The Restitution Times
"Whom heaven must receive until the Times
of Restitution of all things" Acts
A series of papers devoted to the restoring of
original truth.
By Arthur & Rosalind Eedle
Oxleigh,
Home page www.oxleigh.freeserve.co.uk
No. 16. The Final
This is a
serious call to all those who have their finger on the Divine Pulse, who
recognise in their spirits the overwhelming spiritual darkness that covers the
earth.
Even the
proverbial "man in the street" knows that the world is in danger of
overwhelming conflict. The newscasts via TV, radio, and other news-media
provide him with sufficient information to cause alarm. The impending war with
Iraq, the nuclear situation in North Korea, the everlasting problem in the
Middle East between so-called Palestinians and the Jews, these are but a few of
the insurmountable problems that face the world. The United Nations (a misnomer
if ever there was one) presents a strangle-hold on action, so that a state of
tension is maintained, and no one is able to release it. Diplomacy has become a
new god, who delights in tension without resolution. Political correctness is
making a mockery of us all, in the name of Peaceful Coexistence, yet another
god of modern man. This represents just a brief review of a few of the
world's problems, and almost all of us are aware of the problem, but 99.99% of
us are totally unable to influence the deadlock.
So much for
the world-view, and the man-in-the-street's shrug of the shoulders, as he sits
down to watch the latest football match to take his mind off that which he
cannot do anything about, that which if he thinks about it too much only causes
him to be demoralised. Hence the western world's people drive towards anything
and everything to dissipate any feeling of wretchedness, by the love of money,
the love of comfort, sport, holidays, expensive electronic equipment and so on.
Let's move
away from this and take a look at the "church". I put it in quotes
because it covers such a vast and disparate selection of "believers"
who nominally call themselves "Christians" that it is virtually
impossible to define in simple terms. We read that 25% of Anglican clergy
no longer believe in the virgin birth. (A recent Daily Telegraph poll). This is
just one symptom of the present malaise. One could quote similar alarming
statistics from almost anywhere in the Western World. The churches delight in
the "most rapidly growing movement of recent decades", namely the
But what
about those who do have their finger on the divine pulse, who truly
sense in their spirits the engulfing darkness, the proliferation of evil, the
subtlety of Satan, and the minute size of God's faithful warrior band? Do they
feel like the man-in-the-street? Do they sense the size and the power of the
enemy to such an extent that they feel totally overwhelmed, something like the
ten spies who returned from the land, saying that there were giants, before
whom they were but grasshoppers for size? Where are the Joshuas and
Calebs who trust in the overcoming ability of the Lord God? If the Scriptures assure
us that our Lord and Master has won the victory over Satan, why are we
bowed down with grief, finding prayer more and more difficult, answers to
prayer so few and far between?
Why is
God's church in such a depressingly low state? Why is it that, if we are truly
living in the days of the "final battle", our forces are not
measuring up to the job in hand? If, as many believe, we are witnessing the
very first rays of Kingdom Light on the Eastern Horizon, why are we not rising
to the situation and acting as soldiers in a spiritual battle? I can remember,
as a boy, the situation in
But what
about the present situation? Has the enemy been fully identified? Oh yes, we
all know about Satan, but so often he is depicted as a mythological creature
with horns and goat's legs. He is not taken seriously. The real enemy is indeed
Satan, but he is the archangel of cunning, who presents himself to society in a
hundred and one different guises, most of which are accepted by mankind as
necessary in the running of the world's affairs. I wrote recently about my cure
from cancer. In the quest for information my wife found that the pharmaceutical
companies of the world were responsible for preventing simple cures by
the financial stranglehold they possessed. This is just one of the outlets of
Satanism. It may be considered minimal in the eyes of some, but it hits on the
devil's pulse. He uses man's love of money as his biggest weapon. I have shown
in previous articles that all the information relating to 666 in the Bible is
connected with finance, wealth, riches, the love of money - which is the source
of man's political power. Lay aside all such analyses as identifying the Beast
with Nero, Napoleon, Kissinger, Prince Charles, and a dozen or so other names.
The real culprit is not so much a man as a financial system. This is at the
root of Satan's work.
How does
Satan get a stranglehold on God's children? The prophecies of Daniel have the
answer. The Beast, there depicted as the Little Horn, is shown to gain power
over God's people by defection from rectitude, by casting away the foundations
of the faith. See
Those
dreadful words, "careless security", ring a bell. When Chamberlain
returned from the
Many of us
have now seen two episodes of "The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkein. The
visual display has been breath-taking, and most of the characters live up to
the expectations of those who are Rings-buffs. Certainly the film expresses
eloquently the essence and spirit of Tolkein's story. But more than that, it contains
all the elements of the present spiritual warfare. The powers of evil are many
and varied - Saruman the defector, Gollum the corrupted, the Orcs (like
demons), the various monsters, and Sauron the one who made the evil ring to
encapture all mankind. The powers of good are limited, few in number, and
limited in power. Gandalf the wizard is clearly a power of good, so also
Aragorn and his friends, the Elves and the Ents, but the Hobbits are the
vulnerable little beings who against all odds eventually accomplish the desired
end, that good will overcome evil. Is that not a brilliant description of
the ways of God, who chooses the weak things of this world to confound the
mighty?
My plea is
that we place the requirements of this final battle squarely at the top of the
list of life's priorities. Pray that our eyes may be opened to see through the
veil of deceit, to recognise the "man of sin" under his various suits
of clothing, and become warriors for the Lord. It's not good enough to say that
the battle is already won, just because we know by prophetic word that judicially
this is so. God requires that His purposes be advanced through human
agencies. That has always been His method since Adam and Eve. We are required
to take up our armour, then use the sword of the spirit, the word of God, as an
offensive weapon against the principalities and powers of darkness. This is no
local skirmish. This is a world-wide battle for supremacy. Are we going to
shirk our responsibilities, and pray into our own domestic circumstances,
expecting God to bless us, or are we going to "hang our harps on the trees
of