Dark Times But Great Hope
At this time, entering 2026, all of us are now aware that we have serious problems in our covenant nations! Our Christian civilizations, our Christian heritages and ways of life are being threatened openly and blatantly. Although prominent historical figures like Winston Churchill foresaw many of these things as in his 1899 book “The River War”, even he could not have perceived our present day of utter deprivation.
If we look at Old Testament passages we see that man has always been determined to go his own way contrary to God’s way. Isaiah 29:13 described how things were then. “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”
The problem was disobedience and specifically of the House of Israel which caused “divorce” and captivity as described in Isaiah 50:1 “Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.”
The southern House of Judah was never divorced but, Jeremiah 18: 11 says “Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.” God actually prepared a disaster for them and devised a plan against them!
How important it is to actually read and understand these truths. We know the northern House of Israel went into captivity in 722 BC, and the southern House of Judah went into captivity in Babylon in 586 BC. We also know that remnants remained and also, over time, migration occurred east and north and then to all parts of the known world.
From this we can see that our present calamity is a déjà vu of our past through disobedience and worship of false idols. We simply need to go back to our first love – Jesus Christ. He is the Person on whom our civilization depends – on whom the Coronation Service is based. We need to refocus on our Christian Ministry.
Still in Old Testament times, there are many Old Covenant references to the coming of Jesus – such good news that should, even today, encourage us to repent of our ways. These include the following: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3: 15) “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel”. ( Isaiah 7: 14)
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9: 2) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the Throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9: 6-7)
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom, and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.” (Isaiah 11: 1-3)
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more everyman his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31: 31-34)
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36: 26)
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7: 13-14)
‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9)
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1) “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” (Malachi 4:5)
The references above in Malachi speak of a messenger – the lord’s messenger to prepare His way (3:1), Elijah – John the Baptist (4:5) – to prepare the way for Jesus, the Messenger of His new Covenant for the true covenant nations who will literally “see” Jesus. And, as stated in the New Testament, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the Gospel”. (Mark1:15)
Here Mark 1:15 speaks of good news. More than this though, look at the language of the afore-quoted passages. God says He will put a new spirit in you! He says rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion. Shout daughter of Jerusalem, your king comes. Of the increase of His government there will be no end. He will reign on David’s Throne in justice and righteousness. Everyone will know the Lord from the greatest to the least. We should all take heart in these wonderful passages.
We have been unfaithful to our Israelite and Christian heritage given by our forefathers. At this time the critical need is to maintain our Christian civilization, Christian heritage and way of life which are now under siege like never before.
Thus, as we remember Christmas and Jesus coming in His righteousness, let us all renew our commitment to Him in Holy Faith (Jude 20, 21) and to our forefathers and to Jesus’s work and our work in our covenant nations. Our Christian Heritage and its promises give us tremendous hope for our future.
