often been accepted by many who do not take the trouble and time to check these `policy proclamations' against the true Canon of Scripture. This problem is particularly prevalent amongst those who form an attachment to Prophetic or End-Time Ministries which need lurid tales in order to extend their ministries. For instance, if sufficient numbers of people repeat the tale that the proposed EU Headquarters will be built in a modern form of the Tower of Babel this will quickly become set in stone. There are, of course, many other similar examples which could be set out but space does not permit it and sensibilities do not require it. It has been increasingly noticed that in some such publications and current affairs update audio messages such comments seem to have been `thrown in' as required space fillers in order to hold the people's attention, and if so this is an infiltration of secular news media methods into the life of the Church. As people become overburdened by constant and often repetitive news stories, readers of newspapers are turning more frequently to the columnists for their informative reading, mistakenly believing that these well-written columns agree with the reader's own opinions, not realising that what is happening is not agreement with opinions but the forming of opinions! For us as disciples of the Lord Jesus our `opinions' must be formed by the Holy Spirit through His Word, the Scriptures, and only then can expositions and current affairs updates be used for confirmation. To do otherwise will lead eventually to great despair and disillusionment. In the case of Christian ministries we are not suggesting that there is a deliberate propagation of error, but it has become increasingly noticeable and therefore we are all required to bring every opinion of man - whether secular or Christian - back to the yardstick, the Canon of Scripture, lest we too become caught in the web of spin-doctors. With that introduction we enter the `arena of suggestion' with much trepidation!

Of particular concern is the fact that the Western democracies are entering into an intensive round of national elections - with all the ramifications that that implies on the world scene over the next few years - set as these elections are upon a world-wide stage of anxiety and fear over possible terrorist attacks and damage to the economic infrastructure of a world which needs stability above all else. Enough has been written and spoken about of the coming One World Government and the cashless society which will be the stage upon which the Antichrist will outwork his ambitions . . more than enough has been written concerning a definite identification of the Antichrist through the spelling of his name . . and much more than enough has been written about the `Bible Codes' which could, if one was diligent enough, identify the food the Antichrist would eat on certain Levitical Feast Days! The governing bodies of the European Union would no doubt be most upset about the continuous reports of their sinister ambitions to rule the world, and the German people and politicians would be expressing more than their supposed `angst' if they read only a small portion of what is written concerning events emerging out of their political system. (And we cannot resist bringing in the Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, balefully sitting in the Vatican, spinning a web with which to cover his universalist ambitions.) Although these comments could be said to have their own spin through a slightly cynical approach to today's excitable facination with `End Time' writings, they are written in a sincere desire to bring disciples of the Lord Jesus back to Scripture and to diligent personal study whereby they will be able to discern the truth for themselves in the dangerous waters of End Time events.

Our main Scriptures concerning the times leading up to and into the Tribulation come of course from the Book of Daniel, confirmed by the use of certain parts of that Book by Jesus Himself. (It has been said that more books have been written over the years seeking to prove that the Book of Daniel was written as history and not intended as prophecy than any other Book of the Bible, but we can safely leave unbelief to the unbelievers!) Without doubt the Scriptures do prophesy about a short-lived universal government ruled over by one recorded in the Book of Revelation as `a beast coming out of the sea' and in the Book of Daniel as `the king (who) will do as he pleases' (which forms the title of this Newswatch). Daniel records (in chapter 7) that he was troubled in spirit and the visions that passed through his mind disturbed him. And following on Daniel said that he, `wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast which was different from all the others and most terrifying'.

It is these two aspects (to use the accepted expressions, the One World Government and the Antichrist) which have been the objects of most, if not all, of the Prophetic Ministries and their adherents' commentaries and rhetoric. Clearly a king does not become a king until he has conquered a kingdom already in existence that is in opposition to his ambitions. He may well be a fierce warrior with strong armies under his command, but to advance from being a warrior to becoming a king he must have a kingdom established and defended that has been won by conquest, and once conquered it must be ruled by force and domination. It is the process in between these two aspects of conquest and domination that we wish to look at in this Newswatch, looking at the historical precedent from which we may gain an understanding of just where we are in the sighting of the emergence of a `fierce warrior' who one day will be the Antichrist. It is not merely curiosity that impels us, but as the Scripture says of the men of Issachar `(they) understood the times and knew what Israel should do' (1 Chronicles 12:32).

