On January the 19th I commented on the ongoing mess in the Uk Parliament – https://theweeflea.com/2019/01/17/why-is-there-chaos-in-parliament/\
Over the past couple of days the predictions made in that article have largely been proved correct. Personally I take no pleasure in that at all – in fact I am in despair for my country – because I believe we are possibly witnessing the death of democracy in this country. This is not just BINO (Brexit In Name Only) but DINO (Democracy In Name Only). I take a great interest in politics and an admiration for politicians. I don’t like to join in the general mockery and anger against our politicians, as I believe they are to be respected and honoured. But that is becoming increasingly difficult. In the past couple of days I have found myself having to switch off in despair. Let’s look at our ‘leaders’.
Theresa May – I find myself feeling sorry for her. She has been dealt a rotten hand. Her
job seems to be the proverbial ‘herding cats’. However much of this has been brought on by her own hubris. Her greatest mistake was calling a general election which was then based on her leadership/character etc. Her intransigence can be seen as stubbornness or persistence – but her unrealistic views of both the EU and her own abilities have helped create this nightmare.
Jeremy Corbyn – When Corbyn was elected as the Labour leader he was seen as the rank outsider, a bit quirky but at least principled. Indeed it was his principles which caused some to panic, with him being portrayed as a hardline Marxist, anti-Israel, pro-IRA. I didn’t agree with him on many issues but I thought it would be good to have a more principled politician as a leader, unlike the cynical opportunism of Blair, Cameron and their like. Corbyn has always voted against the EU (as was typical of the Left until Blair got control and the EU bribed the Union leaders).
But now Corbyn has completely sold out. The Labour parties position is very close to May’s deal (so much so that the only reason they do not vote for it, is because of politics and seeking to let the Tories destroy themselves) – but the official position espoused by Labour (insofar is that there is any coherence to it at all) is that the UK should remain in a permanent Customs Union and the Single Market. In effect this means belonging to the EU, taking its rules, being subject to its laws, and having no say in them. Corbyn has not only sold out his own principles, he is prepared to sell out his country – for power.
Ian Blackford, Mike Russell and Nicola Sturgeon – The SNP have promised so much and done so much good. But now, again largely because of hubris and incompetence (as well as the increasingly authoritarian party control which treats all SNP politicians like sheep) the SNP has let Scotland down. Mike Russell tweeted yesterday in effect calling Scotland’s Tory MPs traitors. Sturgeon threatened a referendum she cannot deliver. And Blackford’s boorish behaviour has reached such a level of embarrassment that some SNP supporters I know just switch off when he appears in parliament.
These three always tell us that they are ‘speaking for Scotland’. As far as they are concerned when they speak its the same as Scotland speaking. But not all of us in Scotland are SNP sheep. One million of us voted for Brexit. Two million voted to stay in the UK. But nonetheless the SNP have determined that those who did so are not ‘Scotland’.
What is even more depressing for someone like me who would like to see an independent Scotland, is the way that the SNP have in effect given up on independence. Taking ‘no deal off the table’ and insisting on a second referendum for leaving the EU means that the same tactics will be used for any future Independence vote – which will kill it.
Vince Cable – and the Lib Dems. They have almost become irrelevant. We rarely hear from them but we don’t need to because as much as the SNP, they are the party of the EU. Anything the EU does is good. Anyone who wants to leave the EU is bad.
Caroline Lucas – The Greens – I just don’t understand the Greens enthusiasm for the EU. They are worried that 10,000 lorries per day won’t be crossing the channel – is that not what they wanted? The bottom line is that the Greens are primarily middle class progressives who are not radical at all. They are on the side of Big Business, the Eurocrats and the Big State.
Alaister Campbell and Tony Blair – It is astonishing that Campbell and Blair have returned to talk up the second referendum campaign. Blair has even been advising President Macron, telling him to hold firm because Britain will fold and remain in the EU. When a former Prime Minister is colluding with a foreign power seeking to overturn a democratic vote in his own country – that comes as close to treachery as anything I have seen.
