My remarks covering the re-blog on PM Netanyahu citing the Bible in Davos referred to Daniel Pipe’s article in Washington Times which describes the Middle East as ‘The sick man of the world’.
Pipes writes, “…two examples point to a larger conclusion: maladies run so deep in the Middle East (minus remarkable Israel) that outside powers cannot remedy them”, and then provides a quick summary of catastrophic failures of the Muslim Middle East.
Through Wednesday to Friday last week, and today, I put my planned material in the pending tray to run three unexpected posts on the significance of Turkey’s turn-around to re-engage with Iran. I was most surprised that many readers and visitors took notice and tripled this blog’s average of daily hits, for which I heartily thank you all.
Obviously, with the easing of international sanctions Erdogan must have been looking to Iran as the region’s new rich-man – and a nuclear power – with immense reserves of minerals.
Now, David Goldman, a Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum, opens a paper entitled Turkish Financial Crisis Adds to Region’s Chaos as follows:
More than coincidence accounts for the visit to Iran by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on January 28, the same day that his economic policy collapsed in a most humiliating way…Erdogan’s prestige was founded on Turkey’s supposed economic miracle…
Hailed as”the next superpower” by John Feffer of the Institute for Policy Studies, and as “Europe’s BRIC” by The Economist, Turkey has become the Sick Man of the Middle East.
Reinforcing my reference to the PM’s friendship with POTUS, Goldman refers to his own foresight in a humorous manner:
US President Barack Obama told an interviewer in 2012 that Erdogan was one of his five closest overseas friends, on par with the leaders of Britain, Germany, South Korea and India. Full disclosure: as the Jewish banker who has been most aggressive in forecasting Turkey’s crisis during the past two years, I have had no contact with Opus Dei on this matter, much less the mythical Illuminati.
He proceeds to explain this and goes on to state how the corruption surfaced (omitted from this quotation) :
Erdogan was always a loose cannon. Now he has become unmoored. Paranoia is endemic in Turkish politics because so much of it is founded on conspiracy…
The conspiracy of international bankers, Opus Dei and Illuminati that rages in Erdogan’s Anatolian imagination has triumphed, and the aggrieved prime minister will not go quietly. As Erdogan abhors old allies who in his imagined betrayed him and seeks new ones, the situation will get worse.
One of the worst ideas that ever occurred to Western planners was the hope that Turkey would provide a pillar of stability in an otherwise chaotic region, a prosperous Muslim democracy that would set an example to anti-authoritarian movements. The opposite has occurred: Erdogan’s Turkey is not a source of stability but a spoiler allied to the most destructive and anti-Western forces in the region.
To my mind, the above closing paragraph clearly indicates that Erdogan is not alone. Western financiers, politicians and diplomats are also clueless and incompetent. This is clearly demonstrated not only above but also by European and White House policies in believing Islamic cultures can build satisfactory and sustainable democracies. But they discriminate against anyone of different beliefs and background. For example, Obama’s policy speeches in Ankara and Cairo opened up the way for the Arab Spring and advancement of Muslim nations – but the beast of Islamist fanaticism went into self-destruct; not to mention its criminally pathological hatred of fellow humanity!
However, I’m open to persuasion that I may be mistaken. But first, please take time to read David Goldman’s brief, incisive paper here
According to Reuter’s report of Wednesday, a mutual concern over the rise of al Qaeda in Syria (and Iraq) spurred hopes for this week’s Turkish-Iranian rapprochement.
But couldn’t that claim be ‘dis-information’? Al Qaeda is Sunni Muslim whereas the mullahs running Iran are Shiite and Turkey is a secular Islamic state, although PM Erdogan favours Islamist extremism.
And let’s not forget that even at the height of the Iran-Iraq war between adherents of those two opposing forms of Islam, elite units stopped fighting one another to rehearse the storming of Jerusalem! (See The Invisible Hand Re-appears.)
I’d humbly suggest, therefore, those facts should be kept in mind when considering today’s news of Al Qaeda bases operating openly in Turkey, as reported by Israel’s military intelligence chief. DebkaFile opens its ‘Special Report’ as follows:
Al Qaeda has set up its first bases in a NATO member-country. Wednesday, Jan. 29, the day Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan sat down in Tehran with President Hassan Rouhani, Israel’s military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Avivi Kochavi revealed that Al Qaeda adherents fighting in Syria had established their first training facilities in Turkey…
The strong impression gained from Kochavi’s briefing was that Turkey is not just home to three al Qaeda training facilities and bases, but that its borders are left open for them to cross in from neighboring countries…
In reading the Intel Chief’s 5-point summary, it’s interesting to note the first refers to the PM’s agenda for “linking the two non-Arab Muslim nations in a new strategic alliance for regional domination” – emphasis mine. This fits the Gog-Magog coalition prophesied in Ezekiel 38.
Also, he stressed that both nations permit, even provide a springboard for, al Qaeda to conduct terrorist operations. Therefore, “Neither of the two new allies…would have any qualms about using al Qaeda terrorism to promote their agendas.”.
His other points on Palestinians and Iran, fallout from the US-Iran nuclear accord and vulnerability of Europe from attack via a fellow NATO member, are well worth noting.
Yesterday’s news and announcement on this blog merits a brief explanation. As an ‘alert’, it was dashed off because I was about to close down for dinner but decided to quickly check ‘before-the-media’ news.
In fact, my short window on-line yesterday went in congratulating a friend on his political blog’s news. I mentioned that prophetic material in Ezekiel 38 is increasingly relevant. (As already disclosed, that topic had cropped up in my afternoon meeting.) Hence, my astonishment at reading the news from Debka – I was amazed that what I’d spoken of and referred to in writing had become news on that day!!
Why is this news of Turkey’s prime minster turning against Washington important?
If not the first, Tayyip Erdogan was one of the foreign leaders whom Barack Obama called very soon after taking office. After attending the G20 Summit in London, then with NATO in Strasburg and with the EU in Prague, President Obama went to Istanbul and Ankara on 7th April 2009, “to send a message to the world” (per White House transcript). In making a major speech to the Turkish Parliament on the Middle East, Obama wooed Turkey as “a critical ally”. [Is it a coincidence that Turkey soon moved from being a military ally of Israel to exhibiting great hostility, doubtless encouraged by POTUS’ own inclinations? – see Rewind re. Turkey.]