In the eighth and ninth chapters of the Book of Daniel there is recorded a prophetic timescale for the Antichrist's short reign - seen in the foreshadowing of the historical person of Antiochus Epiphanes, whose activities are recorded for us in the First and Second Books of Macabees in the Apocrapha. Daniel records him as being `a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue' coming from the line of Seleucid, one of the four generals of Alexander the Great's armies. There are of course many shadowy allusions to this king who will come but, as we have said, he is seen in more detail in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes. Even more has been written about a later sighting of this `Son of Perdition' in the person of Charlemange, crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800 by the Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. During the long centuries that followed, Europe had been a collection of princely and city states ruled over by the temporal authority of the Emperor and the spiritual authority of the Pope, but increasingly their power and authority became largely a symbolic and external pagentry. The `Perpetual Peace', as it was called, under such a hierarchical system was illusionary and so the wars continued. In the intervening years the position of Emperor became dynastic and it fell to the Habsburgs' line to fulfil the largely symbolic position. However even during this time there were continuous wars, dreams of empire, intrigue and treachery by contending kings who moved on the stage of Europe seeking their positions. But it was not until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 that this concept of a Universal Power, temporal and spiritual, was finally buried and there came forth recognisable `Kingly States' with defined and defendable borders and with their national religion established to endorse their king's authority.

It was during this period that after continual warring an effort was made to forge the German Principalities into a recognisable State, and so it became understood and accepted that this `Germany' was to be seen more as a `miniature Europe' rather than a State. (It is such thinking that has led many `prophetic world watchers' to see Germany as the breeding ground for the rise of the Antichrist - a miniature Europe developing into a Greater Europe, the resurgent Holy Roman Empire which will be the centre of world domination!) Indeed this thinking was enforced through the most contemporary emergence of an antichrist in the form of National Socialism (Nazism) under the authority of Hitler with his dreams of a one- thousand year Reich. Whether these dreams were correct will in the course of time be revealed, but it is worth remembering that over the centuries many kings of other European nations have had the same dreams. Various kings of France and Spain, `stern-faced kings, masters of intrigue', whilst they held dominant positions in Europe fought continuous wars, seeking to unify the separated halves of the ancient Roman Empire under their headship - but behind those kings were the Roman Pontiffs with a much wider vision on a universal spiritual power over any secular power that might be of use!

However we need to wrench our thoughts back to our main purpose, which is to see if in the contemporary political situation there could be forming the background required for any further stern-faced king to take advantage of with his vision of universal power. In previous Newswatches we have seen the developing power struggle over the past centuries that finally brought forth the modern concept of a Nation State, and of the wars fought during the 20th century over three major ideologies Communism, Fascism and Democratic Parliamentarianism, which led to the historian's words `the end of history' when the dominant ideology of Democracy won through and the other two ideologies were discredited and discarded. We understand that this historian's thinking has since been reversed as he has seen democracy under threat, and we would therefore turn our thoughts to the `discredited' ideology of Fascism that seems not to have been quite so discarded as was thought in those final triumphant days of that special period of history. The warnings are certainly there in the rising of the so-called right wing political parties which have seemingly lain dormant awaiting their time to emerge once again on the European scene with dreams of universal conquest.

In order to understand this ideology we need to clear our minds of any prejudice formed over the years through countless numbers of film, video and television productions of `goose stepping' soldiers led by sinister officers dressed in comic opera uniforms headed by a half- demented leader with a funny little moustache, although that wartime propaganda was legitimate in order to raise this nation to collectively resist the evil intentions of a dominant power. But here we are not so much concerned with the person as with the political circumstances by which such an ideology could come forth from a nation such as Germany, which had led the world in cultural ideals not seen in Europe for many centuries. During the 20th century there were many stirrings of this odious ideology, and perhaps its earliest manifestation could be seen in Italy in Mussolini's `Fasci Italiani di Combattimento', and although other European nations knew similar manifestations its full-blown expression was seen in Germany under its well-known title of Nazism. Many people have blamed the British Prime Minister of that time, Neville Chamberlain, for allowing it to spread because of his policy of appeasement or `wait and see' - and with the gift of hindsight the picture of him returning from Munich holding aloft a piece of paper stating `peace in our time' now has a hollow ring! But no-one could have foreseen the corrupting, destructive ideology that was afoot throughout Europe for it had not been seen before in recorded history. It was unique, evil, destructive, and many intelligent people were impressed by the dynamic economic and social changes that Fascism brought about in those early days in Germany and Italy, and any reports of violence and disruptive behaviour were put down to the excesses of a few hotheads.

