Elijah, the man who could make it rain - Japanese
April 3, 2025
エリヤ 雨を降らせることのできる者
ジェイコブ・プラッシュ
『義人の祈りは働くと、大きな力があります。エリヤは、私たちと同じような人でしたが、雨が降らないように熱心に祈ると、三年六か月の間、地に雨が降りませんでした。そして、再び祈ると、天は雨を降らせ、地はその実を実らせました。』（ヤコブ 5 章 16 節－18 節）
エリヤは、私たちと同じような人でしたが、雨を降らせることのできる者でした。この箇所を通して、聖霊が私たちに伝えようとしていることは、もし彼ができるのなら、私たちもできるということです。私たちも雨を降らせることができます。しかし、それはどのような意味なのでしょうか？
雨は聖霊が注がれることの象徴
聖書の象徴の中で、様々な種類の液体は聖霊の異なった側面を表しています。
新しいぶどう酒は、聖霊を賛美の面において象徴している液体です。もうひとつの液体は、油であり、それは聖霊が注がれることについて語っています。一方、聖書の中の生ける水 はいつでも、聖霊が降り注がれることを表しています。雨は降り注ぎ、地下水となり、湧 き水となるのです。
イエスは次のような形で説明されました。『わたしを信じる者は、聖書が言っているとおりに、その人の心の奥底から、生ける水の川が流れ出るようになる。」これは、イエスを信じる者が後になってから受ける御霊のことを言われたのである。イエスはまだ栄光を受けておられなかったので、御霊はまだ注がれていなかったからである。』（ヨハネ 7 章 38節－39 節）イエスは、生ける水とは聖霊が流れ出ることだとはっきりと語りました。『わたしは潤いのない地に水を注ぎ、かわいた地に豊かな流れを注ぎ、わたしの霊をあなたのすえに、わたしの祝福をあなたの子孫に注ごう。』（イザヤ 44 章 3 節）
再び、神はかわいた地に水（雨）を注がれると言われています。そして、それは神が御霊を注がれるという意味だと言っているのです。雨とはその象徴です。
一つの町には雨を、他の町には雨を降らせない
『わたしはまた、刈り入れまでなお三か月あるのに、あなたがたには雨をとどめ、 一つの町には雨を降らせ、他の町には雨を降らせなかった。一つの畑には雨が降り、雨の降らなかった他の畑はかわききった。』（アモス 4 章 7 節）
例えばなぜラインハルト・ボンケ（Reinhard Bonnke）がアフリカで説教するとひとつの集 会で、何万人もの人が救われるのに、彼がドイツやイギリス、オーストラリアに行っても、大したことは起こらないのでしょうか。その答えはこのアモス 4 章 7 節にあります。神は 一つの町には雨を降らせ、他の町には降らせないのです。そして、雨が降らなかった町に 収穫は来ません。
御霊の注ぎに関して、神は恵みをみこころのままに与えます。ブラジル、韓国、インドネシア、フィリピン、アフリカの多くの地に雨は降り注いでいます。しかし、500 年間聖書を持っていた西洋のプロテスタントの国々は、今はかわききっています。神はその恵みを裕福な国から、貧しい国へと移されました。
白人によるプロテスタント系キリスト教は、数において、道徳面において、財政面において、神学的にも、霊的にも世界中で減退しています。
カトリック教国や黒色人種の国、オリーブ色の肌をした民族の国々、黄色人種の国で教会は増えつつあります。イギリス国教会は大幅に減退しています。それに対して、アフリカの聖公会（英国国教会）の多くの主教たちは大胆な福音伝道者です（デズモンド・ツツ
（Desmond Tutu）主教は聖公会の中での目立った例外的存在です）。アフリカの聖公会はナイジェリアにおいて、イスラム教徒からひどく迫害を受けています。アジア全域にわたって、聖公会はとても生き生きとしています。しかし、本国イギリスの聖公会は生命力の無い教会です。昔オーストラリアのサンシャイン・リバイバル（Sunshine Revival）、カリフォルニアのアズサ・ストリートのリバイバル（Azusa Street Revival）、スミス・ウィグルスワース（Smith Wigglesworth）に導かれたイギリスでのサンダーランド・リバイバル
（Sunderland Revivals）、それらの場所で注がれた火は、今エクアドルやチリ、フィリピン、インドネシア、ケニアのような場所で注がれているのです。神は一つの町には雨を降らせ、雨の降らない他の町はかわききるのです。今日、教会成長のための秘訣のようなものを教えている人々がいます。しかしそのようなものは無意味であり、何も変えることは出来ません。神の主権による恵みという要素が欠けているのです。御霊が注がれなければなりません。
神のことばは無駄に帰ってくることがありません。ここにひとりあそこにひとりというよ
うにある人々は救われますが、大量の収穫を得るのに雨が無ければ、穀物は実らないのです！しかし、エリヤは雨を降らせることのできる者でした。そして、私たちと同じような人であったのです。言い換えると、彼ができるのなら、私たちもできるということです。
父たちのため、また彼の御名のため
私は確信を持って言えるのですが、イエスが戻られる前に、神は西洋のプロテスタント民主主義にもう一度悔い改める機会を与えたいと願っておられます。それは私たちのためではなく、彼の御名のためです。私たちがそれを受けるに値するからではありません。私たちの教会は大きな規模で堕落しているのでふさわしくないのですが、それは私たちの父たちのためなのです。
ローマ 11 章で言われているように、神はイエスが再臨するこの世の終わりにおいて、ユダヤ人にもう一つのチャンスを与えようとされています。なぜなのでしょうか？それは、神がイスラエルを見るとき、ただイスラエルの罪、自分たちのメシアを拒否し続けていることだけではなく、神の目からは、エレミヤがまだ牢獄に閉じ込められ、イザヤがマナセ王によってのこぎりで半分に切られ、ゼカリヤが神殿で殺され、バプテスマのヨハネの首がはねられたときのように見えているからです。そして、神は言われます。「彼らの父たちのために、わたしはこの国にもうひとつのチャンスを与えよう」。
イギリスに対してもそうです。神がイギリスを見られるとき、ただ今日の状態だけを見てはおられません。この名ばかりのキリスト教国では、カンタベリー大聖堂でヒンドゥー教の神々が礼拝され、一方、主教たちは復活と処女懐胎を否定しているのです。
神が現代のイギリスを見られるとき、過去、現在、未来のすべてを見られます。その目は、ジョン・バニヤンがベッドフォードの牢獄の壁に 12 年間つながれ「天路歴程」を書いてい るのを見、国教会によって扇動された暴徒に石を投げられていたジョン・ウェスレーを見、また、私たちが英語で聖書を読めるようにと努力したティンデールがローマ教会によって 生きたまま焼かれるのを見ています。その他にも、神はチャールズ・ハッドン・スポルジ ョンを見ています。またリドリー（Ridley）やラティマー（Latimer）、フーパー（Hooper）などのイギリスの殉教者たちを見ています。そのため、神は言われるのです。「彼らの父 たちのため、そして私の御名のため。私はこの国にもう一度チャンスを与えよう」
これはアメリカに関しても同様に真実です。神の目は未だにジョナサン・エドワーズや
D・L・ムーディー、ハリー・アイロンサイド（Harry Ironside）を見ています。神は忠実なクリスチャンを見ておられます。神は今日あるような、繁栄だけを約束する説教者、拝金主義者たちや異端者たちだけを見てはおられないのです。
神はこれらの西洋プロテスタントの国々にもう一度、悔い改める機会を与えたいのです。しかし、彼らがその機会を得るためには、雨が降らなくてはなりません。
まず初めに、私たちが干ばつの中にいるという事実を認めなくてはなりません。そして、この干ばつが終わるまで、この世のすべての試みは教会に悔い改めとリバイバルをもたらすことはありません。雨が必要なのです。雨が無ければ穀物は実りません。雨が無ければ収穫は来ません。エリヤは私たちのような人でしたが、雨を降らせることのできる者でした。そして、今日、神は私たちのような雨を降らせることのできる男女を探しておられます。
『ギルアデのティシュベの出のティシュベ人エリヤはアハブに言った。「私の仕え ているイスラエルの神、主は生きておられる。私のことばによらなければ、ここ二、三年の間は露も雨も降らないであろう。」それから、彼に次のような主のことばが あった。「ここを去って東へ向かい、ヨルダン川の東にあるケリテ川のほとりに身 を隠せ。そして、その川の水を飲まなければならない。わたしは烏に、そこであな たを養うように命じた。」
それで、彼は行って、主のことばのとおりにした。すなわち、彼はヨルダン川の東にあるケリテ川のほとりに行って住んだ。幾羽かの烏が、朝になると彼のところにパンと肉とを運んで来、また、夕方になるとパンと肉とを運んで来た。彼はその川から水を飲んだ。しかし、しばらくすると、その川がかれた。その地方に雨が降らなかったからである。すると、彼に次のような主のことばがあった。「さあ、シドンのツァレファテに行き、そこに住め。見よ。わたしは、そこのひとりのやもめに命じて、あなたを養うようにしている。」彼はツァレファテへ出て行った。その町の門に着くと、ちょうどそこに、たきぎを拾い集めているひとりのやもめがいた。そこで、彼は彼女に声をかけて言った。「水差しにほんの少しの水を持って来て、私に飲ませてください。」
