It has been reported in an article in the 26th October publication of ghanaweb. com that the Police have announced that “The law is against false publication thereby if you make your prophecy publicly without any evidence then you have breached the law and the law will deal with you”. It was further reported in the same article that the police held deliberations with religious leaders in the country….. to streamline the prophetic ministry”
This move by the police should not be resisted with a misplaced fear that “Christianity is under attack”. We got used to annual end-of-year competitions among “prophets’ as to who will “prophesy” the death of the most popular or famous personality in the coming year.
The fact that these “prophecies” cause fear and panic to the targets, their families and their loved ones was manifested in the attack on the church premises of one of these “prophets” a few years ago.
Despite the obvious and manifest dangers caused by these actions, religious bodies failed to self-regulate their activities in line with the dictates of Christianity. The burden therefore falls on the police, the body responsible for law and order, to do so.
The possible claim that these “prophetic” practices are mandated by the “office of the prophet” must be subjected to the scrutiny of the public document upon which this practice is allegedly based- The Holy Bible.
Declarations of impending deaths of individuals in the Bible are limited to private pronouncements, and for cause and to bring about an effect. Prophet Nathan prophesied to King David that God said he was going to die. God gave the reason that it was because David had caused the death of Uriah to hide David’s sin of adultery with Uriah’s wife resulting in her pregnancy. David repented and God lifted the death sentence.
Prophet Isaiah also gave a prophecy from God to King Hezekiah that he was going to die. The reason was because Hezekiah had showed off the treasures of God to the enemies of God who subsequently took them in a war. Hezekiah repented, cried out to God, and God suspended the death sentence for 15 years.
Now, both of these prophecies were given privately to the persons. The “fear and panic” caused was private and resulted in godly sorrow that brought repentance unto salvation.
On the other hand several biblical public prophecies of death and destruction were given to nations and their leaders for the sins of the leaders and their nations. Many such were given by prophets to the kings and people of Israel, but the most notable biblical account of a public prophecy of death and destruction to a nation is that of Jonah to the city of Nineveh.
For their sins God sent Jonah to preach the coming death and destruction to the city. Reluctantly Jonah finally complied, as recorded in the Bible. ‘And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk.
Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”’- Jonah 3:4
The result was an exceedingly great “fear and panic”, if ever there was one, falling on the king and citizens.
The result was a declaration of a total national fast by the king of every living thing from the king down to animals to repent of their sins. God was moved and the city was saved.
This is the circumstance under which “fear and panic” caused by a prophecy from God is good. When it comes to matters of salvation the word of God tells us to work out our salvation with “fear and trembling” – Ephesians 6:5. To individuals, however any such “prophecy” must be delivered privately.
It has been claimed that “prophecies” come spontaneously and the “prophet” can do nothing but declare them whenever, and wherever he receives them. Using the Bible again, this is not indicative of the operations of a Christian prophet.
Apostle Paul who should know more about this than any living prophet wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:32-33 “The spirit of the prophets are subject to the control of prophets, for God is not a God of disorder but of peace..” He wrote this when the same issue of disorderly use of prophetic expressions was sweeping through the Corinthian church. This is exactly what the police are determined to do – to restore and maintain godly order and peace in Ghana.
On the other hand, by the same God’s standards, declarations of death and destruction to a nation must be given publicly but for the cause of abominable unrepentant lifestyles, for which there are many in our nation today, but for which many “prophets” are surprisingly silent.
This is a ground on which “fear and panic” is warranted and can be defended in a human court of law. The police say they will need evidence for such prophecies. This evidence abounds in the Holy Bible on which any accused will swear in giving his evidence. The Bible is already a court document so the police will have no choice but to accept it as such.
It is my submission that according to the Christian God’s ways, any prophecy of death to an individual must be for a declared cause of sinful lifestyle, but it must be given privately.
The days of publicly declaring, prognosticating, foretelling, predicting, or in any other manner announcing the impending death of a person is unchristian and must be criminalised no matter what religious practitioner is involved.
The writer is the Founder and Leader of Back To The Rock Ministries in Accra
Prophet Isaiah also gave a prophecy from God to King Hezekiah that he was going to die. The reason was because Hezekiah had showed off the treasures of God to the enemies
of God who subsequently took them in a war. He repented and 15 years was added to his life.
The days of publicly declaring, prognosticating, foretelling, predicting, or in any other manner announcing the impending death of a person is unchristian and must be criminalised no matter what religious practitioner is involved.
BY REV. CAPT MICHAEL YAO FOLI
