Should Prophets release messages about the judgment of God?

I noticed during this past year there is a sort of division going in the Apostolic camps regarding Prophets. One group believes that Prophets should only exhort the body of Christ and that any form of judgment that is spoken by a Prophet is a curse. They allow for some proclamations of correction and some warnings, but they believe these should only be released by the most seasoned, mature, elders of the Church at large. They emphasize intercession for mercy mixed with prophetic exhortation in order to break strongholds over cities and territories. They believe that this will help usher in an amazing and revolutionary  revival and harvest.

The other camp also believes that Prophets should exhort the body Christ, however, in addition, they believe that God is a God of righteous judgment and justice. They believe that at times and increasingly so in our day, He will warn the body of Christ of coming judgments that will occur if there is no repentance and/or if the Church does not intercede.  Additionally, they believe He will warn of coming crisis, famine, disease etc that will be meted out by satan. These proclamations are intended to trigger repentance in the Church and to spur on intercessory petitions to God asking Him to spare life and pour out salvation and mercy. Further they believe that God is right now raising up a new prophetic generation and hundreds of young Prophets are emerging who will help to usher in a revolutionary revival and the end time harvest.

As I read the commentaries written by both camps, I am first struck at their similarities. The bottom line is that they believe there is going to be a revolutionary  revival and a resulting huge harvest. 

Please note that both camps denounce "flakes."  Neither group advocates for condemnation of a person or place. Nor do they approve of the screaming "get in your face" so - called prophets who are playing around with witchcraft by prophesying your future for you to tickle your ears, or who declare there will be an earthquake in California or hurricanes will hit the south coast of the USA. That is sort of like prophesying General Grant is buried in Grants tomb. The prophesies proceeding from the these folks has no weightiness in God.

Also, as I study the leaders and churches, both groups love Jesus, they are truly apostolic, they are filled with the Holy Spirit, they are intercessors, they love their respective nations,  and they very much want to see the fire and zeal of God return to the churches in the USA and around the world.

Both groups have so much in common and so much to offer the Body of Christ, it has been distressing to note how big the gulf between them is becoming.  In meditating on this issue and reading scripture,  I have come to realize  that the  reason for the division on the role of the Prophets is the camps have two different points of view on what TIME we are in.

The first group seems to be primarily pre-tribulation folks. (I apologize for type – casting but in general that is what I have noticed about this group of saints.) They are folks who believe Jesus will call us all up to Him before any judgment or wrath is poured out on the earth. This is termed the Rapture of the Church. They state that we are in the dispensation of Grace and Mercy because of the Blood of Jesus, which indeed is true. As a result, they do not believe then that the Prophets would or should stand up in righteous judgment proclaiming justices and cleansing of geographical territories or grave warnings to whole people groups.  They believe that will not happen, except in extreme cases, until after the church is taken to glory.

The other camp is more eclectic in their end time view. Some are so in tune with what Jesus wants right now they don't really dwell on what time we are in. Others are ones who believe in a mid-tribulation Rapture of the church, and there is a group that believes we will be here for the whole 7 years of tribulation as outlined in the book of Revelation.

On top of that most believe we are living in the beginnings of tribulation right now... Not the time of God's wrath, but the times of tribulation, the sounding of the trumpets that will bring judgment to the cities and nations of the earth. Under that point of view then the Prophets role would change dramatically. They would begin to warn and speak of justice and release statements of righteous judgment. The more into tribulation and the closer we get to the time of the Wrath of God, the more warnings and reminders that God is a God of justice and judgment will be released. That doesn’t mean there will be no Grace and Mercy released. To the very end our God gives everyone opportunity to repent and call Jesus Lord. He is both merciful and the Great Judge.

Thinking about these two points of view, I have to first say it would be wonderful to know with certainty that the Church will be taken out of here before we need to be concerned with justice and judgments and warnings. However, to me there is no certainty of that happening. In fact, I believe the pre-tribulation rapture theory has made the church soft and lazy in someways. We need to get in shape for the unfolding of our greatest adventures.

Personally, I believe that the church will be here on Earth doing her job as the Warrior Bride right up to the time that is just before the Wrath of God is poured out. She will be holy and pure, mighty, brave, strong, spotless and wrinkle free fighting the good fight, singing the songs of the martrys, ready to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ...she will have eyes of love only for Him. He will be so taken with His Bride and her pure adoration that He will reach down and take her into His arms before the Grapes of Wrath are trampled.  I guess this end time’s view could be called “Pre-Wrath.”

Where are we now with all of this? In my humble opinion we are in a transition time between the dispensation of Grace and Mercy and the time of Tribulation. We are getting closer to Tribulation daily. The closer we get to that time, the more we are going to see the end times generation emerge. They are a generation who will live in the spirit of the martyrs. They will be brave street preachers who will hear Jesus and do as He says. They will be seasoned in the streets and market places of the world. What they have to say will sound new and different because we are moving into something completely new and different. The times have changed. We have shifted into a new paradigm. The emerging Prophets will stand like Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos and tell it like it is whether the Church wants to hear or not.  They will be young, bold and seem brash compared to what we are use to. They will tell the truth in love and power.

So, take a look at what we have... During a transition time we are going to have both dispensations going on at the same time. Isn’t that exactly what is going on? And, that is what the fuss is all about. The prophetic exhorters will continue their work until they take their last breath or are caught up to Christ. And, the new voices of righteous judgment will be boldly on the increase. They too will speak out until they take their last breath or are caught up to God.

The problem is the exhorters don’t like the new voice and the new voice thinks the exhorters are whimpy. Truth is we are in a time that BOTH are sorely needed!!! The Grace and Mercy of God must be prophesied to the lost. The judgments of God must be spoken in love to activate the Church.

Both camps need to give space for each other. Both camps need to continue to expose the nuts and flakes among them. Both camps need to work together to see REVIVAL birthed in the USA and across the world. Both camps need to get out there into the GREAT HARVEST, win souls and make disciples.

Together we are the Bride of Christ. We must stand in unity or fall.

Comments welcome

Shalom

Cheryl