The local government elections have been taking place in the UK this week with the national government in some disarray. The Health Secretary was barracked to an alarming extent at the national nurses’ conference last week after making a statement that the National Health Service had just had its best ever year; the nurses felt otherwise and registered their disgust. The Home Secretary’s department had let out around 1,000 criminals who had been recommended for deportation after servicing their sentences, and yet the system had allowed them back into the community, some being murderers and rapists. The Deputy Prime Minister had been found having a two year affair with his diary secretary, with lurid details being printed in many newspapers. And this from a government that had promised to do much better than the previous administration, which itself had many difficulties with sleaze!

Of course, the UK is not the only nation to have such problems; it is a fact of life in all nations around the world. Democracy is much trumpeted as the way forward, and it was to bring peace and stability in Iraq. We are all too well aware what has happened in that nation. But in spite of the Bible clearly showing that being involved in the world is ungodly, a leading figure in the Anglican Church urged people to vote. As it is stated in our Update #76, of 17th Jan 2003: “Participating in voting for governmental elections shows a lack of appreciation for the Will of God. It also shows a misunderstanding of the fact that Satan rules this world, and that Christians are ambassadors of Christ, called to come out of this world to be separate.” Such understanding is lost on the world’s religions, including most of Christianity.

In November 1947, Sir Winston Churchill observed that “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

Democracy–in fact, man’s rule in general– is not the answer to the world’s problems. The only sure answer is the return of Jesus Christ to rule as the beneficent King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His return must surely be a part of our daily prayers. Do we regularly pray “Thy Kingdom Come”? If we do, then this surely shows where our focus is; if not, perhaps we ought to urgently review our prayer content.

When that wonderful time of Christ’s setting up the Kingdom of God on earth arrives, democracy will be a thing of the past; flawed leadership by flawed individuals will no longer be even considered and, with Christ ruling with fairness and equity, the perfect theocracy then in place will be appreciated by all the earth’s inhabitants.

God speed that day!

Very often the big events in Biblical prophecy are the ones that
catch the eye, excite the imagination and stir the blood. Into this
category, events that may immediately spring to mind may be, amongst
many others, the formation of the nations in Europe as a forerunner to
the Beast power; the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord; and the
fate of the incorrigible wicked. While it is understandable that such
events can set the pulses racing, there are other prophecies that may
be somewhat overlooked but have great significance at this time.

One
such prophecy is found in Matthew 24:12: “And because lawlessness will
abound, the love of many will grow cold.” This is addressing those in
the Church who at one time had the love of God, but who had begun to
let it slip. That’s why it says that the love of God will grow or
become cold–so it was hot at one time. We also read in the book of
Revelation that the first era of the Church had lost their first love.
The love of many growing cold–NOW–is really quite scary because of
the problems that will emanate. We read in verse 10 that “…many will
be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” And
why? Because lawlessness will abound! The true Church of God has always
been a Church that has taught and kept the law of God, but we have
seen, in recent times, incorporated Church organizations blown to the
four corners of the earth because of lawless teaching and behavior. The
pull of the world seemed to have been far too strong for too many who
should have known better.

Why does love grow cold? Because of not
keeping the law of God and because of apathy, hostility and
carelessness! In John 16:1-2, we find these chilling verses: “These
things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that
whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.”

We
read about people whose love will grow cold and who will, as a
consequence, hate and kill, supposedly, in God’s service. These are
spine chilling verses, but how is this possible? Perhaps we can find
the answer in Matthew 13:24-30, which is the parable of the wheat and
tares. Verse 30 offers more than a clue: “Let both grow together until
the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers,
‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them,
but gather the wheat into my barn.'” Wheat and tares grow up together
in the Church. Events over millennia culminating in more recent times
have shown the accuracy of these prophesied events–and there is, no
doubt, more of the same to come and probably with increasing intensity.
And, it stands to reason that the tares will be participating in the
killing of God’s people–the wheat.

In less than three weeks,
baptized members of the Church of God will be taking the Passover.
Verses in Matthew 5:23-24 are among those that will show God whether we
are serious: “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there
remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift
there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your
brother, and then come and offer your gift.” If we follow this
instruction, it will show God that we mean business and clearly
indicate our love for others.

Studying prophecy is a fascinating
subject–but we should ONLY engage in it for the ultimate purpose of
acquiring and living God’s love in us. We must be very careful that
God’s love does not grow cold in US. The time just prior to Passover is
a good occasion to reflect on this vital truth.

During the month of January, Channel 4 television in the UK screened
two programs presented by an atheist who is also a scientist–not an
uncommon combination.  The first program was called, “The God
Delusion,” and the second one was titled, “The Virus of Faith.” The
presenter’s purpose was to convince one to accept the theory of
evolution as a scientific fact and to dismiss religion and the belief
in a supernatural, all powerful Being as just a myth. This surely fits
into the category of calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

Christianity,
amongst other religions, was under attack, and from many different
angles. Many who are atheists or who have no interest in God or
religion take the view that if this is all there is to this life, let’s
just enjoy what we have–and that can often lead to a really selfish
approach. When you’re dead, you’re dead, according to their approach,
and with nothing to look forward to, they can make the most of the here
and now, irrespective of any other considerations.