Jacob Rees-Moog and Steve Baker– I have a lot of time for Rees-Moog and Baker- both profess to be Christians (as do Blair and May). Rees-Moog always comes across as calm, intelligent and worth listening to. Recently he was being interviewed about Brexit and casually referred to the fact that he was reading the book of Job. But on this one I think that he and the European Research Group have been outmanoeuvred and again fooled by 
their own hubris. They have been relying on the fact that Britain is legally bound to leave the EU on the 29th of March and their tactic just seems to be to hold on until then. But they should have known that parliament can change the law – and the EU has never been too concerned about changing or ignoring its own laws when they wish. Now they find themselves in the position where they will either have to support May’s deal or end up with no Brexit. Both are not good results – but if for the sake of their ideological purity, they don’t support May’s deal, it will ironically be the ERG who keep the UK in the EU. My fear is that some, thinking more of their own position in the Tory party (whose members are overwhelmingly leave) more than the good of the country, will vote for something they can’t get and enable something they say they don’t want. I have just heard Owen Paterson say that he could never vote for the deal because it would put us in some kind of sub-colonial status from which we could never leave. And yet he does not ask what the alternative is – if parliament does not do a no deal Brexit. We will end up with continuing in a permanent sub-colonial status in the EU in some form or other.
The DUP – They are in the same position. You can admire them as models of principle and discipline, or mock them as intransigent bigots, but they too have to face the uncomfortable fact that they cannot have their cake and eat it. They are faced with the choice of the UK staying in the EU and therefore Northern Ireland being as subject to Brussels as the rest of us, or the UK and Northern Ireland leaving the EU under May’s deal – thus putting Northern Ireland as the EU’s major bargaining chip in any negotiation.
Juncker, Barnier and Tusk – Of course the Irish government, the German parliament and the EU Commission are celebrating last nights vote. It demonstrates to all those in
the EU who are unhappy with it, just how difficult it is to leave. The Technocrats have won. Because of course they don’t have to worry directly about answering to an electorate. But they are worried about the coming EU parliament elections. It is fascinating that Juncker has just declared that he is concerned about “British chaos infecting the continent”. To authoritarian elitists like Juncker democracy =chaos. Far better that we just live him and his political class to rule over us all for the common good!
John Bercow – One of the major factors of this Parliamentary mess is the smug, pompous, bullying speaker – Mr Bercow, who was quite happy to have a “Bollocks to Brexit” sticker on his car. He has done his utmost to undermine Brexit and to facilitate it being stopped and in so doing has compromised the neutrality of the role of Speaker of the House of Commons. The latest example is today when Bercow did not permit an amendment on preventing a second referendum – despite it being signed by 127 MPs from three different parties. He is using his position to further his own politics. And he is only able to stay in that position, because despite his bullying (especially to women) he is considered to be too valuable to ‘the cause’.
Anna Soubry – Heidi Allan – are examples of the kind of MPs who use the idea of parliamentary sovereignty and democracy, only to undermine it. They want us to have another vote. At best this is patronising (the poor dumb people didn’t know 
enough but now we have educated them, they will vote the right way), at worst it is dishonest cheating. Why? Because they want the question to be between May’s deal and Remain. We already had a vote about Remaining and we decided to leave. If anything there should be a vote between Mrs May’s deal and no deal. But of course, they are not interested in democracy – they are only using the idea of a second referendum to try and stop Brexit. It’s a cynical misuse of democracy which will only backfire
DINO
This is where we have ended up – with DINO. Democracy in Name Only. Our major political parties exist to serve themselves, not the people who elect them. One couldn’t organise a drink in a brewery, the other hopes the brewery goes bust!
All you need to know about parliament this week is that after last nights votes we are left with only two realistic possibilities. May’s bad deal or remaining in the EU. A ‘no deal’ is not going to happen and a re-negotiated deal is unlikely to happen (even if it did the vote of parliament in leaving out the threat or possibility of no deal has left itself with nothing to negotiate with – and will just have to accept whatever our masters in the EU tell us to accept).
The bottom line in this is that some 500 MPs out of 650 are Remainers whereas 2/3 of their constituencies voted Leave. They gave us a vote not expecting that we would vote ‘the wrong way’. Since then, egged on by almost the whole of the political, media, educational and arts establishments, they have been desperately hunting for a way to reverse our vote. To take on that establishment (and the EU – which in turn funds establishments of the countries it seeks to rule) would have required leaders with courage, intelligence and nerves of steel. Instead we have the spineless, confused and at best naive self-serving politicians who have made such a mess and will lead us back into the not so benign arms of the EU technocracy. We can be sure – that once they regain control of the parliament (and hand that sovereignty) back to the EU, they will never make the mistake of giving us a vote again. Although 80% of MPs were elected on manifesto promises to take us out of the Customs Union and the Single Market, parliament is unlikely to do that – and they never really intended to.
And so in 21st Century Britain, the ‘haves’ will continue to have, and the have nots will continue to have not. They must be satisfied with the crumbs from their masters table – all served up with dollops of assurances of how much the middle class progressives ‘care’ for the poor and ‘respect’ them (in the same way that they ‘respected’ the vote of those they regarded as at best easily fooled dumbos and at worst racist ignoramuses).