Two Arabic stations carried Obama’s speech live and Associated Press reported:
Making his first visit to a Muslim nation as president and calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.
“Let me say this as clearly as I can,” Obama said. “The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical … in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject.
But Bill Koenig, White House journalist, made this prophetically accurate observation:
This will be an incentive for the enemies of the United States to keep going, believing the U.S. has no fortitude to fight, and that they are winning. [Bang on! Emphasis mine]
It was Obama’s opening salvo in moving the goal-posts and he developed his earlier claims during the tour that the US and Europe must change its attitude to the Muslim world. [From thence he went on to cause consternation in bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.]
Two months later, the broadside fired in his Cairo speech made his lack of historical and political accuracy abundantly clear to informed observers. In encouraging a move towards principles of western democracy and welcoming the Muslim Brotherhood he sent an even clearer signal that American policy was now taking an about-turn.
The rest is history and confirms the bankruptcy of American foreign policy with the consequential geo-strategic re-alignment of the whole Middle-East. Iran has beaten the US hands down in nuclear negotiations and, after the fiasco over Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations can no longer trust Obama. Therefore, Russia is now taking advantage of the political vacuum in that region.
Therefore, after a close relationship with Prime Minister Erdogan from the outset of his presidency, the Turk’s turning away from Washington to Tehran is highly significant. This is especially so when we recall Turkey had major differences with Iran over Syria. [See Reuters’ article below for detailed update.]
OR, could Obama have instructed Erdogan to make it up with Iran? Or even to get in so POTUS could have a personal ‘take’ on the Iranians? I wonder…
As prophesied over 2,500 years ago, these peoples are coming together, not in any loose confederation, but in a political and military alliance under Russian dominance!!
EXCEEDINGLY INTERESTING TIMES! The words of the Lord given to His prophet Ezekiel accurately forecasted modern political developments in the region around the tiny state of Israel.
Last week it was the Palestinians, today it’s Turkey wanting to join Iran and Russia, as in the following Exclusive Report from DebkaFile:
“Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan has snapped his links with Washington and rushed into Iran’s arms for direct action against US interests. He is spiting the Obama administration in the belief of a US plot to replace him with President Abdullah Gul and discredit him by corruption scandals implicating members of his family in sanctions-busting business with Iran through the state-owned Turkish Halkbank.”
Only this afternoon at church house group did I mention it’s only a matter of time for this next developmental phase in establishing the specific coalition of states, as prophesied in Ezekiel 38!!
Seasoned watchers of today’s political fulfilment of Biblical prophecies will appreciate the following that came to my attention over the weekend. In spite of the increasing mayhem and madness, events seem to be progressing in accord with the Lord’s achieving His purposes. Headlines are mine not the media’s:
PALESTINIANS JOIN THE ‘EZEKIEL ALLIANCE-AXIS’
So-called ‘peace talks’ being engineered by the US Secretary of State Kerry’s almost manic shuttle-negotiations have always been regarded as doomed to failure by well-informed watchers, especially in the light of America’s abysmal loss of credibility. In Friday’s exclusive report Palestinian leader turns to Putin for Palestinian State etc., DEBKAfile concludes with a most telling insight as follows (emphases mine):
‘…Moscow has already proved it can get away with busting international sanctions by concluding a $1.5 bn contract with Tehran for the purchase of half a million barrels of Iranian oil a day, without incurring a word of complaint from Washington.
‘Two weeks later, Putin and Abbas have acted together to wreck a painstaking US diplomatic initiative actively partnered by Israel for a negotiated peace accord with the Palestinians. They have left John Kerry and Binyamin Netanyahu holding an empty shell. Nabil Shaath, a Palestinian Fatah veteran, could not have put the situation more bluntly when he said Thursday night that it was time to “end the American monopoly on peacemaking, after Washington had proved incapable of imposing agreements on Israel.”
‘Russian tactics for Syria and Iran had proved effective, he said, and there was no reason why Moscow could not perform the same function on the Israeli-Palestinian track. The Palestinians have clearly opted to follow the examples of other Middle East leaders, ranging from Iran… Syria… Saudi… Egyptian… in making tracks, overtly or covertly, to Moscow. They are opening the door for Russia to fill the void left by American disengagement from region under the Obama administration.’
In the light of rapidly changing geo-strategic influences across the whole Middle-East, who may now dare disbelievethe Word of the Living Lord God to his prophets? For example, consider what he delivered through Ezekiel about that anti-Israel coalition under the words addressed to Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38 refers), which I write about as The Ezekiel Alliance/Axis. The latter may be the better description and should you desire some background information read Koinonia Institute’s Strategic Tends Update, The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 – Part 1 (Turkey) – Part 2 (Iran) – Part 3 (Russia). Although published some years ago, these briefings provide useful insights.
Also, Daniel Pipes has recently written about Iran gaining a foothold on the Arabian Peninsula in National Review Online.
BLOGGER URGES ANGLICANS TO ‘WAKE UP!’
Out of his deep interest and concern for the Church of England Gillan Scott has written a solid consideration upon growth in that denomination. Its content has generated quite a debate and so I recommend those readers who took an interest in my recent remarks on apostasy within the Anglican church to take time to peruse The Church of England still needs to wake up and smell the coffee over church growth.
This, along with Richard Parkhouse’s comment about Prayer for Parliament, is most informative after learning about the concerns of Muslim leaders here and in Egypt, Kenya and other Muslim nations (as in my earlier post).
World Watch Daily has a couple of leading headlines that could have been taken from 38th chapter of the prophetical book of Ezekiel. Quoting from Jerusalem Post, the lead headline says it all:
The article opens: ‘Significant divisions over Iran were on clear display in the Kremlin on Wednesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued statements after nearly two hours of meetings…’ (Photo below June 2012)
The second headline from William Koenig’s team in The White House quotes The Tmes of Israel and opens as shown below:
‘Ayatollah calls Israel ‘rabid dog,’ drawing harsh response from Paris as new round of negotiations begin. The French government spokeswoman says President Francois Hollande believes comments by Iran’s supreme leader about Israel are “unacceptable” and complicate talks between world powers and the Islamic regime over its nuclear program…’
Developments
Further to last Thursday’s post about US appeasement of Iran in Geneva (here), the following links bring detailed news and opinion on developments:
Special Report Tuesday states four new Iranian conditions may block nuclear accord and reveals (emphases added),
…That the radicals are calling the shots in Tehran was obvious to every Iranian from the large blow-ups of the intransigent ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad adorning Tehran newspapers in the last couple of days. President Hassan Rouhani may be elected president, but his campaign of smiles to the West has been superseded by the radical nuclear line espoused by the man he defeated at the polls. Ahmadinejad is riding high again in Tehran.
