Examining Our Repentance
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." (I Corinthians 11:28)
In the two weeks leading up to Passover in 1982 Mr. Armstrong gave a sermon entitled "Passover Examination" – first in Pasadena and then again in the UK the following week. With less than two weeks now before we once again partake of the Passover emblems – the evening of Tuesday March 31st – it would be a good idea to read through one or both transcripts of the sermon provided on the website. And if there is a key area highlighted within both, it is the subject of repentance.
What Repentance IS
I remember as a teenager attending church in the 1960's hearing ministers trying to make the point that we don't merely repent of what we have done, but what we are. All those years ago, that phrase made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. "How – and why – should someone be sorry for what they are? Surely God made us what we are – but we choose what we do." No, back then, I just couldn't "get it", because I had no real comprehension of the meaning of the word "repent". The fact is the word repent does not equate to merely being sorry but a far better definition would be to turn around and go a different way. What we "are" is human ... and from birth we have lived in a world saturated by a satanic broadcast, which naturally resulted in a mind focused on SELF and actively hostile – enmity – to the things of God (Romans 8:7). The profound about-face required to become a son of God was something no minister in those teenage years could get across to me. And it seems I wasn't alone in my lack of understanding, because Mr. Armstrong would often use the graphic example of the old gentleman who did "get it", to put across to us the concept of the vital need to turn around, change direction. From his Good News article of March 1979, "What the Bible Says about Water Baptism":
Now first, what is it to repent? Well, I wonder if you’ve heard the story (I may have mentioned it, but it’s been some years ago, I think) of the Methodist bishop who had come to a town and was preaching. It was quite a big thing for the bishop to come to this particular local church. And he preached a whole long sermon on repentance. But somehow his congregation there didn’t get it. And some of them were asking him questions but still couldn’t seem to understand. Then one humble old brother, near the back, raised his hand and said, “If you please, sir, I think I can explain this so the people will understand.”
“Well,” the bishop said, “all right. Go ahead and explain it.”
So he started marching down the aisle. As he did, he says, “I’m going to hell, I’m going to hell, I’m going to hell, I’m going to hell, I’m going to hell, I’m going to hell.” He got down by the pulpit, and he turned around and started back. And now he says, “I’m going to heaven, I’m going to heaven, I’m going to heaven, I’m going to heaven.” He said, “What you mean, sir, Mr. Bishop, is to turn around and go the other way.” Now that’s about the best explanation of what it is to repent that I think I’ve ever heard. And the bishop had it explained to him.
It means to turn from what you’ve allowed to come into you. Turn from the kind of life you’ve lived, the kind of thoughts you’ve been thinking, what you have let yourself become – until you want to become something else, and instead of Satan’s spirit getting to you, you now want the Spirit of God.
When we say, “Repent of what you are, not only of what you did,” people say, “Uh, can I repent of what God made me?” Well, God did not make sinning humans what they are – sinners. We drink that in from Satan. (Good News, March 1979 - What the Bible Says about Water Baptism)
Throughout the Word of God
In the Old Testament, two Hebrew words help us understand repentance. The first is the word "nacham", which means to turn around, to change the mind, be grieved. The second is the word "sub" It is used over 600 times in the Old Testament – most often by Strongs H07725 – and is translated by such words as "turn", "return", "seek", "restore". You see it very often in phrases like "to turn to the Lord with all your heart.",
- For if ye turn again [Strongs 07725] unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. (II Chronicles 30:9)
- Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye [Strongs 07725] even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
- And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. (Joel 2:12,13)
When you come to the New Testament there is one word we need to know – the Greek word "metanoia", which literally means "to change the mind." (Strongs G3341) "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [a change of mind]" (Matthew 9:13). This is clearly brought out in the parable of "the prodigal son" in Luke 15, (see also verses 7 and 10) which shows God's positive response to our repentant frame of mind.
