The January 31 Brexit date enters British history without much history. Bloody history, or as my father taught me to read in the King James Version of the Bible more elegantly 'history of blood', however is splashed all over January 30: on that day the Parliament beheaded King Charles I.
It may be argued that the 1849 abolition of the Corn Laws was a great moment, but it was merely axing a tax, and it's date of no moment. However Britain has not forgotten 30th January 1649: The execution of Charles I is remembered every year on 30 January with a service in the Banqueting House. hrp.org.uk
What has Brexit to do with a Focus on the Bible?
The Archbishop Cramer website notes “the words of Sir Humphrey Appleby (Fictional character from “Yes Minister”): “It’s interesting that nowadays politicians want to talk about moral issues, and bishops want to talk politics.” (archbishopcranmer.com). That website sees the reason for this is a fusion of the two areas in public life, but in fact there is more: far more. The Bible from the book of Genesis is about God's Founding of a Nation, a Kingdom, and how that Kingdom would interact with the Kingdoms of the world, including predicting the fate of nations. It is full of matters pertaining to politics. The Bible goes further and states directly that God appoints the leaders, as He chooses.
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)
It goes further still and shows God interfering directly with the rule of leaders from Egypt to Syria, to Assyria and Michael the Archangel struggling with the king of Persia (Daniel 10:13). More so the God of the Bible is shown interfering with the very thoughts of leaders!
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1)
What did God will concerning Britain, a kingdom that emerged to play a significant role in the Restoration of Israel's kingdom over the last 267 years?
The Religious Basis of Brexit
Many now are secular, but until very recently Britain was militantly Protestant, and had been from the time of Henry the 8th. Lest we miss the connection at the moment of leaving the EU, Boris Johnson stood in front of a portrait of Henry the 8th The Sun noted:
By accident or design, the PM did so standing in front of a portrait of Henry VIII during an equally historic moment. It was painted in 1527 when the king began his dispute with Rome that led to the Reformation and the divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon. The portrait was acquired, by coincidence, in 2016 — the year of the EU referendum. www.thesun.co.uk
It is likely Providence and not a co- incidence. It is also not a co-incidence that the BBC discovered Boris is illegitimately descended from George 2 (making him 6th cousin to the Queen)www.telegraph.co.uk . That also makes him a descendent of Henry the 8th's father.
Nigel Farage says that nothing in British history has been so significant since Henry 8th leaving Church of Rome as Britain leaving the Treaty of Rome. Farage began to be obsessed with leaving the EEC in 1990, before it even became the EU.
Farage is not the only one to notice this. The Times Ben Macintyre:
Brexit is up there with Henry VIII and the Reformation.
However, there is really only one event in Britain’s past that compares, in economic, ideological, cultural and political magnitude to the departure from the EU and that is Henry VIII’s spectacular withdrawal from Europe and England’s rejection of foreign regulation between 1532 and 1534, the first great Brexit…
But the breakaway was also powered by the wider Reformation movement and radical new ideas transmitted by the printing press. Until the decisive break, church taxes were paid directly to Rome, and the Pope had the final word on canon law and the appointment of bishops. This religious and theological split was also a political conflict and raw struggle for power.
The 1534 Act of Supremacy declared Henry VIII the Supreme Head on Earth of the Church of England, deprived Rome of its English revenue stream, and proclaimed the English monarch to be the ultimate authority on legal and doctrinal matters. The Act of Appeals of 1533 was explicit in asserting a broader English sovereignty, a self-regulating legal system submissive to no higher foreign power: “This realm of England is an empire.”
Having broken with the authority of Rome, Henry began building a greater Britain. The Acts of Union imposed English law and local government on Wales and granted the Welsh seats in parliament. By 1547, Henry was also king of Ireland. Under Elizabeth’s cautious 45-year reign, an invasion by Catholic Spain failed and the Scottish Reformation eventually severed the Auld Alliance, Scotland’s ancient relationship with Catholic France. theaustralian.com.au
……….
