If, like me, you regard the current crisis as an explosion of the spiritual war between God and the agents of evil; then we can see many ways in which the demonic forces have triumphed over recent weeks.
There are many factors at work; but I believe that there is always one main reason (among those at the top, in command) for any socio-political change; and in this instance I believe that aim is the (de facto) destruction of the Christian Churches worldwide; of which the largest denominations are the Roman Catholic (led by the Pope), Eastern Orthodoxy (led by a Patriarch in each nation) and the Anglican Communion which is 'led' by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England.
This aim has been achieved: Christian churches worldwide have suffered the greatest, most catastrophic blow in their entire history, and - such is the feebleness of modern faith - have barely noticed (and barely even protested).
There are many enforced closures and lock-downs of many institutions and buildings in England now; but there are none, I think, so severe and so absolute as the lock-down of Church of England churches.
Take a look for yourself - browse around.
The instructions make clear that nobody should enter a church building, not even the vicar (even the church yard is supposed to be locked) - except in the case of some kind of material emergency like a gas leak. And, of course: all Christian activities must cease.
This is specifically directed at the church's Christian activities. As a telling example, a funeral can be conducted in secular buildings, but the use of church buildings for a religious funeral is explicitly forbidden.
Except, wait for it... Church buildings can be used for non-Christian activities - such as blood donation, food banks or as night shelters...
English churches are therefore - by official decree - now deconsecrated shells.
Church buildings are specifically closed for all religious activities - because these are allegedly too dangerous to allow; but at the same time churches are declared to be safe-enough, and allowed to remain open, for various 'essential' secular activities.
What could be clearer than that?
For me; the precise specificity of the attack on Christianity is a hallmark of what is really going-on at present; and that the demonic powers of purposive evil lie behind the current global crisis.
Note: My interpretation of the fact the Church of England leadership - along with the leadership of (I think) all other large Christian denominations - has actively, supportively gone-along-with (indeed pre-empted) the official closure and suspension of only specifically-Christian activities, merely confirms what has long been obvious: that the senior Church hierarchy function as fifth columnists - paid undercover traitors dedicated to the destruction of the church as a Christian organisation, and its absorption into the generic state bureaucracy.
While on one hand I agree with you regarding the closing of churches, Paul bluntly says "do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some but so much the more as you see the day approaching" and that would be me, I no longer belong to a particular congregation or sect, so I'm disobedient. On the other hand, I'm feeling indifferent about the whole shutdown. Are modern churches going to be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit with them being such fortresses of materialistic presuppositions, feminism and egalitarianism? I don't want to be a stumbling block to brothers and sisters obeying the Word and fellowshipping. This might just be on me, I'm cynical and holding church organizations to a higher standard than I live myself, possibly I'm just choosing the wrong congregations. Leaving church disappointed and baffled at the pablum presented at best, with more typically worldly advice and nonChristian talking points/narratives being the norm has been counterproductive to my relationship with God. So I stopped.
ReplyDeleteEqually evil are the inroads of ecumenicalism made even into Holy Orthodoxy.
ReplyDeleteThis is just the latest blow in a long series of attacks on Christianity. There is possibly a divine purpose behind it too as people, if they want to survive spiritually, are being forced to transfer their allegiance from the outer church to the inner one and make their own what previously they took from authority. That doesn't lessen the enormity of what is happening but shows that positive things can come from it, if we want them too.
ReplyDelete@William - I think we need to make a distinction between making the best of a situation that is forced upon us - which we ought to do, but is not particularly creditable; and doing the same thing by conscious choice from our own inner conviction.
ReplyDeleteSo, if a person has become an unaffiliated Christian in order to be a better Christian - because his church was being corrupted, and/or because he felt an inner guidance - then I would say that that is more creditable than merely making the best of enforced church closures... especially when you are insensible to the truly vast significance of churches being closed worldwide.
I am honestly aghast at the concrete-headed indifference with which the population of the world have meekly accepted near-universal house arrest, annihilation or prohibition of culture, the rubbishing of basic human decency and compassion; and - the way that the 'Christians' among them have accepted the end of what they affected to hold most dear in all the world.
Agreed in general. I would like to add a few more observations though.
