Remember that old Bible story about the death of King Ahab? He was itching for a fight with the neighboring nation of Aram, so he enlisted the help of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to march on the city of Ramoth Gilead and recapture it from the Arameans.
But Jehoshaphat first wanted to be sure that God would bless such a venture, so he and Ahab dressed in their royal robes and sat on their thrones by the entrance of the gate of Samaria and had all the prophets of Israel – about 400 men – brought before them.
The kings enquired of them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?”
And the prophets answered as Ahab had hoped, “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious, for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
But Jehoshaphat demurred.
“Are there any other prophets we’ve overlooked?” he asks.
Ahab’s answer is telling.
“There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
It makes you wonder how the other 400 prophets got their job, doesn’t it?
True prophets are annoying. They don’t offer words of comfort to kings and rulers. They speak the truth even if it offends those to whom it’s directed.
In recent days, we’ve been hearing plenty of “prophets” telling rulers what they want to hear. As presidents and prime ministers are itching to get their economies back on track, these so-called prophets are simply tickling their ears with words like these:
“Quarantine is an infringement of our civil liberties.”
“Lockdown is imprisonment.”
“The banning of church services is tantamount to curbing our religious freedoms.”
Worse still, the church seems unusually susceptible to conspiracy theories about the coronavirus being a hoax. I’ve seen Christians promoting insidious theories about it all being a plot to make Donald Trump look bad, and that all these precautions are overkill designed to stop his rallies going ahead. I’ve received messages informing me that coronavirus was a Canadian bioweapon, stolen by China. Or that the primitive Chinese habit of eating bats caused the virus.
Untruth spreads like wildfire, and the church is often fuel to its flame.
Where is Micaiah when you need him? That guy knew how to speak truth to power. He told Ahab that the resulting battle would be disastrous, and that God forbade it. And for his trouble, Ahab promptly had him imprisoned and set out for war regardless.
Today, we need prophetic voices who speak without vested interests. When preachers tell us it’s time to start holding church services again, I can’t help but question their motives. When religious leaders appear to baptize the efforts of gun-toting protesters on the steps of the capital building I see fear, not courage.
Where are those prophets willing to risk arrest by King Ahab’s henchmen in order to tell the truth?
Instead of calling us to get back to normal, we need prophets who dare to announce that normal wasn’t working anyway.
It wasn’t working for the poor. It wasn’t working for the elderly. It wasn’t working for über-busy middle-class commuters. And it wasn’t working for the planet. This virus has revealed unsustainable levels of air travel. It has highlighted the chronic underfunding of public health, and the folly of yoking medical care to employment. It has put under the microscope centuries of structural racism that impoverished the health of minorities and indigenous groups. The virus has shown up the limitations of a just-in-time economy that runs on fragile supply chains.
This period of quarantine is an opportunity for us to break our addiction to consumption and the car, to indulgent travel, and social networks that rapidly spread misinformation. Now is the time to hear voices calling us to seize the opportunity to create a new normal.
I’m not overlooking the fact that coronavirus has wreaked untold suffering on our world. Millions of people will die. Whole economies will grind to a halt. Companies will collapse. I know. But before we rush headlong into getting the economy going again, look around. Something is happening.
Families are cooking together. Whole neighborhoods are singing together. Nursing homes are being overhauled. The freeways are free. There’s clear water in the canals of Venice and blue skies over Beijing. A quarter of the adult population in the UK have watched or listened to a religious service since the coronavirus lockdown began. One in 20 have even started praying. It’s as if people are recognizing their helplessness and looking to faith to make sense of things.
COVID-19 is turning out to be a truly apocalyptic event. And by that, I mean an unveiling event.
Apocalypse (or ἀποκάλυψις) is a Greek word, meaning “an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling.”
Any prophet worth her or his salt wouldn’t be prophesying a quick end to it all and promising a return to prosperity. A true prophet, like Micaiah, would recognize the apocalypse and say,
“Wake up! Your greed has fractured families. Your greed has marginalized the poor, the refugee, the immigrant and the outcast. It’s your greed that sustains racism and injustice. It’s your self-centeredness that is destroying the planet. But a great unveiling is taking place. Open your eyes. Look around. A new world is possible. Repent.”
