Kingdom Tidings Summer 2002

H.M. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was born in 1900 and named Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon. As daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, she was a descendant of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland and thus of David King of ancient Israel. In 1923, she married Albert Duke of York and was soon to be mother of two little princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

Following the abdication of King Edward VIII in December 1936, the Duke of York became the new King Emperor, taking the title of King George VI. The Duchess now Queen Empress was a devoted wife and helpmate and before long the King and Queen were to face the grim turmoil of World War II. It was during these dark days as German aircraft pounded London during the Blitz that the Queen earned the admiration of her people and became an inspirational symbol of resistance, of all that was best in Britain. Nazi dictator Hitler described her as the most dangerous woman in Europe. Emerging from the dark War years, the King and Queen were only to spend another seven happy years together. King George died in 1952, but the Queen Mother as she was now styled, did not withdraw into isolation. Instead inspired by her steadfast faith in the God of Israel she commenced what were to be another fifty years of service to the nation. Even in her ninety-ninth year she still undertook some 25 public engagements and as recently as November 2001 just a few months before her death, she visited Portsmouth for the rededication of the ‘Ark Royal” naval vessel.

Beloved by the nation we will never see her like again. We bid farewell to our Queen Mother, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection.

Mini Bible Study:

One hundred and thirteen years before Cyrus saw the light of day, his name was written in the prophecies of the Bible. It was also predicted that he would become a mighty general; and one hundred and seventy-four years before he was born an exact prediction was made of the work he would do when he was sixty one years old. It also revealed the way by which he would accomplish the task. That task, the greatest fear of his life, was the capture of Babylon, the mightiest city of the ancient world.

Babylon was called in the Scriptures “the praise of the whole earth,“ “the golden city,” “the glory of kingdoms,” “the lady of kingdoms,” and “the beauty of the Chaldee’s excellency.”

It was surrounded by a series of gigantic walls and a giant moat or trench, so made that it could be flooded from an artificial lake. The enclosed area of the city covered twenty-five square miles, which provided ample space for gardens and orchards, so that if it were beseiged its inhabitants could easily grow sufficient food to amply support them. Yes, Babylon was impregnable! Yet God’s infallible prophecies declared it was doomed to be overthrown and finally to sink into ruin and oblivion.

Five decades before, Jeremiah the prophet foretold in amazing detail the unique method of attack and even the conditions inside the city on Babylon’s fateful night. This prophecy is found in the fiftieth and fifty-first chapters of Jeremiah. The very nations that would capture that proud city were also named.

“The Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for His device is against Babylon.”

“Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes.” - (JEREMIAH 51:11, 28)

In Isaiah 45:1-3 it was foretold that Cyrus the king of Persia would be the general who would lead the armies against Babylon. This prophecy mentions Cyrus by name over a century before he was born. History confirms prophecy! It always does. In the year 559 B.C. war broke out between the Babylonians and the Medes. Darius, the king of the Medes, sought the aid of his nephew, Cyrus the Persian king, who laid siege to Babylon. The Babylonians had no fears or concern, as they gathered within the impregnable walls. They had provisions for twenty years, besides land to furnish food for an indefinite period. Well may they scoff at Cyrus and mock his efforts to capture “the golden city”. Cyrus knew that spears, arrows, or battering rams were powerless against this greatest of fortresses. Cyrus determined to use stratagem, for he well knew force was useless. He determined to gain entrance by means of the river Euphrates which flowed diagonally through the city. The river would be his highway, for it entered and emerged as it flowed beneath the city walls. It was diverted into an artifcial lake so the river would be fordable.

Fifty or more years before, the prophecy had foretold that this would be the method the Medes and Persians would adopt in the capture of Babylon.

When all this preparation was completed for diverting the Euphrates, the attack was made on the night of the annual Babylonian festival. The city would be given over to an orgy of feasting and drunken revelry. The fifth chapter of Daniel describes that night of wine, women and song. Babylon could have known and should have known, for God had sent this warning to them. The Divine prophecies had foretold it all, but like many modem so-called intellectuals, they were above the old Bible and too big to heed it’s messages. So Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, made “a great feast to a thousand of his lords.” It was a gay night, but it suddenly became a very gloomy one. If they were too big to be worried by God, they were not too big to be wounded by His judgment. “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand,” and wrote the final message of Babylon’s doom on the palace wall. The same fingers that wrote the ten commandments on Sinai flint, now writes it so that all Babylon can see.

In defiance of God they had “worshipped and praised the gods of wood and stone, silver, gold and brass, that see not, nor hear, nor know and” continued God’s spokesman, “the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, thou has not glorified.” Lovers of sin and the ways of transgression, love a god they cannot, see, hear or know. But now the time of reckoning had come. Death, judgment and perdition... So ended the first act in the Babylonian drama.