ReplyDeleteThere are obvious benefits to the oligarchical class at the level of human avarice (banks making massive loans to both government and populations, pharmaceutical industries going into overdrive and getting a massive influx of cash, etc), and to the political Establishment (who seem in general to act as the lower-level minions of the oligarchical Controllers) in giving them the pretext to implement their apparently long-held fantasies of complete, bureaucratic control and surveillance of the populations.
The deeper and broader underlying agenda, though, to which I think the human agents responsible for its implementation are for the most part oblivious or indifferent, appears to me to be that of increasing the overall spiritual bondage of the population to the powers of evil, of which the closure of the churches is an extremely important chapter, not least for its symbolic, propagandistic value in demonstrating the impotent weakness of the institutional chuches, which most people think of as synonymous with Christianity itself. (It does indeed make the true origins of this business clear for those with eyes to see.)
But I'm fairly sure it's not the whole story. What we really have is a concerted series of actions all directed at pressurizing and convincing (without ever quite directly forcing, which would defeat the object), a vast number of people, mainly in what used to comprise Christendom, and especially those who still consider themselves believers, into supposing that they have no choice but to dully, listlessly, hopelessly hold out their hands for the Establishment to snap manacles of servitude on to.
The immediate effect is naturally of total, self-willed, voluntary submission to the powers of this world. But since we all (here at least), ought to know by now whom the powers of this world have chosen to serve, it has a far more important spiritual function. For those who choose to accept this state of servitude, and do not at least inwardly repent of their evil choice, which amounts to a practical denial of the principle of Free Will, the powers of supernatural evil need no longer tempt, cajole, bribe, manipulate, or trick individuals in order to lead them into damnation. They have only to command, and those who have placed themselves under the sway of the System will follow - sullenly perhaps, and blaming others for their choice, but unresistingly.
The apotheosis, you might say, of Ahrimanic evil. That is, I think, what is being ultimately aimed at here - and by present evidence, especially considering the degree of voluntary subjection that has already taken place, there has never been a greater or more effective single step taken towards its fulfillment in Human history.
@H - Good comment.
ReplyDeleteBetter news from Ethiopia (I am British but was born and raised there) as far as I can tell - reporting is unreliable - in accordance with government lockdown advice (or maybe not entirely in accordance) the Ethiopian Orthodox have told people to stay home and pray (they are in the 55 day fasting period before Easter) but churches are open and services continue with priests only in attendance. I would be amazed if they stopped the services, I think they would rather be dead than do that.
ReplyDeleteThe Ethiopian (and Eritrean) Orthodox have a track record of both open and passive resistance to the authorities. In my opinion some of the toughest Christians in the world, many have unsuccessfully tried to break them, at times with vicious persecution. I have very little reliable information on Eritrea (which is 99% religious including Islam) at the moment, except there are severe travel restrictions and a 21 day lockdown, but I would be surprised if church services, baptisms, weddings, etc do not continue in some form or other.
Many Orthodox in both countries will be well aware this situation is spiritual warfare, so praying and fasting are the number one priority.
I received a text from the pastor of the church I had (but lost) hope for. And honestly, the hope was simply that I would see a man in whom I saw the spiritual "light in the eyes" resist. He told me he doesn't believe the nonsense, but it's not the time to fight. Yet.
ReplyDeleteWell, the text said that their web site is online, and online streaming services are evidently going to commence!
I was actually helping them with their technology, but I am now going to focus on completely different projects: my spiritual journey, the young woman, my son, and where we wish to homestead and live a life closer to God's creation and further from systems of evil.
I've been tempted to put pin my hopes on the nationalist (especially here in America, the Donald Trump fan movement) counter-revolution but the thing that snaps me back to reality is the de-facto criminalization of public Christianity.
ReplyDeleteThe Establishment have been consoling us with the proposition of bringing Christ into our viewscreens, but the underlying ethos is this--Christ has NO place in the public square, and if you complain you are an Enemy of the People and an attempted murderer.
Many have been lamenting that they have been reduced to sheep. However, if we're honest with ourselves, we realize it is not so that we are sheep. We are free men, but have been effeminized by decades of post-scarcity blessings that we'll cling to anything that promises a semblance of comfort. Our values have been inverted.
