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The following is a summary of the resolutions passed by the members of a special General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, published by the ‘Belfast Newsletter today.

The special General Assembly was called in response to the news that a police investigation has been launched into “serious and significant failings” in central safeguarding functions for children and vulnerable adults from 2009 to 2022.

It is to be noted that the resolutions read like that which a secular organisation might formulate when faced by a similar crisis.

THERE IS NOT ONE MENTION OF THE LORD, THE WORD OF GOD, OR REPENTANCE BEFORE GOD FOR THE YEARS OF REBELLION THAT HAVE LED UP TO THIS DREADFUL SITUATION!

I said in a previous article (Presbyterian Church in Ireland special General Assembly) that repentance was a gift from God and a church which had for some 100 years lived to defy God and embrace Bible-rejecting doctrines and honour those who promoted such evil, would not be granted repentance as is taught in Scripture in passages such as Proverbs 1:22-33.

The remarks of the replacement Moderator, Rev Richard Murray, I put down as mere ‘window dressing’. There is no formulating of his sentiments or incorporating of them into the resolutions summarised in the ‘Belfast Newsletter’ today.

Here is what the ’Newsletter’ states.

Presbyterian Church in Ireland safeguarding crisis: The key decisions made by Special General Assembly

The gathering of over over 700 ministers and elders passed a series of resolutions that will :

1. Elevate significantly the position of safeguarding in PCI through the establishment of a new Safeguarding Department with new direct line management and external oversight through a Safeguarding Supervision Panel.

2. Create two senior level posts – a Head of Safeguarding; and a Safeguarding Lead – with appropriate professional social work and administrative support.

3. At an appropriate time, hold a full, independent, external review of PCI Safeguarding at all levels. (more…)

Reports have appeared in two of our local newspapers today (19.12.25) of the special General Assembly, called by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland over the police investigation into failures to properly safeguard its young people from perverts within its perimeters.

Former Presbyterian moderator Rev Trevor Gribben resigned last month after an internal review found “serious and significant failings” in central safeguarding functions for children and vulnerable adults from 2009 to 2022.

The previous moderator, Rev Richard Murray, stepped in when Rev Trevor Gribben resigned.

The PSNI and Charity Commission have launched investigations into the matter.

Rev Richard Murray called a special General Assembly, which met yesterday. The Belfast Newsletter reported on this gathering.

“Hundreds of Presbyterian clerics and elders from across the island of Ireland have come together to discuss the fall out of the safeguarding scandal.”

The Moderator is reported as saying at the beginning of the special meeting:

“So we are turning to God today to repent of our sin, to grieve and to lament before him, to pray that he would have mercy upon us, and guide us in how we might rectify our behaviour so that these things might not happen again.

Delegates were chided that despite an invitation going to them to come to a prayer meeting before proceedings began, only around 50 turned up.” (more…)

Luke 21:5-38

I have often told the congregation of Kilskeery Free Presbyterian Church in the past and, in more recent times, the pupils in Kilskeery Independent Christian School when I speak at their assembly gatherings, that we must come to the Bible as does a detective attending the place where a crime has taken place.

That is, with great care we must, as does the detective, seek to avoid disturbing anything at the scene and observe everything that is there. Nothing is unimportant to the detective. No smudge in the dust, or scrap of paper or any item visible to his eye.

With such care and attention we come to the Word of God and strive to note every word, its tense, be it present past or future! By so doing we will avoid hasty conclusions about what it is the Lord is saying to us.

Remember, “Every word of God is pure. . . ,” Proverbs 30:5. It must be considered invaluable and cannot be carelessly skipped over or ignored if we are to rightly divide the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15).

The passage before us, Luke 21:5-38, is a parallel to that of Matthew 24. The introduction to both passages indicate that.

“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” Matthew 24:1-2.

“And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” Luke 21:5-6.

As with the statements of any witnesses of a scene or an event, there are differences, though since this is the inspired Word of God, there are no contradictions!

One witness reports slightly more of what was said on the occasion reported.

I believe that I am correct in saying that Luke’s account of the Saviour’s words, which we are going to study, gives details of the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army and the dispersion of the Jewish nation which followed, whereas, Matthew does not refer to that event.

Many have taken the two accounts as being exactly parallel in order to deny the understanding of prophecy set forth by those who hold to the position of Historic Premillennialism. Such try to apply the whole of Luke 21 to the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

That involves a serious error and utterly distorts the prophecy of the Saviour and robs the people of God of the information Christ would have His people understand regarding the closing days of this age, just prior to His return in power and great glory.

FUTURE ANTICHRIST REJECTED

In truth, the reason for promoting the notion that the whole prophecy in Luke 21 refers only to AD 70 is in order to reject a future Antichrist and the attempt to establish the notion of the ‘A-millennialist’ that the ‘Pope’ or series of popes, is the Antichrist referred to in Revelation 13:18. (more…)