I will test “Forty Prophecies for 2023 and Beyond”, by Chris Reed, published on Morningstar Ministries web site December 29, 2022. One reason I chose this word is the fact that I do not need to do the compiling myself. Usually, specific predictions are spread out across several messages and intertwined with non-predictive utterances. Another reason is the clearly defined time-frame. Even though the heading says “2023 and beyond”, the contents for almost every prediction makes the 2024 election the upper boundary for them to apply.
The TL;DR version is simple. Reed failed spectacularly. These are clearly not words from the Lord but emanate from his fleshly wishes.
I know that Reed has been disgraced. He has been caught faking prophetic revelations, using social media and other investigative methods to emulate “words of knowledge”. He has also been caught using the prophetic to manipulate women to have sex with him. However, the predictions are still online at Morningstar Ministries, and they provide valuable insight into how the prophetic work in these circles – or rather what a mess it has become!
Pope Francis has departed this earthly life, leaving behind a legacy of uniting signs and wonders with peace and justice! He was both the most charismatic and activist pope the Catholic Church has had in hundreds of years.
In truth, this shouldn’t be an unusual combination – Jesus Himself united pacifism and economic equality with healing the sick and performing miracles. But in our time, there is often a dividing line between Christians passionate about peace and justice and those who emphasize the gifts of the Spirit. For Francis, however, all of this was one and the same.
Few have missed that Francis is a passionate advocate for peace and justice: he has criticized capitalism for neglecting the poor, he lives simply and promotes economic equality, he has prayed for peace in the Middle East both at the Western wall and at the West Bank wall. But what not as many know is that Francis also is a charismatic pope, who believes in Spiritual gifts and who blesses both the Catholic charismatic renewal and Pentecostals.
I have previously written about how Francis stated in an interview that the charismatic movement is necessary for the church. In 2014, pope Francis attended a Catholic charismatic renewal convention in Rome, where he said:
I expect from you that you share with all, in the Church, the grace of Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
I expect from you an evangelization with the Word of God which proclaims that Jesus is alive and loves all men.
I expect that you give witness of spiritual ecumenism with all those brothers and sisters of other Churches and Christian communities who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
[…]
Be close to the poor, the needy, to touch in their flesh the flesh of Jesus. Be close, please!
Later the same year, Francis visited a Pentecostal church, being the first pope ever to do that. He asked for forgiveness for the hostility that some Catholics has shown to Pentecostals:
“Among those who persecuted and denounced Pentecostals, almost as if they were crazy people trying to ruin the race, there were also Catholics. I am the pastor of Catholics, and I ask your forgiveness for those Catholic brothers and sisters who didn’t know and were tempted by the devil.”
“Someone will be surprised: ‘The pope went to visit the evangelicals?’ But he went to see his brothers.”
Similarly to the saint from which he took his name, Francis of Assisi, pope Francis loved the poor and experienced amazing miracles. Even if there are many things I don’t agree with when it comes to Catholic theology, I truly rejoice when I see how pope Francis walks in the same tradition, following Jesus both when it comes to Spiritual baptism and social justice.
Micael Grenholm is a Swedish church historian, author and an editor for PCPJ.
Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace & Justice is a multicultural, gender inclusive, and ecumenical organization that promotes peace, justice, and reconciliation work among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians around the world. If you like what we do, please become a member!
Since the early 1980s, with the rise of the Moral Majority Movement and the Religious Right, much of the American political and cultural landscape has been dominated by a very specific type of Christian, commonly known as conservative evangelicals (though I think this is a misnomer).
This wing of the Church has successfully taken over much of American media – including radio, television, and the Internet. They have successfully lobbied in politics at every level of government. They were a major force behind the elections of several presidents – Ronald Reagan, both George Bushes, and now Donald Trump. Their version of Christianity and its connections with power and money are all throughout American society. Even in the small town where I grew up, I was once active in a conservative evangelical church in which pamphlets were handed out instructing their congregants how to vote, and I recall another instance at another local church in which the local Republican Party came by for signatures after worship.
This partnership between American big business, politics, and conservative churches seems like it has always been the case. For many of us, the last 40 years feel like a lifetime (and as someone born in the early 90s, it has been a lifetime). However, we must remember that this has not always been this way.
I don’t have the bandwidth to respond to every absurd thing said by a TV preacher or televangelist or con artist. But this is an exception.
Paula White is not just a millionaire prosperity preacher. She is one of the most trusted Senior Advisors of President Trump and the newly appointed head of the White House Faith Office.
In this recent video she is promising miracles, superpowers, and even your own personal guardian angel… all for the low price of $1000.
You can’t make this stuff up. This is real. But it should not be normal.
