Opinion / Columnist
Waiting for prophecies to pass
10 Jan 2016 at 00:59hrs | Views
A new year is now upon us and spiritual leaders have already declared "prophecies" that are anticipated to manifest in 2016.
United Family International Church leader Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa has prophesied 2016 as a year of a great harvest.
Prophet Walter Magaya leader of Prophetic, Healing and Deliverance Ministries says this will be a year of abundance and overflow.
The leader of Eagles Life Assembly, Prophet Blessing Chiza, released 13 prophecies for the year; among them that the Zimbabwe dollar will be back in circulation while the US dollar will be discarded.
In the list released on his official facebook account, Prophet Chiza states that:
"1. 2016 is going to be the beginning of the end of the world, God said tell people to prepare for my coming, the time is near. 2. The US dollar will be removed and the Zimbabwean dollar will be considered, it's now near. When it comes, it will be very strong. God has put systems already to receive a strong currency of its own.
"3. To those that believe, 2016 is a honeymoon year, there are going to be many weddings in 2016, many people are going to wed, even those in wedding businesses are going to be making a lot of money. 4. There is going to be a wealth transfer, the church shall be very rich, the reason why is to finance outreach, Christians will be driving the best cars and the church will rise financially it will finance the Government.
"5. Churches are going to be doing many outreaches. 6. I see a murder spirit increasing, newspapers will be reporting stories of murders by knife, knobkerries, axes, it's a blood spirit, but we must pray and stop it from claiming the lives of many. 7. There is going to be a critical water shortage problem in the next two or three years, but it needs prayer so that the grace of God may come upon our lives," Prophet Chiza highlighted.
He also said: "8. I am also seeing the cricket team rising, it will raise the flag of Zimbabwe, so let us pray for our national cricket team because I see it making Zimbabwe to be recognised in the world. 9. I continue to see a time not now when Zimbabwe is going to be ruled by a woman, I am seeing a woman holding a sceptre and ruling Zimbabwe like it has never been ruled before.
"10. I also see floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other cosmological disturbances happening in some parts of the world.
"11. There is going to be talks of peace between and among nations. I see them uniting.12. 2016 is a year of winning souls, labouring to win souls, it is a time to evangelise ad preach the word of God.13. There shall be churches everywhere, I see many churches mushrooming all over the count."
Prophet Chiza is well-known for his 2014 prophecy which did not come to pass, in which he stated that the men's senior national football team, the Warriors, would beat Libya 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Chan tournament.
The Warriors lost 3-4 on penalties after the match ended goalless.
He is not the only who has said things that do not seem to have come to pass.
In April 2015, Nigerian televangelist Prophet TB Joshua is reported to have encouraged people to fast and pray after prophesying that an African leader would collapse in public.
Later in August at the all-night vigil dubbed Judgment Night 3, Prophet Makandiwa prophesied an oil boom in Zimbabwe.
"I saw a generation, maybe that's not your generation, maybe it is the generation, maybe it is our sons. I saw them in a place and I saw oil coming out of that place. I was made to touch the ground and when I was lifted finally from the place, oil was all over my body. And the Lord said, 'There is much of it in this place'."
May the real prophets please stand up?
PROPHECY is a complicated issue.
Take for instance King Saul in 1 Samuel when after he had been anointed to lead Israel, he met a band of prophets and started prophesying. Those who knew wondered if he was now a prophet.
And then Elijah, as written in 1 King 17:1, said there would be no rain. What arose was the question: can bad prophecies be circumvented with prayer? Joseph, in Genesis 41, interpreted Pharaoh's dream, speaking of imminent years of abundance followed by famine. So do prophecies have set timeframes?
Giving his understanding of prophecy, Apostle Eugene Makore of Upper Room International Ministries says people confuse prophecy with a word of knowledge
"People in church are being given the word of knowledge where you are told you are putting on this or that. Because having been told that people remain in their same situations because word of knowledge cannot transform anything.
"But from word of knowledge you come into word of wisdom which is the mind of Christ because it brings with it a solution. If many people are operating in word of knowledge they need to come in to word of wisdom then prophecy will give the solution.
"That's why you read in the Bible that prophecy would reveal that, this time next year; because prophecy seals, it's an answer, it's a solution. Tomorrow you will die and you will surely die, because prophecy seals it. But word of knowledge will tell you who you are, what is happening, you have told me everything but nothing has changed. That's word of knowledge," Apostle Makore says. Harare-based pastor Brian Mutembedza adds that prophecy must always tally with the Word of God.
"God can also be entreated to change his mind. For instance King Hezekiah, when he had been told he would die, appealed to God and he was given 15 more years to live."
While prophecy has to be fulfilled within a certain period of time, Pr Tonderai Nyariri of Glorious Fire Family International says people need spiritual eyes to realise it.
"The person who is given a prophecy will have time from God but might choose not to release it to the recipients. Or they can give precise time and it happens as such.
"In other cases the prophet can interpret the time through his physical understanding hence missing the spiritual time of God.
Then you think he is a false prophet. No it's just maybe through being overzealous as human beings they would have missed that part. But at some point it that prophecy comes to pass," he says.
Pr Nyariri says the second coming of Jesus Christ is a prophecy whose time is not revealed.
"Because people do not have spiritual eyes they are quick to judge a prophecy. Prophecy has its own language and figures of speech. It doesn't mean, however, that there are no false prophets. Some use psychology or have studied prophecy to fool people," he noted.
