David Wilkerson's Vision

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28-29)

Adventists have a healthy skepticism of modern-day prophets because we know that most of them are unscriptural – Mary Baker Eddie and Joseph Smith, for example. Because of this, we tend to think that true prophesies and revelations can only be found among Sabbath-keeping Adventists.

But in scripture there is a distinction between a prophet of God and someone who simply has a dream or vision. We’re told that in the last days God will pour out His spirit on all flesh and God will multiply His revelations. Does that mean that everyone who receives them is a prophet? No. The apostle understood this and exhorted us to “despise not prophesyings; prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” I Thes. 5:20, 21. Let’s put that advice into practice. Below we’ll look at an intriguing test case, the Wilkerson vision.

Background

David Wilkerson (1931-2011), is best known for his 1963 book The Cross and the Switchblade, the story of his daring ministry to the teen gangs of New York City in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. When I first read it in the late ‘70’s it left a lasting impression on me. Wilkerson was the founder of Teen Challenge, a successful ministry for addicted youth that has liberated thousands. In 1987 Wilkerson founded the Times Square Church of New York. During his 55+ year ministry he maintained a non-denominational, Bible only stance. He exemplified unselfishness and integrity, repeatedly venturing his life and reputation for the sake of the gospel.

In 1973, Wilkerson had a vision of the end-times. Before he put his vision in book format, he shared it from the pulpit. His first public account is not long, and worth the time investment.

Initially, he did not want to share it. His friends and advisors counseled him to keep it to himself. He feared the negative impact it would have on his ministry. But, after a severe struggle, he yielded to his convictions.

Earthquakes in America

Regarding earthquakes, in Chapter Two of his book, The Vision, he wrote:

The United States is going to experience in the not-too-distant future the most tragic earthquakes in its history. One day soon this nation will be reeling under the impact of the biggest news story of modern times. It will be coverage of the biggest most disastrous earthquake in history. . .

I am not at all convinced that this earthquake will take place in California. In fact, I believe it is going to take place where it is least expected. . .. It will be so high on the Richter scale that it will trigger two other major earthquakes. . . Earthquakes will become the number one cause of fear and consternation. David Wilkerson, The Vision, pages 32 and 33.

Wilkerson’s warning agrees with many scriptures and is similar to warnings by Ellen White such as this one:

These things [calamities, natural and man-made] are the result of drops from the vials of God’s wrath being sprinkled on the earth, and are but faint representations of what will be in the near future. Earthquakes in various places have been felt, but these disturbances have been very limited. . . Premonitory convulsions have been felt in many places, giving warning of what may come as a surprise when the earth shakes and opens.

Terrible shocks will come upon the earth, and the lordly palaces erected at great expense will certainly become heaps of ruins. The earth’s crust will be rent by the outbursts of the elements concealed in the bowels of the earth. These elements, once broken loose, will sweep away the treasures of those who for years have been adding to their wealth by securing large possessions at starvation prices from those in their employ. And the religious world, too, is to be terribly shaken, for the end of all things is at hand. {Ms24-1891.}

When Ellen White wrote the above in 1891, she was aware of the many devastating earthquakes which had occurred in her lifetime and for hundreds of years before that. And yet she states: “Earthquakes in various places have been felt, but these disturbances have been very limited”. If that’s so, imagine the magnitude of these future shocks. They will shake not only the earth but “the religious world, too, is to be terribly shaken, for the end of all things is at hand.”

Two Super Churches

At the ten minute mark of the video, Wilkerson describes the rise of the beast and spiritual Babylon. Rather than identifying them as such, Wilkerson calls the new entity the “Super Church”. He predicts not merely the formation of one Super Church, but two. Super Church #1, he says, will become a powerful global organization having a form of godliness but denying the power. It will start as a cooperative humanitarian program between Catholics and ecumenical Protestants but will end in a political union headed by the Pope.

In contrast, Super Church #2, he says, will be the invisible, empowered, underground church of Jesus Christ composed of humble, Holy Spirit filled Bible believers.

How does this compare with scripture and the writings of Ellen White? Should the fact that he makes no direct reference to the Sabbath disqualify the vision? I don’t think so. In all of Daniel and Revelation there is no direct reference to the Sabbath conflict. It is implied throughout, but never directly stated. The end-time prophecies focus on the true worship of God, loyalty to His commandments and the seal of His covenant, verses the counterfeit worship of the beast, its mark, and human institutions that embrace and uphold aberrant social norms.