“We were bought and sold for EU gold
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation (with apologies to Rabbi Burns!)
Finally let me say something from a Christian perspective – which is the only thing that stops me despairing. The bible tells us not to trust in rulers. I don’t. Events this week have again proved the truth of that. I was reading Chrysostom this morning on the importance of leaders having good characters. He argues that if they don’t know how to govern their own souls, how can they govern cities and nations? It’s the character of our leaders that is the major problem. A system is only as good as those who run it. Where are the men and women of integrity, courage, intelligence and humility who will lead our nations?
1Tim. 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Thanks David. Very perceptive. By the way I think you probably mean Graham Brady the politician and not Steven Brady the preacher!
Thank you, David. I mostly agree, but think you’ve been a bit harsh on the ERG. There are a number of other good eggs and Christians in this group, besides JR-M and Steve Baker (I think you mean Baker?) Despite our shameless media portraying the group as ‘rebels’, and ‘extreme Brexiteers’, they are the only ones who are trying to implement the referendum result. I don’t see how they could vote for the appalling WA, which actually cedes rather than regains sovereignty, amongst other horrors. Better an honourable defeat, than a shameful capitulation? However, there are a number of prophecies, dreams and visions, eg richards-watch.org which speak of the UK being taken out of the EU by God’s divine action, and of an accompanying revival. Amen to both!
Why did May appoint as many untrustworthy MPs as ministers, and why even now hasn’t she demanded their resignations after they abstained last night?
2 As the judge of the people is himself, so are his officers; and what manner of man the ruler of the city is, such are all they that dwell therein.
3 An unwise king destroyeth his people; but through the prudence of them which are in authority the city shall be inhabited.
4 The power of the earth is in the hand of the Lord, and in due time he will set over it one that is profitable.
Ecclesiasticus 10:2-4
Edouard,
since Ecclesiasticus is not part of the Bible, we oughtn’t give this text greater authority than any other piece of apocryphal, pious wisdom.
Yours,
John/.
2 As the judge of the people is himself, so are his officers; and what manner of man the ruler of the city is, such are all they that dwell therein.
3 An unwise king destroyeth his people; but through the prudence of them which are in authority the city shall be inhabited.
4 The power of the earth is in the hand of the Lord, and in due time he will set over it one that is profitable.
Ecclesiasticus 10:2-4
Spot on with your article. If it wasn’t for the ERG and DUP the 500 or so MP’s would have had their way on a ‘no Brexit’ some time ago. They are acting as God and think they have cast him aside. May God have mercy on our Nation. God is in charge, he is Sovereign, and we trust in Him alone.
I agree with you on much David, but not on the ‘having to vote for May’s deal’.
May’s deal is appalling and does effectively keep us in the EU but with less influence and an internationally binding agreement that is more difficult to leave than the EU itself.
I would rather that principled politicians take the principled stance of rejecting May’s deal.
If Parliament really want to revoke Article 50 and keep us in the EU then at least that will be in plain sight and their anti-democratic actions will be clear. From that, unfortunate and unnecessary, position those who want to leave the EU can campaign on a clear premise – that Parliament turned its back on the biggest democratic vote ever held in the UK.
If May’s deal goes through, we will have left in name only, but the politicians will claim that the will of the people was carried out and we did indeed (technically) leave the EU.
Politics is the art of the possible. If we don’t get out of the EU this time we will never get another chance. I’m interested in getting out of the EU – not in whether some politicians take a principled stand.
Thank you. If only we could send the army in and not pay our MP’s for a couple of weeks! Cromwell was the first film we went to see at the pictures on a Sunday. I can remember mum and dad hoping we didn’t bump into anyone we knew!
I don’t know if there’s much more that can be said than has been said about the shamelessness of our so-called representatives in Parliament, the vast majority of whom have done and are doing everything in their power to thwart the express wishes of those they claim to represent. And some of them are actively collaborating with those in the EU corridors of power with a view to the worst possible outcome, politically and economically, for their own country. EU allegiance seems to trump any sense of national loyalty. And, very dangerously, people like Hammond, one of the chief villains in my opinion, are intent on talking down the economic prospects for the country if it helps their EU friends to apply even more leverage. Infuriatingly for Hammond the UK economy stubbornly refuses to lie down. I don’t agree with you David that this “deal” (which is really a capitulation and not a deal) should be swallowed, faute de mieux. It leave us in a worse position than being in the EU, and that’s saying something, in a non-voting limbo, a passive market to be presented on a plate to third party states, with no input from us. We would have to follow all the EU regulations, with no end date in sight. Mrs. May is behaving towards the British people like a sadistic prison warder, who takes all the edible dishes away one by one and leaves the prisoner with bacon fat soaked in dishwater, and the threat that if he doesn’t eat it he’ll get nothing at all. We may not be the nation we once were, but surely we haven’t yet descended into such a pit of self-loathing. If Brexit goes down, I think its supporters should go down fighting, and uncontaminated. But I now feel increasingly like a stateless person. I don’t recognise my own country any more.