彼女が取りに行こうとすると、彼は彼女を呼んで言った。「一口のパンも持って来てください。」彼女は答えた。「あなたの神、主は生きておられます。私は焼いたパンを持っておりません。ただ、かめの中に一握りの粉と、つぼにほんの少しの油があるだけです。ご覧のとおり、二、三本のたきぎを集め、帰って行って、私と私
の息子のためにそれを調理し、それを食べて、死のうとしているのです。」
エリヤは彼女に言った。「恐れてはいけません。行って、あなたが言ったようにしなさい。しかし、まず、私のためにそれで小さなパン菓子を作り、私のところに持って来なさい。それから後に、あなたとあなたの子どものために作りなさい。イスラエルの神、主が、こう仰せられるからです。『主が地の上に雨を降らせる日までは、そのかめの粉は尽きず、そのつぼの油はなくならない。』」
彼女は行って、エリヤのことばのとおりにした。彼女と彼、および彼女の家族も、長い間それを食べた。エリヤを通して言われた主のことばのとおり、かめの粉は尽きず、つぼの油はなくならなかった。これらのことがあって後、この家の主婦の息子が病気になった。その子の病気は非常に重くなり、ついに息を引き取った。彼女はエリヤに言った。「神の人よ。あなたはいったい私にどうしようとなさるのですか。あなたは私の罪を思い知らせ、私の息子を死なせるために来られたのですか。」
彼は彼女に、「あなたの息子を私によこしなさい」と言って、その子を彼女のふところから受け取り、彼が泊まっていた屋上の部屋にかかえて上がり、その子を自分の寝台の上に横たえた。彼は主に祈って言った。「私の神、主よ。私を世話してくれたこのやもめにさえもわざわいを下して、彼女の息子を死なせるのですか。」そして、彼は三度、その子の上に身を伏せて、主に祈って言った。「私の神、主よ。どうか、この子のいのちをこの子のうちに返してください。」主はエリヤの願いを聞かれたので、子どものいのちはその子のうちに返り、その子は生き返った。そこで、エリヤはその子を抱いて、屋上の部屋から家の中に降りて来て、その子の母親に渡した。そして、エリヤは言った。「ご覧、あなたの息子は生きている。」その女はエリヤに言った。「今、私はあなたが神の人であり、あなたの口にある主のことばが真実であることを知りました。」
それから、かなりたって、三年目に、次のような主のことばがエリヤにあった。
「アハブに会いに行け。わたしはこの地に雨を降らせよう。」そこで、エリヤはアハブに会いに出かけた。そのころ、サマリヤではききんがひどかった。』（１列王記
17 章 1 節－18 章 2 節）
『アハブがエリヤを見るや、アハブは彼に言った。「これはおまえか。イスラエルを煩わすもの。」』（１列王記 18 章 17 節）
『そこでエリヤは彼らに命じた。「バアルの預言者たちを捕らえよ。ひとりものが
すな。」彼らがバアルの預言者たちを捕らえると、エリヤは彼らをキション川に連
れて下り、そこで彼らを殺した。それから、エリヤはアハブに言った。「上って行って飲み食いしなさい。激しい大雨の音がするから。」そこで、アハブは飲み食いするために上って行った。エリヤはカルメル山の頂上に登り、地にひざまずいて自分の顔をひざの間にうずめた。それから、彼は若い者に言った。「さあ、上って行って、海のほうを見てくれ。」若い者 は上って、見て来て、「何もありません」と言った。すると、エリヤが言った。「七たびくり返しなさい。」七度目に彼は、
「あれ。人の手のひらほどの小さな雲が海から上っています」と言った。それでエリヤは言った。「上って行って、アハブに言いなさい。『大雨に閉じ込められないうちに、車を整えて下って行きなさい。』」しばらくすると、空は濃い雲と風で暗くなり、やがて激しい大雨となった。アハブは車に乗ってイズレエルへ行った。主の手がエリヤの上に下ったので、彼は腰をからげてイズレエルの入口までアハブの前を走って行った。』（1 列王記 18 章 40 節－46 節）
雨はとても激しく降り注ぎました。
重要な背景情報
三年半の間雨が降らなかったということは、ダニエル書と黙示録に言及されている三年半の期間の象徴です。世の終わりに御霊は注がれなくなります。これは終末に起こることの予型であり、預言者マラキが予告したように、エリヤの霊が何らかのかたちで戻ってくるときに起こることです（マラキ 4 章 5 節）。
同様に、エリヤが異邦人の女とその息子を助けたことは、神が何らかの方法を用いて、エリヤの霊を使って、異邦人の教会を世の終わりに守られることを示しています。
エリヤとエリシャ、それにバプテスマのヨハネはみな同じ霊を持っていました。主はモーセに向かって、『あなたの上にある霊のいくらかを取って彼らの上に置こう。』（民数記 11
章 17 節）と言われました。
同じ地理的な場所で起こった複数の出来事は、多くの場合、霊的または神学的につながりがあることを意味しています。エリヤの奉仕はエリコの平原で終わりました。そこで、エリシャは彼の（権威を意味するものである）上着を取り、またバプテスマのヨハネの奉仕はその同じ場所で行われました。邪悪な女であるイゼベルは、黙示録に出てくるイゼベルのように、偽りの宗教の霊の象徴です。彼女は王や政治的な権威を自分が操ることのできるようにしました。彼女は、アハブに代わって、彼の欲しがっていたナボテのぶどう畑を
奪いました（１列王記 21 章）。聖書の中で、ぶどう畑はイスラエル、ひいては教会について語っています。邪悪な女は王のためにぶどう畑を取り上げようとしました。このことによって、エリヤは彼女との争いに巻き込まれ、彼女はエリヤを滅ぼすために王を説得しました。これはヘロデヤの話（マタイ 14 章 3 節－12 節）と全く同じことであり、邪悪な女が“エリヤ”（バプテスマのヨハネ）に対して王を敵対させたのです。
聖書の中での全ての邪悪な女は何らかのかたちで、黙示録に出てくる邪悪な女の特徴を示しています。エリヤとの争いは終わりの時代において繰り返されようとしているのです。
なぜ雨が止まったのか？
神がどのようにしてエリヤを用い、雨を降らせる者へと変えたかを学ぶにあたって、最初に考えるべきことは、なぜ雨が止まったのかということです。雨は神の民の罪のために止まりました。西洋プロテスタント諸国（他の日本のような国々）に聖霊が降り注がれないのは、罪のため、エリヤの時代のイスラエルと同じような罪があるためです。
妊娠中絶は、旧約のイスラエルとユダにおいて、子どもたちが悪霊に捧げられていたのと同じことです。他の神々に対しての礼拝――バアルの祭司たちは外国人ではなく、ユダヤ人でした。今日でも同じことです。西洋プロテスタント世界のいたる所で、イスラム、ニューエイジ、ヒンドゥー教など、他の神々を拝むということが劇的に増加しています。ニューエイジは多くの福音派やペンテコステ派の教会に浸透しています。人々はキリスト教と異教を混ぜ合わせ――ローマ・カトリックはそこから生まれたのですが――今日もそのようなことが多くのペンテコステ派の教会で起こっています。
物質主義――教会はなまぬるく、物質主義的であり、おかしな教理で満たされています。人の考える“信仰”は聖書的でなくなり、クリスチャンであるように見せかけ、お金を拝んでいます。貪欲がキリスト教に変装しているのです。
これらのことのために雨は止まりました。何よりもまず、西洋文明の減退の責任はこの世にあるのではなく、私たちにあります。雨を止めたのは神の民の罪なのです。私たちの社会に蔓延する――薬物、中絶、離婚、暴力、犯罪などのすべては、教会の失敗を証言しています。
神の民は妥協してしまい、その結果、最終的にイスラエルの中はバアルの祭司であふれたのです。これがエリヤの時代に起こったことであり、今日起こっていることです。私たちの国々には雨は降っていません。それは神の民の罪のためです。
ケリテ
神がエリヤに最初に言われたことは、ヨルダン川の東にあるケリテ川に行き、そこでカラスにパンを与えられるということでした（１列王 17 章 3 節）。
ケリテはヨルダンの向こう側にあります。神がエリヤにこの地を去ってケリテに行けと言われたとき、エリヤに彼の国民性や文化的アイデンティティー、故郷の快適さを捨てろと言われたのです。それに加えて、カラスがパンを運んで来ました。カラスは「コシェル
（kosher）＝律法にかなったもの」ではなく、“汚れている”鳥でした。神はエリヤが思いつきもしないような方法で、彼を養おうとされたのです。
今日の西洋では干ばつがとても厳しいので、雨を降らせる人々はケリテに行くことをよしとしければならないのです
それはときには、妥協してしまった伝統的な教派を教会が離れることを意味しているかもしれません。ときには、妥協し、誤りに陥り、悔い改めることを拒んでいる教会を、クリスチャンが離れるということを意味するでしょう。そして確かにそれが意味していることは、私たちが考えもしないような方法・場所で必要を満たしてくださる神に信頼するということです。たとえそれが、カラスのような、私たちが全く聖いと思わないものを通してであってもです。エリヤは神を第一優先にし、自分の土地を第二にすることを心に決めなければなりませんでした（これは日本において特に真実です。日本人の人と争わないという伝統のために、ほとんどのクリスチャンは福音を伝えるとき大胆に社会の罪を明らかにしません。また教会の中の罪も公に非難しません。日本社会での主な罪である性的不品行、教会の中での学歴についての誇り、それらが罪であると詳しく指摘されるのを最近いつ聞いたでしょうか。日本のクリスチャンが雨を降らせたいのなら、このような罪に対して公に立ち上がって反対する必要があります）。今日ある大抵の問題は、人々が彼らの土地―
