First, let’s recall a prediction that applies to everybody no matter who, because it comes from the one who is The Spirit of Prophecy (Revelation 19:10). Thus it’s true information about our personal post-mortem state of play:

“I tell you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. Be afraid of him who, after killing the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him…I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven and the angels of God. But who disowns Me before men will be disowned before My Father in heaven and the angels of God. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven!” (Luke 12:4-10 with Matthew 10:32-3 NIV)

Having no time for Antichrist spirit’s influence within politics I admire anyone attempting to practise and apply their faith within government. Although I don’t support his policies I’ve noticed Tim Farron’s evangelical faith wobble under frequent vicious attacks by reprobate souls within his party and the media (Stop banging on about my faith). So I have huge admiration for his decision announced last night:

“To be a political leader – especially of a progressive liberal party in 2017 – and to live as a committed Christian, to hold to the Bible’s teaching, has felt impossible for me.

“I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in. In which case we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal society. That’s why I’ve chosen to step down as leader of the Liberal Democrats.” (Telegraph, emphasis RB.)

Were Tim a Muslim, he’d have been safe because the nampy-pamby brigade would have been silent through fear of criminal prosecution under hate speech and ‘Islamophobia’. In my opinion, churches should start lobbying government to introduce the crime of ‘Christophobia’ – ie. all expressions of hatred against Christians and their beliefs.

But that brigade think they can get away with intimidating and persecuting anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and His true teachings. (That is, REAL Christianity, not the oxymoronic concept of thinking it’s ok to be LGBT-etc and disobey scripture and Jesus’ commands. Such confused folk think Jesus has changed His mind – like the Muslim deity abrogates its teaching – and permits disciples to follow Him, even to expect to be ‘married’ in ‘church’ – ie. an apostate one!). Poor lost souls – acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord means doing what He says. He strongly warned them that many who call Him ‘Lord’ won’t be allowed into His Kingdom simply because they choose not to follow his instructions, as told in the previous post by my dear namesake.

Cyber-‘Archbishop Cranmer’ covers Tim’s news with a denunciation of failures to support him by fellow believers in the LibDems and by Archbishop Justin Welby’s lamenting too late – see It’s not that Christians can’t lead political parties; it’s that Evangelical Christians can’t lead the Liberal Democrats. Blogger Adrian Hilton concludes,

‘Tim Farron is indeed honourable and decent, and he has honourably and decently concluded that it is not possible to be a Christian and lead a political party in the modern era (not, as the Archbishop of Canterbury states, that “he can’t be in politics”). Yet a Christian leads the Conservatives. A Christian leads the DUP. A Christian led Ukip, and Labour, and the SDLP and the UUP. But these Christians tend to hold a view of their faith which coheres with the majority of their party: some are more secular-liberal; others more orthodox and robust. What Tim Farron has established is not that it’s impossible to be a Christian and a Liberal Democrat, but that it’s not possible to be an Evangelical Christian and lead the Liberal Democrats. It’s an important distinction which appears to have escaped the journalistic commentary on this matter.

‘But here’s a thing. If, as the Archbishop of Canterbury states, the media and politicians have questions to answer over Tim Farron’s forced resignation for daring to think and believe differently on abortion and homosexuality, do not the media and bishops have questions to answer over Philip North’s forced resignation for thinking and believing differently on the ordination of women? Does his treatment not stem from the same totalitarian intolerance of theological difference, and form part of the same drive to impose a kind of gender-sexuality moral uniformity?‘ (Emphasis mine.)

A couple of days ago Tim Stanley’s opinion piece It Has Become Politically Toxic To Be A Christian (‘premium’ content) was published in which he says,

‘I’m writing in response to anger at the DUP coming to the rescue of Theresa May. As a Catholic, I should be flattered by the liberals’ righteous fury: the Protestant DUP are the stuff of sectarian nightmares. But I notice that far more has been written about the DUP’s views on sexuality than their views on the Pope. They have failed the modern religious test, which is to say they have the cheek to still believe in God in 2017…

‘(Tim Farron) was probably inclined to ignore the question because it is, strictly speaking, irrelevant. Like the vast majority of Christians, Tim is constitutionally liberal: he doesn’t want to tell others how to live, he just wants the freedom for everyone to live in peace.

