Hell and Disorder
Dominic Lawson, who describes himself as ‘non religious’, wrote an article in the Daily Mail (17 March) with the headline, ‘It may seem an archaic notion, but the loss of a belief in Hell has had a profoundly destructive effect on civil order.’
He begins by quoting BBC commentator John Hunt who concluded his victim statement at the sentencing of Kyle Clifford for the murder of his wife and two of their daughters by saying:
‘Whatever sentence you are about to receive remember that after your days on Earth are done, on your dying day, there will be no release for you. The screams of Hell, Kyle, I can hear them now. Your miserable fate will last for eternity.’
John Hunt delivers statement towards Kyle Clifford during sentencing for murder of his wife and two daughters – UK News – LADbible
Mr Lawson comments,
‘The idea of Hell is almost entirely absent from public discourse. It is now almost never mentioned in church sermons let alone the courtroom. My wife, a Catholic, recalls that in the 1960s a priest told her, “The fact that Hell is not mentioned much now is the Devil’s work. And he is doing very well out of it.” The loss of the fear of eternal damnation encourages people to think they can get away with behaviour that might, in that priest’s view, consign them to Hell.’
How the loss of belief in Hell has had a profoundly destructive effect on civil order: DOMINIC LAWSON | Daily Mail Online
He quotes former Conservative MP John Patten who wrote an article in the Spectator in 1992:
‘Fear of eternal damnation was the message reinforced through attendance at church every week. The loss of that fear has meant a critical motive has been lost to young people when they decide whether to be good citizens or to be criminals.’
Conservative MP John Patten
In other words, the belief in the possibility of divine punishment for human wickedness has a restraining effect on people’s behaviour whether they are religious or not.
He quotes a paper entitled ‘Divergent Effects of Beliefs in Heaven and Hell on National Crime Rates’, which emphasised the crucial point not just that eternal damnation was a disincentive to crime, but the fact that the Judge is an all knowing God, which meant that no crime would be unobserved. That is not something which could be achieved by even the most efficient of secular justice systems, with millions of CCTV cameras.
‘Unlike humans, divine punishers can be omniscient, omnipotent, infallible and untouchable and therefore able to deter transgressors who may for whatever reason be undeterred by earthly policing systems.’
Conservative MP John Patten
As a result belief that there may be a hell after death has a ‘strong negative effect on crime.’
He is right that the removal of the fear of hell is a contributing factor to bad behaviour in society.
‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’ Psalm 111:10
Without it we are left with the foolish and lawless society we endure today. In fact deterrents have been removed at all levels of our society. As a former school teacher, I have memories of battling with constant disruptive behaviour in the classroom and having virtually no deterrent available to punish it. As a pupil at school in the late 50s and early 60s, there was always the possibility of getting the cane if you behaved badly or disrupted the lessons. Spare the rod and spoil the child. Parents too are being discouraged from disciplining their children, leading to a generation of unruly young people at risk of being corrupted by evil influences around them. As a result the justice system is collapsing, with overcrowded prisons where criminal activity carries on as on the outside, and anti-social behaviour plaguing our public spaces, along with violence, drug pushing, shop lifting and so on.
Of course we thank God that He is forgiving and that there is the prospect of even the worst of sinners, repenting and receiving salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But we need to remember that He is also a just God and that it is ‘a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,’ (Hebrews 10.31), for those who are unrepentant sinners.
Where is Europe headed?
European nations are rapidly increasing defence spending in response to growing security concerns driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine and uncertainty over US commitments to NATO under Donald Trump’s presidency. Sir Keir Starmer hosted the European leaders meeting in London on March 2nd to advance plans for stronger defence cooperation. Both the UK and France have pledged troops to monitor the peace deal in Ukraine, something Russia has rejected. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that Europe urgently needs to rearm: “We need a massive surge in defence, without any question. We want lasting peace, but lasting peace can only be built on strength.” “We should have woken up earlier,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. “I’ve been saying for years that we need a more sovereign, more united, more independent Europe.”
So, as Europe begins to question America’s reliability in the face of the threat from Russia, will it come together into a deeper union, the Revived Roman Empire of prophecy? Will its coming leader turn out to be the Antichrist of prophecy?
USA – Golden Dawn or Fall of Babylon?
At his inauguration as 47th President of the USA on January 20th, Donald Trump said,
‘The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation. America will soon be greater, stronger, and far more exceptional than ever before. I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.’
President Donal Trump’s 2025 Inauguration Speech
President Trump has gone straight into action, with a string of executive orders affecting all aspects of life in the USA and its relationships with friends and foes. Will this bring peace and security or make war more likely? Will he Make America Great Again or lead it to collapse?
Richard Murphy, a professor at Sheffield University, said Trump’s government should be called MADA – Make America Dysfunctional Again. He said
‘Trump’s actions are economically incoherent, raising tariffs and lowering them again, playing games with the taxation system and undermining the functionality of his government. There is no sign that there is a plan in what he is doing, unless it is to create chaos. But out of that chaos what does he want? Is it that he sees that this is the opportunity for the vulture capitalists to claim assets and therefore take advantage of that chaos and become oligarchs with supreme wealth, the sort of situation which has happened in Putin’s Russia? Or is it that he simply wants to destroy democracy? These are the only two logical conclusions that you can draw from his behaviour. But maybe we shouldn’t even be logical, maybe it’s just that Trump is dysfunctional – a dysfunctional president creating a dysfunctional economy that will lead to a dysfunctional state.