―文化やアイデンティティー、教派、それに教派に対しての忠誠心――を神のことばへの
服従の前に置いてしまうことにあります。
しかし、雨を降らせるような人々は、ケリテに行き神を信頼することを恐れてはならないのです
ツァレファテ
夜明けの直前が一番暗いものです。物事は良くなる前にもっと悪くなります。ケリテ川は
次第にかわいていくのです。
9 節を見ると、エリヤはツァレファテと呼ばれる場所に、行かなければならなかったとあります。ツァレファテという言葉は、「焼く」または「火できよめる」という意味のヘブライ語の語幹から来ています。私たちのような者を用いて、雨を降らせる者へと変えるには、神はその者たちを火できよめなければならないのです。
これからはとても困難な期間になるでしょう。ただ試練や試み、干ばつ、迫害だけではなく、それらが合わさったものとなるのです。そして、それはツェレファテのやもめのように、自分が助けようとしていた者が裏切られたと考えてしまう段階まで達するでしょう。
しかし、いくら状況が悪くなり、暗いものとなり、干ばつが激しくなっても、私はふたつのことを約束することが出来ます。きよめられたいと願う者のかめの粉は尽きず、つぼの油はなくなることはありません。物事は打開されるまでは悪くなるものです。しかし、かめの粉は尽きず、つぼの油はなくならないのです。あなたは、何があっても、神のことばと聖霊の油注ぎに欠けることはありません。他の者たちが飢饉で死んでいく中、あなたの穀物と油は尽きないのです。
古い皮袋は破れる
『彼女はエリヤに言った。「神の人よ。あなたはいったい私にどうしようとなさるのですか。あなたは私の罪を思い知らせ、私の息子を死なせるために来られたのですか。」』（１列王記 17 章 18 節）
彼女の息子は死に、そのためにエリヤを非難しました。あなたが助けようとしたまさにその人が困難に会い、あなたを非難するようになります。状況はとても長い間悪いものとなって、私たちが愛しているものは復活する前に、死ななければならなくなるのです。
西洋世界の大半の教会は、復活する前に死ななければなりません。新しいぶどう酒は古い皮袋には合いません。これがカリスマ派運動にある問題のひとつです。彼らは古い皮袋に新しいぶどう酒を蓄えようとしているのです。ある教会を改善するためには古い皮袋を取り替えなければなりません。私たちの愛しているほとんどのものは復活する前に死ななければならないのです。
イスラエルを煩わす者
『これはおまえか。イスラエルを煩わすもの』（１列王記 18 章 17 節）教会を煩わすものはあなたですか？バプテスト連合を煩わすものはあなたですか？アッセンブリーズ・オブ・ゴッドを煩わすものはあなたですか？
- エキュメニズム（キリスト教統一運動）や、「神の国はいまここに（Kingdom Now）」、
- 「繁栄の信仰（Faith Prosperity）」、「名を挙げて要求すること（Name It and Claim It）」などに対して、立ち上がって反対している者！
- 目的に導かれたキリスト教に立ち上がって反対している者！
- お客様向けの教会（傷付けないように罪を指摘しない教会）に立ち上がって反対している者！
- イスラエルを煩わす者！
エリヤはこれらのことを言われたのであって、もし、雨を降らせたいなら、あなたもこれらのことを言われるのです。
次に彼らはカルメル山に行きます。そこでイゼベルと対立が起こります。それは偽りの宗教の霊との争いであり、ローマ・カトリック、エキュメニズム、イスラム、同性愛、不品行、教会内にあるキリスト教のふりをした心理学、中絶やニューエイジなどに対しての争いです。そこには対立があり、その対立の中で勝利を得るのは、ツァレファテにおいてきよめられた者です。
私たちが今日“カリスマ派的な礼拝”と呼ぶものの大半は、騒がしく、わめき散らし、狂乱状態になり、熱狂しているものであって、カルメル山にいたエリヤよりも、バアルの祭司たちによく似ています。注目すべきなのは、彼らはそれがうまくいくと思い、答えが得られると考えていたということです。
※編集者注
（ジェイコブはここで、トロント（カナダ）やペンサコーラ（アメリカ）などの賛美礼拝において一般的に見られた動物のまねや体が震えること、自制を欠くことなどを語っています。この現象は世界中に広がり、西洋のカリスマ派教会において顕著になりました。これらのものは“トロント・ブレッシング”といって、世界中で人気を得ているテレビを使った礼拝の中で、ロドニー・ハワード・ブラウン、ケネス・コープランド、ベニー・ヒンなどが勧めた“笑いのリバイバル”というものから由来しています。最近ではそれはフロリダ・レイクランドのリバイバルで暴力という形をもって現われました。その“リバイバル”の指導者であったトッド・ベントリーは“御霊によって”人々を実際足で蹴りました。それが世界中の主要なカリスマ派の指導者たちによって支持されていたにも関わらず、ト
ッド・ベントリーは結局、姦淫と離婚の不祥事に陥り、リバイバルは突然終焉を迎えたの
です）
今日、エキュメニズムや“神の国は今ここに”という教理、再建主義に陥っている兄弟たちは非聖書的で間違った危険な教理、偽りと起こるはずのない預言を信じています。しかし、そこに対立は生じ、人々はだれが真実の預言者であるかを理解します。
雨雲
それは小さなことから始まります。最初は何も起こらないかのように見えます。「どこにあるのですか？」と言いたくなるようなものです。
バアルの祭司たちはみな大言壮語を言い、横柄であり、声を大きく上げ、偽りの者たちでした。しかし、神はそのような方法では働かれません。小さなことから始めるのです。人の手のひらほどの小さな雲が海から上ってきました。いつもそのように始まります。しかしそれはすぐ大きくなり、雨雲は空を覆いつくすほどになります。稲妻が光り、神の霊は注がれます。そして、どしゃぶりの激しい大雨となるのです。
自分の責任
西洋のキリスト教の衰退を止めるのに簡単な方法はありません。あまりにも長い間ひどいものだったからです。私たちは自分たちのリーダーたちに裏切られてきました。この世のすべての計画、ごまかし、策略はたましいの収穫をもたらすことはありません。雨が必要なのです。しかしそれは止まってしまいました。
どうしてなのでしょうか？社会の罪の影響も部分的にはありますが、主に教会の罪が原因です。そして、教会に悔い改めが起こらない限り、世の悔い改めも起こりはしません。
なぜ、雨は止まってしまったのでしょうか？それは第一に、ポルノや売春業者、売春婦、 麻薬密売人、同性愛者、妊娠中絶をする人たちの責任ではありません。それは第一に、私 の責任です。なぜなら、私は真理を知っていて、そのメッセージは違いを生み出すことが できるからです。それは私たちの責任です。西洋の教会はラオデキヤであるからです（黙 示録 3 章 17 節）。私たちがイエスよりも自分の生活、この世に頼みを置いているためです。雨が止まったのは私の罪のためであり、あなたの罪のためです
雨を降らせる者たち
雨を降らせることのできる者たちは、ケリテに行くことを恐れない――文化や団体に縛ら
れない者です。それらの者は、古い皮袋に新しいぶどう酒を入れようとしません。彼らは神が言われたことを行い、自らの考えに頼らず、与えてくださる神に信頼するのです。
それらの者はきよめられることを恐れずに、ツァレファテに向かいます。そして、自分の愛していたものが死ななければならないことを理解し、またそれらは清くよみがえらされることを知っています。それは困難なことです。しかし、どんなに困難であろうとそれを行う者のかめの粉は尽きず、そのつぼの油はなくならないということは確かです。
そして、きよめられた者はカルメルに行き、イゼベルの前――フリーメーソンや同性愛、ローマ･カトリック、イスラムなどの偽りの宗教の前に立ちます。彼らは、バアルの預言者の前――福音の奉仕者と自ら名乗りながら、偽りの教えに妥協している者たちの前に立ちます。
そこでは対立が生じるのです。そして、イスラエルを煩わす者が勝利を得ます。
