“Let’s leave the European Union and make Britain great again.” That, in essence, was the Leave campaign’s mantra leading up to last week’s referendum. We must “take back control of this great country’s destiny,” gushed former London mayor Boris Johnson. UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage encouraged voters to “dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom.” For months, voters were persuaded to vote for “the bright sunlit uplands” of a future free of Brussels.

That’s the dream. Here’s reality, as expressed by Jeremy Warner, assistant editor of the Telegraph: “There is no word for our current state of affairs other than chaos—constitutional chaos, chaos in the Tory Party, chaos in the Labour Party, chaos in Europe and, though we have certainly seen worse, something close to chaos in financial markets.” In less than a week, Britain has lost its prime minister; the Labour Party has lost its way; the pound has lost significant value; and the public has lost faith, confidence and, for many, hope. “Frankly if the four horsemen of the apocalypse went trotting past, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid or have time to write about it,” tweeted the Spectator’s assistant editor Isabel Hardman.

The Leave campaign sold an upbeat, hope-filled message—one that obviously resonated with many Brits. But so far, Britain hasn’t had an inkling of a bright, sunlit upland. The Leave campaign’s message has a fatal flaw, one that grows more obvious with every sunset. The message assumes Britain has the capacity to survive a messy, possibly vindictive, divorce and restore itself as a strong, stable and sovereign world power. Messrs. Johnson and Farage, and their supporters, believe Britain has the health to survive a Brexit.

But what if they’re wrong? What if Britain is too sick to survive the challenges ahead?

Be honest. Can you look at events since Brexit and not wonder, even a little: Can Britain do this? It’s still early and an event of this complexity was always going to come with challenges, but the signs thus far are deeply worrying. Consider what Brexit has revealed about the state of Britain’s leadership; about its politics; about the strength of the union between Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England; about the quality of its social cohesion (the state of relations between socioeconomic levels, between the young and old, and between the various cultures and ethnicities); about the nation’s economy and finances; and about Britain’s institutions, the monarchy, media, higher education and the Church of England.

It’s too early to know whether Britain will survive Brexit or if it marks the beginning of the end. Either way, Brexit has revealed that the UK is terminally sick. Look at the world: It is falling apart, and the UK in the future is certain to face bigger tests than Brexit. Look how badly Britain responded to Brexit. How will it fair when another more significant crisis inevitably strikes?

This is not to say leaving the EU is a mistake. I believe it was inevitable. Britain and the EU are unequally yoked, on multiple levels, which meant Brexit was unavoidable. But in or out, it doesn’t matter; Britain today lacks the capacity to reach the “the bright, sunlit uplands” it has been promised. Leavers wax eloquent about how great the UK is, but the truth is: Britain simply isn’t the nation it once was. It lacks the social cohesion, the quality of leadership, the collective will, and the national sense of identity and purpose required to Make Britain Great Again. Britain’s membership in the EU, its descent into lawless secularism, and decades of multiculturalism have eaten away at its political, social, economic, agricultural, industrial and cultural capacity to be great again. Perhaps Britain will experience a fleeting post-Brexit boon, but it has lost the ingredients required to re-create itself in the long term as a stable, thriving, sovereign world power.

This isn’t Project Fear—it’s Project Reality. Consider …

… the Leave Campaign, which is now responsible for navigating the UK through the dangerous shoals of Brexit. Before June 23, the Leave camp was united behind the task of persuading as many British as possible to vote leave. Since the referendum, however, the Leave campaign has fractured dramatically and is now dividing between hard-core Leavers, led by Nigel Farage, and moderate Leavers, led by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. The only thing the two camps currently agree on is that Britain must leave the EU. When it comes to what separation looks like—the degree of separation that must now occur and how the separation needs to be negotiated—the two camps are miles apart. It is remarkable how quickly the Leave campaign turned a stunning victory into a civil war.

Is this a political movement ready to lead Britain to “bright, sunlit uplands”?

… the Labour Party. The Labour Party is the second-largest political party in Britain; it represents 20 to 30 percent of the British public and is the primary ballast to the Conservative Party. Since Friday, 20 members of Labour’s Shadow Cabinet have resigned (there are only 31 members total). A further 29 non-cabinet Labour M.P.s have resigned. And on Tuesday, 172 Labour M.P.s—more than 75 percent of the Labour M.P.s in Parliament—voted in favor of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn resigning.

Think about this: Over the next few months, Britain will negotiate its way out of the EU, as well as maintain its participation in ongoing (and fresh) discussions and developments on geopolitical and domestic issues. Negotiations with the EU will be rancorous and tough, with Brussels seeking concessions and, quite possibly, a measure of vengeance. UK leaders will have to be united, alert and focused. Yet, as it stands today, Britain’s second-largest political party, and supposedly a key voice in British leadership, is beset by chaos and dysfunction and will be irrelevant.

Does that sound like a party ready to lead Britain to “bright, sunlit uplands”?

… the Conservative Party. In May 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron was reappointed when the Conservative Party shellacked its competitors in one of the most surprising general election victories ever. Thirteen months later, Mr. Cameron is hunting for a job, and the Conservative Party—and the country—is hunting for a new leader. The referendum took its toll on the Conservative Party, which for months experienced acrimonious bickering between Leavers and Remainers. There will now be a lot of negotiation and some closet deals, and Tory lawmakers will likely settle on a new leader who will attempt to chart a course for Britain’s departure from the EU. But how strong will the unity be and how long will it last? Half of the Conservative Party does not want to leave the EU; the other half does. The Prophet Amos put it best: “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” The Conservative Party will now fight over who should lead the party (and Britain). There will also be conflicts over the hundreds, probably thousands, of details involved with departing the EU.