David, you bemoan the fact that the SNP have given up on independence. In 2014, there was a referendum and Scotland voted to remain part of the UK. At the time, the Nats said they would respect the result, If they did that, independence would be off the table for at least a generation. To seek to have a second independence referendum just now or soon is to display the same attitude to a democratic vote as the Remainers are displaying towards the referendum on EU membership.
Your last paragraph David is a balm that nothing else can match. Thank you for reminding us of this as we are in such a chaotic state.
I have been for No Deal all along – that’s what I and millions voted for. If we had just followed the will of the electorate we would not be in this invidious position now.
I have since felt and stated on this and other forums that the only way we are now likely to have a Brexit is for the EU in its present form to collapse. They are like the proverbial little boy with his finger in the dyke but the case for collapse is building up as the clock ticks by, either to March 29th or to the outcome of the EU elections in May. With uncertain elections in Israel in April and the 70th Anniversary of the forming of Israel in one day, these are perhaps the most prophetical and exciting/daunting days of history so far.
Watchmen, keep to your posts. Do not be lured down from the walls by the lies or the flattery of the Sanballats and Tobias. God will surely bare his holy arm in the sight of the nations. A ten nation EU is what is prophesied. It will surely come as night follows day. Whether we are a part of it or not – but perhaps, in God’s mercy he may take us out as the Evil Union falls apart and the prophesied revived Roman Empire rises from the dust – with a leader who opposes all that we hold dear and is destined to reign – but only as long as God allows.
The time is short – Jesus is coming soon, let’s find ways to make it known, “saving some with compassion, and others snatch out of the fire, hating even the clothes stained by the flesh” Jude 1:23.
Well said. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Okay, Jude,
Let’s have the exegesis or at least the text. You say:-
And I’m thinking that the right response is ‘Stuff and nonsense’ but it may be that you can give some rational explanation. Show us the Scriptural basis.
If I sound harsh it’s because I fear that you are in danger of preaching a different gospel which is no gospel at all.
Yours (I trust),
John/.
John
Leaving the development, not to say the distraction, of BREXIT aside, there is no question that developments in connection with the nation state of Israel corroborate with certain prophetic oracles in the Bible concerning the nation state of Israel just before the return of Jesus Christ.
Granted, the corroboration may be sheer coincidence. But to believers believing the corroboration is on account of the God of Israel preparing for His self-manifestation to the world, BREXIT is an insignificant little ripple in a tea cup.
Believers actually are not holding their breath over BREXIT. Rather they are holding it over ongoing developments in connection with the bigger picture at the centre of which there is Israel and that are occurring, so they believe, for the sake of demonstrating to the whole world that the God of Israel is God alone.
That, insofar as the Bible record is truly believed, actually is the overriding, single, purpose of all past present and future history, hence, for instance:
Isa. 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isa. 43:8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Isa. 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
Isa. 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isa. 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Isa. 43:12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
All this to say, just plain simple childlike faith is enough for seeing that if there is anything under the sun to be writing home about nowadays, it comes out of Israel and not out of the British Parliament.
If, however, you still are of the opinion that “exegesis” is required; may I suggest that at this stage in the development of Israel, you help us that believe in good faith by providing the “exegesis”; for I assure you John, believers are all ears and ready to listen to you, particularly in the present fog of things and the insane cackling surrounding BREXIT.
Thank you in advance for any and every enlightening “exegesis” that you venture to provide us with.
Yours sincerely,
Edouard.
Strange intervention, Edouard.
My complaint is that Jude seems to be reading Brexit into Biblical prophecy and you present me a Christ-centred portion of Isaiah 43; claiming it’s Israel-centred; and asking me — rather mockingly, it seems — for exegesis (of what you don’t say.)
My understanding of your ‘Well said’ praise of Jude was that he was doing well by drawing attention to Europe but aparently not. As I say, strange intervention.
Yours,
John/.
