“The human spirit will not even begin to try to surrender self-will as long as all seems to be well with it. Now error and sin both have this property, that the deeper they are, the less their victim suspects their existence; they are masked evil. Pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt. . . . [Read more…]
Archives for September 2001
32. Drawing the threads together
What was the spiritual meaning of the DARK DAY of 1780? Was it just one of those chance happenings, of astronomical interest, that has puzzled scientists for years without divulging its mysterious origin? Or was there something in it which was meant to be a SIGN? [Read more…]
31. The Puppet Masters
Along the way in the chapters of this study we have seen two principles at work. Occasionally the Upper Hand of God is observed in the world (by at least some observant individuals), and then the Lower Hand of Evil is seen at work to thwart what God is doing. [Read more…]
30. The Royal Family
About three thousand years ago there was a stable Royal Family in Israel, with David as King. He had been anointed by Samuel many years before, in fact some fourteen years before he was able to assume the throne of Judah, let alone the whole of Israel. But during his first ten years of Royal Office, he built up a strong nation, God-fearing and successful. [Read more…]
29. Lawlessness in British Politics
In the last chapter we looked at the question of lawlessness in the Church of England, as seen by the breaking of various English Laws by Sovereign and Prelate. In this chapter we shall have to investigate how lawlessness has been at work in Parliament. [Read more…]
28. Queen, Archbishop, and Church
In post-war years, Britain began the process of restoration. It was a long grind. Ration books were still issued for some years. Austerity measures were kept in force. And the coalition government under Winston Churchill was replaced by a Conservative government, still under Churchill. But the mood of the people was such that he was unable to obtain a strong enough mandate to serve the nation. Another general election was held, and the Socialists came to power under Clement Atlee. He remained in office from 1945 to 1951, when once again the country favoured a Conservative government. Churchill was back. But it was clear that Churchill the British bulldog in wartime, was not the same as Churchill in post-war Britain. By 1955 he had had enough and retired. [Read more…]
27. The Nazis and the Nuremberg Trials
It is now more than half a century since the end of world war two, and a whole new generation has grown up, knowing little if anything about the events of the war years, or even the two decades that followed. And if any of today’s youngsters were asked about the war, they might just have heard about Hitler, but other prominent names would be quite foreign to them. However, those of us who are old enough to remember those days, whether as a child (like myself) or even to have had a part in the war, will remember the chief names of those who served under Hitler, and may have cause to remember with bitterness. [Read more…]
26. Mist and Rainbow. 1940 – 1944
In the first world war, Britain entered because of an ultimatum we sent to Germany over the invasion of Belgium. In the second world war, we entered because of another ultimatum, this time against Germany’s accession of Poland. This began on 3rd September 1939. I was only eight at the time, but I can still remember hearing the news bulletin on the radio, and the war years living in London during the blitz are ever with me in memory. I can recall my parents’ feelings of horror when we learned of the impending fate of our men in France in May 1940, being surrounded by the advancing German army with no apparent way of escape. It seemed that all hope was lost. [Read more…]
25. The Twenty Year Truce. 1919–1939
The period between the wars, from 1919 to 1939 has been called “the Twenty Year Truce.” In this interval there was a radical shake-up in Europe, as though the European “chess-board” was being re-assembled. Old orders were crumbling and passing away. New ideas and ideologies were emerging. Chief amongst the ideologies were of course the Socialist ones, as witnessed in Russia with the Bolshevik revolution, in Germany with the emergence of Hitler’s regime, and even in Britain, where the Socialist, or Labour Party came into existence and formed a government under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924, and again from 1929 to 1931. [Read more…]
24. The Upper Hand and the Lower Hand – Two Systems
In all the chapters so far, we have seen how behind the outward show of historical events, there is a Guiding Hand at work, the hand of God. Man, in his blindness, may not perceive this Hand, and the news media of the world choose not to look for the evidence of this Upper Hand. However, it is there, and those who have an active faith in the Lord Jesus should search and see, so that they may redress the balance, and bring forth the evidences from the past, that God is “working His purposes out”, and that “the Most High rules in the Kingdoms of Men.” [Read more…]