Wilkerson’s vision is in the same prophetic vein of scripture. Notice how closely it matches the description of the contest between the two witnesses of Revelation 11 and the beast from the bottomless pit. Wilkerson unmasks the evils that will predominate in Super Church #1 – pornography, homosexuality, occult practices, absence of natural affection, evil speaking etc. These are the sins of Sodom and Egypt, the place where the two witnesses “prophesy again,” bearing their faithful testimony.

Notice also at the 11 minute mark what causes the formation of Super Church #1 - “a mysterious chain of events.” Wilkerson predicts that just when it appears that the ecumenical movement is dead, a series of events will suddenly heal the schism between Catholics and Protestants. He never says what these events are, (he may not have known himself), but we have a clue: According to the vision, Super Church #1 is formed to address pressing human needs. This suggests to me that a humanitarian crises will suddenly reunite Catholics and Protestants.

Ellen White also speaks of a mysterious “series of events” that changes the course of history, bringing on the latter rain:

Through most wonderful workings of God, mountains of difficulty will be removed and cast into the sea. Let us labor as those who have experienced the virtue of truth as it is in Jesus. There is to be, at this period, a series of events which will reveal that God is master of the situation. The truth will be proclaimed in clear, unmistakable language. Those who preach the truth will strive to demonstrate the truth by a well-ordered life and godly conversation. And as they do this, they will become powerful in advocating the truth and in giving it the sure application that God has given it. {Lt 230, 1906, par. 4, 5}

What “series of events” in scripture meets the above specifications, showing “that God is the master of the situation”? I suggest the earthquake of Revelation 8:5 followed by the rain of Holy Spirit fire and the first four of the seven trumpets is a good match. The Spirit inaugurates the final chapter of world history and the trumpets announce who is in control. They also create an existential threat causing the reunification of Christianity.

That is my view, but what do the rest of you think the “series of events” is? Do you think it is revealed in scripture? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Collapse of the Dollar

According to Wilkerson, an economic earthquake is also coming, first to Germany and Japan and then to the US and the rest of the world. He begins his narrative of this at the two minute mark of his sermon.

When Wilkerson predicted this in the ‘70’s, Germany was the economic powerhouse of Europe and it still is. Until recently, it seemed unlikely that a collapse could begin there. But in the last few years Germany has been committing financial suicide, bankrupting its manufacturing sector by exorbitant energy prices, the result of green energy policies and sanctions against Russian oil. At the same time their largest banks have over extended themselves making them incapable of weathering an economic storm.

In his book, Wilkerson describes how the German and Japanese collapse will affect the US dollar and the global economy:

Not only is the American dollar headed for deep trouble, but so are all world currencies. . . . A false economic boom will precede the recession---but it will be short lived.

The United States government is going to "over react" to the confused economical developments. . . The President of the United States will make one, and possibly two, national radio and TV appearances to reassure the nation that all is well, and that the best of economic times is just ahead. The Vision, page 15.

This prediction caught my attention recently because earlier this year President Biden made an unprecedented televised appeal for calm when two banks, Silicon Valley and First Republic, failed. If he is forced to do it again, that could be a harbinger of what is about to follow. Wilkerson continues.

It will not work. People will distrust these statements, and their fears will lead to a revolution at the polls. The Vision, page 18.

This suggests 1) that the recent bank run may not be over and 2) that whoever is in the President’s office when the collapse comes, his party will not retain power. He goes on:

The auto industry is going to be hurt badly. Labor leaders are also going to be caught up in this wave of economic confusion. We may soon experience the most devastating strikes of all times. The Vision, page 18.

Like Wilkerson, Ellen White also strongly warns about the brutal role unions will play in re-establishing the beast system.

A New World Monetary System

There will develop a call for revamping all monetary systems into one uniform system. The Vision, Page 22.

Acclaimed financial advisor, Peter Schiff, who predicted both the 2008 collapse of the housing market bubble and the “quantitative easing” used to restart the economy, has warned for years that we are in a false economic boom. He says that the current bubble has begun to deflate and that this time the dollar will collapse with it and be replaced, as Wilkerson predicts, with a new currency.

Land, Not Gold, a Haven

Peter Schiff’s main pillars of investment are metal commodities, especially gold, and dividend paying stocks of companies that produce tangible goods. In contrast to Schiff, Wilkerson advises:

Believe it or not—even gold will not hold its value. Gold hoarders are going to get hurt—badly. This is one of the most significant predictions in this book. . . The only real security is in land. The Vision, pages 22, 28.