No John, “Well said” followed immediately by: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 Jn 3:3) quite obviously is not for what is going on in the EU or even in the Parliament of England; but is in view of that most sensibly of all pleas; “The time is short – Jesus is coming soon, let’s find ways to make it known”.
In other words (to avoid further misunderstandings); rather than endlessly lamenting and bemoaning yourselves over the EU; BREXIT; the death of democracy; its OK2BME for ME2BOK and so on and on, try – within the time remaining – to take stock of the bigger picture being developed in readiness of the manifestation of the God of Israel instead.
As for Isaiah 43:7 – 12, you are absolutely right that it is Christ-centred. There, however, is no accolade for pointing out the very obvious, nor is there likely to be any accolade for dissociating Christ from the land of Israel unless, of course, you can show Jesus Christ is scheduled to come back not to Jerusalem but to London – or is it to Dundee?
Finally, because church history is littered with “exegesis” that is utterly confusing and because you are living with the altruistic fear of others endangering themselves by “preaching a different gospel which is no gospel at all”; I was really hoping you would venture to shield us from all further confusion, and danger therefrom, by preaching the pure Gospel to us.
So yes, I am lightly rebuking you John because you make it sound like Christ is not scheduled to come back (soon? or possibly; very soon?) to Israel and that the land of Israel does not actually belong to God.
To put it bluntly; just tell us what you know and how you know it: if you know it because God has spoken in the Bible but not to you, then it is quite likely that your “exegesis” won’t be worth more than another disbeliever’s exegesis. If, however, God has spoken to you; then please say on; for in that case we are all ears.
Yours sincerely,
Edouard.
And still the mocking tone about exegesis, Edouard.
How does knowing something because it is in the Bible make me a disbeliever? And who are these people who are all ears, providing I come with new revelations?
John,
I trust that we are agreed the essential is to be watching for Christ and if someone reminds us of that while we are discussing illusions – for even with a no deal BREXIT, the world as we know it today would not be fixed – we should be content. Why? Because no prophet in the Bible is plausible, rather they are all implausible.
RE: “How does knowing something because it is in the Bible make me a disbeliever?”
John, by berating Jude with “I fear that you are in danger of preaching a different gospel which is no gospel at all” you are inferring you know best and that there is one best way of doing exegesis: two practical impossibilities! I sincerely hope I am wrong, but it usually is disbelievers that have such prosaic views of God.
RE: “And who are these people who are all ears, providing I come with new revelations?”
John, you’re not being asked to come with new revelations; you’re being asked; what is not a different Gospel? Surely many people need to hear the original Truth – I for one, and possibly Arkenaten & Co. – who can know who is reading this post/blog?
Yours,
Edouard
The Gospel plus anything else, Edouard,
makes for a different gospel. The classic case was of Judaisers who taught the eponymous Galatians in Paul’s letter that they needed circumcision as well as the gospel in order to be saved. It seems to me that many people who ought to know better, sail dangerously close to the wind.
Yours,
John/.
John,
I hardly think Jude is preaching a false Gospel. Rather, he merely is announcing his hope that Jesus Christ returns sooner than later and, more crucially, he is saying; “let’s find ways to make it known” that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent: for why stand in jeopardy every hour?
As far as I can see living in jeopardy rules out eschatology and so does having eternal life rule out eschatology. So, in real terms, eschatology is absolutely nothing, just like x + y = u is absolutely nothing. And everyone who gets the chance to lie on his deathbed realises that – but then, barring a miracle, it is too late.
But John, what I would really like to do now is apologise to you: I ought not to have mocked you – a fellow Christian, who is keen in and for the Word – that was and is really not OK; especially since I read most of your comments with interest and, God permitting, certainly hope to continue having the pleasure to do in whatever future there is for us on this blog.
May your Heavenly Father bless you and bring you joy in this day.
Yours sincerely,
Edouard.
Thanks Edouard for your biblical reply to John.
John, the whole Bible is about God’s purposes for his covenant people, the Jews and the Saviour Jesus Christ who was a Jew, crucified, died and resurrected for all who confess their sin, repent and believe in him.
The ten nation revived Roman Empire is the last empire on earth and represented by the feet of iron and clay of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream interpreted by Daniel in chapter 3 of his book.
https://mailchi.mp/end-times-bible-prophecy/the-end-times-bible-prophecy-newsletter-march-2019?e=013c2adb06
It is the kingdom of the Anti-Christ, who will rule in the 7 year Great Tribulation, which many biblical scholars believe may be within the first 70 years or so of the new nation of Israel, born in a day in 1948.
More of that here:http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1240
There’s plenty more in the book of books. This is all to happen soon. Don’t delay read it today! Believe it today for eternal life.
