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The headline of a recent ‘Daily Telegraph’, which was drawn to my attention, ran as follows:

“Protestants are now hounded out of politics, as Kate Forbes has shown”.

The headline itself is most unusual and demands a reading of the article. For that reason we are circulating it amongst our readership.

I would wish however to make a few comments on it.

It can never be right for a Christian to ally themselves with an organisation or political party so blatantly anti-Bible as is the Scottish Nationalist Party. (SNP).

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One cannot be in such a group without canvassing for people to support its views and that is very, very wrong for any Christian. In that Kate Forbes is wrong and in disobedience to God’s Word  and very much out of step with the godly founders in the 18th century of her ‘Free Church of Scotland’: men such as  Thomas Chalmers, Robert Candlish,  John ‘Rabbi’ Duncan and the Bonar brothers, Andrew and Horatio.

However well Kate Forbes may have spoken out against the core policies of the SNP, she cannot justify her membership of that party. There comes a time when a protest only becomes effective AFTER a person has separated from that protested against. There is little point in shouting ‘FIRE’ and remaining within the conflagration!

She is quoted as saying she would have ‘respected and defended the democratic choice that was made’, that is, the SNP’s decision to support ‘same-sex’ marriage. That is the equivalent of saying that she would have defended the decision, made by the majority of Jews, to crucify Christ. What is right morally is not decided by the vote of a majority but by the Word of God. It alone, as the Shorter Catechism her church still teaches, states in its answer to its second question. “Q 2: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

A: The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.”

Kate Forbes is very wrong and so is the writer of this article who seems to consider her position on this issue very commendable. (more…)

“‭And ‭that‭ these days‭ ‭should be‭ remembered‭‭ and kept‭‭ throughout‭ every generation‭, every‭ family‭, every‭ province‭, and every‭ city‭; ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬and ‭that‭ these days‭ of Purim‭ should not fail‭‭ from among‭ the Jews‭, nor the memorial‭ of them perish‭‭ from their seed‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Esther 9:28.

The true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has, in truth, more reason to remember this day of thanksgiving than does the average Jew today. The events remembered and celebrated took place in the year BC 510, according to the trustworthy calculations of the godly and strongly Protestant Archbishop of Armagh, James Ussher (4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656). This holy man, who aided our persecuted Presbyterian forefathers and favoured Presbyterian church polity, compiled a history of the world, “The Annals of the World”. His learning was widely admired and to this day great store is laid upon his chronology of the events of history since the creation.

Accepting Ussher’s date, the first’ Purim’ took place over two and a half millennia ago! This year ‘Purim’ will be celebrated by the Jewish people on 6th March. The celebration has become, in character, something like the so-called ‘Christmas’ celebrations amongst those who have but a ‘nodding acquaintance’ with the things of God.

Since the Lord Jesus Christ is rejected amongst most Jews, there is no true recognition of the One Who wrought the wonderful deliverance of the Jewish nation all those years ago.

One of the strange features of the Book of Esther is the absence of any mention of ‘God’ in the book, though the hand and providence of God may be most clearly seen in it! I take that absence as a providential foreshadowing of the absence of any mention of the true God in today’s celebrations of Purim.

The Lord Jesus Christ is indeed THE KING OF ISRAEL! It was His Kingly intervention all those years ago that preserved the Jewish people from the attempt by their enemies, led by Haman‭ the son‭ of Hammedatha‭ the Agagite‬‬‬ (Esther 9:24). It was He Who had watched over Abraham and all his descendants and is watching still, though now, in this time of retribution for their rejection and crucifixion of the Saviour, He watches to preserve them from utter destruction and will keep them until that day, in the near future, when He will reveal Himself unto them in saving mercy and grace, at His second coming. Zechariah, amongst many prophets, writes of that wonderful event.

“‭And it shall come to pass in that day‭, ‭that‭ I will seek‭‭ to destroy‭‭ all the nations‭ that come‭‭ against Jerusalem‭.‭ ‭And I will pour‭‭ upon the house‭ of David‭, and upon the inhabitants‭‭ of Jerusalem‭, the spirit‭ of grace‭ and of supplications‭: and they shall look‭‭ upon me whom they have pierced‭‭, and they shall mourn‭ for him, as one mourneth‭‭ for ‭his‭ only‭ ‭son‭, and shall be in bitterness‭‭ for him, as one that is in bitterness‭‭ for ‭his‭ firstborn‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Zechariah 12:9-10.

In truth ‘Purim’ celebrates what was in fact a portent of that glorious day for which every believer awaits with joyful anticipation. (more…)