Claiming Prophecy Fulfillment can be Dangerous

Actually, this post should be entitled "The Dangers of Claiming a Prophecy Fulfilled". . .

At a friend's suggestion, I began reading Goll's The Prophetic Intercessor. Immediately, I sensed he and I would disagree theologically. But that's hardly a reason not to read his book. I tried to keep an open mind and found his analysis of prayer and prophetic gifting to be fairly accurate.

Then I came to one chapter that described, in-depth, what he thought to be the major prophetic fulfillment in our age. I was curious, what would he use as his primary example of prophetic fulfillment? As he looked around today, what would he claim as God's powerful work, released through the prayers of centuries of saints?

Modern Israel. He claimed that the creation and sustained presence of Israel signified God's work.

I never claim to be well versed in politics or history. But this is one area I cannot support. Now, I'm not saying God has nothing to do with it. In fact, I'm not even going to say it wasn't prophesied in scripture. But I am certain that there are elements of the current situation in Israel that break God's heart.

So, the moment I began that chapter, I knew I couldn't finish it. I read a few pages, but ultimately gave up. I even put down the book and expected not to pick it up again.

However, I reflected on what he'd said before that. I reflected on the fact that he definitely had some accurate and insightful things to say. So I picked the book up and continued, skipping the chapter. I'm definitely glad I did, for I found much to respect between those pages.

My warning for all of us here:  The moment you claim something fulfills scripture, you risk alienating many of the people you speak to. Does that mean you never do it? No, I don't think it does. It just means you take care. Remember that not everyone agrees with you and be certain its worth the risk. Then, when you're sure you know what you're doing, then you can publish / announce it.

I think that goes for much of what we say and do in life. If you're a huge fan of the Dodgers, don't assume that everyone who lives in LA is also. Perhaps that new co-worker just moved to LA and they have always been avid supporters of the SF Giants. Whether it's a baseball game or a prophecy, we alienate people by assuming they agree with us.

On the other hand, I think we all need to be a little less sensitive. So someone assumed something about you, correct them. Tell them what you really think and let it go.