“Work While You Have the Light”

The elections are over in Australia and despite public opinion to the contrary the Liberal Party has won. The Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a Bible believing Christian and has publically declared his faith. As he began his victory speech he said; “I’ve always in miracles and we have experienced one tonight!” The floor of the room erupted into cheering and applause from his followers! Obviously it was a play on words to some degree and I dare say he really does believe in miracles from God and that God has given him the nation’s top job and the responsibilities that come with the office.

This is a victory for the thousands of Aussie Christians praying and working together that the Labor party would lose and that God’s choice of government would be paramount in the election. Labor was seeking to bring into play policies that would affect Christians, muzzle freedom of speech, destroy Biblical ethics and morals and ultimately bring about the judgement of God on this nation. As for freedom of speech George Washington said; “If freedom of speech is taken away, them dumb and silent, we may be led like sheep to the slaughter.” Labor’s policies would have included restrictions on  Bible believing Christians from freely expressing their faith according to the teaching of the Bible.

It seems the LORD has given Australia a reprieve for the next three years to turn back to God. It is time for the Body of the Messiah in this land not to sit back and take it easy but to start preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom in earnest and like never before while there is freedom to do so. Likewise in America the LORD in His sovereign purposes allowed Donald Trump to be elected that gave the American Christians a reprieve to preach the gospel in that great nation. God in His sovereign purposes raises up leaders and also puts them down. (Daniel 2:20-23) President Trump was the first world leader to congratulate Prime Minister Scott Morrison. President Trump likened it to the same situation that brought him into the oval Office.

I think that God may still have His hand on Australia, America and Great Britain for that matter even though at present the nation of Great Britain is by and large spiritually bankrupt with no Godly leadership at the political leadership level. These three nations do have a Judeo-Christian heritage and God can spiritually revive those who once were alive spiritually but are now seemingly spiritually dead. While we see the growing apostasy within wider Christendom on a global scale mentioned in the New Testament that will mark the last days just before the Lord Jesus returns, these three nations still have hope to be spiritually revived while in these nations there are faithful, Bible believing Christians praying and working for the salvation of sinners and for the sanctification of the saints and for a backslidden Church to be revived!

It is quite remarkable that in the current political climate in Australia that the Liberals carried the day. It was totally unexpected. While there is no perfect political party and there are flaws within the Liberal camp, never the less, under the Liberals we will see religious freedom retained and un-Biblical policies resisted and put aside. It is early days as yet but what an opportunity it is for the next three years for the faithful Body of the Messiah in this land to rise to the occasion and preach the uncompromised Gospel of the Kingdom once again for the days of darkness will come.

As the Lord Jesus said; “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)  While in its context he was speaking about His death, prophetically He had in mind that end-time period of spiritual darkness that would prevail in the last days during the Time of Great Tribulation (Greek-Thlipsis) that is coming. During this time the Gospel of the Kingdom will still be preached but those preaching it will be hard-pressed and opposed by those who are enemies of the Gospel and enemies of light! In those days men will love the darkness rather than the light and not come to the light lest their ungodly and wicked deeds be exposed by the light!

When the Lord Jesus comes back may Australia be one of those nations that have stood for righteousness and supported Israel in the dark days that lay ahead of us. In those dark days when things are at their darkest the glory of the LORD will arise upon His chosen people being that faithful remnant in Israel and by inclusion and extension the faithful Body of the Messiah.

As the prophet Isaiah writes; “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Isaiah 60:1-3)

However, it will be in a time of “thlipsis” (Greek) being “tribulation, affliction, persecution, being pressed down and oppressed.” Just as the Lord Jesus was the light in the darkness so in the last days His light will shine through His people into a spiritually dark world that is getting darker. Australia has had a reprieve from the LORD. We already have a Christian Prime Minister whose party has been elected enabling him to stay in power for the next three years and he needs our prayers that he might become one of this nation’s great and Godly leaders. The prayers and labours of God’s people in this land, that centuries ago was called “the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit,” have brought about the election of the Liberal party within the sovereign purposes of God and to an extension of time for this nation to repent and to turn back to the God of our forefathers of faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

God is still holding out the royal sceptre of salvation one last time to the people of this great nation of Australia with a willingness to pardon and to cleanse the land from its idolatry, from all spiritual defilement of flesh and spirit and to perfect holiness in the fear of the lord. Most Aussies in their understanding of God are like those people in the City of Nineveh of whom we are told could not tell their right hand from their left hand spiritually. Even though Jonah was a reluctant prophet his obedience in the end brought about the salvation of that city!

May we as bondslaves of the Lord Jesus be numbered among those who do everything without complaining or arguing, so that we may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which we shine as lights in the world as we hold forth the word of life! (Philippians 2:14-16) The election has come and gone and now is the time for us as believers to hold out to others the Word of Life in this crooked and perverse generation, to shine like the stars of heaven while keeping in mind the words of our Lord Jesus; “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)