You say, Jude,
As it happens, these Bible scholars are right to fudge the seventy years because — for a start — It’s already 2019! Are those Bible scholars who thought the amount should have been forty years still telling us that we are living in borrowed time as they were telling us in 1989? Truth is,
Yours,
John/.
I was 75 in October 2018. In 2019 I am still 75 until October. Same for Israel’s 70th.
Anyway, I stated 70 years OR SO and agree completely with Jesus’s words in Matthew 24, 44 but in Matt 16:3 he rebuked the pharisees who did not read the signs of the times for the Messiah “But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times!”
If we read verse 43 there is an important qualification of readiness: “But know this, that if the master of the house had known in WHAT WATCH the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken into.” The night at that time was divided into four watches and this assumes some foreknowledge of the goodman of the house that the thief would come during one of the watches. If we take each watch to be equivalent to a season and apply it to the signs of the end times, one of which is the rebirth of Israel we have a strong clue. “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” We are in the season of the Jews return to the promised land and of the other signs Jesus told the disciples. This is, emphatically, where we are now. A generation in Biblical terms is around 70 years. Check Google for the most recent average world life-span of a man – in 2018 it was exactly 70 years! How significant is that?
If we see ‘the house that was broken into’ as our hearts’ we WILL watch and ‘NOT…suffer our house to be broken into”!
The Bible gives more signs of the Second Coming than the first, but how many even in the church recognise them – they are there in the Bible. To fulfil prophecy the 28 nations of the European Union DO need to shrink to 10 (THE SIGN OF DANIEL) during the present season – I hope you will not be a skeptic then!
My scepticism, Jude,
is entirely invested in your cocksure certainty that Daniel’s ten crowns correspond to a ten nation EU. That’s a huge assumption and I don’t think you can demonstrate how it follows. It seems to me that your theory is just the dusting off of a tired old piece of sloppy sign spotting into which new hope has been breathed by Brexit. I could be wrong but IMHO your certainty that you’re not, requires more substantiation than you have given so far.
Yours,
John/.
Jude,
Not at all; thank you for reminding us of what matters most, and this in spite of our natural opposition to being by convinced by Jesus Christ that the world is not our home (Jn. 14:27 – 30).
Beside reminders, exegesis also can encourage us to watch. And so here is a pedestrian view of the exegesis on what faith is and why the faithful are watching for the return of Jesus Christ.
Every day we make decisions that commit us to the future, never to the past, and so remedying the disorder in the world that we ourselves have created during the last few generations is not a matter of committing to remedy the disorder from the past – it is too late for that. Rather, it is a matter of remedying the root cause of disorder which is Atheism.
The reason I am so positive Atheism is the root cause of the disorder in the world is because Atheism fundamentally alters man. It makes man quite incapable of grasping reality and, consequently, of doing anything to anticipate the return of Jesus Christ.
So in this comment I present, as impartially and objectively as possible, the mind-set of the faithful in contrast with the Atheist mind-set to show how Atheism fundamentally alters man; the future expectation of man, and his universe.
1. PROLOGUE: THE ORIGIN OF MAN
In Christian dogma, man is created in the image of God who some thousands of years ago, on the sixth day of creation, created man as per the book of Genesis, AND in Christian practice man watches for the return of Jesus Christ.
AND in Christian dogma, ever since God created Adam and Eve, there are two types of man: the God-centred and Atheist. The God-centred love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Atheists, however, love the world and the love of the Father is not in them (1 Jn. 2:15 – 17). But, in the last 150 years, Atheists have developed a new paradigm called “Humanism”. In Humanism, man competes in a survival of the fittest contest triggered-off aeons, and aeons, ago by a lifeless force evolving ab-initio of Christian dogma AND in enmity to Christian practice.
In the dogma of Humanism, a singular type of man fights for survival: a type of man who now is called a “Humanist”: The result? Dissimulation; nothing in the world is believable anymore; neither God, nor the devil, nor the country, nor the party, nor one’s ideals, nor one’s love of the world, nor one’s true identity, nor the Gospel or any other kind of news, except if it is untruth or fake.
AND in the practice of Humanism, Humanists fight by basing “their understanding of the world on reason and scientific method (rejecting supernatural or divine beliefs as bad explanations or ill-formed ideas). They base their ethical decisions again on reason, with the input of empathy, and aiming toward the welfare and fulfilment of living things” [1]. In other words, what is conceived today as a plan for tomorrow and a reality in the future is done exclusively by following the dogma AND practice of Humanism.