The Incredible Price Paid
The Passover begins the subsequent Holy Day season of the year and it does so by focusing our minds on the incredible price that was paid on our behalf to enable us to truly repent of "what we are", in order to become part of the God family. This human, fleshly existence we all share is going in one inexorable direction. Even Jesus Christ, when inspiring king David in one of the most moving Psalms about His own eventual death as the Messiah talked about Himself as, "even He who cannot keep Himself alive" (Psalm 22:29 NKJV). And this sobering fact – of the type of frailty Christ willingly accepted for us, contrasted with the resplendent Life He previously enjoyed – is expounded in great detail in a March 1982 Plain Truth article: Why Christ Died and Rose Again:
... Do you realize WHAT a tremendous price was paid that you might be released from the death penalty of YOUR SINS? The very Eternal – the Spokesman of the Godhead, and very GOD himself – permitted himself to be changed into a mortal human – stepped down, descended to the human plane, suffered, was tempted, persecuted, despised, rejected of men, crucified! ...
... He died and for three days and nights WAS DEAD! He who was IN THE BEGINNING, and WAS GOD! He stooped to human level, submitted to DEATH – trusted the Father to restore him to life! That is the PRICE paid for you and for me. He GAVE himself for YOU – and in so doing bought and paid for you! And therefore, you BELONG TO HIM! Will you GIVE YOURSELF to him?
That is the only way of salvation – the only way this GREATEST PRICE EVER PAID IN THE UNIVERSE FROM ETERNITY can save you. You must GIVE YOURSELF up! – GIVE yourself TO HIM! Give him your life – yourSELF. Let HIM come into your mind and heart, through his Holy Spirit, and live His LIFE IN YOU!
It means full, complete, utter, unconditional SURRENDER. You are no longer your own, you are HIS. Give your life to HIM, and see what great usefulness and accomplishment he will put it to! See what great joys will be yours as a result of the great GOOD he can and will do through you – IF you are his, wholly IN HIS POWER, wholly subjected to HIS WILL. (The Plain Truth, March 1982 - Why Christ Died and Rose Again)
Life-Long Repentance
What we need to fully remember is that the sacrifice of Christ can only be applied upon genuine repentance, and as the apostle John brings out, it's not a one-off repentance – and forgiveness – when we are baptised, but a state of mind that must then continue thereafter throughout our physical lives:
- If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
- But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
- If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (I John 1:6-10)
That this repentant frame of mind needs to continue throughout our lives is a key point to examine prior to Passover. Are we still repentant on a day-to-day basis? In fact, we should be MORE repentant than we were at the point of baptism – when we were just starting out on our life-long journey, because at that time, like a new born baby, we had no idea how much growth/change was needed! Have we really surrendered our will to God and His way of life – or at least, is that still our full and genuine intent, because we all stumble from time to time. Rather than trying to plough through a list of our possible failings and shortcomings, these are the questions we need to ask ourselves – and take to God in prayer, asking Him to continue to correct us when we miss the mark, show us where we've wandered off track, and lead us unswervingly in His direction – in order to ultimately fulfil the purpose of His calling.
And that calling is to become a literal son of the Almighty God. Not merely part of some worldly philosophy or religion that is probably more about looking good in the eyes of men than anything else, but a change of everything – body, soul and spirit – from a mere human SELF-absorbed lump of "dust and ashes" into an actual OUTgoing, powerful and eternal God-Being, complete with a God-Mind! We can't do such a thing ourselves! That is totally impossible – unthinkable – but nevertheless, we DO have a profound and vital role in the process. This complete turnaround required of us is no mere abstract concept! Notice how Paul explained this spiritual about-face of the "new man" to the brethren in Ephesus:
- Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
- Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
- Neither give [opportunity] to the devil [the slanderer]
- Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
- Let no [poor quality, worthless] communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
- And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of [deliverance].
- Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
- And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:25-32)
Renewing Commitment
By its very nature that 180° turn – from our way to God's way, unconditionally and in every respect – is at first a painful process. The old "you" and "me" has to die and every self-seeking way we once held dear, rejected – recognising that God's eternal wisdom is so vastly superior to ours. And though to accomplish this to the degree God requires is destined to take a lifetime, that initial turn – from get to give, from our way to His way – prior to baptism is probably the hardest. Some – like the apostle Paul – might need a "road to Damascus" experience, but God deals with us as individuals, and for some it might be a longer process taking years, as He works in our life. But the end result is the same – an individual who willingly turns his back on his former way of life, and chooses God's way instead
And once that first step has been made, each subsequent step away from our former lifestyle and thinking and towards God's direction should become easier – as His faith and Spirit grows within us. As our relationship with our Father and Christ matures, we willingly seek to find where we need to change. Christ clearly brings this out via the apostle John:
- And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
- For everyone practising evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
- But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:19-21 NKJV)
And it was certainly something King David understood: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139: 23,24)
Following Christ's Lead
Since the apostasy this self-examination process has become progressively more and more important for all of us. Not only are we now having to check that although we are in the world, we are not of it – but also that the various ideas we may have picked up along the way are valid, and not something that will lead us off track, off the foundation and away from the original direction in which Christ was and is still leading His Church. Are the ideas we hold at present indeed genuinely true and not merely human concepts from the minds of men? This concern is vital ... "that no man take our crown" (Revelation 3:11)
Even Mr Armstrong himself recognised his own need to get back on track at this time of year. As an example, he confided that up to now, he hadn't fully understood his need to hunger and thirst after God's righteousness – and the profound breadth that this concept entailed. He did this in a sermon given during Unleavened Bread less than a year before he died:
I think of God's righteousness; and I think of God, and how holy and how righteous He is. God is so righteous He is absolutely perfect! Now God has… He never suffers anything, except sorrow that you and I cause Him; but of Himself He suffers nothing. He has no pain. He has no backache. No hips out of joint. No headache. But He is full of vitality. And He just feels so good, and so active, so strong, and so vigorous, and just feels good over and over all the time; and He's never tired or weary. He is perfect, and EVERYTHING is just perfect in His life. He has NO FEARS and no worries of any kind, because He's perfectly righteous. Perfectly! Now, that's something to hunger and thirst for!
Now, I have some aches and pains. Sometimes they come; sometimes they go, and then others come. So do you. So do we all. But if we hunger and thirst for God's righteousness, if we ever achieve it we will have perfect contentment, perfect happiness, perfect joy just brimful and running over, enthusiastically filled with love and with happiness beyond any description. We'd better hunger and thirst for it. Well now, what is that? It's the absence of sin. ("Rely on God" - sermon given UB 6 April 1985)
Law of Love
Turning from OUR way, REPENTING of sin, an UNCONDITIONAL surrender to God – this is what led to our baptism – and these are the things that should be in our minds at this season of the year. But two specific things should strike home in full measure when we really get to grips with this subject:
- The fact God will never compromise with His Law the smallest fraction of a millimetre.
- The incredible Love of The Father and Christ – in their desire to share the superb existence they enjoy.
And the two points above are inexorably linked together. The Law of God – His Spiritual Way of Life – is the very reason for the abundant existence enjoyed by our Father and Elder Brother. That Law can be summed up in the one word "Love". This evil age has made the word "love" an empty, over-used platitude – but the true Way of Love is anything but. It is the vibrant existence of the greatest Givers ever to exist. This very nature, this character, is what defines these Creating Beings. They live "That Way"! They ARE "That Way"! They obviously WANT to share, to love, to give what they have – so others can also have the same happiness they possess.
John 3:16 explains the depth of love that both God and Christ have for their creation – something far beyond anything the world can comprehend, and as Paul brings out in Romans: "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:7,8)
Satan has also put a negative spin on the word "law", especially at a time when the western world in particular is being harassed with more and more laws and restrictions, whereas the Torah – the law of God – is more a pointing, direction, instruction in a way of life that brings everything good ... to everyone. Do we still have the desire never to compromise with His Law, and the desire to share the exuberant existence they enjoy? This is something we need to think about when we examine ourselves prior to Passover.
Our Fragile Life
When we are in the bloom of youth, and we see things that need changing in our lives, we're often tempted to think, "Well, I'll get around to it sometime, soon-ish ..." But advancing years and the frailty of these physical bodies do bring home to all of us, in abrupt clarity, that this life is a finite thing. We do not go on forever in this flesh. One day it will be too late for any changes to be made, and we will have kept our last Passover in this life.
