Redeeming a Nation (Timeless Teaching)

by Philip Quenby

  Freedom is also one of the essentials of what it is to be a Christian. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed “freedom to the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus set people free: from sickness, from enslavement to dark forces and from the bonds of sin. He announced that he came to purchase our liberty: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but ... to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45).

  The freedom that we enjoy has found fertile soil in England precisely because this has for generation upon generation been a Christian land. Sometimes in our history the flame of freedom has burned low, but it has never been wholly put out. Now we need to rouse ourselves afresh for the good old cause, since the flame gutters dangerously. If we are to preserve our freedom, we need first to disentangle cause and effect. Freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of the press and all the other freedoms we cherish are but effects. Their source is a much more fundamental freedom: the truth that sets us free to enjoy and use wisely all other liberties. Thus our starting point must be to nurture this truth, to sow it widely and cause it to grow.

  The seeds that we plant and tend may seem tiny and insignificant to us, but they have eternal effects: for good or ill, through act or omission. Each time we forgo the chance to do the smallest thing to advance the Kingdom of God, there is a vast potential unfulfilled. Each time we fail to raise our voices against what is wrong, we permit the enemy to advance. Correspondingly, we have no way of knowing the full extent of the harvest that will come from our lives. Forgotten words of kindness, acts of love and moments of self-denial will all bear fruit in ways more wonderful than we can imagine. We too readily forget that “each man has his own gift from God” (1 Corinthians 7:7) and that for each there is a “field that God has assigned to us” (2 Corinthians 10:13).

  We need to develop the perspective of the Kingdom of God and allow this to inform every aspect of our thoughts and conduct. We have been made co-workers with God. We are planting and nurturing for the sake of the present generation, but also for the seed that springs from us, our offspring and descendants, our physical and spiritual progeny. We must not let them down.

  9. Apocalypse

  Revelation 16:1-14.

  Key word: direction.

  In 1348 England caught the full force of a pandemic that had already ravaged Asia and other areas of Europe. It was fuelled by three related types of plague, two carried by rats and one on the air. The symptoms were horrific: the most common, bubonic form caused painful swellings in groin and armpit, with dark blotches on the skin from internal bleeding. Three or four days of unbearable pain were followed by certain death if the bubo did not burst beforehand. The affliction was called the Pestilence or the Great Pestilence, otherwise known as the Black Death.

  It is commonly reckoned that something like one third of the population of Europe died between 1346 and 1353, though some hazard yet higher mortality. Contemporaries often speak of half or even three quarters of the people around them dying, though it is difficult to substantiate death on such an extravagant scale across entire countries. At all events, it is not fanciful to think of some one and a half millions dead in England, eight millions in France and perhaps some thirty millions for Europe as a whole. Those figures are horrific in themselves, the more so when we remember the population of the entire British Isles in 1346 probably did not exceed five millions.

  Reactions to the horror varied from panic and wild debauchery to dutiful fortitude. Many clergy suffered disproportionately through bravely ministering to the sick and dying, whilst others fled for their lives.[22] The authorities were helpless, doctors useless. There was nothing for it but to let the disease run its course. At length, it burnt itself out in Russia in 1353, leaving behind a ravaged continent.

  The psychological trauma ran deep, heightened by the fact that plague had been absent from Europe for six hundred years. No longer: there were further outbreaks from 1357 to 1365 and thereafter every ten years or so until the end of the century. The macabre Dance of Death made its appearance[23] and a new breed of mendicants, the so-called Flagellants, whipped themselves bloodily from town to town in a bizarre enactment of repentance. The conviction reigned that God was punishing mankind for its sins. Many claimed that the end of the world was nigh.

  The wrath of God.

  The book of Revelation speaks clearly of “God’s wrath.” (Revelation 16:1). It tells of seven plagues that are “poured out” (Revelation 16:2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12 and 17). These are sent at God’s instruction: “I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.’” (Revelation 16:1). God is explicitly said to be the one who “had control over these plagues” (Revelation 16:9). They mirror many of those that came upon Egypt when Pharoah refused to free the Israelites: blood (Exodus 7:14-21), frogs (Exodus 8:5-14), boils (Exodus 9:8-11) and darkness (Exodus 10:21-26).