‘But that’s not good enough now. You can’t simply tolerate. You must celebrate. If you don’t, there’s no place for you in politics…

‘One might ask why the religious ethics of Belfast matter at all: social issues are a devolved question. But when the DUP marched into the limelight, liberals saw a chance to attack their biblical literalism and reaffirm that it is they – not the rednecks in the pews – who define what is and isn’t acceptable in 21st-century Britain.

I’m amazed that after the last few days the DUP are still willing to help the mainland out. They’ve been subjected to every “violent paddy” stereotype going, including from socialists who have an otherwise rosy view of the IRA…

‘The frustrating thing is that very few liberals are prepared to meet religious folk where they are. Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, says one reason why she won’t soften her position on gay marriage is because of the “vicious” abuse she’s received for it.

‘Britain’s social divisions are thus accentuated by a refusal to acknowledge not only that people have other opinions but that they have the right to hold those opinions.’ (Emphases mine.)

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Taking another tack: a year after the murder of Jo Cox MP and in honour of her proud independence and nonconformity in raising difficult issues for government, the senior editors of the Guardian and the Telegraph met to discuss and further the freedom of the press in investigating those who abuse their positions of power. Although of differing persuasions, both editors had no hesitation to unite in standing up for George Orwell’s insight (author of the futuristic fable of fascism, 1984):

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear.”

This means freedom of speech to express one’s opinion, whether or not others may hold different, legitimate views.

REMEMBER, FREEDOM OF BELIEF, CONSCIENCE & SPEECH DOES NOT APPLY TO CHRISTIANS WHO RUN FOUL OF OFFICIALDOM, MEDIA AND LGBT BIGOTRY – for examples of many cases visit Christian Concern and The Christian Institute.

EG. Felix Ngole is a Christian student who has been removed from his university social work course after commenting on his personal Facebook page in support of biblical teaching on marriage and sexual ethics. He writes, “I was thrown off my master’s course in social work because I expressed the bible’s teaching on sexual ethics, on Facebook and was told that my beliefs made me unfit to practise as a social worker. With help from the Christian Legal Centre, I tried to get the decision reversed but Sheffield University refused. Even before I had finished my course, I was effectively ‘barred from office‘. I had to challenge this decision, because freedom is at stake. And with CLC support, we went to the High Court. I praise God that the High Court agreed that Sheffield University’s decision could be scrutinised. Felix now asks, “Will you join me in standing for free speech?”

We know from BBC Watch how the badly biased BBC always blames Israel for anything in the Middle-East (see 6-Day War). The once distinguished corporation has thus become unreliable as a source of news and many morally deficient programmes. Therefore, it’s no surprise to learn about satan’s spirit of mockery presiding there, as shown via the once respected and intelligent presenter John Hymphry’s remarks about Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (BBC Mocks Pro-marriage Pro-life Views). Haughty smirks and laughter will vanish when finding he’s not acknowledged in heaven; not even getting a “Depart from me you who practise lawlessness”?

To return to some sanity read the CI’s overview Evangelicals Defend DUP, which briefly covers the link on the DUP at the close of this blog’s Fulfilled Prophecies #21.

In view of yesterday’s word on A Holy Shaking for London and the news of Tim Farron’s resignation perhaps it’s no coincidence that Kensington’s dreadful towering inferno was dubbed in one paper today as ‘Hell On Earth’ (as herein)!!

SO it’s well-nigh time we Christians stand up against the bigotry of our adversary’s fleshly cohorts for, as scripture foretells, they’re on the losing side! May each and every one of them be blessed with their own ‘Damascus road’ experience of meeting the living Christ.