According to Debkafile there’s, ‘a strange paradox of two leaders, Ayatollah Khamenei and Prime Minister Netanyahu, who are implacable adversaries in all else, maneuvering (sic) with all their might for the same object of taking the wind out of the sails of a potential nuclear deal between the six powers and Iran.
‘Khamenei is confident he can bring President Obama to heel and force him to live with key elements of Iran’s nuclear bomb program. Israel wants that program brought a lot closer to its dismantlement by tougher sanctions. He is seconded in this demand by France in public statements by its president Francois Hollande, and Saudi Arabia, which prefers not to admit to supporting the Israeli campaign….’
The Iranian negotiators face the delegations of six world powers in Geneva Thursday, Nov. 21, with strict orders not to give ground on the two major sticking points holding up a first-step deal on their nuclear program: The heavy water reactor under construction at Arak for producing plutonium and Iran’s “right” to uranium enrichment. If Iran gains those two points, whatever concessions its negotiators may come up with are worthless, because they will leave Tehran in possession of two optional nuclear weaponizing tracks instead of one – plutonium as well as enriched uranium.
Debka states Tehran is fighting tooth and nail for Six-Power acknowledgement of its “right to enrich uranium” so Iran can come away with a “historic feat”. This will show the Iranian people that economic hardship suffered under economic sanctions was worth while.
BUT, existing infrastructure would enable Iran to top-up enriched uranium stockpiles to the amount needed for five nuclear bombs in less than 4 weeks! AND a second option of plutonium would also be available when the Arak reactor is finished! Can the Iranians be trusted? Debka then asks,
…what compromise can be expected when Washington failed to challenge Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s avowal on Day One of the Geneva talks that Iran will not step back “one iota” from its nuclear rights, and his grotesquely barbaric rant against Israel as “the roguish, filthy, rabid dog of the region,” whose regime is “doomed to extinction?”
This degraded language, not heard since the Nazi German era, informed the Obama administration in the harshest terms that for the sake of a deal, Iran will not give an inch under pressure, whether from economic sanctions or from Israel and parts of the American Jewish leadership.
Debka states, ‘Khamenei also blasted US government as unworthy of trust. If…Obama was serious in his often repeated commitment to Israel’s security, he ought to have protested in some way against Khamenei’s unspeakable rhetoric, possibly even delaying the proceedings before they started their second day in Geneva. But the Iranian leader apparently got away with it, judging from the Obama administration’s mild response…’
How peculiar that not only Iran’s tip leader, but also those of Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (and more) are all in agreement about the superpower that was, for decades, top-dog in the Middle East? What’s the reason for this change? Could it be because America’s leaders have rejected the God and Jesus Christ, as their president did in his first inauguration by declaring the USA has never been a Christian nation (as here).
I recommend my readers use the above links to learn the rationale behind these claims. It reminds me of the great heavenly conflict with the demonic ‘Prince of Persia’, of which the prophet Daniel was informed by angelic messenger during deep intercession. (See Daniel 10:12, courtesy BibleGateway.com)
Conclusion
These serious matters are simply one demonstration of the Bible’s complete relevance for today. That is, it accurately forewarns of this dangerous situation for the Middle East and world peace.
An exceptional address on transformation of society from Archbishop Sentamu, especially in emphasising, “We need to recover a prophetic imagination and Christian wisdom, and not get bogged down with what does not work. Rather we must concentrate on what works, and breathe new life into it.”.
A serious miscalculation by America has been averted – for the time being.
Like British PM Neville Chamberlain in Sept 1938, POTUS Barack Obama prefers peace rather than war with a totalitarian, supremacist regime. But as my parent’s generation learned, appeasement [1] comes only at a high price. A ‘peace for our time’ agreement with Nazi Germany wasn’t worth the paper it was written on [2].
Proviso
Let me clarify for first-time visitors and newer subscribers to this blog, I’ve no political axe to grind whatsoever. Over 25 years ago (when anti-Christian), I was confronted by the singular goal of Iraq and Iran, although at war with one another! [3] Therefore, I’ve been well aware of the Iranian regime’s ultimate aim – the destruction of the state of Israel.
It’s important to be aware of today’s situation’s connection to the ‘Ezekiel 38 Alliance’ that was foreseen millennia ago and recorded in the Bible [4]. This coalition is made up mainly of Iran/Persia, Syria and Turkey along with its leader, Russia. They were seen as becoming united against, and seeking to destroy, Israel. These ancient and modern facts cannot simply be ignored.
Political leaders would, therefore, be well advised to tread very carefully in dealing with this alliance.
Summary
Last week, US Secretary of State Kerry’s headlong push for a disastrous agreement in Geneva with Iran over its nuclear ambitions has brought recriminations from national leaders and many well-informed commentators.
Although claiming to cover Israel’s back, Obama has been in secret, back-channel talks with Iran, especially since the election of President Rouhani [5]. His team had arranged for nothing important to be conceded by the Iranian’s for easing international sanctions. That is, it was not known this arrangement did not require Iran to reduce refinement of uranium and halt production of nuclear weapons [6], which was the rationale behind sanctions.
Israeli PM Netanyahu was reportedly ‘in a state of shocked disbelief’ and felt ‘misled’ by ‘messianic-complex’ Kerry [7], who is said to have threatened Israel with sanctions over its peace negotiations with the Palestinians, who are never, ever at fault! [8]. The US was accused of deceit because,
‘…the interim nuclear accord negotiated directly between Washington and Tehran was already secretly in the bag before the 2-day talks between Iran and the Six World Powers took place in Geneva on Thursday…’. [9]
Middle-East analyst Daniel Pipes foresaw the 911 attack and recently reiterated,
I wrote before the last presidential election that “Israel’s troubles will really begin” should Obama win second term. At Obama’s second inauguration, I predicted that he, “freed from re-election constraints, can finally express his early anti-Zionist views after a decade of political positioning. Watch for a markedly worse tone from the second Obama administration toward the third Netanyahu government.” [10]
America’s Arab allies in the Gulf were also horrified by the bad deal and felt cheated. In line with their strong reaction [11] to Obama throwing Egypt’s President Mubarak under the bus, Saudi Arabia has been arranging to buy nuclear warheads from Pakistan as protection from a nuclear-armed Iran [12].
