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Britain is in complete political turmoil with a BREXIT deadline of March 29, 2019 looming large, and no deal in place.

The BEXIT vote, taken in a referendum on June 23, 2016, saw 51.9% of voters being in favour of leaving the EU. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government of the day promised to honour the result. Cameron, (who had been opposed to BREXIT), promptly resigned and Theresa May, (who also had been opposed to BREXIT), became the Prime Minister.  Theresa May triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and the date of March 29, 2019 was set as the date to leave.

The past two years have been fraught with one disaster after another for the government who have tried to negotiate a relationship with European Union.

The Finger of God has Indicated a Course that Cannot Be Avoided

While Britain reels in a complex dance with the European Union, and within its own walls, to try to form a deal, a power behind the scenes is orchestrating the outcome. Years ago, speaking about Britain’s role in the Middle East, (when it didn’t have one), a Bible prophecy student named John Thomas wrote the following:

“The present decisions of “statesmen” are destitute of stability. A shooting star in the political firmament is sufficient to disturb all the forces of their system; and to stultify all the theories of their political astronomy. The finger of God has indicated a course to be pursued by Britain which cannot be evaded, and which her counsellors will not only be willing, but eager, to adopt when the crisis comes upon them.”

This prediction was in reference to the future involvement of the British government in assuming control of the Holy Land, clearing the way for the colonization of Palestine by the Jewish people. At the time this was seen as ridiculous but became fact during the First World War when Lord Balfour penned the Balfour Declaration promoting the colonization of the Palestine by the Jews, followed only weeks later by General Allenby capture of Jerusalem.

Thomas’ statement was based on confidence in the prophetic word. The Prophetic word also describes the destiny of Britain outside of the European Union.

A brief review of the scriptures detailing this begins in the book of Revelation. When The Lord returns from heaven, a decree will go out to the nations of the world to submit to his rule:

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:6–7)

This event is also captured in the second Psalm where a rebellion is formulated:

“Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, And cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1–3)

God’s response is clear:

“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.” (Psalm 2:4–7)

God clearly indicates the power Messiah will yield at this time:

“Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:8–9)

And he continues to warn the nations against rebellion:

“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, And ye perish from the way, When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2:10–12)

There is a blessing to those who listen, but those who don’t will “perish from the way”. The nations of Europe will pool their sovereignty together in rebellion against Christ as is indicated in Revelation 17:

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:12–14)

They will be utterly defeated, and their destiny is clear, described by Daniel the prophet when the little stone of the kingdom of God hitting the 10 toes of the European Union (which correspond with the 10 horns of the beast of Revelation):

“Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:34–35)

The destruction is total as Daniel 7 describes of the 4th beast with the 10 horns:

“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” (Daniel 7:11)

That is the destiny of the European Union, who having formed together in rebellion against Christ will be destroyed.

That is the course Europe is going to take, indicated by the finger of God. The course Britain will take is entirely different, also indicated by the finger of God.

Britain is Tarshish, and forms part of the alliance the opposes the Russo-European Gogian host as it invades the land of Israel at the time of the end:

“Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” (Ezekiel 38:13)

When the call goes out to fear God and worship him, and to bow before His son enthroned on the holy hill of Zion, Britain will submit. We find a picture of this in Psalm 72 when the King is given rulership of the world and he will break in pieces the oppressor as Psalm 2 also told us:

“Give the king thy judgments, O God, And thy righteousness unto the king’s son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, And thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, And shall break in pieces the oppressor.” (Psalm 72:1–4)

Britain is the Tarshish of the modern age – proved by the fact of her involvement of Israel’s return to the land as predicted by the scriptures. As such we find her submitting to Christ:

“The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: All nations shall serve him.” (Psalm 72:10–11)

Britain will be amongst those nations who, Daniel relates:

“As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.” (Daniel 7:12)

They will continue on in national existence, albeit with their governments replaced by the saints who will live and reign with Christ for a thousand years.