Is Trump MADA? Richard Murphy
On the other hand, maybe there is a plan, which will result in an alternative system, a new ‘New World Order’ if you will. On 6th March Trump signed an ‘Executive Order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile, positioning the United States as a leader among nations in government digital asset strategy. He promised to make the United States the “crypto capital of the world,” emphasising the need to embrace digital assets to drive economic growth and technological leadership.’ Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) then announced the first ever ‘fully digital retirement’ process, starting the biggest economic transformation in American history. This technology will rewire all aspects of life in America, changing how people claim Social Security, pay taxes and access healthcare.
Trump has released $500 billion for AI infrastructure into the economy, and revoked an executive order signed by Joe Biden that sought to reduce the risks that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to consumers, workers and national security. The danger which Biden’s order sought to address was a fear of AI / robots taking over the tasks done by humans and eventually being able to self replicate themselves in what is known as AGI ‘Artificial General Intelligence.’ Leading the way in this development is OpenAI, a company whose CEO, Sam Altman has said, “We are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it.” He added, “We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents ‘join the workforce’ and materially change the output of companies.”
Promoting cryptocurrencies as a parallel to the US dollar is an extremely risky strategy. An article in the Gatestone Institute says:
“As Jack and his beanstalk can tell you, there are no magic beans. Unfortunately, those who believe cryptocurrency is their ticket to enormous wealth or financial security will soon find out that they, too, have no magic beans. What they may have is Monopoly money.
Cryptocurrency: ‘Digital Gold’ or ‘Monopoly Money’? :: Gatestone Institute
With that in mind, it needs to be said that recent actions to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve opens the door to potentially serious issues. Equally chilling is the vulnerability of cryptocurrency to hackers. Media reports reveal that North Korean hackers recently stole $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency from Bybit, described as the world’s second-largest crypto exchange. One can probably assume those hackers were operating under instructions from their government. Perhaps the larger issue is that there is no “there” there when discussing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. At the core of a digital currency’s existence is only an algorithmic ledger. Yet it reflects the same dynamics that have historically created speculative bubbles that leave investors stunned and broke.
Now we have cryptocurrency being promoted as a parallel currency to the US dollar and other currencies. There are any number of serious issues facing a digital currency. They include financial exclusion, where those without reliable internet access or computer literacy will have no access to their money. There are, and will remain, enormous privacy concerns. Digital currencies could enable unprecedented financial surveillance, allowing governments to track the spending of their citizens. And as hackers daily remind us, there are cybersecurity vulnerabilities through which digital currencies will face threats, from fraud, theft, loss and system failures that would compromise an entire nation’s financial stability. There is no margin for currency error. When the cryptocurrency bubble does eventually burst, I suspect one’s account won’t even be able to ‘Pass Go – collect $200.’’
Putting large amounts of money into cryptocurrencies could also damage the banking system and the status of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, causing an economic crisis in the USA. It could also be another step along the way to a technocratic control system, using AI to control the money system and vital aspects of life.
This can then be used by the government to let you in to the system or keep you out. Shades of the 666 system in which you can’t buy or sell unless you have the Mark of the Beast, and you need to bow down to the Beast to get the Mark that lets you into the system. Revelation 13.11-18.
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. Revelation 13.11-18
In 1998 David Wilkerson wrote a book, ‘America’s last call. On the brink of financial holocaust.’ He writes,
‘America is receiving her last call to repent,’ followed by these words: ‘A cartoon appeared in a New York City newspaper picturing the Titanic leaving port. The ship was renamed ‘The US Economy.’ The caption above it read, ‘Not even God can sink this ship!’ The American dream is going to turn into an American nightmare. It will occur suddenly without warning – and no one will be able to explain how or why it happened. There will be sellers only – no buyers. A majority of Americans have concluded, ‘Morals do not count. Let our leaders do as they please: just give us a booming economy. Let the good times roll. All that matters is prosperity!’ God is about to crush the abominable American mindset. And like the Prophet Jeremiah, those who believe in the holy righteous judgement of God will say, “the Lord has done that which he advised he has fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old.” Lamentations 2.17.’
America’s Last Call: On the Brink of a Financial Holocaust: David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson concludes that a Revelation 18 type event will hit America as he warns that ‘when God pours out his judgments on nations, he begins by crippling the economy.’ He quotes Ezekiel 16-49-50:
‘Behold the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me. Therefore I took them away as I saw good.’ Ezekiel 16:49-50
He says,
‘I wonder how Ezekiel would react today if he were to walk the streets of our cities and observe the wealth and prosperity we’re experiencing. He’d be shocked by all the arrogance, the hatred towards God, the materialism, the flaunting of our sins, the militant homosexuality, the crime and drugs. He would probably cry, ‘America, you’re more abominable than Sodom! … God is going to strike your prosperity. He’ll humble you as he has all the other nations that forsook Him.’