2. THE CRUX OF THE MATTER
The crux of the matter is distinguishing and observing Christian dogma AND practice.
Originally, Christian dogma AND practice is God-centred. But thanks to Atheism’s new paradigm; Christian dogma is not to convince of God AND Christian practice neither is to watch for the return of Jesus Christ nor to be God-centred.
2.1 GOD-CENTRED
What follows clarifies what I mean by God-centred. If the wrong conception is held – for example, the God-centred believe the Bible is the Word of God because God has spoken in the Bible – there can be no hope for anything other than self-persuasion because such circularity does not convince of God. Rather, it dissimulates the truth that it only becomes plain to persons seeking God that the Bible is true AFTER God reveals HIMSEL to them. Before that when hearing and talking of God, they were Me-centred and not convinced of God but of things which they did not know were true – they felt that if they were, they certainly were not sure of them. This is crucial to what God-centred means and does not mean.
It does not mean Me-centred before, or without, God making a radical transformation, nor does it mean whatever results mystically, or otherwise, from a “new birth” experience which by its very fact does not enable unreserved love of the Father and ipso facto reveal that Truth is ALL of Scripture, Genesis included. To be sure of what a God-centred person is not, helps clarify what a God-centred person is.
A God-centred person is a person converted by God to be God-centred (Jn. 15 – 17) and, by that very fact – ipso facto – pours (Ro. 5:5) into the regenerated person’s heart the Spirit of God who is the Truth (1 Jn. 2:27) of God as Father; God as the Son (Jn. 18:37), and God as the Holy Ghost.
Put negatively: The God-centred love not the world, nor the things that are in the world.
The God-centred are unanimous in saying conviction of sin (Eph. 2:4 – 5) obtains proof of God and, by the same token, that Truth is ALL of Scripture. ‘Therefore let us give thanks we stand in receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, a kingdom in which we must worship God acceptably, with reverence and with fear, for our God, too, is a consuming fire (He. 12: 28 – 29).’
2.2 ME-CENTRED
What is meant by Me-centred is easily understood: it means being Atheist and, as already stated; an Atheist loves the world and the love of the Father is not in him.
Unlike the God-centred, the Me-centred stand in untruth, or willingly acquiesce to sin, which comes to the same, and is the root of every disorder in the universe.
Seeing disorder in the universe is from being Atheist, it follows that the mind works quite differently with and without God. Essentially, with God the mind is opened but without God it is closed. And, in view of these two states-of-mind, it is significant to remark in passing: Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939), the founder of psychoanalysis, did not experience them both, so his way of analysing human behaviour is akin to analysing how fish swim out of the water; – after they have dried! Not surprisingly, psychoanalysis starting from its departure has gone astray and does not open the mind – but that’s another story.
That said, the single overriding condition determining whether the mind is open or closed is contact to the Truth, where:
1. Contact to the Truth accuses the mind of sin directly (He. 4:12), which is to say; the mind is open – that is, unobtrusive or without dissimulation and hypocrisy.
2. Disconnection from the Truth excuses the mind of sin, which is to say; the mind is closed – that is, obtrusive or dissimulating and hypocritical [2].
Christian practice recognises conviction of sin depends on contact to the Truth, which is to say: Christianity is not a religion per se, but is a REVELATION (Ro. 1:17) from God to deal with the sin problem that is creating disorder in the universe.
Recognising Christianity is not a religion but a REVELATION from God dealing with the sin problem, even by effectively intervening supernaturally at our level, in hearts (Ezek. 11:19 – 20), is not so unreasonable. What is unreasonable, however, is the denial that sin is the root cause of all disorder. So instead of acquiescing to sin and disorder, one has to ask; what remedy is there and what does the God-centred have that the Me-centred lacks?
3. ATHEISM
Atheism, the cause of man’s enslavement and dissimulation as the consequence of his opposition to the Truth (Ge. 3:1 – 8), is the world’s first, oldest religion.
In Christian dogma, being freed from enslavement, dissimulation and other disorders originally caused by Atheism is the problem of being brought out of the house of bondage (Ex. 20:2). Certainly, the problem is not an insoluble one, but since its solution lies exclusively with God, getting taken out of bondage depends on Faith.
3.1 UNAWARENESS OF FAITH DUE TO AUTO-PERSUASION
The most remarkable fact in the progression of Atheism is that it results from unawareness of what Faith is. A platitude, certainly; but it underscores “proving” the Bible is the Word of God because God has spoken in the Bible means being convinced of God lies in auto-persuasion, not in Christian practice. And yet, God-centred Christian practice is from faith, not from auto-persuasion.