This being the course indicated by God as to the destiny of Europe and Britain, the finger of God indicates the course to be pursued by Britain – it must leave the European Union. Whether the current government, the opposition members, or the business leaders want it or not, it has to happen because God has decreed it.

And so we come to the news of the week.

Teetering on the Abyss

Tuesday, May’s Deal Voted Down Again!

Brexit is in a full out crisis as Theresa May’s government has won stunning defeat after stunning defeat. This past week the British parliament again rejected Theresa May’s divorce deal with the European Union. The British government has been struggling to maintain some kind of link with Europe, but this desire is wrought with problems. God has indicated Britain will stand separately at the time of the end, but the government’s proposal would still tie it to Europe.  The National Post reported this past week:

“in a devastating legal opinion delivered Tuesday, her attorney-general, Geoffrey Cox, said even the new agreement might result in the U.K. being permanently tied to the EU.”

This is the problem with the negotiations. The deal, negotiated by May, (who was a “remainer” during the original BREXIT vote), has sought to maintain ties to Europe. These ties must be broken if the word of God is to be upheld, and God tells us:

“For as the rain cometh down, And the snow from heaven, And returneth not thither, But watereth the earth, And maketh it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It shall not return unto me void, But it shall accomplish that which I please, And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10–11)

And so the deal was voted down. Following this, Prime Minister May promised a free vote on a No Deal.

Wednesday, No Deal Rejected

On Wednesday, the vote on a NO-DEAL BREXIT was put to parliament. The government had originally proposed rejecting a no-deal BREXIT on March 29. This amendment was changed and proposed that Britain will never accept a no-deal BREXIT, ever.

Theresa May and her government removed the free vote and enforced what is called a 3 Whip vote. The government failed, and the motion passed by 312 to 308, signifying the British Parliament does not want a NO-DEAL BREXIT under any circumstances.

Another amendment called for a managed NO-DEAL BREXIT, but it was defeated.

This meant that in the end, the main vote in parliament was “Do you reject the UK leaving the EU with no deal, UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES?”

This was no longer a free vote with the amendment, and May pressured who own members to vote against the NO DEAL.  The vote passed with 321 for and 278 against.

May then announced she planned on bring her deal back one more time.

Wednesday, 2nd Referendum Rejected

On Wednesday, the British Parliament voted on a proposal for NOT to hold a second referendum. The proposal passed with by 334 for to 85 against. This means there is not going to be a second referendum on EU membership.

Thursday’s Vote for an Extension

On Thursday, the British parliament went on to voted to seek a delay of the country’s departure from the European Union, which is scheduled for March 29th.

Earlier, before the vote for the extension, May warned the British parliament:

Let me be clear: Voting against leaving without a deal and for an extension does not solve the problems we face. The EU will want to know what use we mean to make of such an extension and this House will have to answer that question.

Jeremy Corbin, leader of the opposition stated the following:

“The Prime Minister said, “the choice was between her deal and no deal.” In the last 23 hours Parliament has decisively rejected “her deal” and “no deal.” While an extension of article 50 is now inevitable, responsibility of that extension lies solely and squarely at the prime minister’s door.”

There was a vote on an amendment to delay BREXIT for a second referendum, but this was defeated by 332 votes to 85.

Following the failure of 3 other amendments, the main motion was voted on. The motion was passed by 412 to 202.

Jeremy Corbin addressed the house after the vote:

After the last few days of government chaos and defeats, all of us now have the opportunity and responsibility to work together to find a solution to the crisis facing this country, where the government has dramatically has failed to do so. We’ve begun to hold meetings with member across the house to find a consensus and a compromise that meet the needs of this country. But the last few days have also put a responsibility on the prime minister:

First, to publicly accept that both “her deal” and “no deal” are simply no longer viable options. Secondly, to bring forward the necessary legislation to amend the exit date of the 29th of March.