Then when Iran and the Six met for 3 days in Geneva, France unexpectedly scuttled the deal at the last minute on behalf of the Europeans, Saudi Arabia, the UA Emirates and Russia [13]. Joel Rosenberg sees God’s hand in changing this situation [14]. Expecting a generous hand-out from the US and an easing of stringent sanctions, Iran’s President Rouhani urgently met Supreme Leader Khamenei and reminded him their ‘cupboard is bare’. [15] Hoping to negotiate with more flexibility, he’ll have a tough time persuading Iran’s top dog.
The US ‘capitulated’ [16]. Disingenuous Kerry blamed Israel’s Netanyahu and claimed Obama is a man of his word, but was met with deep scepticism by their partners. This is no surprise bearing in mind not only American deceit in changing the deal but also over Obama’s credibility gap as a result of the Syria farrago [17]. On Sunday,
…Netanyahu hit back at his misrepresentation as the lone spoiler by revealing his contacts with the European powers represented in Geneva and his close cooperation with the Arabian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia.
“The world should pay heed when Israel and the Arabs speak with one voice. It doesn’t happen that often,” he said… Washington sources admit that the group effort by Jerusalem, Paris andRiyadh to defeat the Obama administration’s Iran policy wasa groundbreaker. One source noted that it had attained the unheard-of level of coordinated Israeli-Arab-European teamwork for mobilizing individual US congressmen and senators against the deal with Iran and in favor of tighter sanctions. (Emphases added)
The game is clearly changing for the US in the Middle-East because Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu are on a two-day visit to Cairo [18]. This will conclude a major sale of advanced Russian weaponry to Egypt’s army and for Russian naval access to ports on the Mediterranean. (Obama chose to delay assistance because Egypt refused to acquiesce to his demand to reinstate the Muslim Brotherhood, probably because of his elder brother’s involvement with them!)
Yesterday, the Head of International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report of his visit to Iran on Monday. According to Debka, he pointed out that he had seen no changes in Iran’s nuclear activities in the three months since the election of Hassan Rouhani. Iran continues to enrich uranium up to the 20% level and his comments
…exploded the optimistic assumption at the root of the Obama administration’s soft policy on Iran, namely that Tehran had assumed a new, moderate face, amenable as never before to talking through a deal on its nuclear program. [19]
Yukiya Amano’s urgently arranged meeting with supreme leader Khamenei was meant to be an opportunity for him to signal that he approved of further efforts to overcome the impasse reached last week in Geneva.
A show of goodwill from Khamenei would have been used by the US administration to persuade Israel, France and Saudi Arabia to stop fighting the draft accord they’d thrown out. Iran’s Foreign Minister promised the Americans that if the IAEA chief came to Iran then an audience with Khamenei would be set up. But the whole three days Amano was in Tehran no audience materialised. He was fobbed off with paper and photo-op for ‘a roadmap for cooperation’. So Khamenei’s brush-off for Amano put paid to efforts to improve the stand-off.
Conclusion
So today it’s very interesting to read that a professor of law at Harvard has just asked: “Is this our Chamberlain moment?” [20]. Oh, what a surprise!
When published, the full details of the current state of affairs and how the crisis erupted must surely read better than any political thriller. Just let these links tantalise you…
Gillan’s analysis of reports and encouraging commentary is highly recommended to my readers. It certainly seems related to this month’s prophetic clarion call against the complacency which could cause our nation to miss the time of its Visitation.
It’s a time to take the news of the day in one hand and the Bible in the other and watch the unfolding of the great drama of the ages come together.
This is an exciting and thrilling time to be alive…I would not want to live in any other period. (emphasis added)
The Apocalypse (the unveiling of the end times) speaks powerfully of trouble ahead with storm warnings that carrying a booming jolt of truth. The warning is clear: prepare to meet thy God – followed by the voice of the gentle Shepherd – “Come.”
A new world is coming, Graham writes. The paradise that humanity lost in the Garden of Eden will be regained. Christ is coming to conquer evil and establish his perfect rule over all creation,
But until then God wants to give everyone an opportunity to know Christ through repentance and faith…Regardless of what society says, we can’t go on much longer in the sea of immorality without judgment coming. We are at a crossroads, and there are profound moral issues at stake. It is time to return to Biblical truth.
Troy Anderson, who wrote the preceding, states Billy Graham has preached to more people – 2.2 billion – than any Protestant in history and who has appeared on Gallup’s list of the most admired men in the world 56 times since 1955, more than any other individual in the world.
How are these quotations from the evangelist’s newly published book relevant to End-times? Anderson as editor-in-chief of World Prophecy Network elaborates under this header.:
Famed evangelist sees signs ‘converging now for the 1st time’
“Just as Noah did in ancient times, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham is sounding the alarm that the Second Coming is “near” and signs of the end of the age are “converging now for the first time since Jesus made those predictions.”
“And last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., claimed the world has entered the last days.
“When you see up is down and right is wrong, when this is happening, we were told this: that these days would be as the days of Noah,” Bachmann said.
“The remarks by Graham, Netanyahu and Bachmann come amid a steadily rising wave of public interest in the end times, as demonstrated by recent polls and New York Times and Amazon.com bestselling books such as The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, and Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change by Pastor John Hagee…”
He quotes an author I respect as a prophecy expert, Paul Maguire,
I think we’re on the verge of a global awakening in interest in apocalyptic events.
I see a fuse being lit here, between what Billy Graham, Michele Bachman and Benjamin Netanyahu said, and I think there is going to be an explosion of interest in the end times like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
Anderson’s informative article continues under the following headers:
A British breakfast TV interview circulating ‘over the pond’ among American Christians brings attention to injustices suffered by a couple of hoteliers at the hands of our courts.
I was intrigued to find two translations of the Bible directly relevant to both sides of the interview’s controversial point!
First of all, thanks are due to John McTernan for linking to a transcript in Monday’s blog Real Christianity on display, and to Tony Puccio for informing me of its email circulation in Arizona.