David Wilkerson | worldchallenge.org
Some would say this did not happen when David Wilkerson wrote the book in 1998, but he did not give a time frame for it happening, just said that a period of prosperity would be followed by a sudden crash bringing ruin to America. Europe, Russia and China are no better than America and also storing up judgement in the day when God moves in judgment on this world system. In the end it will lead to the fall of Babylon on a world wide scale as prophesied in the Book of Revelation.
‘After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” Revelation 18:1-5
This article is part of a longer article by Tony Pearce ‘USA – Golden Dawn or Fall of Babylon?’ in the Spring edition of Light for the Last Days, available on request.
Rabbi makes impassioned plea for persecuted Christians
Warren Goldstein, the Chief Rabbi of South Africa, gave an impassioned plea for Christians in Africa being slaughtered by Islamic jihadis. He described an incident in the Democratic Republic of Congo in which a village was surrounded by gunmen from the ADF an Islamic group with links to ISIS. They forcibly abducted 70 Christians, men women and children to another village called Kassongo, took them to a church in the village and beheaded them. By taking them to a church they sent a very clear symbolic message that this was an act of jihad religious war.
This is not an isolated incident. There is a continent wide religious war being waged against Christians in Africa. Each year thousands of Christians are kidnapped, raped, beheaded, burned inside the churches across the continent. Africa is a global epicentre of terrorism. More than half of all violence targeting civilians in Africa arises from Islamic terrorist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
American Enterprise Institute says
‘These groups will grow more lethal overtime as they develop military and non-military capabilities and gain access to resources and opportunities that will drive an increased transnational terror threat as they mature. They function across Africa from sub Saharan Africa to East Africa and have ambitions to install caliphates in their territories.’
It’s Make or Break for Christians Under Siege. Is Trump Ready? | American Enterprise Institute – AEI
Rabbi Goldstein says,
“African Christians are experiencing the equivalent of an October 7th all the time and no one seems to care. I’ve not heard any Christian leaders taking up the cause. Where is the South African Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches? Don’t you care? The Africa Union doesn’t care, the UN doesn’t care. I met with leaders of different faith communities preparing to take part in the G20 conference in South Africa and told them, this issue must be top of the agenda, especially as it is being hosted in Africa. They were uncomfortable about this. Why am I the only one raising the flag for Christians around the world? In the book of Genesis after he had murdered his brother and was confronted by God for what he had done, Cain said ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ The Lord replied, ‘The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.’ Genesis 4.”
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Goldstein about the persecution of African Christians by Islamic jihadis
Well done Rabbi Goldstein. Shame on the Christian leaders!
Happy Ramadan
Perhaps one reason, world Christian and political leaders don’t want to get involved is that they don’t want to upset the cosy relationships they are building up with Muslims in the cause of ecumenical unity. This year Ramadan is being celebrated as a major part of the religious life of the United Kingdom, with posters saying, ‘Happy Ramadan’ and ‘Trust in Allah’ in public places in our cities.
Iftars, the celebration meal to break the Ramadan fast, have been held in prominent places in the land, including St George’s Chapel, Windsor, at the invitation of King Charles, and Westminster Hall, at the invitation of the Prime Minister. These are two of the most significant places of the British establishment, with long links to our Christian heritage. The Iftars being held there are seen as a way to create religious harmony and bring people of different faiths together to celebrate our multicultural society, with the approval of the Established Church, the Monarchy and Parliament.
For Muslims it can be seen as an affirmation of Islam over Christianity in the places of power in the UK. When Muslims say ‘Allah hu Akbar’ they are not saying God is great, they are saying Allah is greater or the greatest. In other words, Allah is greater than your God, the Koran is greater than the Bible and Muhammad is greater than Jesus.
Islamic scholar Robert Spencer has said,
‘By participating in iftars (the meal which Muslims hold after observing the fast of Ramadan), Christians are helping celebrate an imperative to conquer and subjugate them. Iftar is not just a meal. It is the breaking of the Ramadan fast every evening. Ramadan is a month devoted to intensifying one’s observance of Islam and growing more righteous. In Islam, the most righteous deed of all is jihad, which most prominently involves warfare against and the subjugation of non-Muslims. A hadith has a Muslim asking Muhammad: ‘Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward).’ Muhammad replied, ‘I do not find such a deed’ (Bukhari 4.52.44).’
About Robert Spencer and Staff Writers
In the Ottoman Empire non-Muslims (Jews and Christians) had to live under the ‘Covenant of the Dhimma’. This gave them a second-class status as so called ‘protected people’ or Dhimmis, who had to be submissive to the Muslims. Amongst the laws found in Damascus in the 19th century was this statement: ‘A Dhimmi could not criticize the Qur’an, or claim that it had been altered; he could not say anything derogatory about the Prophet, or Islam; he could not attempt to change a Muslim’s religion.’
Islamic radicals here hope for the subjection of western society to Islam when they will be able to turn all non-Muslims including Jews and Christians into dhimmi citizens who are not allowed by law to criticise them or bring them to faith in Jesus Christ.