In his later years, Mr. Armstrong would continually emphasise that we have only a "temporary, physio-chemical existence". Our "outward man" is most certainly perishing (II Corinthians 4:16) and our concentration needs to be on the "inward man" ... that we become pliable clay in the hands of the Master Potter, voluntarily submitting to His vastly greater eternal wisdom ... nothing much else matters! (Luke 12:16-21) Growing old is a privilege which many today do not share. And though we pray that we are accounted worthy to escape and stand physically before the Son of Man as the heavens roll back as a scroll on His return – being changed rather than woken from the sleep of death – we have no guarantee this is how it is going to be in our case. We do not control this life – our daily lives are in God's hands. (Psalm 31:15)
In Psalm 90 Moses is moved to contemplate what seems to be the futility and frailty of human existence, as he watches an entire generation die in the wilderness, compared with the great Being that had led them the past 40 years.
- Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
- Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God ...
- ... For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night...
- ... The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away ...
- So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom ...
- And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. (Psalm 90: 1,2,4 10,12,17)
The Passover
So as we approach the Passover this year, let us all, once again, examine our continuing repentance – checking that we are indeed constantly turning from our own ways of doing things and turning to God's truly abundant Way of Life in absolutely everything ... from Get to Give. That clear and unambiguous intent to turn is repentance. It is the commitment we made at baptism and renew every year when we remember who paid the penalty in our stead as we take the Passover. Please read the entire article: Why Christ Died and Rose Again and recognise the profound nature of the sacrifice we are going to remember on the Passover evening.
And as you read, understand that it was a sacrifice given willingly by our Elder Brother. From the foundation of this world – this age, when mankind first made his choice – it was determined Christ, a God-being, had to die (Revelation 13:8). And while we were yet sinners – at the point the Father first opened our minds – Christ died for us, allowing the reconciliation to take place. And this was done so all humanity might succeed (John 3:16,17). We do not have to sorrow as we witness the misery and chaos around us, as others without this knowledge. We have confidence and hope for the future, and not just for the dead in Christ, who we'll meet again soon, but also the rest of the world, who too may share in LIFE – Real Life, lived according to God's Perfect Spiritual Law, in a truly abundant, dynamic Spirit Born Existence – for all Eternity!
- And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
- And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
- And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
- And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
- He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:3-7)
Debilitated… Humiliated… Disgraced… Irrelevant…
How did they fall so far, so quickly?
Britain 2026
Suddenly, Britain’s Global Reputation Is Shattered!
They are a nuclear power, a P5 country – one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The UK is the second most important player in NATO. They are in the G7. Britain is still the fifth or sixth biggest economy in the world. They have superlative security and intelligence services, and colossal reach and influence.
But as former British Prime Minister Boris Jonson points out:
“Britain is now not merely a laughing stock but something actually worse – a piffling irrelevance.” (dailymail.co.uk)
In Just A Few Short Days…
Britain’s global reputation is shattered!
Britain reduced to a “piffling irrelevance”…
The special relationship with America all but destroyed.
People are asking: “What happened to us?
How did we fall so far, so quickly?”
Meanwhile, President Trump is boasting about America’s power - is he in danger of falling into the same trap as ancient King Nebuchadnezzar?
It is interesting to note that a key event leading up to the Great Tribulation appears to be an attack on Europe by an Arab confederation – with no mention of American involvement!
If world leaders realised why God allows them to be in office, they might think and act differently. (More about that later.)
The Whole World Situation Has Suddenly Changed!
Right now, we see several major changes taking place in the world: in politics, finance, energy supply and trade. We need to be alert and watch as we live through this time of rapid change! As the Apostle Paul warned:
“So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.” (I Thessalonians 5:6, NLT)
Akrotiri Exposes Atrophy Of UK ‘Military Might’
First, the humiliation!
“The president of Cyprus was appalled to discover that Britain was unprepared for the drone attack on Akrotiri last week. In a panic, the Cypriots turned to Greece (as normal) then Spain and France (unprecedented) asking to be protected from the risk Britain’s bases had exposed them to.
They didn’t have to wait long. Greek frigates and F-16s were on the island within hours. A French warship is there already, soon to be joined by a full air wing. If HMS Dragon ever does reach Cyprus, the cavalry from half of Europe will have long since arrived to the defence of Brits and Cypriots alike. Quite the humiliation.” (thetimes.com)
HMS Dragon’s Mission To Cyprus ‘Is Being Delayed…’
“The deployment of HMS Dragon to Cyprus has been delayed amid claims from union officials that the naval base responsible for its repairs only operates on a ‘nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday’ schedule. According to the Prospect union, these delays are a direct result of ‘cost-cutting’ measures introduced by the Ministry of Defence and private contractor Serco. The union alleges that the Portsmouth naval base has abandoned its around-the-clock staffing model in favour of a standard 9-to-5, weekday-only operation.