A Divided Nation Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM The Haredi community has had a complicated, paradoxical relationship with the State since its founding. Rooted in a Talmudic precept that the Jews are forbidden to resettle the land of Israel en masse by force before the coming of the Messiah, the secular democratic State of Israel presents itself as blasphemous by its mere existence. Yet due to practical considerations such as the need to obtain funding for its religious academies the Haredi leadership reached a settlement with the State's founders that exempted Haredi men from being conscripted for military service. This was at a time when the Haredi population in Israel was relatively small. Over the past decades this demographic ballooned until the point that soon the majority of Jewish children in Israel will be born into Haredi families. Such a situation is clearly unsustainable. Recently the Knesset's (Parliament's) Haredi parties have pressured their coalition partners in government to codify Torah Study as part of the Country's Basic Laws. This was purposefully done to elevate the status of their institutions to be on parity with service in the IDF. Israel is yet to promulgate a written Constitution, so legislation classed as a Basic Law holds Constitutional status for all intents and purposes. These moves by the religious parties represent a back door power grab to enshrine in law very significant hurdles to prevent the enlistment of Haredi men. The burden of Israel's defence is comparatively massive for a country its size and it is vastly disproportionately shouldered by the secular population. Until now there have been political initiatives to conscript the Haredim. But given the huge manpower shortages emerging in the wake of near continual conflict on multiple fronts since the events of October 7th this matter has become urgent and not merely a theoretical discussion of what is fair and equitable. It is important to draw a distinction between the Haredim and national religious Jews (Dati Leumi). The Haredim adhere to a lifestyle entirely committed to observance of Jewish Law and Talmudic study. This is embraced to the exclusion of gainful employment and participation in wider society. They are either outrightly opposed to Zionism or consider themselves non-Zionist. Conversely, followers of the national religious movement in Israel although being observant of Jewish law and learning would alongside this pursue secular professions. Furthermore, they are ardently Zionist and disproportionately serve in IDF combat units. This is often done within the framework of a program called Hesder Yeshiva that combines religious learning with military service. Efforts to cater a similar model for accommodating Haredi participation in the IDF have so far failed to make substantial gains. Such measures designed to override Haredi objections to service based upon modesty concerns by strict segregation of the sexes in these specially formed units have failed to appease the Haredi leadership. For them, any form of military service is considered a dereliction of their duty to fully devote themselves to a Torah lifestyle. They argue that their Talmudic learning and prayers are in itself a form of national service and act to protect the Jewish people spiritually from enemy attack. It is as if two parallel societies exist within Israel. And the trajectory of separation between the two is only growing. The Haredim are cloistered away in their Yeshivas, immersed in lives devoted to adhering to the stipulations of Jewish law. While the particulars of actually running the State is left to the Secular. The Haredim desire all the benefits of subsidizing their lifestyle without contributing to society. What we really have going on here at source is two profoundly different and opposing ideological visions of what is important in life and what is the purpose of a Jewish State. At the State's founding these divergent perspectives were more manageable. Ben Gurion only had to contend with one religious party –the National Religious Party. Later in 1970 Begin aligned with the NRP to form a coalition government that also brought Sephardic Jews under the Likud umbrella which had the effect of bringing unity to the country by bridging the Ashkenazi-Sephardi divide. However, over time Israeli politics has seen a proliferation of religious parties, gaining further leverage as king brokers in forming governments due to the proportionate representation voting system which secular Israelis not uncommonly view as political blackmail. (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).