Micaiah tells Ahab exactly what he doesn’t want to hear. He tells him an attack on the Arameans will end in defeat. He tells the 400 court prophets they will all be undone. And while he languishes in prison, subsisting on bread and water, Micaiah hears the news that his prophecy has been fulfilled — Ahab’s army has been routed and the king himself is dead.
Ahab didn’t want to hear Micaiah’s prophecy because it didn’t comport with his plans. Similarly, today no one wants to hear a prophet scuttling our hopes for this apocalypse to end soon. But is that the word of the Lord to us?
Or is God unveiling something we need so desperately to hear and respond to?
by Impressum
39 thoughts on “Where are the true prophets in a time of coronavirus?”
I want to endorse what you have said. This is part of a letter I recently wrote to a minister I mentor in the States. I am so weary of ‘prophets’ whose main message is ‘revival is coming and it’s going to start in your church/city/nation/generation, or this will be your best year yet, etc… which is really a variation on the celebritizing of people… as long as ‘we’ are the favoured people, the Lord is showing us and everyone else that we are just that bit better than everyone else. I’m tired of having ‘prophetic’ messages forwarded to me, which are merely using dramatic terminology to say very little. I realise this is long but hopefully it will support your words…
‘I have to say that I have become somewhat jaundiced with ‘the prophets’ over the years. I’m a bit tired of prophecies of revival that lift spirits and cause mass rejoicing but year upon year we as the Church continue on as normal, some working hard and seeing good fruit, some seeing their platforms enlarging but the fruit is not necessarily Kingdom fruit …yet it is fruit.
When Covid 19 struck I decided to look to see if any prophets had prophesied such a thing. Nada and Zip was the response. In fact, I looked up Shawn Bolz’s page and saw he was telling people not to worry about it and that it would all be over soon… and keep hugging, etc. as did many other ‘prophets’ in every nation. There was a note underneath that said this was before the lockdown so please follow government instructions.
For some time now I have been gradually developing the understanding that most of what we call prophecy, especially in the context of personal prophecy, is actually word of knowledge. When Shawn spoke over Rick and I, everything he said about me, and about the cancer, was not future telling but the reading of someone’s mail… which is actually word of knowledge. The only future telling he did was to say that Rick would not die of this…and that wasn’t completely wrong.
I observe that when people are foretelling the future, it’s generally about revival.. the massive revival that this generation or this nation will bring forth… I think every nation across the world has been prophesied that revival will start with them… I’ve definitely heard it in Australia as far back as the 80’s, and in Uk in the 00’s and in USA, etc. None of it is verifiable because it has not happened any of those places yet… only that there are hard working Christians, leaders, churches, organisations working their butts off to work with Jesus and Holy Spirit as the Kingdom of Heaven is established… but none more so than other places.
In fact, I think that the prophecies that revival will begin with ‘us’ whoever ‘us’ happens to be, is just a symptom of the way we celebratize churches and leaders … because if it begins with ‘us’ … whether the young, the old, the poor, the rich, the … whatever… then we are somehow understood to be more special than all those revival isn’t beginning with…celebrities.
The more I think about it, the more sure I am that God uses the weakest, poorest, most broken … as you and I can attest…
I remember *name withheld* prophesying over an Indian doctor in *name withheld* church about the hospitals he would build and the orphanages he would start, etc. etc. in India… and the guy died two days later. she was mortified, but actually, she’d had a whole flow of word of knowledge because he’d been doing those things for years.
I remember being at a massive pentecostal ministers conference in Sydney in the 80’s and at the end of it, all the senior figures in the Aus pentecostal scene were up on the platform and they were all prophesying over each other. There were 2000 leaders there … massive for Australia at that time…. and these senior guys were prophesying all this fantastic stuff over each other, even the starting of the first pentecostal university … and then one guy who I didn’t know got up and said that in 18 months time, half those people on the platform wouldn’t be in ministry anymore because God was going to remove them for their sin… and that happened. Multiple adulterers were outed in the ensuing 18 months, and even the guy who prophesied it was gone.