General secretary of Prospect, Mike Clancy, said: ‘Our members are stepping up to help, but such a vital service shouldn’t be dependent on goodwill from staff. Out-of-hours support should be locked into the contract.’” (dailymail.co.uk)
“France Is Sending An Aircraft Carrier To The Middle East.
Why Isn’t Britain?”
“This weekend, Iran, or possibly one of its proxies on the Mediterranean shore, launched two attacks at British sovereign territory: RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The first salvo fell short, the second, possibly a single drone, hit. Thankfully there were no casualties and damage was minimal.
To be clear, British sovereign territory has been attacked and remains under threat.
Their response? Very slow.” (telegraph.co.uk)
Britain - SO IRRELEVANT On The World Stage
“Until 1956 and the Suez crisis, Britain was the pre-eminent Middle Eastern power. Even after having been displaced by the United States, we remained its most trusted and often indispensable ally, fighting together in both Gulf Wars…
Now, under Starmer’s feeble leadership, we have become mere spectators. It is the first time this has happened in my lifetime. Donald Trump doesn’t care what we think or do as we sink into irrelevance.” (dailymail.co.uk)
Britain: Debilitated, Humiliated And Disgraced
“What happened to us?
How did we fall so far, so quickly?
Where is our moral compass, our self-respect, our pride?
Sir Keir Starmer’s Britain stands alone, but for the most deplorable of reasons, unwilling to fight back when our bases are hit by drones, incapable of deploying what is left of the Royal Navy, unable to respond to the implosion of the old world order other than by incanting Leftist platitudes – debilitated, humiliated and disgraced.
America and Israel are waging a moral and just war to punish an evil, millenarianist, Iranian Islamist regime that kills and maims, and yet Britain is a no-show, pathetically asserting the war violates ‘international law’, sabotaging Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s heroic efforts at every opportunity. Starmer’s non-response to the attack on our base in Cyprus by Iranian proxies is an act of such breathtaking cowardice and strategic self-sabotage that it would have made even Jimmy Carter blush. It is the modern equivalent of the fall of Singapore, a debacle that will obliterate our remaining influence over the region.
September 11 wasn’t the West’s Pearl Harbour, a disastrous blow that led to ultimate triumph: it now looks as if October 7 2023 was. Two and a half years on, the multi-part war it triggered is turning into a historic disaster for Islamism and the authoritarian axis, including Russia. It has realigned the Middle East: Iran’s demented extension of the war could turbocharge a new Abraham Accord-style rapprochement.
Lebanon has banned Hezbollah’s military wing.
Syria is condemning Iran.
The Gulf States are shooting down Iranian missiles and are effectively in coalition with America and Israel, an astonishing development.
The Greeks are fighting Iranian-funded drones.
The Turks are angry, though they remain hostile to the West.
The Gulf states thought they could stay out of this, especially Qatar, which spent a fortune demonising Israel. They couldn’t.
Saudi Arabia’s rapprochement with China is over. The blow to Beijing is profound: its Iranian ally is being blown to smithereens, and it has lost all influence over the region.
The change in Europe is also seismic.
Friedrich Merz has slammed international law, drastic for a German leader.
The French leader Emmanuel Macron talks nonsense but his new nuclear doctrine, which involves an expansion in warheads, breaks decisively with the pacifist, legal-driven order.
Britain, by contrast, is doubling down on its stupidity. Starmer understands nothing and learns nothing.
OUR FALL FROM GRACE IS TOTAL.” (telegraph.co.uk)
Britain: Impotent On The World Stage
“It wasn’t like we didn’t know that American forces were massing in the region. Did it not occur to anybody that we might benefit from deploying a few ships just in case?
Before our eyes, the worst evil humanity has faced since the time of Hitler is locked in a battle of survival against the forces of democracy.
Yes, a transition to a stable and democratic Iran is far from certain; Yes, the inhabitant of the White House is mercurial at best, depraved at worst;
Yes, our forces are depleted after generations of decline.
But where is our love of freedom?
Where is our sense of right and wrong?
Where is our courage?