  The whole concept of a God who can be angry and who can visit plagues upon the earth is one with which we tend to be deeply uncomfortable. We are uncomfortable since we imagine that this sits uneasily with the idea that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). We are uncomfortable because our society values tolerance so highly and to be angry seems so very intolerant. We are uncomfortable because of the implications that God’s wrath has for ourselves and for the lives that we lead.

  We need to grow up. We have to recognise that God cannot be consistent in his character without also having the capacity for anger. A God who loves and cares deeply for his Creation, who esteems all that is good, who is the personification of all that is just and true and holy cannot but be angry at evil, sin, injustice and vice. The consequence is this: the Lord has provided and holds out the means for our salvation, but if we reject it, judgment will come. It will come unwillingly on God’s part, for he takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but [desires] rather that they turn from their ways and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11). It will come for no other reasons than our rebellion and rejection of the Almighty. It will come as an inevitable result of the application of the Lord’s justice in circumstances where we have failed to seize his free offer of forgiveness. It will come after we have had every opportunity and all the evidence we need to see the right path and to take it.

  Things could be different if only we would turn to God, but the awful truth is that many will not. In view of this, what is described is “what must take place.” (Revelation 4:1).

  Discipline and judgment.

  God does not punish because he is a sadist. He acts with purpose and he acts proportionately.

  The Lord’s aim is first and foremost is to discipline us: to teach, train, prune, equip and turn from wrongdoing. This is not pleasant, with the result that we tend too often to confuse the positive of discipline with something negative. Scripture encourages us instead to: “Endure hardship as discipline; for God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live? Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:7-11)

  Only as a last resort does God carry out judgment on those who will not turn from wrongdoing. This judgment is always just: “You are just in these judgments ... and you have given ... as they deserve ... Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” (Revelation 16:5-7). Hence it is related in nature and extent to what is being punished. As Jesus warns, “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:2). The proportionate nature of God’s judgment means that the punishment fits the crime: “they have
shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” (Revelation 16:6).

  The plague brought by the first angel is apparently world-wide in its effect, but aimed at a specific group. Although it is fashionable in some quarters to explain away and excuse wrong behaviour, we know from our own experience that in the long run individuals, communities and even whole nations tend to suffer for their crimes. When such suffering comes, often there is a grim and obvious correlation between cause and effect. “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshipped his image.” (Revelation 16:2). We are given to understand that the followers of evil have things that specially characterise them and mark them off from others, and these are the ones who fall victim to the first plague. As in the present day, there are some evils that afflict those who give themselves over to wickedness but do not affect others.

  The beast and his kingdom.

  Just as those who follow “the beast and worshipped his image” (Revelation 16:2) are set apart, so the people of God should be set apart, too. The Bible often uses “the world” as contrast and counterpoint to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus reminds the people of God that they “do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:19). Similarly, “they are not of the world any more than I am.” (John 17:14). People who follow Christ are called upon to shun the world and its works: “Do not love the world or anything in the world ... the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does ...” (1 John 2:15). Indeed, “friendship with the world is hatred towards God.” (James 4:4) and “the wisdom of this world is foolishness” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

  The world, used in this sense, belongs to “the beast and his kingdom.” (Revelation 16:10). In other words, it is under the control of Satan and the forces of darkness. Their aim is to deceive and destroy, to kill, scatter and frustrate the coming of the Kingdom of God. So, as the “water [of the great river Euphrates] was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the east ... I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16:12-14).

  The picture is of insidious propaganda that will lead people to accept and support the cause of evil. The result is that right to the last there remain “people who had the mark of the beast and worshipped his image.” (Revelation 16:2). This is so notwithstanding the fact that “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness.” (Revelation 16:10). Incredible as it might seem, some will persist in stubborn denial of and hatred towards God despite all evidence.

  Reaction and repentance.

  Failure to accept the evidence is shown in the reaction to the plagues that God sends. It is wilful, muddled and misguided. People:

  • Confuse the problem and the solution: “Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores” (Revelation 16:10-11).

  • Set themselves in opposition to God: “they cursed the name of God ... and cursed the God of heaven” (Revelation 16:9 and 11).

  • Fail to learn from their mistakes: “they refused to repent and glorify him ... they refused to repent of what they had done.” (Revelation 16:9 and 11).

  There is a complete absence of the only proper response, which is repentance and turning to he who made us. It is through admitting what we have done wrong, saying sorry for it and making a decision to forswear ungodliness that we take the necessary first step towards salvation and God’s blessing. If we fail to do this, we remain enemies of God and we remain under his judgment.

