Prophetic Gifts? (Lining Up)

Keith Warren. Trowel & Sword. November 1984

Preamble: Look again at the date of this article – 1984. For those familiar with George Orwell’s novel titled “1984” and first published in 1949, it should come as no surprise that Keith Warren chose to write an article on prophecy/prophetic gifts in that year. It’s a very brief exposé focussing on prophet as predictors of the future, and while this was certainly one of the characteristics of biblical prophecy it was not the only task assigned to prophets by God. What can be said with surety is that all true prophets were called by God to deliver messages to His people. Self-appointed “prophets” claiming to speak on behalf of God were condemned as false prophets.

Prophetic Gifts?

Some people today have prophetic gifts.

At least, that’s what they say they have. Looking into the future, making predictions, and with authority too!

I certainly don’t have that gift. I can’t even correctly forecast who’s going to win the footy next Saturday. Certainly not when you’re barracking for the kind of team I feel some slight loyalty towards. But anyway, football is gone for now. Hello, cricket!

But I was talking about prophecy. Predicting the future. As regards the church. And the world.

Many people have made predictions about the future of the church. And are busy making them. And are also busy making fools of themselves. Do you remember that in the mid 60’s Herbert W. Armstrong (of ‘The World Tomorrow’ broadcasts, and the glossy magazines) made some startling prophecies in a booklet that had the title ‘1975 in prophecy’ It’s possible that you do not remember, for that booklet has not been around for a long time. Mr. Armstrong would be ashamed to see it circulating today, in 1984. I’m sure of that.

Why would Mr. Armstrong be very unhappy to see this booklet about ‘1975 in Prophecy’ in the hands of the public in 1984? For the simple reason that the whole thing turned out to be quite ridiculous. His predictions did not come true. Not at all!

Here are some of the predictions he made:

The war of the future will be between (on the one hand England and America, and (on the other hand) the United States of Europe.

Before or in 1975 calamities will hit the world. These will be so terrible that one third of England’s and America’s population will die.

Then World War 3 will break loose, after which the ‘great tribulation’ will occur. Armstrong claims to find evidence in Scripture that one third of the population will be killed, and the remaining one third will be scattered over the earth (sic). After 3 1⁄2 years of tribulation Jesus will return.

Warned Armstrong, some twenty years ago now: “All this is now only a few years off….  Yes, millions of lukewarm, inactive professing Christians will suffer martyrdom, and that before the anticipated push-button leisure-year of 1975 dawns upon us!’

That year 1975 appears to have had a fascination for others too. I remember very well that evening in the late 60’s when I had a spirited (and frustrating!) debate with a Jehovah’s Witness (talking about a misnomer!).

Next to many other things, he also told me that our daughter would never become a teenager. For the simple reason that 1975 would mean the end of all things. Human life as we know it, he told me, would be snuffed out. The end of the world!

Well, our daughter has been married now for several years.

While I’m typing this I ask myself the question: How do these self-styled prophets continue to live with integrity and some measure of self-worth? Yes, after it has become clear that their authoritative predictions turned out to be so much nonsense.

What is even more amazing is that so many people follow these prophets. And the most amazing thing of all is that it apparently makes little difference to the standing and popularity of the ‘prophets’ when their predictions disappear down the gurgler of prophetic ‘bloopers’.

The followers remain loyal.

So what, we’ll try again another day.

I have said before in this column that we may expect an upsurge in prophets and prophecies the closer we come to that ‘magical’ year 2000.

We’ve seen already a little flurry of activity this year: 1984. The year of Big Brother. The title of George Orwell’s book (1984′) even captured the interest of the secular newspaper columnists earlier this year.

Others gave it a more religious slant. 1984 was to be the year of the cashless society! And just have a quick look at your Bankcard . See the stylised letter ‘B’, in three colours? There it is: 666! The mark of the beast!

Then a crazy story began circulating; several thousand people in Scandinavia were supposed to have taken part in an experiment and had their social security number tattooed on their forehead. Or was it on their hand?

To top it all off: someone in the States wrote a book in which he claimed to have ‘cracked’ the bar-codes, and found all kinds of sinister information about what the enemies of the church were about to do. The bar-codes, by the way, are those sets of black stripes on your peanut butter jar and margarine tub, helping you to get quicker through the check-out. That is, if they have an electronic scanner there.

Oh well, 1984 has nearly come to an end. No one talks about ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ anymore. But that was 10 years ago. I guess that the author and publisher are laughing all the way to the bank.

Looking at it all I am prompted to say: One man’s eschatological fancy is another man’s Cadillac!

Why are so many people fascinated by these things?

The times in which we live certainly provide an ideal setting for it all. There is so much insecurity and fear in the hearts of many.

What is going to happen next? When will the communists be here? Will we die in a nuclear blast? When is the next economic down-turn coming? Surely, things can’t go on the way they are?

In such a climate anyone who gives precise and authoritative answers about the future will be listened to. You do not know what the future will bring? Listen to me! I will tell you. On the basis of God’s Word!

I think there is another reason too. It is: the attitude of the church. The attitude of Christians.

I’m not now thinking in the first place of liberal theology and churches, where they are so exclusively busy with the affairs of this world that many no longer believe in the return of Christ.

No, I’m thinking of churches where they still believe in God’s future and Christ’s return. But where those beliefs play little or no role in the way these churches and these Christians operate. Believing is one thing, practicing is another.

We tend to shrug our shoulders and snigger a little when someone comes to us with one or other fanciful theory about the end of the world and the coming of Christ Jesus.

But such excessive views are possibly the ‘unpaid bills’ of the church!

When an outsider looks at the average evangelical church, and the average Reformed congregation, does he/she get a picture of Christians in whose midst lives an expectancy, a joyful hoping, an eager waiting? Or do Christians give the impression that they’re here to stay! Digging the foundations deep into the stuff of this world?

Rather, says Jesus, ‘keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour,’ (Matt. 25:13).

Keith V. Warren

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