In 1940, after Dunkirk, Churchill roused our spirits and plunged into the fray.
Sir Winston Churchill - 4 June 1940
“… We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender…” (winstonchurchill.org)
Sir Keir Starmer - March 2026
Britain can now confirm:
…That it is NOT fighting on the beaches;
…That it is NOT fighting on the landing grounds, except for limited defensive operations that have shot down one drone;
…That it will bravely check the legality of fighting in the fields and in the streets;
…That it shall follow Lord Hermer’s advice about the legal position of fighting in the hills.
IN SHORT, IT HAS ALREADY SURRENDERED.” (telegraph.co.uk)
The Special Relationship Goes Into Meltdown
“Keir Starmer accused Donald Trump of lacking a ‘viable, thought-through plan’ for the Iran war today as Transatlantic tensions rise. The PM sounded defiant over his refusal to allow UK bases to be used for offensive strikes, insisting he was worried about ‘escalation’.
Mr Trump condemned the premier as ‘disappointing’ and ‘no Churchill’ last night, as the situation became more personal. Sir Keir shot back that letting the US use UK bases to shoot down drones ‘is the special relationship in action’ but ‘hanging on to President Trump’s latest words is not’.
The premier said that when the crisis erupted on Saturday he was not willing to ‘join a war unless I was satisfied there was a lawful basis and a viable thought through plan’. He added: ‘That remains my position.’” (dailymail.co.uk)
Starmer Has Delighted Our Enemies, Disheartened Our Friends And Debased Our Nation
“Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the ayatollahs have violated the immunity of our embassy in Tehran, abducted and assaulted British citizens, including diplomats, kidnapped British naval personnel, pronounced a fatwa against a British subject, seized a British tanker and sponsored at least 15 terror plots on British soil. To pretend that this is none of our business is both cowardly and cretinous.
As the rest of the world picks sides, Britain is left muttering about due process, nitpicking over niceties, proclaiming its loyalty to a legal order that others have abandoned, searching for one last international tribunal to which to surrender. Far from making us look noble, it makes us look fatuous. Shifty and unreliable, too.
We have relations in the Middle East that go back hundreds of years, and that are based on the idea that Britain is a dependable ally. Overnight, Starmer has thrown that reputation away.
What an opportunity we had.
We might have helped topple a regime that was slaughtering its civilian population and spreading chaos beyond its borders, a regime that regards Britain as its third enemy, behind only the US and Israel.
We might have strengthened our relationship with our Anglosphere cousins and our local allies.
We might have acted with honour and dignity.
Instead, we delighted our enemies, disheartened our friends and debased ourselves.
SHAME ON US.” (telegraph.co.uk)
Woke MoD Asks Troops: ‘Guys, Do You Want To Wear Make-Up?’
You couldn’t make this up! At a time when the whole Middle East is at war, and Britain stands on the sidelines, look at what’s important to the UK’s army leaders:
“Army chiefs have been criticised for launching a review – just as the Iran war intensifies – into whether male soldiers can wear make-up. While British personnel in Cyprus called for more protection and HMS Dragon was stuck in port, all serving soldiers were asked on Thursday whether they thought men could apply cosmetics and wear their hair like women. They were surveyed on woke ‘gender-free’ changes which could see men wearing make-up with long hair or hair extensions, painted nails and earrings.” (dailymail.co.uk)
Back To Reality…
Tehran’s Miscalculation:
How Iranian Missiles Brought Gulf States, Israel Together
“By targeting every GCC member with missiles and drones, Tehran has achieved the unthinkable: placing Israel and Qatar on the same team. This strategic blunder may finally cement a regional axis. After five days of war with Iran, the Iranians have succeeded in putting Israel and Qatar on the same team – to say nothing of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and even Saudi Arabia – all countries targeted over the past five days by Iranian missiles and drones. By some estimates, Iran has fired more missiles and drones at Gulf states combined than at Israel.” (jpost.com)
Mohammed Bin Salman ‘Secretly Lobbied Trump To Attack Iran’
“Many Gulf states believe Iran to be a danger to the region and a destabilising force. Saudi Arabia joined Israel in lobbying the US to launch strikes against Iran. Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, argued in favour of an attack during multiple phone calls with Donald Trump in the past month, sources told the Washington Post.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, also continued his long-standing campaign urging the US to join strikes on Iran, the Post reported. Iran has continued its retaliation after the US and Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Saturday morning, killing its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has so far launched attacks on six of its neighbours, inadvertently uniting the Middle East against the Islamic Republic. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, the Emirati political commentator, told The Telegraph that Iran was the unifying threat bringing Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) nations together, ‘regardless of differences’. He said: ‘When things get tough, they come together.’” (telegraph.co.uk)
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
“The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union and military alliance comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The council’s main headquarters is located in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. It was formally established in May 1981.” (wikipedia.org)
Iran Threatens To Nuke Israel
“Iran has shared a chilling image of a nuclear missile striking an Israeli city, which appears to be Tel Aviv. In a post on X, the account previously belonging to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that ‘Khorramshahr is ahead’, in reference to the ballistic missile named after the Iranian city. This comes after Tehran launched an overnight attack of cluster bombs targeting Tel Aviv, which were seen in shocking videos flying through the air before crashing into the ground.” (express.co.uk)
Where We Are - Now!
Britain once controlled one of the greatest empires in history, but has now sunk into “piffling irrelevance”!
The special relationship with America is in tatters…
America and Israel are attacking Iran with ever increasing intensity - but at what cost? It’s all being done on borrowed money.
Iran has attacked most of the Middle Eastern nations - causing many Arab nations to work together (Psalm 83:2-5), laying the foundation for the soon-coming King of the south (Daniel 11:40).
The King of the North is hastily rearming and making ready for war.
America is sinking deeper and deeper in debt!
There is a problem with a lack of real leaders:
”As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” (Isaiah 3:12)
Key Point
WE MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT GOD HAS ALLOWED THESE LEADERS TO FULFIL HIS PLAN.
What we are witnessing right now is God’s will in action!
Our minds have been opened, we have been given understanding of God’s great plan - for ALL of mankind!
The leaders and the world at large cannot understand what is going on - they have no idea! We can understand because “we have also a more sure word of prophecy.” (II Peter 1:19)
GOD HAS A MASTER PLAN
Mr Armstrong explains:
“We have seen that there is indeed a PURPOSE being worked out here below. Winston Churchill stated that before the United States Congress. There is a REASON for the presence of humanity on the earth. And for the working out of that PURPOSE there is a MASTER PLAN.” (Mystery of the Ages - Chapter 6)
“God is working out a PURPOSE here on earth! That PURPOSE is dual: a) God is reproducing Himself – forming future GOD BEINGS from mortal humans made from material soil, b) restoring the GOVERNMENT of God through these future born children of God.
For this transcendental PURPOSE God has a MASTER PLAN for its accomplishment. There are seven major steps in that Master Plan. The annual Festivals of God PICTURE that Master Plan.” (Pastor General’s Report – September 15, 1980)
The patriarch Job, after many serious trials, finally came to this understanding:
“I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose [plan] of thine can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2, RSV)
God tells us to…
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
Note This Example Of God In Action!
Right at the end of the age, 10 nations in Europe finally unite. How does this come about?
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:12-13, 17)
At The End Of The Age…
Britain And America To Be ‘Corrected’!
“The prophecies do not stop with revealing the unprecedented multiplied intensity of punishment already beginning to descend upon America and Britain. The prophecies record also the RESULT of that intensified punishment. The result will be a corrected people.” (United States And Britain In Prophecy - chapter 13)
Right now, that correction is under way!
The pride that Britain once had as a world-ruling empire is gone as the nation “sinks into irrelevance”, “debilitated, humiliated and disgraced”. Britain no longer has any power to be proud of! The special relationship between Britain and America is in tatters. Just as we were warned in the book of Isaiah:
“Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 9:21, NKJV)
Watch out for events that will turn America and Britain against Judah!
Watch as the pride in America’s power is broken…
The End Result?
“The result will be an eye-opening realization of what we have done to ourselves. The supreme punishment will teach us, at last, our lesson!
The punishment will break our spirit of REBELLION!
It will lift us up from the cesspool of rottenness and evil into which we have sunk.
It will teach us the way to glorious peace, prosperity, happiness, abundant well-being!” (United States And Britain In Prophecy - chapter 13)
Latest Audio - 2026-03-14
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
Read online or contact email to request a copy