The Debunking of Climate Change

Since the 70’s the environmentalist movement has grown stronger, to the point that it has become a quasi-religion and a menace to society. Wilkerson predicts its fall:

Environmentalists and ecologists are going to be challenged, repudiated, and for the most part, rejected in days to come. Powerful forces are already at work to rally public sentiment against the far-reaching proposals of the new environmentalists. . . . These groups will become the scapegoats for an energy crisis, meat and food shortages, and loss of jobs. The Vision, pages 24, 25.

The pushback against radical climate change is already well underway on alternate media. Wilkerson predicts it will go mainstream. Food shortages and hunger will help restore sanity on this point.

The Great Temptation of Christians

Another of his counter-intuitive predictions is this:

The number one temptation for the last Christian will be prosperity. The Bible warns that in the last days many Christians will be halfhearted, rich, prosperous, and in need of nothing. There is nothing evil or sinful in being prosperous and successful. Most of the patriarchs in the Bible were wealthy men. . . . However, I see millions of Christians being deceived by prosperity. The last Christian is going to be afflicted by prosperity and tested by it more than through poverty. The Vision, pages 54, 55.

Protestant Ascetics?

In reaction to materialism, he predicts a Christian monastic movement in America:

Growing numbers of sincere Christians will sell everything and join Christian-type communes that feature monastery-type living and a set of laws by which to approach God. The Vision, page 61.

This unfortunate movement will be a repudiation of the family and the gospel. Perhaps his prediction applies only to a revival of monasticism among Catholics. I have not seen it among Protestants but if some of you have, please comment below.

Legalized Marijuana

This prediction has been fulfilled but notice what Wilkerson says will be the result:

Marijuana will be legalized. Anything we can't handle, we legalize: But legalized marijuana will lead to boredom. There will be more dissatisfied adults smoking pot than teen-agers looking for a thrill. Pot will be an adult problem in the future. The Vision, page 64.

As predicted, marijuana is a growing social and health problem.

Signs in the Heavens

At the 3 minute mark of the video Wilkerson describes cosmic storms that will appear as raging fires in the sky. Unaware that similar ones appeared in early American history, he calls them “new”. But John Loughborough, in his book, Last Day Tokens, documents a similar phenomena in 18^th century America that struck the people with terror:

In Dr. J. B. Felt's history of Salem, Mass., is an account of the first appearance of the aurora in America: "The aurora borealis was seen for the first time in America, Dec. 17, 1719. It filled our country with great alarm. It was dreaded, as being the precursor of the judgment fires which were to consume the world. It had a similar effect on the people of England in 1716." Last Day Tokens, pages 20, 21.

It seems strange to us today, when the auroras are common and non-threatening in the northern latitudes, that early Americans were terrified on seeing one. But this first aurora must have been much more intimidating and overawing than our beautiful but tame modern ones. Seventy years later, in 1789, many citizens of Virginia were seized with the same terror as those of Salem in witnessing a similar event:

In a work called "Percy Aneedotes," we have an account of the aurora as witnessed in Virginia in 1789: "On that day I stopped in Portsmouth to spend the evening at a house where there was a large party of both sexes. All at once our ears were assailed by loud murmurs outside. We rushed to the door, and were much astonished to find the whole population of the place in the street, the greater part of them on their knees, and uttering the loudest lamentations. Attracted by the brilliancy of the heavens, I raised my eyes upward, and observed a very vivid aurora borealis, casting its coruseations over more than one half of the hemisphere. On turning round I saw the whole company on their knees, and evidently in trepidation. The scene was certainly awful. . . . Toward midnight the aurora disappeared, as did the fears of the good people of Portsmouth.

On crossing the ferry to Norfolk, I saw that the same species of alarm had also existed there to a considerable extent, and was happily extinguished." Last Day Tokens, page 22.

These violent auroras, in my view, partly fulfill the first part of Joel’s prophecy of “wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke,” Joel 2:30, and they are followed by signs in the sun and moon, Joel 2:31. In his book, Loughborough goes on to list these, many of them appearing in the months and years before 1844.

Conclusion

While I don’t have total confidence in Wilkerson’s vision, I think it is worthy of study because it aligns well with inspiration. It has caused me to reevaluate earthquake risks in “low risk” areas and also, I’ve been monitoring the health of the German economy, American bank failures and the President’s calls for calm. His financial advice, in my opinion, excels that of the world’s best investment experts.

More importantly, his vision has increased my desire for the latter rain and the revelation of the glorious last day church. I really want to be part of the end-time global awakening that the prophets predict, when God’s people “prophesy again,” and we have the honor, by our lives and by our testimony, of bearing to the world the final message of the love and power of Jesus Christ.

The Lord gave the word: Great was the company of those that published it. Psalm 68:11.