AWAKE !

DAVE WILKERSON's VISIONS
-Dr. David R. Reagan (Mar 26)

Dave Wilkerson, the pastor of Times Square Church in New York
City, has spoken out once again concerning God's impending
judgment upon this country. He has called on Americans to stock
food and water in preparation for "an earth-shattering calamity" that
will cause even the most godliest among us to tremble. Once again,
as he has done several times before, he tells of visions he has
experienced in which he has seen New York City burning, as well
as other major cities across the United States.

Many have called or written to ask what I think of Wilkerson's
alarming warning. First, let me say that I have the highest respect
for Dave Wilkerson. His track record over the years of service in the
Lord's Kingdom has shown beyond doubt that he is a man mightily
anointed by God's Spirit. The accomplishments of his amazing
ministry in New York City are beyond human capability. And although
he is a Pentecostal, he has spent a good portion of his ministry
speaking out against the emotional excesses and doctrinal errors
of both the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. I personally
began supporting Dave Wilkerson's ministry in 1974 and have
continued to do so to this day, for 35 years, by sending him a
donation each month. It is the only ministry I have supported that
long. After the 9/11 attacks, our ministry raised over $30,000 for
emergency relief, and we sent all the money to Dave Wilkerson's
church.

For years Wilkerson was the darling of the Pentecostal Movement
because of the fame that came his way through his remarkable
book, The Cross and the Switchblade — the story of how God
worked through him to convert one of the violent gang leaders of
New York City. But in 1974, many Pentecostals and Charismatics
washed their hands of him because he published a hard-hitting book
called The Vision in which he condemned the sins of America,
called the nation to repentance, and warned of God's coming judgment
if we failed to repent. He was immediately condemned as a "doom
and gloom" prophet. Those church leaders who were seeking
pillow-prophets with only a positive message decided to pull
Wilkerson's books from their church book stores. And the
non-Pentecostal and non-Charismatic community wrote him off
as some sort of nut case.

Since that time his detractors have harped over and over on two
points: 1) His visions concerning America's destruction have not
come true, and 2) There is no need for prophetic words apart from
the Bible. My first response to these criticisms is to point out that
seldom ever did the prophecies of biblical prophets come true
in their lifetimes. For example, many of the prophecies of Isaiah,
such as those pertaining to Babylon, did not come true until 150
years after his death. Some were fulfilled 700 years later during
the lifetime of Jesus. And most are still waiting for fulfillment 2,700
years later and will not be fulfilled until Jesus returns.

My second point is that the Bible teaches that God never pours
out His wrath on a nation without warning, and He warns in two
ways — through prophetic voices and remedial judgments. I
believe Dave Wilkerson is God's Jeremiah to the United States,
and I believe we should pay close attention to his warnings.

Wilkerson believes that our nation has reached the critical point
where God has decided — because of our continuing stubborn
rebellion — to deliver us from judgment to destruction.

The Bible says that in the end times God will give visions to
many people, both male and female, young and old (Joel
2:28-29). All such visions must be tested against the Word.
The visions God has given to Dave Wilkerson showing our
major cities burning, with civil rioting in the streets, do not
violate any biblical principle. In fact, such destruction and
rioting could be the product of any of the end time scenarios
I have outlined for America in my book, America the Beautiful?
The United States in Bible Prophecy. I think Wilkerson's
warnings are biblically sound. I think we should heed his
warnings to prepare for the worst, and I believe we should
respond to his call to pray as we have never prayed before
for our nation and our leaders. We need to pray also for our
churches. We are living on the threshold of the Tribulation.
Jesus is at the very gates of Heaven waiting for His Father's
command to return.

The signs of the times are shouting from the heavens that
our time is short. Yet, the average church is totally oblivious
to the fact that we are living on borrowed time. Rather than
preaching repentance, the preaching is focused on feel-good
themes in response to the desire of people to have their ears
tickled. I am not a Pentecostal or a Charismatic, but I am a
person who knows God's Prophetic Word and how God deals
with nations. Dave Wilkerson's warnings are right on target,
and we would be foolish to dismiss them out of hand. I praise
God for Wilkerson's courage to proclaim an unpopular message.
He is being crucified in the press - even by Evangelicals. That's
exactly what happened to Jeremiah, except that his people tried
to go one step further by attempting to kill him. True prophets
are never popular.

"If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you
don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself." - Augustine