New Paragraph
THE CAPTION AT THE HEAD OF THE POSTER IMAGE FOR THE MOVIE ‘DISCLOSURE DAY’ BOLDLY DECLARES ‘WE DESERVE TO KNOW’ Indeed, we do need to know the truth. But will we find it in Stephen Spielberg’s new movie ‘Disclosure Day’? Could it just as well be entitled ‘DECEPTION DAY’? In an interview with USA Today Spielberg says that evidence of non-human contact has become “overwhelming” to him. He has suggested that his film could raise significant theological questions for Christians. But will it? For us Christians - No, not on our watch! The movie raises no questions for those who accept the proven accuracy of God’s Word, the Bible. The film, which is capturing the imagination of the public, only confirms exactly what scripture tells us about what are in fact extra-dimensional beings. ALIENS OR FALLEN ANGELS? God inhabits the heavenly realm along with a vast array of angels. Because Lucifer, a created angel, wanted to usurp God as ruler of the universe, he was expelled to another realm outside of our time and space, along with one third of the angels who rebelled with him. These fallen angels manifest themselves as demons who can appear on earth and disappear at will. Spiritual hosts of wickedness exist in heavenly places, wherever this realm is, it is not the place where God dwells. ARE ALIENS BENEVOLENT? In the movie, the ‘aliens’ are portrayed as friendly beings who want to help mankind in a time of crisis. If the aliens are really demons, not visitors from outer space, this is a dangerous delusion. Whitley Striber in his book ‘Communion’ writes on encountering ‘aliens’; ‘I felt an indescribable sense of menace. Whatever was there seemed so monstrously ugly, so filthy, so dark and sinister. Of course they were demons. They have to be.’ Many others have reported similar malevolent experiences. During the movie, Daniel claims to have had an encounter with extra-terrestrials during which he received a special gift of empathy, which is regarded by him as the ultimate superpower. However, there is only One who completely understands our human frailty. We read this concerning Jesus: ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin.’ (Hebrews 4 v 15). Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11 v 28) END TIMES DECEPTION Before he was crucified, Jesus warned his disciples about these last days in which we are living. The first words he used in this context were: “Watch no one deceives you. For many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Deception was top of the list! Later, the Apostle Paul wrote about these days: ‘The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.’ (2 Thessalonians 2 v 9) Have you received the love of the truth? Have you received Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life? If not, you are in great danger. Perilous times are here and they are only going to get worse as man turns more and more away from his maker. Things will only change when Jesus returns soon to establish his own Kingdom on earth, where justice and peace will rule. JESUS, OUR ONLY HOPE! The Bible says all human beings are sinners. The message of Jesus is simple; repent and believe the good news, that God wants humanity, his highest creation, to be reestablished in relationship with him. His plan was simple: to give his life in unconditional love for every human being that has and ever will live, by shedding his blood on a Roman cross. In doing this, we can receive forgiveness of sins. Our old life will then be buried with him, giving us new life with the hope of an eternal future of true peace, love and joy, with freedom from pain and tears. Why ignore such a great gift of salvation? If you do, your fate will be sealed for eternity in hell, which is a real place without God, and thus without love, to face only eternal consequences of punishment. We condemn ourselves to such a fate. REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! Jesus loves you and asks that you repent and believe in him. It would be the best and safest decision of your life! If you commit your life to him, he will give you a new heart, you will be a new person inside. You will also gain a new desire for all that is right and true. And his Holy Spirit will give you an ability to discern the lies of the age we are living in. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave us his only son, that whosoever believes in him, will not perish, but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16) FINALLY, A RECOMMENDATION All that is described in this leaflet has been open, in the light for millennia. On the other hand, the theory of extra-terrestrial life has been hidden in darkness, awaiting ‘Disclosure Day’. Which would you prefer to believe, the Word of God, or the word of Stephen Spielberg? I made my choice years ago, and have never regretted it! If this message has spoken to you, just call upon Jesus in a short prayer. Confess to him that you are a sinner in need of salvation. Ask him in sincerity to forgive you and to fill you with his Holy Spirit. You will then become what the Bible describes as being ‘born again’. (John 3 v 7) Then you need to seek a Bible believing church where you can be baptised and become part of a group of believers who can help you get to know Jesus more and more fully. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8 v 32)
Prayer request for Teerth Sond Petitioned Prayer-Supplication/Personal Prayer/ Collective Prayer/Thanks Giving Prayer Our Dear brethren in Yeshua, my family & myself Teerth request your prayers in The Spirit that the latest drugs Ramicirumab & Pacilitaxel will destroy the cancer cell in the Authority Of The Lord Yeshua in The Power of The Holy Spirit. Targeted Petition: Please stand with us in prayer & fasting; The Lord will target the 2cm legion & that it will be cast out of my Liver in the love (agape), compassion, kindness, grace, mercy of God. I do not deserve it because of me- but By His Stripes we are healed for His Glory. This will allow the main operation to go ahead (which should have been done 18 months ago). Step by Step in the leading of The Holy Spirit and the in the Lord Step by Step, as our beautiful sister Beryl said, has worked on my Spiritual man- thank you Lord for waking me up. Lord raise me up for your glory forever because of your love to me, the family & fellowship- an unworthy sinner saved by your grace & love. Email sent to my Oncologist & my Local MP: Greetings Natasha & Dr Mano Joseph Hope All Is Well Thank you for our meeting today. At our meeting we discussed my MRI & CT scans which were done in May 2026. We discussed the operation on my oesophagus which I believe is the best option. (This should have been done 18 months ago). My Kidney operation will be done- non evasive- Lord willing within the next month. Will you be talking to Mr Chacravaty about this? The liver must be targeted first- this is wisdom and the latest radiotherapy treatments available- proton therapy-radiotherapy atezolizumab and bevacizumab sorafenib lenvatinib regorafenib cabozantinib durvalumab and tremelimumab At the meeting we discussed the next CT & MRI scans to be held end off July. Wouldn't it be to better to have them in August so by then I've had 4 full treatments on the latest medication. Also we have Zolbetuximab on compassionate usage- all glory to The Lord. After all the past wrongs I have no doubt now Dr Joseph you will pursue the best for me and family. Dear brethren- King Manasseh, David, Hannah, The Church For Peter, James, The Lord Jesus Christ for example made petitions onto the Lord. We pray as one body to cast off the illness in the Power of The Holy & The Authority Of Yeshua. The Great Physician who came for the ill. To lay out raised hands 🙌🏽 upon the head of our Lord. ABBA/Daddy/Lord in your mercy have mercy on us. Love you all in Yeshua our Lord & God. Teerth, Family & Fellowship
The End of an Extended Honeymoon – Are Trump and Netanyahu Parting Ways? Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM The Israeli public had high hopes for Trump. Unlike his predecessors, he consistently endorsed Israeli measures of self-defence in the different theatres of conflict in which it had to contend. Further to these ends Trump shared in Netanyahu’s determined agenda of preventing the Iranians from pursuing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. During Trump's first term he tore up Obama's negotiated settlement with the Iranians concerning enriched Uranium, echoing Netanyahu’s position that it didn't go far enough. Now in his second term Trump partnered with Israel in a war with Iran that turned out to lack clearly defined goals. The campaign required resolve on the part of America that it wasn't willing to commit. After an initial lightning blitzkrieg that decapitated the Iranian leadership, the Persians dug in and the conflict became a protracted war of attrition hinging on Iran's stranglehold on the straits of Hormuz that could only be realistically lifted by placing boots on the ground or an intensified air war directed against Iranian coastal positions and the destruction of Kharg island, or at least the viable threat to obliterate Kharg island if Iran did not acquiesce. It transpired that Trump and Netanyahu underestimated the resilience of the Iranian regime, thinking that it had already received a near mortal blow during the prior popular demonstrations. So now we are left with a situation where Trump is exasperated with this protracted endeavour and appears to be aiming his frustration towards Netenyahu. A sticking point is Israel's continued occupation of Southern Lebanon. Iran is insistent that Israel withdraw its forces from there as a precursor to fully committing itself to a final status agreement with the U.S. to put an end to its nuclear aspirations. With the midterm elections looming Trump seems to be desperate for an exit strategy from this war. From Israel's perspective the fight against Hizbollah is an inextricable part of the Iranian equation. The IDF has invested massive resources and personnel in the hopes of quashing the Iranian proxy once and for all. Netanyahu is determined to build on the momentum achieved after the spectacular pager attack in 2024. After the catastrophic Hamas massacres of October 7th, the majority of the Israeli public is unwilling to tolerate a capable hostile force on its borders. Trump's proposed solution to this dilemma unrealistically suggests that Syria should take on the role of disarming and removing Hizbollah from Lebanon. In the ultimate reckoning of international relations, America doesn't have iron clad allies, but rather interests like any other nation. If, (as appears to be occurring now) U.S. and Israeli interests fail to align the two countries will cease to act in unison and there may be a rupture in relations on the not-too-distant horizon. Trump has indicated that Israel owes him big time. He has asserted that were it not for his decisive actions they would have been obliterated by Iran's missiles. This is nothing to say of the robust diplomatic support Trump has lent Israel in such forums as the United Nations Security Council and sanctioning officials of the International Criminal Court. Netanyahu is acutely aware of what may be next after Trump. The way public opinion is turning against Israel it is unlikely that the next administration is going to be any way near as friendly as Trump has been thus far to Israel. Trump too of course is mindful of this turning tide opposing Israel. The Iran war has been unpopular to his domestic audience, and the President has been caricatured as Netanyahu’s stooge doing Israel's bidding. Another major consideration for Trump is the colossal impact that the war has had on his other major regional allies: the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia. They have received the brunt of the Iranian backlash that has effectively targeted their energy infrastructure and trading routes. They, along with the Europeans have been exerting pressure on Trump to end the conflict and reopen the Straits of Hormuz regardless of whether the most favourable terms of Iranian capitulation are achieved. Israel, however important a strategic asset and technological powerhouse will not override these broader concerns that are endangering global energy markets. An unspoken factor is Trump's propensity for a belligerent severing of his relationship with allies in the political sphere. His public displays of hostility with former political allies such Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Ron Santos and Elon Musk demonstrate a temperament that the same kind of falling out could invoke with strategic allies as well as those political. Both Trump and Netanyahu are approaching the sunset of their political careers and are naturally inclined to deeply consider the legacies they will leave behind. In the international sphere Trump projected himself as a peacemaker from a position of strength. But as many commentators have pointed out, the war with Iran demonstrated the limits of U.S. power. Trump appraised Iran as low hanging fruit that could be swiftly toppled like Venezuela. However, when push came to shove and the only prospect of landing a decisive blow demanded a massive ground offensive on the scale of the Iraq war, he bottled out and sued for a premature peace that will leave Netanyahu in the cold. Netanyahu is anxious to rehabilitate the injury inflicted on his reputation of the greatest disaster to have occurred in Israel's history having happened on his watch. Eliminating Iran as the great regional adversary pulling the strings of its proxies would have done much in this regard. Neither leader is able to craft their legacies as they would have wanted. Trump is choosing the perceived option of mitigating the damage done to his legacy in foreign affairs. He is trying hard to sell his Iran deal as being more than what Obama bargained in terms of guaranteeing a nuclear free Iran. But as further details of his proposal are leaked this is becoming a tall order. Netanyahu is faced with October elections and he may decide to stay the course in Lebanon as otherwise he will seem weak to most voters. Should this happen, we will be in uncharted waters as it will thwart Trump's designs for an immediate end to this affair.