He points out that there is a gift of prophecy and an office of the prophet. "Every small boy who thinks he has a gift of prophecy calls himself a prophet overnight."
United Family International Church leader Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa has prophesied 2016 as a year of a great harvest.
Prophet Walter Magaya leader of Prophetic, Healing and Deliverance Ministries says this will be a year of abundance and overflow.
The leader of Eagles Life Assembly, Prophet Blessing Chiza, released 13 prophecies for the year; among them that the Zimbabwe dollar will be back in circulation while the US dollar will be discarded.
In the list released on his official facebook account, Prophet Chiza states that:
"1. 2016 is going to be the beginning of the end of the world, God said tell people to prepare for my coming, the time is near. 2. The US dollar will be removed and the Zimbabwean dollar will be considered, it's now near. When it comes, it will be very strong. God has put systems already to receive a strong currency of its own.
"3. To those that believe, 2016 is a honeymoon year, there are going to be many weddings in 2016, many people are going to wed, even those in wedding businesses are going to be making a lot of money. 4. There is going to be a wealth transfer, the church shall be very rich, the reason why is to finance outreach, Christians will be driving the best cars and the church will rise financially it will finance the Government.
"5. Churches are going to be doing many outreaches. 6. I see a murder spirit increasing, newspapers will be reporting stories of murders by knife, knobkerries, axes, it's a blood spirit, but we must pray and stop it from claiming the lives of many. 7. There is going to be a critical water shortage problem in the next two or three years, but it needs prayer so that the grace of God may come upon our lives," Prophet Chiza highlighted.
He also said: "8. I am also seeing the cricket team rising, it will raise the flag of Zimbabwe, so let us pray for our national cricket team because I see it making Zimbabwe to be recognised in the world. 9. I continue to see a time not now when Zimbabwe is going to be ruled by a woman, I am seeing a woman holding a sceptre and ruling Zimbabwe like it has never been ruled before.
"10. I also see floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other cosmological disturbances happening in some parts of the world.
"11. There is going to be talks of peace between and among nations. I see them uniting.12. 2016 is a year of winning souls, labouring to win souls, it is a time to evangelise ad preach the word of God.13. There shall be churches everywhere, I see many churches mushrooming all over the count."
Prophet Chiza is well-known for his 2014 prophecy which did not come to pass, in which he stated that the men's senior national football team, the Warriors, would beat Libya 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Chan tournament.
The Warriors lost 3-4 on penalties after the match ended goalless.
He is not the only who has said things that do not seem to have come to pass.
In April 2015, Nigerian televangelist Prophet TB Joshua is reported to have encouraged people to fast and pray after prophesying that an African leader would collapse in public.
Later in August at the all-night vigil dubbed Judgment Night 3, Prophet Makandiwa prophesied an oil boom in Zimbabwe.
"I saw a generation, maybe that's not your generation, maybe it is the generation, maybe it is our sons. I saw them in a place and I saw oil coming out of that place. I was made to touch the ground and when I was lifted finally from the place, oil was all over my body. And the Lord said, 'There is much of it in this place'."
May the real prophets please stand up?
PROPHECY is a complicated issue.
Take for instance King Saul in 1 Samuel when after he had been anointed to lead Israel, he met a band of prophets and started prophesying. Those who knew wondered if he was now a prophet.
And then Elijah, as written in 1 King 17:1, said there would be no rain. What arose was the question: can bad prophecies be circumvented with prayer? Joseph, in Genesis 41, interpreted Pharaoh's dream, speaking of imminent years of abundance followed by famine. So do prophecies have set timeframes?
Giving his understanding of prophecy, Apostle Eugene Makore of Upper Room International Ministries says people confuse prophecy with a word of knowledge
"People in church are being given the word of knowledge where you are told you are putting on this or that. Because having been told that people remain in their same situations because word of knowledge cannot transform anything.
"But from word of knowledge you come into word of wisdom which is the mind of Christ because it brings with it a solution. If many people are operating in word of knowledge they need to come in to word of wisdom then prophecy will give the solution.
"That's why you read in the Bible that prophecy would reveal that, this time next year; because prophecy seals, it's an answer, it's a solution. Tomorrow you will die and you will surely die, because prophecy seals it. But word of knowledge will tell you who you are, what is happening, you have told me everything but nothing has changed. That's word of knowledge," Apostle Makore says. Harare-based pastor Brian Mutembedza adds that prophecy must always tally with the Word of God.
"God can also be entreated to change his mind. For instance King Hezekiah, when he had been told he would die, appealed to God and he was given 15 more years to live."
While prophecy has to be fulfilled within a certain period of time, Pr Tonderai Nyariri of Glorious Fire Family International says people need spiritual eyes to realise it.
"The person who is given a prophecy will have time from God but might choose not to release it to the recipients. Or they can give precise time and it happens as such.
"In other cases the prophet can interpret the time through his physical understanding hence missing the spiritual time of God.
Then you think he is a false prophet. No it's just maybe through being overzealous as human beings they would have missed that part. But at some point it that prophecy comes to pass," he says.
Pr Nyariri says the second coming of Jesus Christ is a prophecy whose time is not revealed.
"Because people do not have spiritual eyes they are quick to judge a prophecy. Prophecy has its own language and figures of speech. It doesn't mean, however, that there are no false prophets. Some use psychology or have studied prophecy to fool people," he noted.
He points out that there is a gift of prophecy and an office of the prophet. "Every small boy who thinks he has a gift of prophecy calls himself a prophet overnight."
Source - sundaymail
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