I remember right after Princess Diana died, and the pavements of London were covered in flowers, several bunches deep and they had to be cleared so people could walk on the pavements, there was released a prophecy from a woman that was verifiably given a couple of weeks before Diana died … of streets covered in flowers, and before those flowers could be cleared up (which took over a month) revival would break out in Britain… but it didn’t. The flowers were right and the woman obviously saw that part of the future clearly but our streams of focus were/are so overloaded with a longing for revival as though that will be our answer to the evangelisation of the world, that she put that extra bit in, like Shawn did with Rick’s healing… and we all needed to believe it, but if I look back on Shawn’s prophecy, apart from the bit about the cancer, it was only about me… indicating that Rick would not be there …
Things like those three experiences have made me think long and hard about prophesy. I’m all for opportunities for people to learn to prophesy, but I think that for decades we have not differentiated between word of knowledge, and prophesy… nor have we understood the rigour required for a person to be a prophet, an actual prophet who can see what the future brings. I also remember that Rick preached a few times (and I wasn’t sure if I agreed with him, but i”m grappling with it now) that Joel says the spirit of prophecy will be poured out on ALL flesh, not just Christian flesh… and then I think of Simon and Garfunkel – ‘…and the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls…’ ‘…and then the people bowed and prayed to the neon gods they made…’ ‘…people talking without listening…’ I feel like those words truly are prophetic …
And so I wonder if our focus on revival as a way to bring the presence of God to the people of our nations is misplaced … trusting in the revival, especially as, from what i’ve read, every single revival has ended ignominiously …. maybe it’s about living for Christ and trying to show by our lives, that we have been revived and therefore ‘you’ can be revived also …
In the weeks before Covid 19 hit us, I had that scripture where Jesus says ‘… and it will be like in the days of Noah – people marrying and giving in marriage…etc….’ and I was trying to grasp it and ask God what I was wrestling with … and then it hit fully, and several weeks in, someone sent me a prophecy from some guy who quoted that Scripture and was speaking around it… and I agreed with him, but at the same time, my question is around the fact that we have been so enamoured of prophecy and so adulating of ‘prophets’, and yet, to my knowledge NO prophet, with the exception of David Wilkerson back in the 80’s, has said anything at all that could in any way be construed as warning the Church of the massive fallout from this virus.
I suppose as I’m getting older and know that my years are limited, that my desire to help the church see beyond the platforms and the lights and smoke machines, and the celebrity leaders, becomes a major thing for me. I feel that God has told me that I am one of the men of Issachar who understood the times and know what the church needs to address, and that I am also like Haggai, a sign writer… writing the issues plainly and holding the sign up so that those who read it can run … just a sign holder upper… nothing special but a part of the body of Christ, preparing the Bride for her wedding to the Bridegroom.”
And there’s a mistake in there… re Rick’s death … it says the prophecy wasn’t completely wrong… should have been WAS completely wrong.. he did die of that disease.
Bev Murrell You are right. https://getrad2.blogspot.com/2020/04/covid19-and-prophetic-movement.html I suspect that many prophets are saying what is on God’s heart, ie what he would like to do, but they are saying it as if he is definitely going to do it, but leaving out the contingency, that it will only happen if his people change, and they don’t, so he can t do what he wants to do.
Thanks Ron. I just checked your blog post, and yes, I agree whole heartedly.
Thanks Bev.
I think you are spot on
I dont know how old you are – I note your references only go back to ’80s :^) – but I can remember them back in to the ’60s
‘Coming revivals’
I wish that people would worry so much less about that and just get on with following Jesus to their best in their context. He is working under our noses.
Anyways, thanks for your comment.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I fully affirm the response and am aware of the selective receptivity of some of those who have laid claim to their position, importance and selective hearing.
Regrettably we have accumulated for ourselves motivational speakers in disguise as itinerant ministries and prophets for profit.
Regrettably IMHO we have institutionalized HIS BODY and registered it with government.
THE WORD for 2020 that I received was REVISIT.
GOD wants to REVISIT but for that to happen requires a NEW WINESKIN personally and corporately.
The challenge for the “church” is to Break Free from form and tradition whatever that may be BUT that requires the Faith and Trust which few “leaders” are fearfully reluctant to embrace.
Currently it is the same form in a different setting.
May GOD have Mercy upon us.
Roy
yes, may God have mercy on us!
Thanks Angelo… I became a Christian in the 70’s so… don’t know much before then.