NB: this post’s stats occasionally show ‘peak viewing’ when it gets circulated. So I’d ask that it be read in the spirit it is written.
Let’s look at the issue together as I ‘flesh it out’.:
ITV, Britain’s first commercial station, broadcasts Daybreak as a morning magazine. Its presenters Aled Jones and Lorraine Kelly interviewed Peter and Hazelmary Bull the day before they appealed to the UK Supreme Court over a £3,600 fine for refusing to rent one of their hotel’s double-bedded rooms to a homosexual couple. As clearly stated on their website, rooms were available for married men and women only. (The Bulls are supported by The Christian Institute and further details, including on-going reports may be found under Bulls’ B&B Trial.)
Aled Jones’ faith
Aled Jones is well known as a former treble chorister and singer with many albums to his credit, as well as presenter of BBC’s Songs Of Praise (see MirrorTV brief ‘bio’). It’s a typical anodyne BBC programme, however when speaking to journalist Catherine Francis for Inspire magazine, he said the programme attracts millions of viewers from around the world and,
“Songs Of Praise aims to uplift and spiritually enhance its viewers, whether or not they’re Christian, and they need to feel comfortable watching it. It’s a genuine honour to be associated with it…”
She continues, ‘And Aled’s passion is clear to see about the Christian faith,
“Christianity is real, it’s now, it’s happening and it’s exciting – it’s not sedate or simply part of history. Jesus toppled over the market stalls in the Temple – this is a person with passion, a person with love, with blood running through his veins. That’s what it’s all about for me.”
Well said sir, and I think it’s important to keep that in mind when considering today’s matter. Has he changed his views?
The Daybreak interview
The interview has been transcribed fairly accurately by Dr Michael Brown, a scholar, speaker and author of 22 books, including The Real Kosher Jesus. He blogged it a week ago today as An older woman puts today’s compromised preachers to shame. Therein he sets the scene.:
At a time when so many of our Christian leaders are guilty of compromising the gospel before the media, dishonouring the Lord as they try to make God’s Word palatable to the world, it was an older British woman…who displayed a backbone of steel, a deep and consistent faith, and a theological clarity while being grilled on national TV. Cheers for Hazelmary Bull!
And make no mistake about it. This is not some slick, camera-friendly couple, versed in the latest clichés and fitted with the coolest wardrobe. This is a couple grounded in the Word and committed to Jesus. Today’s Christian leaders could learn well from their example.
Jones took the lead and started with a neutral ‘voice-over’ video outlining the case. The presenters were not unpleasant but wanted to know why the Bulls were contesting the loss of their Appeal in 2012. It may have got intense because of their seeming inability to grasp the Bull’s Biblical position. Or were they just acting professionally on behalf of a religiously illiterate British audience and consequently asking questions from a simplistic viewpoint?
Whatever their approach, it helped the Bull’s present their case clearly and admirably. Take a look at the video clip:
Here’s the transcript section of Dr Brown’s short article; his comments in italics.:
When asked why they were going ahead with the appeal after all they had been through, Hazelmary replied,
“The reason we have continued with this is because we feel there are arguments still to be made, because we are hoping that some way or another, a pathway will be found through this so that two different lifestyles—which at the moment have had a head-on collision—two different lifestyles could live together in our society.”
Her purpose, then, is marked by conviction and conciliation: How can we live together in the same society when we have such different convictions?
Lorraine Kelly: “May I suggest that maybe you are in the wrong business? Because when you think about it, only 47 percent of couples now are actually married, so when you do that, you forget all the arguments and all the rest, but actually from a business sense, sure, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Hazelmary Bull: “No, on the face of it, it looks like that because we have always refused a double-bedded accommodation to unmarried heterosexual couples.”
When challenged by Kelley, Hazelmary explained, “It’s Bible-based; it’s entirely Bible-based.”
(Pastors, take note of her words. This is how we should operate our local assemblies as well, based on the Word, not on marketing principles.)
Aled Jones: “As a Christian, the God you worship is a loving God, is a tolerant God. And if people are in a civil partnership, they are obviously in love, so what is wrong with them sharing a bed?”
(Note that Jones came to national fame as a hymn-singing child, and in 2004 he was voted Religious Broadcaster of the Year by the Churches Media Council for his work with Songs of Praise. He still hosts BBC’s Songs of Praise show, and within the last four years he has released albums featuring hymns and Christmas songs. What in the world happened to Aled Jones?)
How does Hazelmary reply to his challenge? You’ve got to love this!
HB: “I think it’s a myth to believe that entirely. He is a loving God, that’s true. He’s a forgiving God, but there is—
AJ: “And a tolerant one?”
HB: “He is a longsuffering God; He’s not entirely tolerant because the Bible is full of cases when He does finally bring judgment about. We felt that we wanted to, as far as possible, live according to His instructions, and the Bible is very clear about marriage.
Boy, did she nail it! There is a difference between God being longsuffering and God being tolerant, and yes, “He’s not entirely tolerant because the Bible is full of cases when he does finally bring judgment about.”
Do you think we’ll be hearing a lot of lines like that from some of the pastors featured on The Preachers of L.A.?
LK: “It’s 2013…2013!”
MB: “God hasn’t changed; Jesus says He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. He hasn’t changed, the Bible hasn’t changed, and we are wrong—we are living in a dream—if we think that He has changed His laws to suit us, because that’s not the case at all.”
Exactly! Most of the world is living in a dream. In fact, much of the church is living in a dream too, having been put to sleep by smooth-tongued preachers who have watered down the Word in a futile attempt to make it “contemporary.”
LK: “So you don’t accept that you have done anything wrong at all? You don’t accept that, that was offensive?”
MB: “We find this thoroughly regretful, because we clearly state that we prefer to let double-bedded accommodations to married couples.”
(She then explains, in answer to Kelly’s question, that this is clearly stated on the website.)
LK: “When two people come check in, how do you know that they are married or not?”
HB: “That’s a fair question. We have a script, and we try very hard not to offend. Remember, we have been there for 28 years, and this is the first time we have had any problems. We have a script whereby where we say very gently and politely, if one person shows up at the door—say it’s a male—we say, “Is this for you and your wife?” And oddly enough, they will say, “No, well, not actually my wife. We’re partners, or it’s my girlfriend or whatever”.”
