should I be concerned about this particular prophesy?

[TravelerFarAwayFromHome]

I probably wont go into too much details.

but basically I heard from this Christian just very recently that God showed him a vision in dreams about a major natural disaster that will happen right here in New Zealand ( where I am), and based on what he told me, this natural disaster will definitely affect the town in which I am living in at the moment.

I don't know this person very well, but based on my interactions with him, he came across like a genuine believer who is passionate about God and His ways

the other thing I should add is based on what he told me, he actually received this vision twice, the first time was right before he came here to NZ, the second time is after he came here.

the only thing is he mentioned that he was already a Christian before he came to NZ, but was born again after he arrived. But he seem to feel that it does not mean he was not a real Christian before? but he did not understand the ways?

anyway, I thought I get some advice here, because I don't know much about prophesy.

buy what I do know is that when it comes to things like prompting of the Holy Spirit etc , we can never be 100% certain they are from God....

 

[stormdancer0]

I would trust God to take care of you, prophesied disaster or not.

This man cannot be a Christian if he was not born again.

I wouldn't put a lot of trust in the prophecy of a man just converted. In any case, I'd trust in your own faith.

 

[TruelyLiveForHim]

well, I am not that person, and I am not God, I can not tell you for sure obviously

BUT it is important to remember, even genuine believers could be fooled by the enemy from time to time.

 

[TravelerFarAwayFromHome]

thanks for the responses I have receive so far

I also forgot to add, he did say God did not tell him the date, but in the vision, the scene resemble NZ in present day.

 

[fdsfndls]

Pray. The reason God gave the man the vision might be so other people will pray.

Your prayers might be needed. As for this mans christianity? I think we should let God be the judge of that.

If it does come true - how will you feel?




*Love, love. If God gave this man this vision, there's a reason. If he didn't, pray for the man. How would you like to be mistaken in this area? God is for us.

 

[Girder of Loins]

In my experience with prohpecy, it is more abstract than we like to think it is. We can have "spiritual intuitions" about the meaning, but we can rarely be 100% accurate in our interpretations. Don't get me wrong, it does happen. But dreams and visions can take months to figure out, and usually needs to be looked over by different believers with different perspectives. He should run this by a few other strong believers and get their opinions. Leave the differences and keep the similarities. That is the best way to interpret a dream/vision. Then you keep what God is telling each person and leaving each individual's preconceived notions about the dream/vision.

 

[BFine]

What counts is: You know the Lord as Savior-- and it wouldn't hurt to know
what to do if a natural disaster should happen, so get the info and keep
it where you can easily access it should anything bad happen.

 

[Francois Mostert]

I agree with Girder of Loins it might have "spiritual intuitions" as well. For example earthquakes in the Bible was very positive. After the prayer in Acts the earth shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly! Also when Paul and Silas where in prison the earth shook every bodies chains fall off and the doors flung open and the jailor and his whole household was converted. Pray that the Lord will give you insight, go with what resonates in your Spirit and pray that the Lord would fulfill his Word to shake the earth once more in order that what is Eternal of God might be brought to the front and all that is not off God having a hold on us might be "shaken" off. Hebrews 12:26

 

[Francois Mostert]

Remember lastly that perfect love cast out ALL fear 1 John 4:18

 

[Maranatha27]

No, put no stock in this "prophecy". If he said something like God is going to judge America, that is not really a prophecy, yet is true of what is coming as we see how God deals with nations in rebellion. There are no Isaiah's or Elijahs walking the earth today. Gods prophecy through these men have been finished and our recoreded for us. The gift of prophecy today is altogether different.

 

[joey_downunder]

New Zealand is in the Ring_of_Fire so of course it will have earthquakes from time to time.

That is such an overgeneralised prediction that *anyone* who knows New Zealand's geology/ history etc could say that and will be eventually proved right.

Get to know the bible better and you won't get worried by people like him.

 

[tturt]

"Despise not prophesyings." "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." I Thess 5:20-21

Getting a prophetic word is just the beginning of the process.

Foremost we have Holy Scripture, The Holy Spirit, prayer, hearing God’s voice for ourselves, spiritual discernment, confirmation (Acts 9;9-19 especially v 10-12; II Cor 13:1), and Godly counsel (Prov 11:14).

 

[xxxxxxtra]

We can always know if something is from God..
As far as this so called prophesy.. I would disregard it..
It is extremely doubtful that God has given this person a vision of some tragedy... I see this as someone lobbying for attention.. Possibly watched footloose one to many times..
Give me an audience and i can tell a million fish stories.. As in the fish was, "this big"...

 

[parsley]

In my experience with prohpecy, it is more abstract than we like to think it is. We can have "spiritual intuitions" about the meaning, but we can rarely be 100% accurate in our interpretations.

Some of us here have spent a lot of time on the dreams&visions forum, which is currently closed. We have watched dreams come and go -- some very precisely fitting events that later happened, and some not. God does speak through and to us, but sometimes we jump to conclusions.

Many times a dream will be symbolic.
We saw that often flood dreams related to financial woes or waves of immigration -- things that poured or seeped into an established area.

We saw storms often tying in with economic crashes and political upheaval.

In tornado dreams, people often had a sense of heroism, where no one else knew what to do, but the dreamer did and corralled people to safety.

The message would still be from God, but interpreted too literally upon waking.

As people said above, the geology of the area fits the prophecy. The timing is not clear. So yes, you could work at being prepared.

Why does God give us prophecies? He loves us and wants us prepared and protected. Our lives in His kingdom are committed to prayer, rescuing others and leading them toward freedom and redemption...wanting the best for other people. So what should be our response?

It is important to believe that prayer is effective and real. The same God who hears our prayers is the One who gave the warning, if that seems the case. Pray with confidence that God wants people safe. Keep an eye on how officials make decisions in the area. If someone is building too close to a high-risk area, toss them a note as a citizen, that you are concerned about the risk. Get involved. Build response teams in time for a hearty response.

You don't need to run in fear or sit in a corner fretting. This is a time to come alive, and make sure the community is ready for whatever may come. You don't need to sound like a lunatic to apply a prophecy to real life. Look at how Joseph came up with the idea of long-term grain silos. The silos didn't just save people from starvation, but have continued as an ongoing practice to this day.

A prophesy is not just about a dreadful event that could come or not, but what it does within people and communities, drawing people closer to God and His beneficial plans for them. We cling too tightly to what seems concrete, but nothing stays in place forever. Let the prophesy be about how you respond to God, not to the proposed event.

 

[TravelerFarAwayFromHome]

thanks for all the replies I got, I think I have a better idea what to do now

thanks.

 

[parsley]

That's great.
Remember that people are not easily convinced when they hear about prophetic visions. If you really want people to make changes toward their safety, figure out what it will take. Still give glory to God, but don't run around town declaring a quake. In fact, you can pray against destruction happening!

On being born again, it is different for everyone. Many people are devoted to going to church and living a moral life for years, before they get a sense that God is real and involved in our lives. It is at that realization where people often consider themselves born again.

For others, it is a time of repentance and pivoting from a destructive lifestyle. For others, it is recognition that Jesus' redemptive act provided them unconditional forgiveness. It is not always a sudden moment. For some, the process goes on over a year or more.

In Jesus' day, when he spoke that, there were many devout Jews who connected with God in very real ways; but if they relied on their own goodness and deserving, then they missed the heart of what goodness was about, and missed how God wanted them to have child-like faith in Him. We all do that.