Logically, if any religion should depend on auto-persuasion that religion certainly is Rationality. And so, ironically, Rationality, the religion of Humanism, is promoted by saying; “The Bible is the Word of God because God has spoken in the Bible!”
In other words; the most remarkable feature in Christianity inculcated through auto-persuasion is the Me-centred faking it and Biblical scholars incapable of distinguishing God given knowledge (Am. 3:7) from reconstructed (seminary) knowledge.
I concede the foregoing does not say anything about when Jesus Christ is coming back; it merely says who is and who is not likely to be watching out for the return of Jesus Christ when He is on the cusp of returning.
Yours,
Edouard
[1] “What is humanism?” https://humanists.international/what-is-humanism/ accessed 18 March, 2019
[2] Mores certainly have remained Christian. There still is in Christendom, the nations of Christianity, much conformism with the rules and rites of religion, the traditional religious ceremonies: baptism, marriage, burial, Christmas, Easter, pilgrimages, church attendance, etc. …, tenacious habits, feelings. Commercialism also jealously attends to it. But is there true fervour without contact to the Truth? NO! The most obvious testimony is the sex life: the free union, abortion, the pill, gender fluidity, the same sex union, surrogacy and paedophilia. The convenience of day-to-day sex-life and love of the world are all-important.
While Jude and yourself are busy congratulating one another, Edouard,
about how Biblical you are compared to seminary-trained scholars pedling ‘reconstructed’ knowledge; I would like you to reflect for a moment about a disagreement between yourselves. Jude has been reckoning that the EU must be cut back to ten nations in order to fulfil prophecy making Brexit a sign of the times, whereas you have been quite adamant that Brexit is a major distraction from preparedness for the imminent return of Christ.
It’s my belief that you are scattering accusations of not being ready for Christ’s return far too easily. Your eschatology might not be over-realised but it does seem to be a bit over-heated.
Readiness fits into a box of which the dimensions are set by 1. communication between God and Man {Bible study & Prayer} 2. corporate fellowship {Assembling & Mission} and 3. Sacramental continuity {Baptism & Breaking of bread}. Readiness for Christ’s Return comprises being ready to give a reason for the hope within; readiness ‘to do with our might what our hands find to do’; and readiness to share our lives with one another as long as we are permitted to do so.
Forgive the rebuke. It is well-meant.
Yours,
John/.
Whoops – John now you are in the eisegesis mode. What I am saying is that by micro-managing TheWeeFlea is at risk of losing sight of the Big Picture or of being completely distracted from it.
FYI: I am not counting toes and/or thinking about the Roman Empire and/or whatever. That you think I am probably is because you are now in the eisegesis mode. It seems as though you are responding to certain preconceptions and not to anything that I have actually written.
FYI: The return of Christ has been “imminent” ever since He departed because there is nothing that has to happen before He comes back. In other word; Jesus Christ can come back whenever He chooses to.
I have not congratulated Jude – I merely thanked him for reminding us that we can look forward to the return of Jesus Christ. And I have presented two-world views; namely, that of the God-centred and that of the Me-centred to show who is and who is not likely to be watching for the return of Jesus Christ. Which category readers place themselves in is entirely up to them, and I have not made any eschatological statement whatsoever.
RE: “Readiness fits into a box of which the dimensions are set by 1. communication between God and Man {Bible study & Prayer} 2. corporate fellowship {Assembling & Mission} and 3. Sacramental continuity {Baptism & Breaking of bread}. Readiness for Christ’s Return comprises being ready to give a reason for the hope within; readiness ‘to do with our might what our hands find to do’ and readiness to share our lives with one another as long as we are permitted to do so”.
1. Compliant.
2. Compliant.
3. Compliant.
4. Compliant (See my post on Christian dogma and practice).
5. Compliant.
RE: “Forgive the rebuke. It is well-meant”.
Thank you John and rest assure you have done nothing that calls for my forgiveness.
Yours,
Edouard
My metaphor is equally martial, if less biblical. The Anglo-Saxons had their shield wall. Men were periodically picked off at the front of it, but as long as the shield wall held firm there was hope. The henchmen and henchwomen of this frankly traitorous government (cf. Hugh Gaitskell to the Labour Party conference c. 1963) are using every trick of patronage, deceit and intimidation to entice the Brexiteers in Parliament to abandon the shield wall. I fear they will succeed. I just hope the voters at the next GE will draw their own conclusions. Politicians who take the side of the big battalions against the people can never be trusted again. Nor can those who have the right instincts but lack the courage to follow through on them. It’s a real testing-ground for character.