How telling! They never had a problem when refusing an unmarried heterosexual couple over the course of 28 years, but when it comes to two gay men, the Bulls are brought to court.(RB emphasis)
Kelly then pointed to the low percentage of couples in the U.K. who are marrying, to which Hazelmary responded, “Well, I don’t know the numbers, and I’m not entirely interested in the numbers because of course we’re running this—”
LK: “Well, you should, as a businessperson…“
HB: “Well, we’re running this under our own roof, and God demands that our faith doesn’t end—”
LK: [interrupting with some hostility] “Your God demands. Your God.”
HB: [without batting an eyelash] “God demands that our faith doesn’t end at the kitchen door. He means for your faith to run in every corner of your life. You can’t just section Him off like that. So one would think that dealing with Christians, we would be fair and honest and upright and honourable and live according to the Bible, because the Bible is the Christian’s textbook.”
Bravo, Hazelmary Bull!
Now go watch the video, give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends. It’s a testimony like this that should go viral, rather than the words of some preacher who is waffling, unclear and not wanting to sound closed-minded or offensive.
Let’s speak the truth in love without making excuses, just as our courageous sister did. God Himself will back us, and the haters and mockers will not be able to shout us down.
Jones’ controversial question
As ‘good cop, bad cop’, Kelly and Jones played atheist Scot and anodyne believer who bowls a doctrinal googly,
“As a Christian, the God you worship is a loving God, is a tolerant God. And if people are in a civil partnership, they are obviously in love, so what is wrong with them sharing a bed?”
Bull: “I think it’s a myth to believe that entirely. He is a loving God, that’s true. He’s a forgiving God, but there is…”
Jones: “And a tolerant one?”
Bull: “He is a longsuffering God; He’s not entirely tolerant because the Bible is full of cases when He does finally bring judgment about. We felt that we wanted to, as far as possible, live according to His instructions, and the Bible is very clear about marriage.”
Many viewers, and readers, could take Jones’ point as reflecting his own conviction. However, is it not just as possible for him to have played ‘devil’s advocate’ in asking from a political stance, thereby to elicit and show the Bull’s strength of conviction?
Also, he may have had in mind a verse form Apostle Paul’s grand theological letter to believers in Rome, wherein he chides them over judging one another:
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance? (Romans 2:4)
That’s from my New International Version Insight Bible, but Mrs Bull adroitly responds from the very same verse as given in my New King James study Bible:
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Fascinating. The ‘protagonists’ use the same concept from slightly different translations. The original Greek is ‘anoches’, which means ‘tolerance’ but is rendered ‘forebearance’ in the Interlinear Greek Bible. Mrs Bull correctly clarifies it as being a conditional term, not a never-ending presumption upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Hence, the vital importance of their being in right standing with God’s decrees as revealed in His Word.
But not so for Aled Jones. Out of the confession from his own mouth, he has declared ‘As a Christian’ that there’s nothing wrong in homosexuality. Even if any of the reasons we considered above are relevant, nevertheless the declaration from his heart is what counts in heaven. It’s a far from sensible stance! It’s apostasy – the falling away from the tenets of Christian faith.
As Dr Brown queries, what has happened to Aled Jones?
Dubious doctrine
The controversial point of Jones’ question, of course, is not only his presuming God will turn a blind eye to sin (of any sort!) – but also the inference that gay relationships are approved by God. So, anyone unfamiliar with the issues could infer from his claim of being a Christian that such practice is sanctioned by believers, if not by the wider church.
Nothing could be more mistaken. Aled Jones is unwise to entertain dubious doctrine.
The correct Christian position on this subject was defined in the first formal gathering of strategic church leaders within twenty years of Jesus’ ascension. This apostolic event is known as the Jerusalem Council. We can be sure, therefore, of their thorough familiarity with Jesus’ teachings and instructions and, assisted by The Holy Spirit, would therefore make the correct decisions on any doctrinal issues.
The Council was called to discuss the admission of non-Jewish believers as followers of ‘The Way ‘ of Yeshua Ha Meshiach, Jesus Christ. According to the account in The Acts of The Apostles, the Jerusalem Decree sent to those Gentiles of Antioch, Syria, closed with the following basic stipulations upon admission to fellowship in Jesus.:
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. (Acts 15:28-9 NKJV per BibleGateway.com; emphasis added)
That requirement to abstain from improper, non-marital relationships has never been rescinded. Only folly pretends redefining ‘marriage’ will alter the divine intention behind that declaration against immorality and fornication (porneias; Greek ‘of prostitution’).
It is logical, therefore, to state any consideration or claim to there being nothing wrong with allowing ‘porneia’ within the precincts of a Christian house is utterly absurd.
On the same day John McTernan blogged about this interview the news broke of Aled Jones and Lorraine Kelly being axed as presenters on Daybreak. Also, comments made online around that time haven’t been complimentary about them. Even back in August his position was in question.
It’s intriguing that a definite decision came fast on the heels of Aled’s declaration! Is it part of the promised ‘shaking’? I wonder…
I’d like to draw your attention to Joel’s analysis of the meaning of this historic visit. Read also what former British Ambassador Charles Crawford writes about ‘the mother of all messes’ President Obama has caused over Syria. You may wish to check my previous posts about the Ezekiel 38 Alliance and remarks covering Joel’s recent post on Yom Kippur.
(Dallas, Texas) — “Vladimir Putin has accepted an Iranian invitation to visit the country and meet with newly elected President Hasan Rouhani, a spokesman for the Russian president confirmed,” reports the Times of Israel.
“Putin has been invited to Iran, and he will certainly take advantage of this kind invitation,” the Interfax news agency quoted spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Friday. “The dates of the visit will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.”
“The announcement came on the heels of a report that Russia had agreed to sell to Iran the advanced S-300 air defense system and construct a new nuclear reactor at the Bushehr site,” the Times noted. “Putin met with Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Friday. During the meeting, Rouhani extended an invitation to Putin, who accepted, the Iranian semi-official Fars news agency reported. In July, there were reports
AN IMPORTANT, BRIEF RESUME OF HISTORICAL FACTS, which followed the 1967 onslaught from Israel’s neighbours. In the current crisis we see Syria, Russia, Iran and Egypt still featuring 40 years later in the Middle-East as America, Nato and Britain are sidelined. But it’s not so much that none of the latter feature in scripture and where God’s attention is focussed upon, as their leaders chose to ignore, even mock, His will over marriage. Therefore, it’s no wonder that Putin, Prince of Gog, mocked and has brow-beaten a Western president and a prime minister to take the lead over this matter and across the Middle-East!!