The Battlefield for Israel's Reputation Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Israel has enjoyed strong U.S. support since its founding. Within eleven minutes of Israel's Declaration of Independence Truman recognized the Jewish State. Under the Kennedy administration the Pentagon sold advanced missile systems to Israel. However, it was the 1970 attempted PLO takeover of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan that demonstrated to the U.S. Israel's regional prowess and indispensability for implementing Washington's agenda. During Arafat's attempted Coup Syria mobilized its forces on the Jordanian border in support of the PLO's bid to dislodge the ruling Hashemite dynasty. Upon Washington's direction the IDF also mobilized its army upon its border with Jordan, thereby deterring the Syrians from taking further action. From then, the Pentagon and U.S. military planners invested heavily in promoting Israel's defence. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War disaster Nixon's massive air lift came to Israel's aid. For decades U.S. diplomatic and military support for Israel was a non-partisan issue. Both Democrat and Republican members of Congress voted nearly unanimously in support of measures concerning Israel. However, in the mid 2010's this began to change. To the extent that now 80% of Democrats hold views in opposition to Israel and this is reflected in how their representatives are acting. It is difficult to praise an exact moment when this turning point occurred. For years Democrat grassroots activist groups across the nation were lobbying their local representatives about their attitudes to Palestine and the mass student protest movements following the Gaza war built upon this momentum. The dual standards by the academic establishment were riddled with hypocrisy as if by the same criteria Israel is condemned for its responsive self-defence counter attacks in Lebanon and Gaza, Britain and America would be similarly indicted for what they did to Dresden, Hamburg and Berlin in response to Hitler. This is facilitated by the funding of Western Universities by Qatar and other Islamic interests associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. There is alienation between Israelis and the traditional left-centre Jewish Diaspora in the U.S. with a third of New York Jews voting for Mandani a vehement anti-Zionist in the New York Mayoral election. This is counterbalanced by a growing Jewish Right in America led by Ben Shapiro, David Ruben, Dennis Prager, Mark Levin and Trump advisor Steven Miller who are in political harmony with the Evangelical Right. The Republicans are also approaching a crossroads. Just as the Democrats have been hijacked by the Woke Left there has emerged a virulently anti-Zionist Woke Right led by Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and Candace Owen who are also attempting to hijack the Republicans. What is alarming here, is the fact that the majority of young Republicans under forty now hold an unfavourable view of Israel. So, it is very much a matter of fighting for the future of the Republican Party. The growing populist movements in Britain and Europe may counter the anti-Zionist and anti- Semitic political activities of the Muslim vote and their left-wing allies. In any eventuality, even if the least favourable trajectory of U.S. public opinion were to further materialize it is unlikely to dismantle the massive military and intelligence sharing cooperation between the U.S. and Israel. The Pentagon views Israel as far too big of a strategic asset in a volatile region to cut ties with. (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).
MAJOR PRAYER REQUEST - STEVE MITCHELL MORIEL ORPHANAGE (Andar Pradesh, INDIA) Please read the enclosed missions report from Moriel Missions Branch India: Our children need us and we put a lot of money into buying and then expanding the Moriel orphanage to take in more children. These precious orphan children are coming to Christ and the devil is angry. Until now we had opposition from radical Sheikhs at the Moriel Horeb church we built in Punjab, but the Hindu Authorities in Andar Pradesh have largely until now left us alone. The BJP government is however as wicked as Hamas or Hezbollah - only Hindu (I was in India when radical Hindus burned the Australian missionary family alive in their car; these are the ones who wanted to murder Steve Mitchell when Moriel helped to quickly get him out of the country some years ago). Some pastors have been murdered again in West Bengal. (Samuel, who oversees the Moriel orphanage went to Bible College with one of them). Because our orphan children are Dalet (treated as subhuman 'out casts' by the Hindu caste system), or from Muslim backgrounds, we have largely been been left alone and some of the local officials liked us. This is obviously not a good situation. Prayer is urgently requested. Please pray for Mark Masih particularly that they will not cancel his visa. They are now forbidding us from bringing any more bibles into the country. What would happen if Britain, Australia, or America outlawed Hindus from bringing the Bhagavad Gita into England, Oz, or the USA? MARANATHA Come Quickly Lord Jesus "You Will Be Hated By Men For My Name's Sake" Matthew 10:22
Staying The Course Amidst Isolation Rubin Rothler LLB, LLM Living in Israel one gets the feeling that the metaphorical walls are closing in. Israel's reputation is being tarnished all over social media and the mainstream media, and this is reflected in massive public disdain towards this country. We are constantly told that there is near consensus amongst academics and commentators that a genocide was committed in Gaza. The very legitimacy of the state is brought into question. The majority of Americans are now hostile towards Israel. There is real fear that the next U.S. administration will turn against Israel. Even if this were to happen passively, by the U.S. refraining from exercising its veto power towards Security Council Resolutions condemning Israeli actions this could be catastrophic. Internally it is a fractured society leaning increasingly right wing which further alienates Israel from world opinion. An example in point is how Ben Gvir mocked the most recent participants of a global aid flotilla to Gaza. Such conduct further agitates outrage at Israel. The left-wing media presents the ruins of Gaza as a mortal wound in Israel's side. When the world observes this level of carnage no degree of public relations can ameliorate the sense of indignation towards Israel. We can liken the situation of Israel to that of a depressed person. All he sees is hopelessness and gloom. But this isn't the first time that the Jewish nation has been faced with such darkness. Things change and we don't know how the geo-political map will reconfigure in the future. We need to ride out this storm and keep going. On a historical note, the situation is reminiscent of what our ancestors faced when we returned from the Babylonian exile to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was faced with constant lies and conspiracies designed to entrap him by hostile actors: Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab. They employed deception, slander and ridicule in order to maintain their political eminence. There was also a certain sense of abandonment amongst the Jews in Israel then as in our own day. We read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah about the anguish of the leadership in Israel concerning the lack of assistance from the Babylonian diaspora towards the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple. Only 20% of the exiles returned to the land. It was largely the poor who returned. Most of the affluent, established Jews remained in Exile. This is a continuing theme in Jewish history. It is also important to observe that from its very beginnings there were bible believing Christians who spearheaded the return of the Jews to their land. The idea of organizing a return of the Jews to Israel began as a Protestant Restorationist objective that can be traced to 17th century Puritan England. The protagonists of the Cromwellian Republic viewed themselves as the new Israel fighting the Papist forces of Satan. Alongside this, interest grew in the notion that biblical prophecies pertaining to the return of the Jews to Israel were a necessary precursor for the return of Christ. The growth of the British Empire in the 19th century lent political clout to Christian Restorationism with specific missions to the Jews established. Although there had been a longing to return to Israel as written in the thrice daily Amidah prayer, Jewish Zionism arose in the midst of mid nineteenth century nationalism and was further fermented by European antisemitism. It was an altogether secular enterprise. Although Israel's situation appears rather stark, we can draw strength from the Providence afforded to our ancestors in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah when they too were faced with defamation. This is also an opportunity to grow closer to our natural allies in the evangelical world who from the beginning of Zionism were steadfast supporters of the project to establish a Jewish homeland in Israel. (Author is an Israeli American lawyer academically qualified in British and in U.S.A. law, and a graduate of the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is currently based in Israel).
