David Wilkerson's latest messages in question?
Is Jacob Prasch right on this occasion?
Editorial preface:
Many Christians have followed Jacob Prasch; some still do. To this degree some (much) of what he might say is true. However Scripture tells us that we should judge by others by not just what they say but by how they behave - their 'fruits'. To this degree many of his previous followers have 'fled the camp' over the matter of how JP treats those with whom he disagrees.
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 David Wilkerson (of Times Square Church and the Cross and the Switchblade) is a highly regarded Bible teacher and Christian leader. And he speaks with searing clarity and forthright challenge. He has just released two messages which pick up on earlier themes of forthcoming urban chaos.
The 'Urgent Message' (7 March, 2009) has been followed by 'A Further Word' (9 March, 2009).
Pastor Wiley Drake, a past vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention is hoping believers pay attention to Wilkerson's message.
"I have known David Wilkerson for more than 25 years as well as many of his friends and associates," said Drake. "He is a godly man and I believe he is listening to God. I encourage each Christian to read and heed what God is saying through our brother."
However others are not so sure and are questioning whether what he is saying is 'from the Lord'.
Jacob Prasch of Moriel Ministries is also a Biblically-literate and diligent observer of the times; and he has commented as below. It needs to be said that Prasch is well-known as having a very polemic (even harsh) style. However this does not necessarily invalidate the things he says. He has written:
The complication [regarding Wilkerson's message of 7 March, 2009] is that although having some additions, it is not new but reiterates one made in 1992 when he said it would be "soon" 17 years ago and is confusing in that it urges 30 days emergency food supply be kept on hand, but stating he has no idea of when.
The latest version of Mr. Wilkerson's prophetic prediction:
An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen," he writes. "It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble - even the godliest among us." Wilkerson's vision is of fires raging through New York City. "It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires - such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago," he explains. "There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting - including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God's wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (WorldNetDaily)
The Original version of Mr. Wilkerson's prophecy - Sept 7, 1992:
"I have had recurring visions of over 1,000 fires burning at one time here in New York City. I am convinced race riots will soon explode! New York City is right now a powder keg-ready to blow!...federal and State Welfare cutbacks will be the spark that ignites the fuse. Next year, New York City could have over 100,000 angry men on the streets, enraged because they have been cut off from benefits.... Federal troops will have to move in to restore order. New York City will have tanks running down its avenues.... Churches will be closed for a season because it will be too dangerous to travel about. Fires will rage everywhere."
Many prophetic voices from multiple quarters have been directed by The Holy Spirit to alert The Body of Christ of divine judgment coming on the planet generally, including on the utterly backslidden Protestant Democracies not excluding the USA due to the genocidal proportions of non therapeutic abortion. Britain and Europe however are even more post Judeo Christian and Neo Pagan than the USA, and incipient persecution of the true church and growing anti Semitism and anti Zionism, (both factors in divine judgment) are more acute. More importantly, scripture foretells a coming judgment of God on the Moslem world and unbelieving Israel is bound for 'The Time of Jacob's Trouble'.
We certainly do not deny David Wilkerson's good intentions, nor can we deny that God has spoken through him in the past in the prophetic realm with accuracy. Additionally, Hebrew prophets like Jeremiah, Joel and Isaiah warned of judgments decades before they transpired.
There are however concerns that lead us to urge caution in testing Mr. Wilkerson's predictions as we commanded to test prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14, and we are warned of those predicting things in a time specific manner that fail to transpire in Deuteronomy 18 & Jeremiah 28 where we have a list of biblically proven false prophets such as Paul Cain, Rick Joyner, Benny Hinn, Cindy Jacobs, Pat Robertson, and Kenneth Copeland.
In fairness, Mr. Wilkerson set no date, but the question automatically arises:
* "Why then are 30 days food specified"?
* Also, how soon was soon in 1992?
Had Mr. Wilkerson said 'soon' and then said to store up 30 days food supply, it would make sense. Instead, his latest prediction states flatly he has no time frame and does not say "soon" as he did with the same prediction in 1992.