(Dallas, Texas) — Today is Yom Kippur, or the “Day of Atonement.” It is a Biblical holiday, the day when God called the children of Israel to repent of their national and individual sins and sacrifice animals to receive atonement, or forgiveness, of their sins. It is the highest holiday in Judaism.
Yom Kippur also marks the day when the modern state of Israel was nearly “wiped off the map” by her enemies. Forty years ago today, the Russian-trained and equipped air forces and armies of Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on the Jewish State, a move that nearly succeeded in destroying Israel.
Today, therefore, many Israelis are fasting and praying and reflecting on their lives and going to synagogue — some because of tradition, and some to follow Old Testament customs (albeit complicated by the lack of a Temple in Jerusalem).
Truly, I much prefer covering prophetical rather than political/military matters. But some things based upon the Word of God need saying when the occasion arises. So I’ll be brief:
This time last week I read reports of mobilisation around the eastern Med and the Gulf in preparing for a US missile strike upon Syria by the weekend. In view of the ‘ready-to-go’ status, I wasn’t surprised my son’s flight in that region set for Friday was brought forward to early Thursday. PM Cameron had urgently recalled Parliament from its Summer recess and later that day sought all MP’s backing for military support of the US and associates’ attack. The PM has been concerned over the very dreadful plight of civilians in Syria and long canvassed Obama for action of one sort or another.
(The US has trained Syrian rebels in Jordan, who’ve already been in action. Assad had warned this would trigger retribution, including use of chemical weapons – see DebkaFile’s analysis with their original report of mid-August).
Thursday evening’s news referred to PM Cameron stressing that military action is a “Judgement call” – see Channel4 News and Friday’s The Independent. As we know, the PM lost the House’s vote. Much has been written about this and so I’ll be succinct. It’s noteworthy that after having heard Cameron tell him UK is unable to help the US, Obama suddenly changed his mind about the strike – not even telling his military chiefs or allies! (DebkaFile refers.)
What struck me is, not so much the complete about-turn by both leaders, as a likely connection with both having forsaken the ways of the Lord and failing to stand on his Word – God is not mocked!
Let’s recall from a previous post on the US Administration’s problems how the Amplified Bible spells out chapter 6 of Paul’s letter to the Galatians:
Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.8 For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. [BibleGateway]
We cannot pretend to know how the Lord is working in all this, but it’s instructive to note the PM’s “judgement call” may have a deeper connotation than is ordinarily assumed!
Cameron railroaded through Parliament a completely unnecessary Statute to redefine marriage. His American mentor has led nationally and internationally in this and now faces troubles across several fronts, including the Muslim Brotherhood (see this by Joel Rosenberg).
Thus, they’re reaping as they’ve sown within their very own political system. AND it has come through attempting to deal with an evil regime in cahoots with another – but how can our leaders expect to be righteous in this issue when they’re not in others?
So, this round has been won by the ‘Ezekiel 38 Alliance’, or ‘axis’ as David Blair terms it in his commentary West’s failure to act. Analysing America’s three main interests in the Syrian issues, Caroline Glick hits the nail on the head in Obama’s bread and circuses. International Business Editor for the Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, also makes several good points in A Fairly Honourable Defeat. This comes with insights from his father’s involvement in Syria in 1942.
Yesterday’s development is the proposed transfer of Assad’s chemical weapons into deep shelters in Iran, thereby averting any US attack (report here) and possibly using the move as a bargaining chip. [Debka reported ahead of the invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein’s WMD stock was moved into Syria. Many years later I noted the ‘Vicar of Baghdad’, Canon Andrew White, corroborate this claim on TV.] A fortnight ago Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned,
“Syria has become Iran’s testing ground….Iran is watching and it wants to see what would be the reaction on the use of chemical weapons.”
Today brings news of joint US-Israel tests at sea of interceptive missile systems for protection of Israel and Jordan in the event of the conflict expanding into the region.
So tensions continue to simmer near boiling point….
After updating this blog’s Prophecies & Visions hub with a page summarising recent words about A New Era in the Church, I dipped into a paper I’d bought earlier for Nina to enjoy the crossword. Lo and behold, buried inside I find apposite headlines covering comments made by:
The first reports Benedict’s interesting “direct rapport with the Lord”, of which the online version is more informative than the broadsheet. Fascinating how this claim accords with prophecies for a ‘new season’. The second is yet another indicator of the distinct trend that validates a prophetic word reported 20 years ago by Colin Winfield, The Separation of the Harlot and the Bride.
That word is remarkable in accurately foretelling today’s mix of apostasy and true faith, the insidious introduction of worldly norms against the worship and teaching of a holy God. Since finding that prophecy last year, I noted its ‘rationale’ supports the notion of traditional churches falling away and how new churches of those on fire for God and maturing into anointed Children of God, are coming to the fore.
On the last point, I will somehow try to convey a sense of what we learned from Ian Clayton when he visited Guildford area this week, as at close of this post.
A brief post in the light of our recent considerations:
Thank you to John McTernan for this link reporting upon Israel’s Vice Prime Minister Mofaz meeting with young Arabic-speaking Christians in the Nazareth area. For the details see Israel Today article here, part of which reads,
“Civil courage is a very important thing,” Mofaz told Israel’s Channel 2 News. For decades Israel’s Christian community were too cowed by their Muslim neighbors to openly stand with Israel. “The Christian population is very special,” and it is great to see them opening up like this, Mofaz continued.
Just finished catching up on emails when checked latest news before finishing for the day. So readers currently on-line may like to know about this..:
The above headline to DEBKAfile Special Report at 17:27 gmt continues as follows:
President Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders held. Tanks in Cairo
Tanks were moving on the October 6 Nile Bridge in the heart of Cairo Wednesday, July 3, shortly after President Mohamed Morsi was removed from his palace and taken to a military base. Muslim Brotherhood leaders are also believed under arrest. Security travel bans have been issued against Brotherhood leaders. Sources in Cairo report that they will be tried for “crimes” committed during their year in office. A formal announcement is awaited by the military council after President Morsi and his government refused to stand down in response to the defense minister’s ultimatum Wednesday, July 3. Continue reading here (NB: post updated)
Biggest crisis? I think not! Nor that ‘Christianity is facing a catastrophic collapse in Britain’, as one religious affairs editor sensationally posits. I agree in the main with Gillan, especially that the church has failed in its duties, and that our encountering Jesus is key. This must be personally experienced and practised outside church walls. Yet how many have that personal, continual relationship? How many encounter God in church today? How many ministers allow His weighty glory to come into ‘their’ meeting? That is, does God attend church?