Does this sound like a party ready to lead Britain to “bright, sunlit uplands”?

… Scotland. The Scots voted overwhelmingly (62 percent) in favor of Britain staying in the EU. The decision to Brexit infuriated many pro-EU and stirred many, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, to search for ways to call another referendum on Scotland’s independence from Britain. On Tuesday, Alyn Smith, the Scottish National Party (snp) representative in the European Parliament, delivered an impassioned plea in which he implored the EU to come to Scotland’s defense. The following day, Sturgeon visited Brussels, where she met with EU officials and reiterated Scotland’s desire to remain in the EU. Today, the majority of Scots would prefer to be joined to the EU than to England.

Does it sound like this relationship is about to enter “bright, sunlit uplands”?

… Ireland. Brexit has reopened the Irish question—does Northern Ireland belong to Britain or the Republic of Ireland?—which has festered, erupting now and again, for centuries. Fifty-six percent of Northern Ireland voters wanted Britain to remain in the EU. Since Thursday, both Sinn Féin and the Social Democrat and Labour Party (sdlp) have said that they will not allow English voters to drag them from the EU. Like the snp in Scotland, Sinn Féin and the sdlp in Northern Ireland are presently exploring options to remain in the EU. (The same is happening in Gibraltar, where 95 percent voted to remain in the EU.)

Does this sound like a “United Kingdom” about to enter “bright, sunlit uplands”?

… London. Brexit has exposed the political and cultural chasm between London and the rest of the country. Londoners, in general, are wealthier, better educated, and more liberal than the rest of Britain and, in many ways, live in their own little world, detached from the rest of the nation. This is why the vote for Brexit shocked most Londoners, the large majority of whom voted to remain in the EU. A friend who works in London recalled the solemn atmosphere in the office last Friday, and how some colleagues, grown men in their 40s, simply broke down in tears.

Many Londoners are furious with the British public and view them as ignorant boobs and bigots. Meanwhile, the outsider’s view of Londoners is that they’re toffs, that is, rich, arrogant and motivated more by self-interest than national interest. This same spirit of animosity exists between other socio-demographic groups. Britain’s millennials are hopping mad with the baby boomers for stealing their future. There are reports of young people verbally abusing older people for destroying their future. There have also been incidents of racism, both verbal and physical, against foreigners.

Does this sound like a society about to enter “bright, sunlit uplands”?

… Britain’s institutions, the monarchy, the media, Oxford, Cambridge, and higher education, in general, and the Church of England. Each of these has, so far, failed to provide clear-minded, rational leadership. The monarchy, historically a force for hope and stability, has been virtually mute. The media is divided, often sensationalist, and generally bereft of constructive criticism and solutions. The message from the Church of England, which for the most part sided with the Remain camp, is vague, rambling and completely unsatisfying.

Does it sound like any of these historically significant institutions is positioned to lead Britain to “bright, sunlit uplands”?

The Trumpet isn’t the only one questioning Britain’s future and whether the UK has the health to survive the coming months and years. “Britain Is Sailing Into a Storm With No One at the Wheel,” warned the Economist Sunday: “Britain could be thrust into talks under a lame-duck leader with no clear notion of what Brexit should look like or mandate to negotiate. All against a background of intensifying economic turmoil and increasingly ugly divides on Britain’s streets. The country is sailing into a storm. And no one is at the wheel.”

Hope and optimism are important in times of crisis and uncertainty, but we can’t allow hope and optimism to blind us to reality. Britain (and the world at large) is in trouble. We must be ready and willing to ask why? This question was answered many years ago by a man named Hosea, an ancient prophet to the people of Israel and Judah. The biblical book of Hosea is filled with prophecies about the end time, and it is filled, more specifically, with prophecies about end-time events in Britain. (Britain today is the descendant of Ephraim, a name used repeatedly throughout Hosea’s writings.)

Let’s consider just two of Hosea’s descriptions of Ephraim, or Britain, in the end time. In Hosea 5:11-12, the prophet says that “Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment. Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth ….” Here, God compares end-time Britain with a moth-eaten garment. Have you ever gone to your drawer and dug out a shirt that you assumed was ready to be worn, but the moment you went to put it on, you realized that it had been devoured by a moth and was full of holes? That is Britain’s current state, and Brexit is revealing that the UK is ridden with holes!

“Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people …” (Hosea 7:8). This is a prophecy that end-time Britain would intertwine itself with foreign people, foreign customs, foreign religions and foreign entities—like the European Union. Verse 9 shows that this leads to devastation: “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not ….” Britain today, as Hosea prophesied, has no “strength,” which means “might, power, substance, wealth and force.” Britain is sick—very, very sick—and a major part of the cause is its embrace of foreigners and foreign institutions, like the European Union. This isn’t a politically correct message, but it is a truth backed by reality. (It isn’t biblical justification of racism and bigotry either!)

There is a lot of talk among Leavers right now that the time has come for the resurrection of the British lion. Hosea says that Ephraim’s personality and behavior in the end time is closer to that of a silly dove! Hosea 7:11 says that “Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart ….” There’s no strength, no clarity of vision and leadership, no force or vigor—just weakness, from top to bottom.

Other prophecies also describe the state of Ephraim in the end time. Isaiah 1:5-7 say that “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.”

That’s a hard truth to accept—and deliver—but what an apt description.

We would all love to believe that Britain is entering “bright, sunlit uplands,” but the truth of the matter is that Britain is plummeting into the dark abyss of total political, economic and social breakdown.

“There are no adequate words to describe the rolling political, economic and constitutional crises that have developed in the days since Britain voted, by a narrow majority, to leave the European Union,” wrote Henry Porter in Vanity Fair. “The country has been swept by a kind of political Ebola ….”

That is a grim view, but it is, sadly, reality.