The Religious Reformation movement which directly influenced Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (as he married Margarete the niece of Reformer Andreas Osiander's wife) and Thomas Cromwell (even called an Anabaptist) had great political consequences, more so in Britain than in Europe. One reason for the success of the religious reformation in Britain might be the early success given to Britain to unite and become an empire free of Europe, as there were many outlets for outward looking people with opportunities in new lands, where there was little to no control over what was thought, or published.
By 1538, it was compulsory for all churches to own a Bible, in accordance with Cromwell's injunctions. The revised version, the Great Bible was widely available by 1539 and included a picture of Henry VIII, Thomas Cranmer and Cromwell on the title page. Thomas Cromwell Wikipedia
Despite both Cranmer and Cromwell being executed, the momentum of their reforms and the Great Bible could not be stopped. The reforms led to the Puritans, so it is no accident that Oliver Cromwell their leader was the great-grandson of Thomas Cromwell's nephew Richard.
Henry the 8th's break with Catholic Europe may have been only of marginal importance without the subsequent Puritan Cromwellian execution of Charles 1, on the day before Brexit, 371 years ago. Oliver Cromwell allowed freedom for Protestantism in all its reformation forms to flourish, so much so that it was thereafter not possible to control them. As a result Britain has fostered more Protestant Christian denominations that can be named, among which people are free to find truth. Because this spirit has been among the people 300 years, they were divided from Europe where independent inquiry had failed to take root. Those Europeans who did seek to divert from State Churches often left for the freedom of English-speaking lands. This heritage is important to the God of the Bible, as it seems a principle that people are given opportunty based on their father's actions:
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. (Roman 11:28)
Therefore though on average British youth may be as secular as the European, they are given an honourable role to again break from Roman Europe.
The Treaty of Rome wasn't secular in intent
The intent of the Treaty of Rome always was to unite Europe politically:
Even at that time, the founders of the Common Market knew – but apparently Britain did not – that the Common Market was not a club to join or a free trade area with which to associate, but a superstate in the making. Its founders were in no doubt about this, even if British politicians were unaware of - or unwilling to face up to - the ultimate goal of the founders. Robert Schuman, while preparing the European Coal and Steel Community in 1950, had said: "These proposals will build the first concrete foundation of the European Federation. Article 189 of the Treaty of Rome is quite clear about what was involved: "Regulations [...] shall be binding in every respect and directly applicable [...]." "Directives shall bind any Member State [...]." "Decisions shall be binding in every respect [...]."
The EEC, established in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome, brought Italy and the three Benelux countries into the union but represented a further step towards a pan-European economy by tying economic development to the city of Rome. Significantly, this Treaty also gave Europe a sense of supra-national religious unity and the Roman Catholic Church its protection against the then still existent threat of Communism.
Rome's plan to unite Europe politically and the world religiously by ushering in a seventh revival of the Empire was announced by Pope Pius XII as early as 1952 in his Christmas broadcast, which envisaged "a Christian order which alone is able to guarantee peace. To this goal the resources of the Church are now directed." contreculture.org
The Choice of Rome as the place to Sign the Treaty went with the treaty being signed on a Catholic Holy Day, Annunciation Day, March 25, 1957. Let David Willey who was there for the BBC witness it:
it was raining cats and dogs on that March evening 60 years ago when the founding fathers of the six-nation European Economic Community (EEC) arrived at Michelangelo's great architectural masterpiece Palazzo dei Conservatori on Rome's Capitoline hill.
They included the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer; Paul-Henri Spaak, the Belgian mover and shaker of the new European federal post-war dream; and Walter Hallstein, the German diplomat soon to be elected as the first president of the new community.
They were there to put their signatures to what was to become known as the Treaty of Rome. The document promised what they hoped would be "an ever closer union".
The symbolism was almost overpowering.
They were gathered at the very hub of the ancient world where, 2,500 years ago, six centuries before Christ, the foundations were laid of Rome's first major temple, dedicated to Jupiter, king of the gods.