What, then, is this ideology called Fascism? It is exceedingly difficult to define as it is a constantly changing process which so baffled those who earlier tried to deal with its leaders. The Western powers were used to negotiating; they knew the cut and thrust of diplomacy with its accepted need for compromise and adjustment which, once agreed upon, formed the basis of a Treaty between consenting nations which would last at least for a reasonable length of time. But what they could not comprehend was the reaching of agreements which the Fascist leaders had no intention of keeping but instead used the time gained to strengthen their own position, with each territorial gain merely added to the whole whilst negotiating the next move. At its heart this ideology needed to convey, through propaganda, a national sense of enormous crises; it needed to persuade the people that they were the victims of an intense and extreme conspiracy to bring about a national disintegration; it sought to bring together a national concensus of solidarity which opposed any quavering voices by social provision across all levels of society; it extolled the need for a national leader who was, above all else, the embodiment of the nation's destiny, which was their right as a superior race but which was being denied its rightful place by a conspiritorial group of people!

By drawing upon the nation's past historical myths, and using them in public displays of grandeur in vast auditoriums, it raised the expectations of the people to the point where belief in a master race was the only possible belief system. It particularly needed to bring the elite groups of the nation, the so-called `Estates' - the Church, the Nobility, the Middle Classes (now perceiving themselves to be threatened by outside and inside forces) - under its sway and persuading them that their God-given interests would be extended under the new National Socialism! In short, it was a total bonding together of a total nation through mythology and belief in the `National Destiny' of a master race which was being threatened by conspiritorial forces. At its heart was the worship of violence, and the most perfect expression of that worship was the heroic death of the nation, now totally mobilized as one perfect body with its embodiment in its Leader - and that it would rise again was their certainty. Truly a unique, devilish, demonic ideology uncomprehensible to Old European kings, nobles and princes et al!

How could such a reprehensible ideology take hold of a country such as Germany with its deep-seated cultural heritage? First, it needed a Nation State, which was only formed in Europe during this period as it could not manifest itself in a group of countries or in a collection of princely states. It had to have clearly defined and defendable borders which were felt to be under threat from outside forces; it needed universal suffrage in that Nation State in order to appeal to the people; it needed a weakened system of government wherein not only were the ordinary people threatened by a possible breakdown in their social order but businesses, the Church and elite military groups also felt under threat. There had to be a power-vacuum, a political space into which the Fascist ideology could move, offer hope and successfully take root! Clearly such an ideology needs a vast propaganda system because the truth - as understood by ordinary people - is and has to be incomprehensible to the Fascist ideology, bent as it is on its ultimate glory through violence and death. Once embedded in a Nation State it does not seek to take over the bureaucratic state system but forms a parallel Party system which runs alongside the existing system, weakening it and making it unworkable to the point where the State system receives the blame. The Party is then exonerated and through continuous propaganda and national conquests it leads the nation on to its ultimate victory in the `beauty' of violent destruction.

Clearly, then, such an ideology could take root in any Nation State which has known past glories (and most European States have known such past glories). Any such State in which the elitist groups are threatened . . where the mass of the people feel their life-style is also threatened . . which is being ruled over by a Government State system which appears to be unable to provide stability and protection . . which is in a constant flux of change through failed politics and where there is no effective alternative political party to turn to . . with an external and internal `enemy' . . is a ready vehicle for a Fascist ideology to take root! But it cannot take root in the European Union, which is a collection of Nation States grouped together for collective security, and with trading benefits as a collective protection against laissez-faire Liberalism, which these days is called Global Marketing - a world-wide system of Free Trade which transcends national borders and which threatens every Nation State throughout the world, over which no Government has any power to control its destructive activities.

The pertinent question must therefore be: Could such an ideology manifest itself and take root in a mature democratic system such as is established in all of the most powerful Nation States of Western Europe? We have seen such stirrings in Austria, Holland, Germany and Great Britain, but it does not matter how many quasi governmental organizations are introduced into the EU - whether it be a European Parliament, a World Court of Justice, or even a European Military Force - the EU is still a collection of Nation States who are prepared by their own national security and stability to suppress and, if need be, subordinate certain of their national powers. However we would suggest that the people of Nation States will always be National first and european second (and the small `e' is deliberate). If this analysis of the current situation is correct we should not be spending too much time slating the EU, or indeed clamouring for this country's withdrawal from it! At this particular time in the life of Great Britain, with the breakdown of its society and a weakening political system, the safest place for it to be is in the collective security of the European Union.