Thankfully, our Lord’s rectifying the lack of anointed leaders who regularly meet and hear Him, and who can thus teach and disciple ‘hard-core believers’ in doing so too. (Last week I met one such 30 years-old who’d visited the underground Chinese church. They have to worship in silence yet their deafening praise arose before God’s throne!) So it’s not only an intellectual issue as Gillan explains, but also and more essentially one of moving into revelatory and prophetical insight as well as accessing heaven direct.
Imho, the remedy is for church to be remodelled upon the pristine New Testament Church where the presence of Jesus was the sole authority, and Holy Spirit the sole power base for all ministerial and missionary activity. Then, the designation ‘Christian’ would revert to its original meaning of ‘Little Christ’, or ‘Anointed one’: those functioning with the very same power and authority as did their Lord and Saviour. Then, will real revival to which Gillan refers – and others foretell – begin. And it will. Father is already making the Bride a suitable spouse for His Son…
IS SOMETHING IN THE AIR? Is a subtle sense of expectation and of hope stirring in many people? Is it perhaps a new spirit of the age, or maybe a move of God in our midst? How many perceive the downfall and collapse of western society from self-inflicted moral degradation?
Those with insight know the urgent need to change our ways before it’s too late. They’re giving voice to the yearning in millions to stop the rot before it’s too late, to return to God-given values of life instead of the living-death of atheism, humanism and narcissistic hedonism: that is, the deification of man.
For example, yesterday I heard about a friend’s long-time friend who’s now expressed an interest in turning to Christ if the Church gets rid of its unnecessary riches and uses the proceeds to help the poor and needy. This person had never shown the remotest concern about the Good News of Jesus, until now!
My previous post was of Gillan Scott’s article about the new Archbishop and Pope. In its covering note I remarked that his header’s opinion, ‘God’s outsiders pointing to a new era in the church’, could be connected to recent prophetic words on God bringing about very specific changes. (The words are not associated with the Malachy ‘Prophecies of the Popes’, about which I’d blogged here and want to cover next.)
So, out of interest I dug around to check those words and was surprised how many there are – and these are only those of which I’m aware personally. However, for the benefit of those readers unfamiliar with prophecy, let’s consider first:
A Question on Prophecy
Of course, when people talk along the same lines it begs the cynic’s question, ‘Who copied from whom?”. Someone, no matter who they are in the Lord, could have heard on the grapevine of ideas expressed by anyone of prophetical gifting and then simply repeated them. Why not? It would serve to elevate or to maintain their status. Such an attitude is not unnatural, no matter whether one is a believer or not.
I believe the answer to this legitimate objection lies in the fundamental requirement of integrity of character for those operating in the Holy Spirit’s gift of prophecy, especially in His anointing of the office prophet (eg. Rev Bobby Conner, Rev Dr Sharon Stone).
But the ordinary unbeliever – and believer – is disadvantaged by not being ‘born again’ and walking in the Spirit. This enables such a one to sense, weigh and test within their own spirit whether or not something is of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28). Eg. when Sharon speaks and teaches she knows over a hundred listeners are checking what she says. Furthermore, an anointed prophet is only too well aware of the scriptural admonitions and dangers of delivering false words (eg. per ‘false prophet’ search in BibleGateway).
As stated in Introduction to Prophecy there are operational parameters and protocol to follow, yet these allow for interesting – and enjoyable – times when practised as a team. David Stark of the Glasgow Prophetic Centre recently emailed me as follows.:
“Thanks Richard, that’s really encouraging to us! I’ve just come upstairs from another of our 3 1/2 hour Lion Bites team meetings and so it’s lovely to read this [my email about the accuracy of several daily words, as in Lion Bites tag.]
“We had a great time this morning! We always write these as a team (the team usually consists 5-10 of our full-time or part-time prophetic staff), taking an hour or so to worship first, then pray and then we all sit down to listen to the Holy Spirit. When we’ve got our ‘downloads’ we write them down and share them with each other, to sharpen each other. In the days following a meeting there is more prayer and revelation for when to release them and an editorial team look over them again before release. Of course there is always space for a more ‘spontaneous’ word to be released but on the whole, we like to do it as a team because we’re a team ministry – a prophetic company. And it’s fun!!
“…the nice thing about working in teams you usually get a good balance of the different revelatory giftings and anointings. The church is in the Day of the Saints where it is less and less about the ‘big name’ man or woman of God (though they are great too!) and more about the outpouring on all flesh. So that’s why ‘team’ is so important to us and we continue to learn and grow all the time….
“Thanks for sharing and for the time you invest in your important blog.”
Later, David explained they no longer regard prophecy as being ‘an event’ akin to the Old Testament injunction of “prepare for the word of the Lord”, but as an outworking of a lifestyle of Holy Spirit habitation. They teach this is a difference between ‘perceiving’ in the Spirit and ‘receiving’ from Him. (It reminds me of Dr Stone’s teaching about seeing things from God’s perspective, as in 2013 – What God is Saying.)
Click here to read the many prophetic words promising an approaching ‘new era’ for not only the Church but also for the world.
My remarks covering the re-blog on PM Netanyahu citing the Bible in Davos referred to Daniel Pipe’s article in Washington Times which describes the Middle East as ‘The sick man of the world’.
To my mind, the above closing paragraph clearly indicates that Erdogan is not alone. Western financiers, politicians and diplomats are also clueless and incompetent. This is clearly demonstrated not only above but also by European and White House policies in believing Islamic cultures can build satisfactory and sustainable democracies. But they discriminate against anyone of different beliefs and background. For example, Obama’s policy speeches in Ankara and Cairo opened up the way for the Arab Spring and advancement of Muslim nations – but the beast of Islamist fanaticism went into self-destruct; not to mention its criminally pathological hatred of fellow humanity!
Thursday evening’s news referred to PM Cameron stressing that military action is a “Judgement call” – see 
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