The fathers of the new Europe were overlooked by two enormous statues of 16th Century popes raised on plinths at either end, one in bronze, the other in marble. The colourful frescoes depict tales of the legendary heroes and founders of ancient Rome.
Most of Europe's leaders in the mid-50s were Catholics, so the following day the ministers all trooped off for a private audience across the river Tiber with Pope Pius XII, the wartime pope still reigning at the Vatican. His strong attachment to Germany had been honed by long years spent as nuncio, or papal ambassador, in Berlin. BBC
This eye witness leaves us with no doubt as to the final intent of the Catholic Signatories of the Treaty of Rome. Therefore commentators comparing Brexit to Henry the 8th leaving the Church of Rome, speak to the common politico-religious nature of both events. There will be no freedom of religion in an entity which sought from the beginning to reduce freedom, through unity.
The Commonwealth
The Exit by Henry 8th in 1532 led directly to the rise of Puritans who did two things: Exit to found America in 1620 and ferment the Glorious Revolution of 1642. The settling of America in the years after 1620 led to the settling of Canada and the war of the British Colonists 1754-1763 with France. The Glorious Revolution in its freedom of religion and spirit of non-conformity led to the American Revolution of 1765-1783. Due to the American rejection of British convicts, this in turn led to the settlement of Australia in 1788, which led to the settlement of New Zealand in 1814. Those favouring Brexit, noted that in turning to Europe they had to given up strong relations with the Commonwealth. The duties to Commonwealth had been an issue initially preventing Britain from entering the European Common Market. As a matter of Providence, a sign, the Maldives in 2016 lost to the Commonwealth (after having met conditions of membership), returned to the Commonwealth exactly one hour after 11pm Brexit at midnight on the same day. news.sky.com,thecommonwealth.org
As Maldives joins Commonwealth Queen now heads international group TWICE as big as EU
Throughout the 67-year-long reign of the Queen, the Commonwealth has grown from just eight nations to 54 members representing two billion people. express.co.uk
It was revealed on 23 April 2018 that America is considering joining as an associate member.
Nigel Farage revealed this morning on his LBC phone-in show that top White House officials have expressed interest in joining the Commonwealth as an associate member. Governors from the US visited the Commonwealth during the Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this week, while the Royal Commonwealth Society opened up an office in the US earlier this year. There was quite a big American delegation present in town.. express.co.uk
They were also reaching out to create a Nordic-Baltic Hub. In March 2017 it was reported
Brexit and the election of Mr. Trump have sparked renewed interest in the Commonwealth, particularly as a potential trading area. Several British cabinet ministers, including Trade Minister Liam Fox, have said that as Britain pulls out of the European Union it should look to Commonwealth countries for new trade relationships. Mr. Trump is also seen as ardently pro-British, frequently citing his mother's Scottish ancestry and welcoming Britain's invitation for a state visit hosted by the Queen. Commonwealth countries are trying to seize the moment in order to press for more trade connections. Last week, trade ministers from 37 members, including Canada, met for the first time in a two-day session in London to discuss opportunities and how to break down trade barriers among member states. theglobeandmail.com
The Bible actually records British Reformation thinking of a Greek concept of 'free citizenship'. As it uses the word Commonwealth.
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12)
'Common-wealth' is not a literal translation of the Greek word. It is loaded, meaning 'republic' or 'political community for common good (benefit=wealth).' The Greek politeia is about being a free citizen in a community.
Commonwealth derives from language of 17th-century thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and refers to the goal of creating a political community for the common good. businessinsider
They in turn has this concept of the common good from the Kingdom of God of the Bible and built on it.
The Judeo-Christian heritage
Few in Europe that have sought to stand up against either Lutheran or Catholic Anti-Semitism, with Andreas Osiander's position of the 1540s being defeated by Luther. After Catholic Europe expelled Jews, in 1656 Cromwellian Britain welcomed Jews, even attracting them from their haven in Holland as a result, “For a time, England was one of the most religiously tolerant countries in Europe.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/350.shtml
More so as the influence of a Jewish understanding of the Bible have led to voices as diverse as John Biddle (1615-1662), John Owen (1616-83), Isaac Newton (1733), Charles Wesley (1762) and George Elliot (1876) who have seen a British role in helping Jews revive their nation.