May has to ask the EU for an extension at the next EU summit to be held on March 21, as it is the last summit before the March 29th BREXIT date.

She wants s one last vote, probably to be held on Tuesday, March 19th to have her deal accepted so she can table this with the EU and ask for a short delay of BREXIT to implement it.

If the deal is rejected by Parliament, May will have to ask for long extension of BREXIT  from the EU which might result in a second referendum (which was already turned down), a parliamentary election in Britain, and European elections for Britain as it would still be in the EU.

Ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farrage had the following to say:

We voted to leave, we backed it up with a general election, 500 MP’s voted for Article 50 which said, “we leave on the 29th of March with or without a deal”, and now we have a big majority in Parliament not to leave on March the 29th…

… to me the only logical thing we can now do is to leave on March the 29th with no deal, because her deal has failed twice…

The trouble with her deal, and by the way it is not a deal, it is a new European Treaty, and you know I’ve ready that Treaty, I’ve studied it, and in many ways it is even worse than being a member of the European Union, in terms of us being bound in to European rules, possibly in perpetuity, and you know the next phase of negotiations, (and I met Mr. Barnier earlier this week), the next phase of negotiations could take another four years. I don’t think we want to go through that process. This deal is the wrong deal. The prime minister has made an horrendous mess of it, so let’s just leave. Let’s have a clean break in a few day’s time, and get on with things.

When you sum this up the British Parliament (both sides except the hard right Brexiteers) has done everything it can to remain tied to the European Union. However, the finger of God has indicated the end game for Britain.

Ironically, the British parliament has no control over what happens next.

Europe to Decide on Extension

Britain’s May is in the position of begging the EU for a delay, a short delay if her deal is accepted, a long delay if it isn’t. The EU is not bound to yield to Britain in either circumstance.

Martin Selmayr, the European Commission’s powerful secretary-general, retweeted a message saying that “there will be no further talks” on Brexit.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s representative in the Brexit negotiations, tweeted this response:

Under no circumstances an extension in the dark! Unless there is a clear majority in the House of Commons for something precise, there is no reason at all for the European Council to agree on a prolongation. Even the motion tabled this evening by the UK Gov. recognises this.

An official from Macron’s office told Reuters that the French President Macron has stated he does not support granting a short extension if it is merely for Britain to try to reopen negotiations over terms with the European Union.

Sky news reported European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans as stating:

“Many member states are saying, yes, you’re talking about an extension, but to do what? That question appeared unlikely to be settled by Thursday’s votes.”

However, European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that he will appeal to EU leaders:

During my consultations ahead of European Council, I will appeal to the EU27 to be open to a long extension if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its BREXIT strategy and build consensus around it.

This shows the true colours of the EU. It will only support a long extension if it will result in a way for the British to reverse BREXIT.

The Nation Post reported the following

Power to approve or reject the extension lies with the EU, whose officials have said they will only allow a delay if Britain either approves a divorce deal or makes a fundamental shift in its approach to Brexit. In a historic irony, almost three years after Britain voted to leave the EU, its future is now in the bloc’s hands.

But is it?

Man is not in charge, God is.

Thankfully not, for the Bible is clear:

“This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” (Daniel 4:17)

Man is not in charge, God is.

Rather than Britain being about to fall into the abyss, it is about to be rescued from it, by the providence of God. The machinations, motions, votes, yelling, screaming, storming in and out, and skulduggery of parliament are summarised by the words of the prophet:

“But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” (Isaiah 57:20–21)

The finger of God has indicated the course Britain will take. Whether in the next few weeks, or even if it takes few years, we know not, but the Angels do – and the Lord will bring about his purpose with the nation of Britain, with the nations of Europe and with the Nation of Israel – which is destined to be the little stone that will fill the earth conquering all nations, under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is described as returning not as a lamb, but a lion:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11–16)

For the Bible in the News, this has been Jonathan Bowen joining you.