We now need to open up this point somewhat in order to comprehend more fully what is happening and awake to the danger of the slow but deliberate propaganda that has been manipulating our society. It has been happening for a long period of time, but for the sake of brevity we need only to go back to the 1960's and then move forward. During the Sixties, following the dreary days of post-war life, the people found a `freedom' in an exciting new life which began to break down the old ties of family and community. A new political force had come into power which even the old elitist Party could not ignore. All were revelling in the Welfare State - the people being provided for `from the cradle to the grave'! This proved to be unsustainable but it took many years for the `Thatcher Revolution' to tackle the problem. Readers may well remember the words spoken by that particular political leader: `Society? there is no such thing as society'! She then proceeded to destroy the economic infrastructure upon which society (or communities) depended for their existence.

The earlier political creed of State-provided and State-controlled institutions, upon which the Welfare State had been built, began to be broken up as the State institutions were sold off or privatized by the new creed - which was not so much Conservatism but more the Free Trade Liberalism of an earlier age! (The `new' political Party in power at present is but intellectual Liberalism layered on to the `old' style Socialism which had become unelectable in the new, free, openly individualistic society of people.) We mentioned earlier that the accepted terminology for the ruling elitist groups in the Western nations is `Estates', the first being the Church, followed by the Nobility (now seen in the so-called `Captains of Industry' and the Military), the third being the Bureaucrats, Professionals, Business and Merchant Classes. There is, however, a Fourth Estate which has now found a powerful position in the nation, one which all the other Estates are fearful of! The title given to this Estate is `the Media' in all its forms, and it has the power to bring any of the other Estates into disrepute and destruction - in short, to produce a weakened form of Government - and this is clearly seen in the recent reports concerning events caused by the latest Middle East war. This Fourth Estate leads the way, forms opinions, listens to the opinions being vocalized by the people and then presents them to the Government as `what the people want'! Consequently, a Parliamentary system directed by an unelected Fourth Estate and pandering to the populace indeed becomes a weakened form of Government! Add to this mix the myth of a one-time powerful nation, now brought low (it is suggested) by weak and ineffectual political leaders) . . the people becoming threatened by an often ill-conceived withdrawal of a supportive Welfare system . . a very real external threat to the nation through international terrorism and an ill-perceived internal threat from a subversive Muslim community . . a rejected political Opposition Party that continually `kills off' its leaders and a scorned third political Party which some will vote for because they cannot vote for the other two . . and we see the possibility of an open political space emerging ready to be filled by classical Fascism. This could be in a form not neccesarily seen in the early 20th century!

Remember that such an ideology appeals to the people of the moment by taking advantage of an emerging situation and drawing upon a mythical past, unable to be fulfilled by corrupt politicians whilst being faced with external and internal enemies. These fears and anxieties were seen to be openly worked on during the recent European election with the emergence of the UK Independence Party. It offered the only alternative to the other three main political parties and it drew openly on the mythical history of Great Britain. This is certainly not to suggest that the UKIP is Fascist in any way, but it does point to what other such people will see as the way to fill the space being opened up. There is a very real external threat to this nation's security, and without a doubt the Muslim community in this country is perceived as an internal threat just as much as the Jews in Germany were during the rise to power of the Fascist regime in the last century. Such internal threats are fuelled by the media, with pictures of British nationals of Middle Eastern descent bearing arms and fighting against the coalition forces in Iraq. As we have said, these problems are not exclusive to Great Britain and they are being spawned throughout the countries that make up the EU. We believe we have entered a period of unrest which will be manipulated by the persistent propaganda of unscrupulous people, and our danger lies in repeating such propaganda without considering the truth of what we say.

Those who read our Newswatches know our Scriptural basis for the time in which we find ourselves - which is a Probation Period of fourty years. This is nearing its end culminating in disturbing apostacy - a moving away from `the faith that was once delivered'. All such Scriptural Probation Periods have ended in captivity for the people of God and they have been taken into a land not their own for their own safety as a Covenanted people! The Church is called to be a witness to the existence of God in whichever country where it resides, fearlessly proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and living a corporate life which bears witness to the life-changing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who are called sons of God. Its failure to faithfully witness to that callingover the period of this Probation is seen in the deteriorating national life of this country! And just as the secular nation is being drawn into the collective security of the EU (and, therefore, into captivity) so too the Church will be taken into captivity with it for its own collective security. However the time will come when there will be an understanding of what has happened and a remnant among God's people will begin the restoration of its spiritual witness, bringing about a secular national awakening which will lead them out to be the Nation ready for use in God's purpose!

To such a man as Daniel was given the Lord's wisdom and understanding of what was to come. The visions given to Daniel have yet to be completely fulfilled, but it would seem clear that we stand on the edge of part of that fulfillment. We would finish this Newswatch with the suggestion that the readers read in full chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel:

" I, Daniel, (in Babylon) understood from the Scriptures, according to the Word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition . . . . . `O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your Name'. "

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