A British Jew, Melanie Phillips is a columnist for The Times, wrote
This is not merely a political argument. It is a titanic civilizational clash between two fundamental worldviews.
The first seeks to defend the Western nation based on its discrete and particular history, language, religion, culture, and ethical values drawn from the Hebrew Bible and Christianity: a national identity expressed through laws passed by a democratically elected and sovereign parliament.
The second wants to destroy all that and replace it by a new world order under which the Western nation is superseded by trans-national laws and institutions, national borders are erased and biblical morality replaced by ideology – specifically, identity politics, moral relativism and multiculturalism.
This nation-denying universalism is intimately connected to hatred of Israel, Judaism and the Jewish people. jpost
The Religious matter of Israel vs Rome
The British exit from the EU, just as Henry's leaving Rome 500 years ago as Luther took on the Papacy, has occurred in a climate of a religious dispute. It is a dispute which very few in the world can ignore, due to terrorism and emotional calls to Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Israel returning to the world stage in 1948 was distinctly an embarrassing problem for those who said they had replaced Israel. It was an even greater problem for those who wish to show there was no God at all. While Jews were downtrodden, persecuted and assimilated for nearly 2,000 years many including the majority of Christendom and Islam could argue they had replaced the Jews as God's people, and others could argue God did not exist. While Jerusalem was oppressed and downtrodden, Rome could celebrate its status as the 'Eternal City' and 'Caput Mundi (Capital of the World). It became a much more acute embarrassment when Christ's Olivet prophecy (Luke 21) was fulfilled as Jews by the miracle of a six day war returned to rule Jerusalem in 1967.
The EU from its beginning on the stage has been anti-Israel, uniting both the Catholic and the secular. Any who propose a two-state solution where the other 'state' is to be given to an Islamic non-people who would use it as a base to enact Genocide and push some six million Jews into the sea, must hate the Jews. From 2002 the Quartet including the US, EU, UN and Russia sought to impose a 'Road Map' which was embodied in the Oslo Accords and created the PA. This led to an increase in violence and deaths. It also led to greater agitation globally against Israel. It was written that a power from out of Rome, would change god as Constantine did, and would at the end divide the Holy Land.
Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.(Daniel 11:39)
All the nations due to this dispute as to who has the Holy Land will seek to part the Holy Land.
For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; (Joel 3:1-4)<
The matter of Jerusalem as the Holy City is already disputed and has been since before 1947. This fulfils Bible Prophecy
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12:3)
At this time of global religious dispute the Jewish Messiah comes:
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:8-10)
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.(Zec 14:2-3)
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. It shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:9,16)
The Future Role of Britain
Yet of all the world, some will chose to stand with Israel and not dispute their rule of Jerusalem! Because of a heritage of the Bible from the time of Henry VII, because they split from Roman EU and chose Israel to first to trade with, some will stand with the Jews, against those who would take the Holy Land from Jews. They will protest the nations going against Jerusalem. “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? (Ezekiel 38:13) Those of Arabia will bring gifts, but those Tarshish are said to be First.
Surely the isles shall wait for
me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far,
their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy
God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
(Isaiah 60:9)
This
matches a Psalm looking
forward to the great king of the restored Kingdom of God of the
Dynasty of David, where again those Kings or leaders of Tarshish and
the Isles are mentioned as first to honour, with gifts.
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. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. (Psalm 72:3-10)
Brexit Britain chose to reject
Rome's power. Having begun they can now reject Rome and chose
Jerusalem. Jerusalem is
the place Yahweh Elohim put his name the Holy and Eternal City, not
Rome. Jerusalem
will soon be the capital of
the world. As Christ said,
“ But I say unto you,
Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by
the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is
the city of the great King.” (Matthew
5:34-35)
For more Exodus to the Glory of God