This might seem like comparing apples to oranges because you are talking about prophets not prophetic dreams directly from God, nevertheless, this story comes to mind about the prophetic. If you look to the biblical story of Joseph, God gave Joseph dreams as a youth of his family bowing to him, but shortly after sharing those dreams with his family instead of bowing to him his brothers wanted to kill him, but decided instead to spare him and sell him into slavery to merchants, but they told their father they found Joseph’s blood stained robe and it appeared he was dead. Then a series of fortunate and unfortunate things happened to Joseph, he landed in Pontipher’s house, was accused of rape, thrown in prison, received more prophetic dreams for others which happened. The bible says the word of the Lord tried him there. His faith was being tried. Where was his family bowing down to him? Wouldnt that seem impossible at that point sitting in prison? But yet God worked it out. The prophetic message is sometimes great and wonderful but like in the case of Joseph, God doesnt always share all the details in between as to how you will get there, and it could and likely will involve suffering, it is a walk of faith, and when things go good faith seems easy, it is when things get tough and it seems like God abandoned you, that is when true faith has to kick in. Even his family and the known world at the time suffered famine until Joseph’s dreams came to pass. In the end, as we know the dreams came true. Let’s look at Jesus, and the many prophecies of him, and his ultimate outcome, glory and suffering, obedience unto death and greater glory, and of Paul who did learn up front “all the things he would suffer” for the cause of Christ. The prophetic promises victories , we are called more than conquerors, so if there was no suffering, no testing, what would we conqueor? Suffering seems to be a precurser to glory it keeps us calling out to God, when things are prosperous we can get careless, but when things get into a desperate situation many start calling out to God day and night. I believe it’s easy to prophecy and declare the great revival because the bible already says it will come, BUT at a time when great darkness covers the earth. Shadrach, Meschak and Abendego come to mind, who apparently no one prophecised over just prior to their great trial, who determined in their heart to fully serve the Lord during their captivity, even deciding not to eat the kings food then what happens? A decree is made to worship the “god” which Nebuchadnezzar had erected, they refused even again after they were threatened to be thrown in the firey furnace, the bible makes a big issue of faith yet their reply sounds more like hope than faith…they said “our God CAN save us, but even if he does not, we wont worship your god”, and I am sure you know the rest of that story … as for COVID and the mandatory vaccine, (i worked in a hospital for 9 years but in an administrative not clerical role) my heart’s cry was, “God can protect me from COVID and prosper me without this job, but even if he doesnt i wont worship the god of the medical industry or the financial world system” i had a house, i decided to sell it and downsize, (and i did) a couple years before COVID i had a few incidents where I prayed through actual heart attacks, (I am 61, not on any drugs at all, a believer since my early 20s, all my life I have rarely ever have actually been treated by a doctor) I knew i was having heart attacks during those times and each time cried out to God asking, “what shall I do?” and God said “trust me and relax” so i did, one happened while i was driving on a highway, God said, “pull over and relax”. Do you know how hard it is to relax on the side of a busy highway? The cars are speeding past you so fast your car shakes. But i pulled over and rested in the God of my salvation instead of panicking and calling paramedics, but mind you i have had direct one on one encounters with God in my lifetime and I knew God was speaking, and I knew if I asked God what to do He would answer, in case He actually wanted me to go to the hospital, yet the God I serve is the God of Israel who said in Deuteronomy, ” I am the God who heals you” ” I kill and i make well” so I felt in my heart even before I asked, to “trust God even if he slays me”, biblical responses. Am i perfect? No, God knows, But i have made the bible my priority, not tv not social media, not my job, not vaccines or the Government. God wants us to obey the government. The bible clearly says that, yet it was the government mandating the vaccine for my industry, not every industry, so I quit, and asked God to help me find a job where it wasnt mandated and He did, and in the mean time my 86 year old mom passed away leaving me a small fortune, apparently God has prepared me “for a time such as this” I never knew my mom would leave me anything as my sister was always her favorite. I could go on talking about all God has done for me but suffuce to say I have suffered greatly in this life to get here to this place where I know I can cry out like Jehosophat did in the midst of an attack during battle, and God hears. Suffering is part of this life. David suffered through Saul’s jealous rages and years of being hunted by Saul and his armies knowing Saul wanted to kill him , he was anointed as king in his youth but inherited the throne when God allowed it, but in the meantime God allowed him to stay in the run, and from that we have the psalms. Jesus prophecised false prophets and teachers. We need to get our faith and our words from God one on one, Jesus said “my sheep hear my voice” he didnt say “my sheep call in prophets” yet we know the bibly clearly says proohets are given to the church to assist, yet 1 John(the disciple Jesus loved) says (implying that the spiritually mature) dont need anyone to teach them because the Holy Spirit does, so there is a balance in the bible of true prophets and teachers sent by God yet they are to teach you how to get to a point where you hear God for yourself and no longer rely on them.