It can be
assumed–and it was by the presenter–that religious people sacrifice
happiness in this life for the afterlife. In fact, some may do just
that. But didn’t Mr Armstrong mention many times in his writings about
the abundant life–here and now? By living according to God’s way, we
can avoid the problems experienced by those who ignore it. We don’t get
sexually transmitted diseases because we follow God’s instructions on
sexual behavior; we avoid many of the health problems that can be
caused by eating pork, certain seafood and other unclean foods; and we
can have peace of mind about our future because of our faith–without
having nervous breakdowns that some may suffer because of their anxiety
about the future.

Our life can be more fulfilling and enjoyable
because of our faith–not grinding out this life before we enjoy
eternity, as this presenter assumed. We can enjoy life now more than
others because we follow God’s instructions on how to live and behave
in this life, and we also have a wonderful future to look forward to as
a member of God’s family in the Kingdom of God. Yes, religion and
belief in God was under attack in these two programmes, but that does
not alter the reality of our calling and the fact that we do have the
best of both worlds.

There are many aspects of false worship but one area that has
proliferated in more recent times has been that of the celebrity
culture. It has always been there, of course, but celebrity and hero
worship seems to have become embedded in a society where entertainment
and the media take center stage.

Recently in the UK we had the
spectacle of the funeral of an outstanding footballer [soccer player
for our American readers] who, by common consent, was one of the best
that the country had ever produced. He was just 59 years of age with a
chequered personal history of alcoholism and other problems, and yet he
was worshipped like a god. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the
funeral route, a motorcade escorted the hearse, and there was huge bill
for policing. A massive amount of flowers was laid outside his former
football club, and a minute’s silence was observed at football matches
throughout the land. Perhaps this was hardly surprising as
football is the new religion.

We had a similar outpouring of
grief when Princess Diana died a few years ago. One Church minister
said about this event: “Yes, ‘we all’ had shared the grief at Diana’s
death, ‘we all cried’, we all laid flowers, went to the funeral and
sang along to Elton John. But actually, by trying to pretend that Diana
was something other than human, we were guilty of ‘paganism’,
attributing the characteristics of holiness to an insufficiently worthy
vessel. We had worshipped the wrong thing, and worshipped in the wrong
way.”

Diana, it was implied, had been melted down and turned into
a golden calf. A former Prime Minister said that his perception was
that because we have become a secular society, the outpouring of grief
for Princess Diana was a manifestation of the worshipping of
celebrities.

These two events were linked in many people’s minds
here in the UK. One commentator wrote: “Not since that distant late
summer day when Princess Diana’s coffin was borne through the streets
of London have so many people turned out to demonstrate their surging
affection and sense of loss.”

And yet the Bible is very clear on
this issue: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3) and:
“You shall not bow down to them nor serve them (verse 5).” Although
specifically referring to carved images, the worship of anyone or
anything can be covered by this verse. Aren’t we most blessed to
understand that, while we can admire others, only the true Creator God
is to be worshipped, and not flawed human beings?

Finally,
let us not forget the false worship that is currently in full swing
with the inevitable Christmas celebrations. Much has been
written about that matter over the years and the recent member letter
discussed the “spirit” of Christmas. But only God is to be worshipped,
and only in the way that He has prescribed, and nothing else will
do!

In an editorial a while ago, I discussed briefly the fact that our only security is in God. I mentioned that the Bible is replete with information on our need to trust in God for safety and security. This becomes even more apparent when suicide bombers are close to home.

In a trial at London’s Old Bailey in October this year, details were given about a man from Derby, trying to blow up a busy bar in Tel Aviv, Israel, in April 2003, with the aim of carrying out a suicide bombing. His accomplice managed to detonate a bomb killing three people and injuring 65, while the Derby man failed in his attempt and fled the scene. Not only was he from Derby where I have lived for most of my life, but some of his family live only about 100 yards from where I used to live with my parents many years ago. Those family members were also in court, accused of failing to disclose information about a terrorist attack. Even now, they are only about four or five miles away from where I currently reside.

And just last month raids were made on addresses in Derby, Wolverhampton and Croydon where suspected terrorists were living. Neighbors told of their shock at finding out what was going on, unknown to them, right in their midst. One said: “You just don’t know what could be going on right on your doorstep.” It can be a shock to find out these people can be close to home.

We recently held the Feast of Tabernacles at Chatsworth House, just thirty miles away from the city of Derby. The Peak District area where Chatsworth House is located includes other counties, but it is mainly situated in Derbyshire, which is one of the most beautiful counties in the UK. It is the second most visited national park in the world (the most visited is one in Japan). The comparison between suicide bombers in Derby and a millennial Feast site in near-by rural Derbyshire is stark. It serves as a reminder that wherever we are, there may be those, not knowing or appreciating the true way of the great Creator God, who would try and wreak havoc and cause mischief in the guise of religion.

The Feast of Tabernacles pictures a still future time when suicide bombers and false religion, amongst many other things, will simply not be tolerated. In the meantime, we need to put our trust and faith in God for protection and guidance, irrespective of how close to home are those who perpetrate such evil acts of murder and terrorism.