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(The ‘Belfast Newsletter’ Editor has requested a shorter version of the following letter which I submitted on July 4th. In the interest of getting out the truth, I have complied with his request and I trust that it will be published soon. IF)

See the bottom of this post for images of the printed version.

Sir,

A great deal of ‘pernicious drivel’ has appeared in your newspaper ‘letters’ column concerning what is wrong religiously here in Northern Ireland.

There is a common theme in these letters: ‘Abandon the Biblical beliefs of the past and go with what the ‘modernists and liberals’ say is good.’

That is seen as the ‘cure-all’ for Ulster’s woes.

Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth!

That which God was pleased to bless in the past, with repeated seasons of revival blessing and thousands of conversions to personal faith in Christ and the enjoyment of peace with God, is what may be found in the ‘Old Confessions’ of the three main denominations and which has been repudiated by those denominations.

Therein lies the cause of our troubles!

A study of the Bible, particularly the Book of Judges, will show that what we have experienced, and will continue to experience, stems from a rejection of the truth of God, set forth in Holy Scripture.

‘Ecumenism’, man’s invented religion, has demanded the abandonment of the cardinal doctrines of the Word of God. That demand has been acceded to by the three main churches.

I hope your readers will consider these quotations from the historic doctrinal statements of the main churches, doctrines which God was pleased to endorse and prosper those who preached them!

39 Articles of Religion of the Church of Ireland.

Article 31.

‘Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross.’

The Offering of Christ once made is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin, but that alone.

Wherefore the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits. (more…)

We thus introduced our first study of these two chapters:—

‘These two chapters are very relevant for Christians today, for they refer to many of the things that will take place in the last days of this age. Yes, the visions of Daniel recorded here begin with references to times, many centuries ago but it also deals with the last event of this age and the first of the new age, the Millennial Age!

“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.

I might suggest that the words of the Saviour in Matthew 24 imply that He expects His people to be familiar with the prophecies of Daniel.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” Matthew 24:15.

It is very evident that prophecy was given to us as a means of warning and instruction, especially for the latter days. How we should study the prophecies of the last times as they dawn upon us!’

We now come to part 2 of our study.

I. PROPHECY FEATURES EVENTS INVOLVING PEOPLE AND NATIONS IN ONE PARTICULAR REGION OF THE EARTH.

“Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another,” 7:2-3.The ‘great sea’ is the Mediterranean Sea. It is well known what the word ‘Mediterranean’ means. It is derived from Latin and means ‘in the middle of the earth’.

It is the Sea at the centre of the region of the earth that chiefly features in the Bible and in which the central acts of the   eternal purpose of God amongst men are carried out. Nations not immediately linked geographically to the ‘Great Sea’ , such as Babylon, feature in prophecy because of their dealings with Israel, which lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. (more…)