Sound prophetic words for today. Reading 1 Peter 2 today and the consistent message of the Kingdom rides on the shoulders of His royal priesthood, may it be so
As has been mentioned above, David Wilkerson did speak of such a plague coming to NY and beyond.
I’m growing weary of Michael Frost revealing more ,consistently his disapproval of President Trump and his own subtle liberal left tendencies.
I agree that it seems the prophetic voices simply support the general big business ministry machine.
Clearly the days of come and see my cool church are fading as will zoom church.
I greatly appreciate the grass roots, relational, love and serve people next door… to Jesus message of Forge and other similar efforts.
Thank you for your post and allowing comments. May God guide us all.
I can’t imagine any prophet being a fan of Trump. And “liberal” and “left” don’t mean the same thing.
Steve, I can’t see what “liberal left tendencies” are being expressed in this blog post. It seems you agree with the overall gist of the piece, but felt you needed to slip in a disparaging comment about how weary you are of my politics, when this piece isn’t about politics. It’s about the need for the church to call the nation to a new future that conforms to the values of the kingdom of God.
If it wasn’t necessary for you to bring politics into it, you wouldn’t have thrown in President Trump with sarcasm as you have done in other non political speaking engagements. Yes subtle politics. As for the hoax…you’ve called it as you see it. I think it’s pretty early for a spiritual man of stature to call that one.
I’ve read many of your books, watched hours of video and grateful for things learned.
Peace.
I don’t see where the sarcasm is in this piece. The conspiracy theories regarding COVID19 being a hoax are well known. I’ve simply reported them without any intention of sarcasm. If you’re suggesting it’s not clear whether this pandemic is a hoax, then, yes, I disagree with you in no uncertain terms. It’s true I’m no fan of Donald Trump, but this post makes no reference to his leadership in this crisis. I think you’re being unfair on me here.
Is it that _new_ prophets are needed, or that a repentance and re-listening & re-examining of the lessons the Lord has already provided, is needed?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah ch6)
Something I have noticed as a pervasive corruption, is a general lifting up & bowing down to man made economic & financial gods of ‘Compound-Interest’, ‘Pyramid Schemes’, and ‘Residual Income’ who serve to make some rich while enslaving many, meanwhile being much embraced by the churches. I see so many trying so hard to mock the righteous economic principles given by the Lord, as they think they can continue to fill their bellies without doing productive contributing work. In that, I see whole generations of children being enslaved by heavy yokes of debt heaped upon them by deception and by leaders without the true understanding & consent of the children. I think the people would be wise to re-examine the situation going on in Nehemiah Chapter 5, and re-evaluate whether “the price the market will bear” is a truly righteous weight & measure in the Lord’s eyes.
Well said!
Well put, Mike.
Michael, You are right. The prophetic ministry has a long way to go to be what we need.
https://getrad2.blogspot.com/2020/05/prepared.html
Thoughtful. Thanks for being faithful
Thanks Mike – one of your more important announcements.
I lost an American friend of 37 years yesterday – a Seminary Professor, a Pastor, a publicly influential voice. He disagreed to the point of breaking our friendship for my posting a statement and press story about churches that factually have facilitated CORONAVIRUS infections through continuing to hold normal church services.
First Things Editor R R Reno has campaigned for months now against so many “protective policies” in New York.
As I have read his articles and heard his comments I have been appalled at his ideologically “self-oriented” perspective. His destructive comments about “ cowards” ( and worse) who wear masks and heed NY government guidelines have become public.