Signs of the Times Tony Pearce Left, right or center – is our democracy in danger “Things fall apart, the center does not hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” W.B Yeats ‘The Second Coming. ’ Labour’s losses in the council elections and the battle for succession to their unpopular leader Kier Starmer have raised the possibility that we may soon have our seventh Prime Minister in ten years. Local elections saw Reform and the Greens make sweeping gains, leading Green Party leader, Zack Polanski to say that we are seeing ‘the end of the old two party system’. Maybe we are. In which case what comes next? Will we head to the far left, the far right or will the center hold on to power? Or will it end with ungovernable chaos as unqualified people take control of local and national government? Behind all this there are fundamental questions, ‘What is government for? Who does it represent and where is it going?’ According to the Bible (Romans 13) the purpose of government is to promote good and restrain evil. The government has the right to raise taxes for the common good of society and people should pay them. In 1 Timothy 2 Paul encourages us to pray for the government that ‘we may live a godly and peaceable life’. In other words, pray that the government will create an orderly and peaceful society and not interfere with our right to set up communities that teach and preach the Word of God. The situation becomes more difficult when we see government promoting things which are harmful and restraining things which are good and clamping down on freedom of speech with a threat to our ability to live a ‘godly and peaceable life’ Since becoming a Christian in my early twenties, I have wrestled with the question of how our faith applies to contemporary political issues. I started this quest on the left politically after leaving university and working as an English teacher with sympathies for Marxism. I then became a born again Christian in 1970, and joined my late wife Nikki in evangelizing the radical left, by handing out leaflets at their marches and demonstrations in London and attending their meetings to discuss matters of faith and politics with them. We had some good discussions with people and hope we made some consider the Christian alternative. However as we looked at Marxism from a Christian point of view and its practice in Communist countries, we understood that behind this ideology there is a strong anti-christian spirit. It denies the existence of God and promotes the idea of human perfectibility by our own effort. This is exemplified in the words of the Internationale, the socialist battle hymn, ‘No saviour from on high delivers, no faith have we in prince or peer, our own right hand the chains will shiver, chains of hatred, greed and fear.’ This Antichrist spirit led to the persecution of Christians in the Communist countries of eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and China. Far from creating the socialist paradise on earth that Lenin wrote about in ‘Socialism and Religion’, it created a society ruled by hatred, greed and fear, controlled by secret police, prison camps and responsible for the death of millions. In western society we have witnessed the growth of ‘cultural Marxism’ a movement aimed at infiltrating and changing society from within, rather than fomenting the workers’ revolution. Labour’s Fabian Society, with its (now discarded) logo of the wolf in sheep’s clothing, has been engaged in this process since the beginning of the 20th century. Social change really took off with the permissive society in the 1960s, which succeeded in changing traditional values, especially in the area of sex and the family. It replaced biblical values with a new ‘morality’ that is fundamentally anti Christian. These ideas have permeated large swathes of our society including the education system, the judiciary, the Civil Service, much of the media, mainstream political parties (including even the Conservative ‘wets’ and parts of the established church). Melanie Phillips describes the results of this in her book, ‘The Builder’s Stone.’ ‘Having decided that the West was rotten to the core, western elites set out to create a new culture that would usher in the brotherhood of man and eradicate hatred, prejudice, and war. Their Brave New World junked biblical religion with all its constraints on behaviour and revolved instead around self gratification. Everybody had the right to live as they wanted; nobody could say that their way of life was better or worse than anyone else’s; no one had the right to say that their culture was better than any other culture. That was ‘racism.’ At the heart of all this was the doctrine that there was no such thing as objective truth. Everything was relative; everything was a matter of opinion. Because there was no truth feelings became more important than facts. So the West abandoned the codes of morality, conscience, truth and lies, personal responsibility, and duty to others in favour of a culture of the self. In the process it junked its inherited traditions and biblical codes on which western culture was based.’ Britain changed from being a society that respected values based on the 10 Commandments and the teaching of Jesus Christ to one that discarded them for relative values. Ideas of ‘diversity, inclusion and equity’ became the norm, together with and a form of ‘tolerance’, that is really very intolerant if you oppose it. This ‘tolerance’ means accepting the virtues of multiculturalism and humanism and believing that all gods are equally valid or true (or none are). We must also accept that all lifestyles and family arrangements including homosexual and transsexual ones are just as valid as traditional two parent heterosexual families, with a father and mother committed to each other in lifelong matrimony looking after their own children. As society accepts this radical change in how we view culture, morality and religion, we are told not to criticize other cultures and world views or imply that they are anything less than equal to the culture, morality and faith derived from the Bible. All this has not improved society. Instead we have a collapse of values with no central idea to hold it together, just a group of competing ‘communities’ which are often only united in opposition to the traditional values and culture of Great Britain. A good example of this is the ‘red – green alliance’ of radical leftists and Islamists who come together to denounce Israel and campaign to ‘globalise the Intifada’. In practice this means a world wide war against Israel and Judaeo-Christian society and a desire to replace it with their version of either Islamism or Communism. However if one of them were to come to power, you can be sure that the Islamist’s would get rid of the leftists or vice versa. In fact that happened in Iran’s 1979 revolution, when Islamist supporters of Khomeini and Communists came together to get rid of the Shah. Then the Islamists seized power, turned on the Communists and wiped them out. Alisteir Heath wrote in the Daily Telegraph: ‘Ruined by decades of political vandalism, the Britain we knew and loved, a land of stability, pragmatism, and ancient freedoms, is no more. Today’s UK is uglier, impoverished, volatile and disorderly. We’ve lost our level-headedness. Anger and frustration have become our defining emotions. Our institutions have wasted away, and we have been taught to despise our history. The decline of family, community and faith have led to alienation, dependence on welfare and the rise of novel ideologies, mostly secular but also sectarian, turbocharged by social media. While the state becomes unnervingly authoritarian, the air reeks of insurrection and every variety of extremism. The British public’s sense of betrayal is as well-founded as it is dangerous. The machinery of state is incompetent and self-serving, a vehicle for social engineering in the global interest.’ Criticism of this process now risks being classed as ‘hate crime’ with a growing authoritarian society monitoring social media posts and public teaching of alternative ideas in ways which risk shutting down free speech in our society. A Christian teacher Enoch Burke is currently in prison in Dublin after he was suspended from his job and jailed after refusing to accept and teach transgenderism in the school. Nick Timothy, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, got into trouble when he questioned mass Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square. He wrote: ‘Mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination. The adhan – which declares there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger – is, when called in a public place, a declaration of domination. The domination of public places is straight from the Islamist playbook.” He is right in this. Allah hu Akhbar actually means Allah is greater, greater than your God, Muhammad is greater than Jesus and the Koran is greater than the Bible. Tim Dieppe of Christian Concern for our Nation wrote: “The fact that we have mass Islamic prayer in Trafalgar Square at all is indicative of the massive culture change that we have seen in the last few decades. A culture change that was not voted for or ever agreed to by the British people. And, a culture change that can hardly be described as having been entirely beneficial to our culture as a whole. I only need to mention grooming gangs involving mostly Pakistani Muslim men , sharia courts, honour crimes, terror attacks, the assassination of an MP, an attempt to blockade Parliament, mass antisemitic marches through London, a convicted terrorist standing for local elections, sectarianism, and many other examples to make the point. Earlier this month, the Government gave Muslims special protection with the adoption of an official definition of anti-Muslim hostility .” You are not really supposed to question this in public life today. A message circulating on social media is an apt commentary on all this. ‘First they overlook evil, then they permit evil, then they legalise evil, then they promote evil, then celebrate evil, then persecute those who call it evil.’ Soviet dissident Solzhenitsyn wrote: ‘A Communist system can be recognised by how it spares criminals and criminalises its opponents.’ The root cause of all this is the rejection of God and biblical values. The 18th-century French philosopher Joseph de Maistre coined the phrase "people get the government they deserve." David Pawson followed up on this idea, arguing that in democratic societies like ours, the moral and spiritual condition of a nation's citizens is directly reflected in the leaders they elect. If the general public abandons moral truths, they will inevitably vote for governments that reflect those same compromises. David Pawson taught that God may use governmental leadership to judge or bless a nation, depending on the people's obedience. He noted that Hebrew prophets saw wicked rulers as a form of divine judgement on a society that has strayed from God's laws. Therefore a nation's ultimate hope rests on repentance rather than just political change. His conclusion is that Christians should actively stand for moral truth in society. He believed that the church is meant to influence culture upward, and that a decline in national morality inevitably leads to deteriorating governance. Sadly much of the church today has become the ‘salt that has lost its savour’ through compromise with antichristian forces in society and government. It may be too late to save our country and western democracy as social and economic pressures create a collapse of democracy and push us either towards anarchy or dictatorship. Yeats’ poem quoted at the beginning of this article ends with the enigmatic line ‘Some rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.’ Most likely he is referring to the coming anti-Messiah who is labelled the Beast in the book of Revelation. Many believe his is now waiting in the wings to replace the true Messiah (born in Bethlehem) and bring in the dictatorship prophesied in Revelation 13. The Bible indicates that the Beast or Antichrist will have power for a moment, but it will be short lived and doomed to destruction at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. Then the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of His Messiah and He shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 11.15) and the ‘government shall be on His shoulder’ (Isaiah 9.6). Maranatha come Lord Jesus. Water, water nowhere and not a drop to drink. (Apologies to the Ancient Mariner) While nations worry about supply of oil and gas as a result of the war in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a much more vital commodity for human survival is water. And it is in short supply in a growing number of nations. As of 2026, over 25 countries face extremely high water stress, with the most severe crises located in the Middle East and North Africa. This region is home to the world's most water-stressed nations, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, and Libya. India and Pakistan face critical water scarcity due to overexploitation of aquifers and population density. Much of Africa , Somalia and Ethiopia in particular are facing severe shortages due to drought and climate change. Mexico and parts of the United States (particularly Texas and the west coast) are experiencing significant water shortages and declining groundwater levels. Iran is facing a severe, multi-year water crisis as of May 2026, with major cities like Tehran, Mashhad, and Karaj approaching the point where taps could run dry due to depleted reservoirs. Groundwater is depleted across most of the country, and nineteen provinces are experiencing severe drought. The crisis is driven by a combination of climate change and decades of poor water management, including excessive dam construction and inefficient, water-intensive agriculture. China is facing a severe, multi-faceted water crisis defined by extreme scarcity in the north, widespread pollution, and mismanagement, threatening its food supply and economic growth. Several countries are significantly affected by upstream dam construction that reduces downstream water flow, causing, environmental, and diplomatic crises. These countries include Iraq, heavily impacted by dams built on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers by Turkey and Iran, leading to reduced water for agriculture, destruction of forests, and increased sandstorms. Egypt and Sudanface significant water security risks due to the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laosare affected of dams built by China on the upper Mekong River One country which bucks this trend is Israel. Israel manages its water resources by transforming a chronic shortage into a surplus through large-scale desalination, extensive wastewater recycling, and a centralised national water carrier system. The agriculture sector has shifted away from freshwater, using treated effluent instead. Advanced drip irrigation technologies are widely used to minimise waste. Israel has exported its water technologies to countries around the world, particularly Africa where it has given advice on how to use limited water resources to great effect. Without water no society on earth can survive. Bible prophecies indicate that water shortage and pollution will be a global problem in the last days. Most obviously no water equals no food, so famine is an inevitable result of water shortages. Jesus warned of this as a sign of the last days in Matthew 24.7. Revelation 8.10-11 speaks of something called ‘Wormwood’ falling on rivers and springs of water causing it to become bitter and many to die from drinking it. Prophecy speaks of the two great rivers of the ancient world, the Nile and the Euphrates, being affected by a crisis causing the Euphrates to dry up (Revelation 16.12) and the Nile to become contaminated and its waters turn foul (Isaiah 19.5-11). Isaiah 24 speaks of a curse devouring the earth in the last days causing the earth to be ‘defiled (or polluted) under its inhabitants.’ According to the New Scientist, there are massive amounts of water hidden deep beneath the Earth's surface. Scientists have found evidence of a reservoir of water three times the volume of all surface oceans combined, located roughly 250–400 miles underground within the mantle. It may be that the Lord will release this water to replenish and clean up the earth in the Millennial kingdom when ‘waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.’ Isaiah 35. Zechariah 14.8-9 says, ‘In that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.’ Zechariah 14.8-9. See also Ezekiel 47. Rethinking Russia Things are not going well for Vladimir Putin in his ‘special military operation’. Four years after invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia is not making advances and actually losing ground. Russia is losing as many as 25,000- 35,000 casualties a month and over 1.2 million have been killed and wounded since the war began. Ukrainian skills in drone warfare have destroyed large quantities of Russian equipment, tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery and rocket systems, helicopters, and naval vessels. Russia is spending an estimated 40% of the entire federal budget on the war effort. As a result of this and western sanctions, Russia is increasingly unable to fix chronic infrastructure problems at home. During the bitter Russian winter thousands of people were left without heat, light, or even water. All forms of transport, trains, trucks and planes, are facing logistical problems, making it difficult to transport goods and people across the vast Russian regions. Russia is on the way to an infrastructure collapse that will likely take decades to recover. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov warned the State Duma that Russia's faltering economy risks stoking a 1917-style revolution. He demanded urgent financial and economic measures by autumn to avert a potential economic collapse. This raises the danger of the Russian Federation fracturing. The Caucuses are restive, the far east is looking to China and Siberia is facing an acute problem as a result of melting permafrost, causing buildings, bridges and pipelines to collapse. In the present circumstances it is hard to see how Russia could lead the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). Some have said that it is more likely that Turkey is the lead power in the War of Gog and Magog. They say that Meshech and Tubal are not Moscow and Tobolsk, but regions of modern Turkey. Erdogan’s Turkey is backed by an Islamist world view hostile to Israel, seeking the recovery of its Ottoman Empire. He has his eyes on taking control of Jerusalem. Turkey is possession of a large land army already stationed in the region, some of it occupying part of Syria. The alternative is that the War of Gog and Magog is some way off, possibly part of Armageddon, giving time for Russia to recover from its present distress. We wait and see, but meanwhile spare a thought and a prayer for the people of Ukraine and Russia, suffering as a result of Putin’s futile war, oppressed by his corrupt dictatorship and facing an economic and social collapse caused by his failed policies.