Biblical prophets gave clear signals. Store up 30 days food supply from when? Surely there must be clarification if this is from God.
Mr. Wilkerson discredited himself and his ministry in his shameful and stupid visit several years ago to the UK, and this has made many British Christians who had admired him in times past skeptical, not of his integrity, but of his credibility.
After denouncing the kind of 'laughing & drunken' counterfeit revivals associated with the Pensacola and Toronto fiascoes in his excellent recording "Reproach On The Solemn Assembly", in a direct, and some would say hypocritical contradiction of his own warnings, Mr. Wilkerson rejected solid warnings and accepted a number of engagements to speak many of the most lunatic fringe churches that continued promoting these very deceptions. One church he spoke at in The English Midlands promoted Benny Hinn only one month later.
Mr. Wilkerson then began defending the wolves in sheep's clothing and criticized their opponents who warned the sheep from them. Mr. Wilkerson then went to London to a church that followed the Toronto Experience and Paul Cain (the confessed homosexual and alcoholic false prophet and mentor of Todd Bentley) to deliver one of the most utterly ridiculous, completely irresponsible, and totally unbiblical teachings imaginable.
With no regard to the exegetical context, Mr. Wilkerson invented the unbiblical doctrine of 'feeding Jesus' (Jesus Himself said that His food is to do the will of The One who sent Him) and essentially mindlessly blabbed out a line of biblically un-founded rubbish in its purest form.
We are warned not to sharply rebuke an older man, and we do not wish to. However, his teaching was a barrage of silly unscriptural junk not supported by the cited text in context and not of God. This however was the prelude to his supreme betrayal of those who trusted him.
Mr. Wilkerson spoke of being on the ground laughing unable to get up because God's Hand was on him. The Fruit of The Spirit is 'Self Control' (ekreitei) not the lack if it. The fact that he 'could not get up' proves it was not God's Hand that was upon him. The Word of God teaches the very antithesis.
For a respected brother of his stature to preach one thing but do the very thing he preached against was a colossal act of hypocrisy. It was a huge let down. It would have been better had he never come to Great Britain. His visit has had no enduring positive impact. Ever since Mr. Wilkerson's indefensible antics in Britain, we have not been able to trust him or respect his judgment or discernment to the degree we once did. We do not attack his integrity but we simply cannot exercise the confidence in him in The Lord we so much did at one time.
Again, he is a man of God but none of us is perfect. He may be right but the prophecy is so nebulous how can we know? Why does he say something 17 years ago saying it would be soon, but now say store up 30 days provision yet saying he does not know for when? It is very unclear and the source of the prophecy no longer commands the credibility that he once did.
His nonsense in Britain was an idiotic disgrace. We just do not know if he is any longer reliable or not. Yet, we are not against him personally and we again recognize that God has indeed used him including prophetically. Our simple advice is to weigh his warning carefully. We want God to bless David Wilkerson and we still esteem his overall legacy. However, in the UK he sadly tainted it.
Having said that, without any reference to David Wilkerson, the scriptures generally point to a global crisis socially, economically, strategically, and politically with a coming chaos heralding the wrath of God. Many godly Christians likewise echo similar warnings. God's judgment is coming and to a degree has already come. This no bible based praying Christian can possibly deny.
In Jesus,
Jacob Prasch
Ed Footnote:
At times of national or international tension or when the prospect of calamity looms, more than a few 'prophetic' voices have issued 'advice' about storing food and supplies, escaping from cities, avoiding travel, etc.
However whilst the advice might be well-meaning and - in secular terms - even wise, it does not always chime with the trust that Christians are called to exercise, or the sacrificial giving when we see another in need. To this degree any suggestions of hoarding rations must be questioned. Joseph may have accumulated stocks in Egypt, but this was not done with selfish intent: quite the opposite.
As one (non-Christian) pundit remarked: "You had better add a machine gun to your shopping list of rations. You'll need it to keep your neighbours at bay."
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