I pray that we who follow Jesus will ask ourselves what it means for us to be a “priestly kingdom”.
The most insightful prophetic words that have been prayed over me have clearly NOT been about foretelling a definite future. They were speaking into a calling that I could pursue or not. I could seek God more on that matter or carry on and pay it no mind.
It’s also significant that a similar message came from two different sources.
The Holy Spirit reveals different bits of his purposes to different people and in community, together, we start to see a fuller picture. Taking one person’s words as “the” prophetic word seems dangerous. I don’t think we should expect that of any prophetic ministry. While certain individuals have a prophetic gifting, we don’t have one go-to prophet the way they did in the Old Testament.
All believers have access to the Holy Spirit, to discern and seek God on whatever we’re being taught or told. No matter who’s doing the talking, we can do our homework and check in with God and his word for ourselves.
Thanks for this piece, Mike.
Michael, there’s no doubt that the stay at home orders and other things we’ve come to live with have changed the pace of life and in some cases for the better. Thanks for pointing that out. But, it feels like you are callously ignoring the economic tragedy that has gone with that. Small businesses have been hurt to point of collapse, owners of those businesses have lost their life’s work and have fallen into debt that will take years to work out of, and loyal and devoted employees of those businesses have lost their jobs and livelihood – creating a dependency on unemployment checks and governmental stimulus programs funded by borrowed funds that someday our country will have to pay back. And, while school children might be spending more time with Mom and Dad, this comes with the sadness of missing life milestones of prom, sports seasons, solid face to face learning, precious times with friends, graduations and the like. Michael, I have great appreciation for your prophetic voice, but in this instance it seems like you are overlooking (or giving short thrift to) the economic devastation and social isolation this pandemic has brought us. I, for one, am a person who hopes to regain the life we once had in a safe and well thought out manner, and I don’t think that is being like Ahab.
Hi Jeff, I don’t believe I ignored that matter. You might have missed the line where I said, “I’m not overlooking the fact that coronavirus has wreaked untold suffering on our world. Millions of people will die. Whole economies will grind to a halt. Companies will collapse. I know. But before we rush headlong into getting the economy going again, look around. Something is happening.” It’s true, in a short blog, I chose to focus on the positive outcomes, but to suggest I “callously” ignored the economic devastation is a bit harsh, I think.
Michael, it is a matter of perspective. If during this pandemic, all of the good things you mentioned is the majority of what you experienced, then your words are prophetic. But, if you’ve been with your children (mine are seniors in high school) as they’ve mourned the loss of one thing after another that they had looked forward to for years, or if you have spent time talking to business owners who don’t know what to do to try to keep from laying off valued employees or to keep from closing their doors forever (as I have in my job), then your words feel hollow. Nonetheless, I have great appreciation for your ministry and prophetic voice – we just aren’t on the same page this time. Blessings to you.
But Jeff, why on earth would you say that my comments about the positive aspects of quarantine or “callous” or “hollow” just because they’re from a different perspective from you? You’re right, lockdown has been devastating for many. I acknowledged that in my article. But then my particular focus was on the other aspects of it. No 1000 word article can say everything.
Just to put suffering in context. I saw a picture of an African child. At a dump.
Scavenging for used face masks.
Government said $200 fine for any not wearing a face mask.
The child is a slim dweller who can barely keep food on the table.
I am sorry to be so callous. Bring the comment so stating to me.
Because I don’t feel sorry for your children missing events such as these you state.
Now I’m s their chance to feel suffering and pain of loss.
Of benefits and privileges their brothers and sisters around the world have no imagination to ever consider as something they would ever have. To be taken from them.
As they scavenge in dumps for food and essentials someone else has thrown out.
Perhaps it is time to thank God your children were not shoeless scavenging in dumps for essential life needs.
And to consider: that if persons as yourself do not change from an insulated place of spoiled privilege now being taken from you: your children could be the next les Miserables scavenging in the dump for essentials.
God’s wrath us HOT!!
Against institutional churchianity!!
And the fallout is yet to be seen.
The food lines are growing.
Consider ones blessings.
The less fortunate.
And consider the Judgment still coming!!
Excellent !’
I thank God for closing the institutional churchianity sexist tyrannical perpetrators of the systematic degradation, humiliation, and abuse of women false churches.