The most amazing fact of all is that, this too was foretold in the “Scriptures of Truth.” One hundred and fifty years before, the prophet had foretold that Babylon would go down (ISAIAH 21:9), at the time of feasting and drunkenness. (ISAIAH 21:5), by the hand of Elam. Elam was just to the north of the Persian Gulf and Media (ISAIAH 21:2). The wild, gay time would suddenly turn to terrifying, paralyzing fear (ISAIAH 21:3,4). Jeremiah also foretold their end in the midst of a drunken stupor (JEREMIAH 51:39,57). The enemy would crawl like caterpillars, declared the prophecy (JEREMIAH 51:14). The street passages by the river would be seized first and later the rest of the city (JEREMIAH 51:31,32). The drunken revelers would not be able to resist and Babylon would go down (JEREMIAH 51:30; 50:35-37; 51:58,63,64).

On the night of this Babylonian high day, Cyrus, the Persian divided his army into three companies. The first was to turn the river at a given hour, the second was stationed where the river flowed into the city and the third where the river flowed from beneath the city walls and as soon as the river was fordable they were (in the darkness of night,) to enter the city and meet at the palace, kill the guards and capture the city.

In the British Museum there is an ancient inscription written by the priests of Babylon which describes the capture of the haughty city of Babylon:

“On the 16th day, Gobrigas Pasha of the land of Gutium, and the troops of Cyrus, without a battle entered Babylon.”

They did not need to battle, for on that high day of revelry the river gates were left open, either in carelessness or treachery, so the army of Cyrus just marched in and took possession. Herodotus, in his History gives an interesting account of this capture of Babylon, Book 1, page 97. Thus both history and the unearthed stone tablets of the archeologist confirm the exact and uncanny fulfilment of the infallible Scriptures. One hundred and seventy-five years before, the prophecy had foretold that the gates would shut. This was the very way by which Cyrus was enabled to capture this mighty fortress.

“Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand have I holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut.” - (ISAIAH 45:1)

The exact and amazing fulfilment of these and a thousand other prophecies on a myriad of subjects is irrefutable proof of the truthfulness of Scripture. It is true! It is reliable!

“I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” - (JOHN 14:29)

“These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye might have life through His Name.” - (JOHN 20:31)

The prophecy is “written,” so is history, and the stone tablets, so that we might have a sure foundation for our belief in Christ and by believing we may have life.

(Reprinted from “Hope International” P.O. Box 148, Rangiora, South Island, New Zealand)

As our American Kinsfolk celebrate their Independence Day on 4th July we thought it would be appropriate to recall those words of wisdom from President Abraham Lincoln:

“With malice toward none; charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

Immediately afterwards, Lincoln kissed the Bible, bowed, and retired from the platform. Another quote from Lincoln states:

“Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance, are still competent to adjust, in the best way, all our present difficulty”

“Making an open stand against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, which overspreads our land as a flood, is one of the noblest ways of confessing Christ in the face of His enemies.”

Polygamists living in Britain can claim benefits for multiple wives (described as "dependent partners") in order “to keep Britain in line with European (sic) rules on benefit allocations”. A spokesman for West Wiltshire District Council said that polygamists were entitled to claim £30.70 a week for each extra wife (allegedly) supported by the claimant even if they are not living in Britain. The Council specifically asks the question:

“Do you have a polygamous partner living with you? If you are legally married to more than one partner under the laws of a country that allows this. ... please give the number of partners you have including their names.”

A ‘devout’ Muslim who distributed leaflets quoting the prophet Mohammed’s 1,400-year-old backing for a holy war against Jews has escaped a jail term. Father-of-two, Iftikhar Ali, has made legal history as the first person to be prosecuted for inciting racial hatred with a religious text. London’s Southwark Crown Court heard he stood a stone’s throw from a synagogue and a mosque, handing out what prosecutors branded a ‘call to arms’.

The Queen will use the occasion of her Golden Jubilee tour of Britain to visit Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish communities, Buckingham Palace has announced. Other members of the Royal Family will also be making visits to non-Christian religious groups, including Baha’i, Jain and Zoroastrian communities. The visits are a priority for the Queen and reflect an emphasis being placed on supporting and encouraging varied religious groups in modern, multi-faith, multi-cultural Britain.

“The European Union has long since ceased to be a mere common market. It has become a political entity and the citizens of Europe know this. We shall all be reminded of it very strongly when euro coins and notes are in our pockets in a few weeks.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, a pupil brought a Hebrew New Testament that he had been given, to Orot school in Beit Shemesh. A teacher burnt it publicly on the advice of a Rabbi. The school then apologised. The boy’s father, an American, said the teacher was an Israeli who had never left the country, “This is not the type of education I want my kids to have. In America, they let you practice your religion, you let them practice their religion, and you kind of co-exist.”