We can have freedom but the price of that will be to (willingly) accept the full brunt of the poisonous arrows that the evil one shall hurl at us.
"no choice but to dully, listlessly, hopelessly hold out their hands"
ReplyDeleteI am still unconvinced. I've seen mostly a merry, if resigned, "I must do my part!" attitude. Maybe it's a Canadian thing. I still believe if it goes on much longer, and becomes very much clearer that it's about simple repression, then people are, like Ents, going to get angry.
@MT - "I am still unconvinced. "
ReplyDeleteYou need to understand, I have no interest in 'convincing' you. I don't even know who you are! It's important to know that my writing is not about 'convincing' abstract internet presences - and if it was, I would be wasting my time.
Dan has left a comment:
ReplyDelete"Frankly the world and Christianity would both be better off if Anglicanism just disappeared."
@Dan - I think you are missing an important point.
ReplyDeleteI of course agree that the Church of England (but not Anglicanism as a whole - which is strongest in places like Africa, South Asia and South America) does more harm than good overall. And the same could be said for Roman Catholicism (the largest Western denomination), Methodists, Baptists, Mormons and so one.
But there are still - or were - many strong and real Christians in all these demonimations; including many people I know personally. That was just a fact. And therefore, for the demonic powers to strike-down these churches so fast and so comprehensively - and with a degree of compliance that amounts to active collaboration - has been a Satanic triumph on a scale that dwarfs any previous success of the past 2000 years.
The only serious rival would be the Russian Revolution; which happened in the most Christianly observant and devout country in the world; and which devastated the Orthodox church with the near extermination of hundreds of bishops, thousands upon thousands of monks, priests and nuns; and the devout laity.
But in that case, the church and people moved Heaven and Earth to resist and maintain Christianity by whatever means possible and at extreme risk. Consequently, when the communist yoke was removed seventy years later, the supposedly extinct Christianity burst forth with extraordinary vigour.
This is a spiritual matter, and it is spiritual resistance that is primary. But far too many self-identified Christians have inwardly joined with the current materialist monomania, and thereby revealed the superficiality of their professed faith.
This is a sin that needs to be recognised, acknowledged and repented; or else these people will have lost their faith *permanently*.
It does seem (among other things) a war of a great number of smug, vocal prelates against the faithful (1) laity, (2) 'secular' (e.g., parish) clergy, and (3) (I suppose - I don't have a good sense of this) members of 'religious orders', where the 'Canterbury Communion', those in communion with the Roman Pontiff, and I'm not sure how many Orthodox, are concerned (certainly the egregious 'Green' Ecumenical Patriarch) - an open, (shall we bandy with the word?) 'exponential' acceleration of what has been going on to a considerable extent for the last half-century and more.
ReplyDeleteI should do some rereading, but my memory of Eusebius's Church History where he writes of the comparatively sudden and widespread persecutions of the late 200s, when there had never yet been official 'toleration', but in practice Christians had got comfortable in the open, with rich, visible, purpose-built buildings, and so on - my memory of this gets me wondering how apt a comparison this offers? - the unused having to find out how to go on, while suddenly being a (variously betrayed and) persecuted Church.
I have just been reading the sermons of St. Asterius, who seems to have survived the reign of Julian the Apostate, and comments about how quickly and easily many Christians cheerfully went along with its blandishments - perhaps another possibly apt comparison? (He, and many others, obviously did not, and survived to flourish.)
And how much a factor is it, that it's in some sense 'early days', yet? - with, yet again, evidence of some of the faithful learning to be an underground Church.
David Llewellyn Dodds
@DLD - I think there are more differences than similarities between the early and current church. The current closures and cessation of church activities was led and enforced by the church leadership, not forced upon the churches; and (it seems) the changes are broadly supported by the church members - whose revealed preference is that churches and what they do ough to be classified 'non-essential' activities.
ReplyDeleteAlso this comes after a long period of decline in the scale and strengt hof Christian faith - therefore have a 'nail in the coffin' quality; whereas in the early years it was more like an attempt to 'nip in the bud' the new religion.