Black Friday

Saturday 30th November.

Yesterday morning, residents of Oxford woke to a fiery cross hanging in an otherwise azure sky.  As the Psalmist proclaims, ‘The heavens tell out the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).’  At one level it was extraordinarily beautiful, but it was also perplexing and, in my spirit, I felt it was a portent.  Good or bad, I didn’t know.

Yesterday afternoon, MPs voted by 330 votes to 275 to legalise assisted suicide.  That fiery cross was, I now believe, a warning of judgment over this nation.

At every level, the vote is historic, and it is no exaggeration to say that a Rubicon has been crossed.  The primary duty of the State up to now has been to protect the lives of its citizens, but, once this law is passed, the State will assume power to determine when and how its citizens die.

Does this matter?  Yes, it does.  To see another in pain is always difficult, and this is not to make light of the suffering and distress experienced by those in the final stages of illness, or of their loved ones witnessing their pain and feeling powerless to help, but if we shift from an attitude of care to deliberate killing, we are inviting a chaos monster, hostile to God, to take up residence in our land.  A monster that, given half a chance, will swallow up everything in its bloodied path.  In a nutshell, if we allow this Bill to become law, we will be at the start of a slippery slope where state-sanctioned death becomes not just progressively normalised, but a default position for treatment of the elderly, the vulnerable, the disabled … and even, on the evidence of other jurisdictions, those suffering from mental illness, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and the like.

But the truth, so vehemently denied by secularists, is that the Creator and Lord of all remains intimately involved with His creation, and He cares.  He cares about every man, woman or child that does, ever has, or ever will, exist, and He cares about the Earth.  In the battle for control with Satan – that started in Eden and is still being fought – He will not allow evil to triumph.  ‘Compassion’ that demands we be allowed to end the life of another, no matter how well intentioned, is misplaced.  ‘Life’ is, and remains, God’s gift.  Our untimely ending of life, whether our own or that of another, is to throw back the gift in the face of the giver.  But it is more than that.  While we live on this Earth, it is because God has a purpose for us.  Whether that purpose has to do with our personal development and salvation, or the wellbeing and care of others, is immaterial.  It is intimately tied to the fate that awaits us beyond death.  If we interrupt and disrupt that vital process, that is tied to our salvation, we put at risk the eternal destiny, not just of the one whose life we prematurely end, but of ourselves too.

So-called assisted suicide and euthanasia is a victory for the devil.

Which brings us back to the fiery cross in an otherwise cloudless sky.  God is warning us that He sees our unholy alliance with death, and He will not stand idly by.  Judgment is coming, and there are challenging times ahead.  In the devastation that is assuredly to come upon the Earth, only God can save us – but He will not bless or act to preserve evil.

Satan is no doubt rejoicing at his hellish victory in the Commons yesterday, but the inescapable and incontrovertible truth is that life, at every stage, is precious, and must not be treated as a disposable commodity – to be valued, used or discarded as we see fit.  In the long and tortuous road that now lies ahead, as the Bill progresses through its various stages on its way to becoming law, we must do all we can fearlessly to resist.

Christ died that men and women might have life – and have it more abundantly.  Let us not make a mockery of that sacrifice by giving way to the honeyed blandishments of evil, that on the surface look so good, but in reality open up a highway to hell.