The Education Ministry said, “In principle, the Ministry condemns book burning as an educational act”. (Virtuosity)

The burning aroused considerable opposition and condemnation and shows how divided opinion is. It is unfair to judge the country by the acts of religious zealots.

Prince Charles has launched a campaign calling for greater tolerance of other cultures and religions. His initiative is intended to boost respect and understanding between faiths and communities. At a press conference the Prince - who wants to be known as defender of all different faiths - was flanked by 23 leading religious figures including Christians, Muslims and Jews. He said it was a ‘tragedy’ that faiths are so divided when they have so much in common. The campaign, called "Respect", forms part of the Prince’s contribution to the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

The Prince said: "Over the past year, we have seen, internationally, nationally and locally, all too many examples of intolerance to others. Tolerance is an easy word to pronounce, but it seems to be very difficult to enact in our lives. And yet it is such a tragedy that, when the various faith communities have so much in common, its members should so often be divided by the different ways we have of interpreting the inner meaning of our existence."

An inter-faith group in USA wants to remove what they say are ’anti-Jewish phrases’ from children’s Bibles. The group is targeting major American Bible publishers and claims that its sole motive is to rebuild, bridges between Christians and Jews.

THE CHRIST	THE ANTICHRIST
Came in God’s Name	Comes in his own name
Humbled Himself	Exalts himself
Was Despised	Admired
Was Exalted by God	Cast down to Hell
Did His Father’s Will	Does his own will
Came to Save	Comes to destroy
Is the Holy One	Is the lawless one
Is the Man of Sorrows	Is the man of sin
Is the Son of God	Is the son of perdition
Is the Sacrificial Lamb	Is the savage beast

We were saddened to learn of the passing of the following dear friends of the Kingdom Message.

Mother of Pastor Jory Brooks of Bible Restoration Church, Royal Oak Michigan, in whose home Pastor Campbell stayed on his visits to Detroit and Windsor. A stalwart for the truth and a true “Mother in Israel.”

Widow of the late Pastor Des Seekins, with whom we recall happy times of fellowship at the High Leigh Conventions.

To BERTIE LEWIS and BRONWYN McNEIL on their recent wedding. They have been faithful members of our Newcastle Centre since its inception and the ‘New’ Mrs Lewis continues to provide the music for our meetings. We wish them both every blessing.

You must visit our new Open-Bible Ministries Online Resource Centre from where you can listen to available talks and download them to your computer in MP3 format or purchase them as audio CDs or even MP3 CDs. We plan to increase the number of talks available from this new Resource Centre over the coming weeks while still maintaining our cassette tape facility for those folk who need this medium.

Events in the Middle-East are rarely out of the news these days - however very few people actually understand the underlying causes for this conflict between Jew and Arab. In the above series of three messages (available from the Open-Bible Ministries Online Resource Centre) Pastor Alan explains the political, historical, religious and Biblical background to the current situation, examining the validity of the claims of each of the protagonists - before showing from the Scriptures who the true 'inheritors' of Palestine are.

In regard to this subject, you should also read "The Thirteenth Tribe" by Arthur Koestler. This book traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire, a major but almost forgotten power in Eastern Europe, which in A.D. 740 converted to Judaism. Khazaria, a conglomerate of Aryan Turkish tribes, was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan, but evidence indicates that the Khazars themselves migrated to Poland and formed the cradle of Western (Ashkenazim) Jewry... Mr. Koestler was an Ashkenazi Jew and took pride in his Khazar ancestry. He was also a very talented and successful writer who published over 25 novels and essays. His most successful book, Darkness at Noon, was translated in thirty-three languages. As expected, The Thirteenth Tribe caused a stir when published in 1976, since it demolishes ancient racial and ethnic dogmas...At the height of the controversy in 1983, the lifeless bodies of Arthur Koestler and his wife were found in their London home. Despite significant inconsistencies, the police ruled their death a suicide...

"AMERICA - THE LAST FRONTIER FOR MANASSEH"

Des Thomas

Examines America's important role in the wonderful plan of God, clearly shows His sovereign hand behind her history and the mighty sweep of spiritual events in her heritage.

359 pages - Fully Illustrated.

"The Unholy Land - Part 1"

"The Unholy Land - Part 2"

"The Unholy Land - Part 3"

"The Throne of David - Part 1"

"The Throne of David - Part 2"

"The Throne of David - Part 3"

"The Three Divine Witnesses"

"Jacob Prasch versus our Authorised King James Bible"

Pastor Alan Campbell

Any of the above titles available for a Suggested Donation of £UK 2.00 or $US 3.00 (Plus Postage) from: