Greetings:
So many things can and do conspire to take our eyes off of what God instructs us to do. An undue concentration on prophecy – though prophecy is of critical importance to us — can cause us to take our eyes off of our goal.
Recently, Britain’s referendum to leave the European Union (EU) heralded a major shift in European politics. What it means or even if it will actually happen at this time is unclear. In order for Britain to actually leave the European Union, she must invoke a provision of the Lisbon Treaty known as Article 50. When that will happen and what will happen if it is invoked, is uncertain because it has never been done before.
What is clear is that we are seeing more are more of what Brian Orchard recently referred to as “unbridled human nature.” What drives it is anger and a lack of control over our own lives. We see anger boiling up over a plethora of issues — immigration, globalization, feminism, religion—and it drives much of what we see happening in the world. People feel left behind. It is what is driving U.S. elections and what drove the Brexit. People in many parts of the world seem to be willing do anything to get what they want and as a result, the long-term consequences are generally not taken into account.
Ironically, the British referendum that called for “taking back control” has created a huge amount of turmoil and highlighted the divisions in British society. (Previous to the vote, claims, denunciations and exaggerations had been used by both sides – leave and remain.) Now no one really knows what to do next. A leadership vacuum has developed affecting the entirety of the United Kingdom. The “Leave” campaigners did not have a clear plan for post-Brexit.
This sentiment found in Isaiah 3:6 and 7 might reflect the thought of many leaders or potential leaders in Britain today:
6 A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, “You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!”
7 But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.”
Who wants to take on a task with such an uncertain future? Of course we see this feeling in both the private and public sector among those more informed and more measured in their approach.
It would be an exaggeration to say Brexit is the beginning of the end. The EU is now being forced to rethink much of what they do and how they relate to “the common man”. Dissatisfaction is rampant in many EU members states — on many fronts. Britain’s historical place in the world and their national pride (which is not as strong among the young) no doubt played a part in their move to take such a drastic lead in trying to deal with EU issues. The implementation of the Euro has been a problem from the beginning (the UK had opted out of using Euro early on). Britain’s exit will cause the EU commission to have to rethink a number of things. They would, of course, hope that changes may lead to a more cohesive Europe in the long term. What we may see for now is actually a lessening of the power of the EU commission. Politicians from several countries in the EU – notably those from the former eastern block – have openly criticized the overbearing, centralized nature of the EU Commission.
What does it mean to us today?
Prophecy is a gift from God to His people. It tells us two things: First, we know God is on His throne and we are not alone. “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” (Daniel 4:25) Second, God has a plan to reconcile every human being that has ever lived to Him if they will choose to follow Him.
God didn’t give us prophecy so we could “figure it all out”, but so that we would look to Him. Through prophecy we are told that through a series of events God will give every human being a choice to follow Him. We know that there are consequences for doing what seems best to us and that Israel specifically will be punished for turning from Him in order that He might win them back and use them in the role they were intended for — to be a light to the world. We know that eventually every knee will bow (Philippians 2:9-11; Isaiah 45:23) and man will be reconciled to God if he chooses. Those that don’t will face a final end. God is not looking for us to figure out all of the specifics but to totally rely on Him. Prophecy isn’t the focus. God is the focus. Prophecy points to God.
Many have a fixed idea of what prophecy means and who the players are in it. So when watching world events we tend to look for things that fit our version of what must happen and ignore events and mindsets that don’t fit our mold. While our version of prophecy may be generally correct, we need to cast a wider net and not inflate the importance of any single event. Everything that is to happen is all leading to the return of Jesus Christ and when the time is right – if we are ready – we will be given clear direction from Jesus Christ as to what we are to do and when. We won’t know because we have figured it out but because our relationship with God warrants it.
If we are looking for a specific interpretation of prophecy that is of our own devising we may well be caught unaware when events don’t point to what we think they should. What if, for example, in time, the world should begin to look like it is improving due to some human mechanism. This could cause us to think we have more time when in fact it is the beginning of the end. A world that thinks it has figured out a way to govern itself doesn’t need a returning Christ.
To be able to watch world events and know that God is aware of them and has a plan to deal with them gives us hope. We are not alone in a vast nothingness. We have hope in a God that wants a deep and eternal relationship with us. And that should be our focus.
Michael McKinney