Ordering congregants to stay home.
A real wake up call. To go back to the true early church women lead house churches if free equal participation and status of male and female believers. Free from top down hierarchy.
The Great Awakening being shaken into being.
And coming.
On the heels.
I cried out in prayer to the Lord God Almighty!!
To shut down every “Pauline” church across my apostolic territory.
And He answered. And did.
I cried out to God to give me respectful space.
And He gave me 6 foot social distancing.
If you want to know what is coming: hard communism across the Northern soil.
God’s wrath shall not be turned!!
From the soil of the North. For the sins of institutional churchianity there.
Saints, if they heard the Holy Spirit: would be liquidating their assets in the North to flee South.
North and South will split.
Freedom in the South.
Communism in the North.
The wrath of God is hot.
There’s no turning it.
Revival in the South.
God’s blessing lifting from the North.
I understand that I am late to the party but feel a few clarifications are needed.
Being a prophet today is way different from being an acclaimed prophet of Yahweh in historical Israel.
It should be noted that most people have an opinion BUT not everybody who has an opinion is a prophet. To prophecy biblically is to speak forth the declared will of God which may include the foretelling of future events. Of course in some cases prophesying the future can pretty quickly earn you the label of false prophet particularly if your words are about the near future.
I am amused by your calling out of “unsustainable levels of air travel” & then revealing on your FB page all the beautiful places you have travelled to. (Nice photos by the way.) I do not begrudge your opportunity to travel but I guess you might be curtailing a lot in the future. Maybe?
I agree completely with you that there are glaring gaps in Nations welfare provisions to its people which need continual addressing. Yes I agree that a true prophet like Micaiah would say “… “Wake up! Your greed has fractured families. Your greed has marginalized the poor, the refugee, the immigrant and the outcast. It’s your greed that sustains racism and injustice. … Open your eyes. Look around. A new world is possible. Repent.”
Yes Mike I believe you have a prophetic voice for today but unfortunately a true prophet would have pointed out your glaring omission & would have spoken out against the murder of innocent life in the womb & then the reselling of baby parts for profit. Millions & millions. More than the whole population of Canada. One is caused to wonder whether it is because your readership would disapprove thus making yourself only a popular prophetic voice??
Well, P Chatty, I certainly haven’t made myself “only a popular prophetic voice” with you! Or with the great many people who disagree with me on social media. In fact, I don’t feel popular at all. I feel as though my views on racism, climate change, public health, justice for Indigenous peoples and refugees, etc, just fall on deaf ears with people like yourself, who dismiss me for not preaching against personal sin or abortion or euthanasia (although, people like you often don’t preach against these things either, as I discovered when I scrolled your social media feed). All that said, social media is a good forum for speaking against structural or systemic sins in our society. But making broad pronouncements on social media about abortion or euthanasia is really inappropriate. These are such personal, intense, painful, triggering issues that must be discussed in safe ways, with pastoral sensitivity and gentleness. You just want me to condemn it, and in so doing to condemn those women who have felt compelled to terminate a pregnancy. To such women, a prophetic word of condemnation is salt in fresh wounds. They don’t need a prophetic word. They need a pastoral word. I’m not sure why you don’t understand that. Like you, I want to see a reduction in the rates of abortion. But, even though I am opposed to abortion, I know it’s going to happen. I don’t support war either, but I know it’s going to happen. I’m not campaigning to defund veterans’ hospitals in order to stop war. I put my efforts into supporting policies that reduce the likelihood of war. Likewise, condemning women at such a vulnerable and painful time isn’t prophetic, but fighting for policies that decrease the need for an abortion is. I value the lives of women having abortions and want them to be safe, just as I value war veterans and want them to be cared for even while I disagree with the choice to go to war. We know how to reduce abortions (cheaper childcare, better education and employment options for young women, free or cheap IUDs for teens without parental approval, etc) and your insistence that I post something against it on social media ain’t it. Please don’t accuse me of wanting to be popular when it has cost me a lot to be as outspoken about the issues that God moves me to address. Agree or disagree with what I say, that’s your choice. But you condemning me for what I don’t say is becoming tiresome, especially when I know you aren’t saying anything either.
