Prophets and Intercessors (3) - Confusion in Christchurch

In Christchurch, we have a problem. A number of revelations of a third massive earthquake that God has given to intercessors are circulating as prophecies about the future. This is creating confusion, because they contain no guidance to Christians about how to respond. There is no call to repentance for the people of the world or condition that must be met to avert the disaster. This is not surprising, because that was not their purpose.

I hope the intercessors are doing their job and standing in prayer against the plans of the enemy that God has revealed to them. If the intercessors and are fulfilling their calling, these events will not take place. God has revealed these things to the intercessors, because he does not want them to happen.

If God is giving warnings about events that are going to happen, I hope the prophets are listening and seeking guidance about his plans for his people and asking what changes must take place to avert the disaster.

Clear Voice
One reason we have this problem is the dearth of the prophetic voice in Christchurch. The result is that most Christians are uncertain about the cause of the earthquakes and whether they have any spiritual significance.

Most of the commentary on the earthquakes has come from pastors, and their most common interpretation has been that the earthquakes were just the earth doing what the earth does from time to time. They were just natural events without any spiritual significance. This view worked well for providing pastoral care to people who had lost homes or family members, as it puts issues of guilt and guidance out of scope. Unfortunately, many other Christians find this explanation inadequate and are uncertain about how they should respond to these events. They see Jesus applying spiritual significance to physical disasters (Luke 13:1-5) and want the same for their time (See Causes of the Christchurch Earthquake for my crack at this).

The situation has been further confused by other voices, mostly from outside the city, declaring that the earthquakes are God’s judgment against Christchurch. These people claim that God hates the sin in the city and is going to keep on bashing it until the people repent. Most Christians here are uneasy about this view, because the people of Christchurch do not seem to be any worse than thousands of other cities around the world that have not been struck down by God. They are slightly embarrassed when God is portrayed as a vindictive people whacker.

These things have produced a thirst for revelation that has not been quenched by what has been offered so far.

Where there is no revelation, the people are left naked (Prov 29:18).

Unfortunately, scraps from tables of the intercessors will not satisfy this hunger for revelation. Our problem is lack of revelation. We should be praying that God will release a clear prophetic voice in this city and that we may have better understanding of God’s purposes for the city.