  Conclusion.

  Nobody would seriously argue that only wicked people died in the Black Death. The disease was no respecter of age, status or personal sanctity. It was not the plague described in Revelation 16:2. We simply are not in a position to know whether it was a just judgment from God or merely a result of living in a fallen world. What we can know, however, is how to react to adversity and how to adopt a proper spiritual perspective on it, using it for our discipline and growth rather than as something that drives us further from our heavenly Father.

  Our land is undergoing affliction. This is not primarily physical in its nature, though it has physical manifestations. It is not the passing hardship of an economic cycle but a more fundamental malaise that goes to the root of our society, a deep spiritual sickness. It will result in a miserable existence and everlasting death for large numbers of our countrymen unless we act vigorously to combat it. We have brought it on ourselves through our pride, our rejection of God and our disregard for his laws. Year by year and generation upon generation we see the spiral of decline grow steeper as minor delinquencies and relatively harmless failings turn to something altogether uglier and more intractable. With each turn of the screw, we ratchet up the pressure by applying force in the same direction instead of recognising that the direction itself needs to change. We face a choice: either to treat this as an occasion to learn discipline and turn back to what is right, or to carry on as we have in years gone by. If we choose the former, we can expect God’s blessing. If we choose the latter, we will continue to experience “pains and sores” (Revelation 16: 11). We will then stand amongst those who “refused to repent and glorify [the Lord]” (Revelation 16:9) and those who “refused to repent of what they had done.” (Revelation 16:11).

  When we come to a fork in the road and do not know the way, it is usually a good idea to read the road signs. In the same fashion, we need to read the spiritual signs. For the best part of half a century, our society has followed a path that promised freedom. The underlying thrust of thought was this: that our troubles arose out of guilt and repression, which came from being in thrall to the outdated and unscientific concept of God. Far from our being in the grip of Original Sin, all that was needed to perfect man was to create the right environment for him. It was therefore necessary to change society. The major element of this change was to do away with God, for this would enable liberation – political, sexual and cultural. So we were to reach the sunlit uplands of a Brave New World. This promise has turned out to be utterly false. It has delivered the very opposite of what it claimed, yet is still peddled as a credible blueprint. It is deceptive and beguiling propaganda, but no less propaganda for all that.

  We must be the ones to read the signs and give direction. We need to retrace our steps to where we left the true path and start anew on the right track. Such is the only hope of health and wellbeing for our nation.

  10. Pilgrims and ploughmen

  Micah 4:1-13.

  Key word: praise.

  Geoffrey Chaucer, who lived between about 1340 and 1400, is widely reckoned the poetic genius of Middle English. His life was full of incident, and he became an active participant in many of the major events of the day. He was almost certainly of an age to remember the horror of the Black Death. He fought in France during the Hundred Years’ War, being captured and later ransomed, was employed on diplomatic missions to France and Italy and most likely on secret service in Flanders. He was probably present at Smithfield in 1381 when the young king Richard II confronted Wat Tyler and the rebels of the Great (or Peasants’) Revolt.

  Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are rightly famous, painting a picture of a whole society in the shape of thirty two pilgrims riding together from tavern to cathedral, entertaining each other and revealing themselves as they do so. His keen eye and sharp pen describe many of the issues of his day, being particularly scathing of corruption, greed and hypocrisy amongst the clergy.

  More or less contemporary and almost equally esteemed is The Vision concerning Piers Ploughman, usually attributed
to William Langland. Here Conscience preaches to the people, Repentance moves their hearts and many are prompted to seek the way of Truth with the guidance of the trusty ploughman.

  The world that these poems describe was one of almost bewildering social change. Formerly immutable hierarchies were starting to crumble. Widespread death from plague loosened the bonds of feudalism and the survivors of a decimated peasantry found their bargaining position much improved. Pressure on the land was reduced, workers were in short supply and wages began to creep upwards. Increasingly, obligations of service were commuted to cash payments. All over Europe, attempts were made to preserve the old economic order. In England, the Statute of Labourers was passed in 1351 to hold down wages. Resentment against such measures was widespread and consequently popular risings were commonplace in France, Germany and elsewhere. Revolt usually fizzled quickly with the killing of rebel leaders and dispersal of their followers, but the medieval world was passing.