I’m grateful for your insights, MIke and am encouraged about the Aus church with people like you. There are not many with this viewpoint but a remnant is enough to make a new start.
Have you heard of Bro. Vincent Selvakumar, a true prophet of God from south india at this times. He is 100% reliant. Sample his prophecy about corona virus, way back in 2016, its origin, implications
Thank you Mike, I agree that very often prophetic words are pretty much man-made longings of the heart.
If we look at the prophecies of the OLT Testament ( which hopefully is our blueprint) we see the prophets calling Gods people back to God, making them aware of their oppressive behaviours and injustices especially over the poor. The prophet calls people to refocus and repentance, to practice justice . Prophecy points to a coming Messiah – a veiled message of Christ but Gods people saw from man’s perspective a military king who would save them from their economic and political plight. None the less, prophetic word pointed to God and the coming Christ. In fact people even interpreted the “Day of the Lord “ much like you mentioned – as reviving us – the good good God will be good to us !! – but actually “Day of the Lord “ is more like God is saying ‘I’ve had enough and it’s time for judgement’ and ofcourse exile was part of that.
New Testament and beyond for us then – what did the prophetic message look like – we see very prominently in Matthew- his prophecy points to Jesus Christ fulfilling the prophetic message of the Old Testament. Prophecy is not prophecy unless it points us back to Christ. Prophecy is not prophecy unless it’s a hard message to Gods people ‘turn back to God, give up your oppressive behaviour, fight for justice as Christ did.
Prophets and not prophets unless they point back to Christ, his character, his fullness , grace and mercy to those who turn their gaze towards Christ.
Blessings
COVID is a time of suffering, a time of ‘exile’ for church in decline. It’s time to seek God and join Him on his agenda- as one who is blessed by God to be a blessing to those who are poor, broken-hearted, the light of Christ to the next person or one who has lost their job, keep the Light of Gods salvation burning, now is the time to participate with God out there pointing people to Christ. Make a meal, give to someone because God has already begun the work in people’s hearts and in our proximity. – I can prophetically say, plant a seed of the word in someone’s life and , someone will water it, another tend to the fertiliser and God will make it grow. The harvest is ripe for the picking- pray for harvesters because workers are few. You are one who has just been drawn in as a harvester and an answer to our collective prayer amen.
I would like to say that the enemy comes by deception. Here in the UK I cannot help but think COVID is a door to open new ungodly doors. Not a gun fired and yet the world and church seem to of easily given up its freedoms. Where is faith? Are we not children of God? We seemed to have accepted that we are to submit to government as unto the Lord meaning we are to roll over and accept everything they do and say without question? Where is the churches discernment? Just now before Christmas we suddenly have a new variant and our Christmas has been taken Away.. Health Secretary states tier 4 may stay until vaccine is rolled out and is effective. Over 9 months we have listened to a government say there may be no vaccine to amazingly finding one, and forever changing rules based on so called science. But those rules don’t make sense at all. Anyone logical would see that.
And yet no Christian leader has stated anything that contradicts what the world is saying/ believing/ trusting in.. afraid of the backlash or being seen as a fool?!
2021 will be no better. In fact it could be worse. Even if COVID is dealt with under neath there is an erosion to our freedoms and more controls coming in and the advance of our Liberty given in Christ and our commission to get out there and make disciples has been hampered.
The enemy always does things in steps, slowly undermining until his foot is firmly in the door. God out of schools years ago and now we see lbgt and gender abominations and a generation more destined to hell than before.
Aren’t we given authority to stamp on serpents?! Why is the church so afraid of this virus? Where is the fight and to get out there and even if we are to die we do so in service of loving our neighbour?
What’s the chances that with technology we won’t be able to go anywhere without proving we don’t have COVID or have had the vaccine?! It looks more likely this is coming and people seem to want it ?!? This is slavery to the world no?!? The children of god alone have the right to deal with the things of God and yet it’s the unsaved, blinded unbelievers that seem to be governing what we do and how we should live.
We have a prophetic voice.. we are to speak forth the truth and live it out. That’s it.
It’s much neater and cleaner the concept that prophecy is not for today and that, due to excess, no one in the church should ever drink.
God’s truth…….Hallelujah!!! A brother in the body of Christ ✊