Do NOT give this woman your money… she already has plenty. And if you already gave, please hold onto the receipt so you can get a refund.
Angels are not for sale.
I actually believe in angels, and miracles… but thanks be to God’s generous love, they are not for sale.
Trump-evangelicalism is a cult. It is dangerous, deceptive … and apparently very expensive. This heretical version of our faith does a lot of damage to true authentic Christianity as it distorts theology for the sake of wealth and power.
Rebuke it, in the name of Jesus. And don’t give Paula your money.
The day after every U.S. Presidential Inauguration, Washington National Cathedral (of the Episcopal Church) hosts an interfaith National Prayer Service. Normally, this event does not get a lot of attention. It is a mundane tradition of American civic religion. This year was different, however.
Bishop Mariann Budde delivered the homily for the service. In her homily, she took a few moments to remind President Trump of the importance of showing mercy to others, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized in our communities. Trump and his supporters responded to this homily by claiming that Bishop Budde was “politicizing” the faith. Trump specifically called her a “so-called Bishop” and “Radical Left hard line Trump hater”. He also demanded an apology from the bishop and the Episcopal Church.
Growing up in a Pentecostal and Charismatic church environment, I often heard the phrase—speak life. I was taught that our words mattered and in some sense created reality. This teaching was based on the scripture found in the first chapters of Genesis when God spoke, and life came into being. Others showed how Jesus himself was the full communication of God referenced in John 1. “In the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God. So, words in some sense reveal the character of God.”
This teaching is so ingrained that when I hear words that dehumanize and degrade other human beings, I cringe recognizing that somehow these words did not represent the heart of God.
This election has been full of dehumanizing words especially spoken against immigrants, migrants and refugees. If words truly do in some sense create reality, I shutter to consider what kind of reality such words are creating.
Former President Trump has said these dehumanizing words.
• Immigrants are poisoning the blood of our people. • Immigrants have bad DNA that makes them violent. • Immigrants eat cats and dogs • Immigrants are taking our jobs • Immigrants are voting illegally • Immigrants are criminals and the crime rate has risen • Immigrants are taking our jobs • Immigrants are the cause of our high home prices • Immigrants are coming for welfare benefits • Immigrants were given all the FEMA funds so there is none left for victims of hurricanes and floods.
Essentially, Trump claims that immigrants are the cause of all our problems. This is illogical.
Not since the Holocaust or Darfur (when people were called cockroaches) have I heard such demonizing and dehumanizing words said about human beings. It is easy to deport, lock up or even harm those whom we have already dehumanized. Trump continues to lie and dehumanize real people that God loves.
Words matter and we can choose to speak life or death.
Many of the above statements are false and have zero evidence to affirm their validity. Former President Trump just makes them up to create fear that people of color will replace Americans. He often says they are invading our country and one day, we won’t have a country.
Many in the GOP and those who support former President Trump say they want the 10 commandments back in the schools. Yet they fail to obey them. Bearing false witness against their brothers and sisters is the commandment being broken. The facts reveal that these dehumanizing words are false and real people are being harmed because of them.
In Springfield Ohio, there has been a recent migration of people from Haiti. During the debates Former President Trump repeated the falsehood that Haitians are eating pets—cats and dogs. He made the claim that Haitians were here illegally when in fact they were admitted legally through parole and temporary protected status. These words were all falsehoods. The net effect was tragic when bomb threats were made to schools and government offices and real people were harmed. Tragically many of these image bearers are fellow believers—Christians who love Jesus.
This lie was invalidated by the mayor of Springfield and even the Governor. Yet it was repeated and repeated and defended by politicos who continued to form the narrative that immigrants were somehow to be blamed for all of our problems.
Words matter and in some sense create reality.
Project 2025 is a plan for the Trump administration if he should get elected. Within that document is a plan to round up and deport massive numbers of immigrants. Some also want to change our constitution to withdraw citizenship from children born of undocumented immigrants. Imagine the human cost.
Jesus said, that whatever is done to the least of these is done to Christ. We are speaking these evil things of people, many of whom are fellow believers. Are we also doing this to Christ who comes in these precious human beings?
We have problems at the border, and we do need to tackle the variety of issues around immigration. But dehumanizing migrants, immigrants and refugees is not helping to solve those problems. It is creating a narrative that they are the root cause of all of our problems and if we just remove them, our problems will be solved. I contend that without meaningful reforms and measures to deal humanely with migrants, refugees, and immigrants, we will exacerbate our problems at the border.
Meaningful immigration reform would address criminals that slip through because we can screen them, do background checks and take biometric data to admit them legally.
We must address border security but also how we admit migrants, how many, and what to do with the 11 million people who are already in this country.
A massive deportation plan would break up families and tear communities apart. Citizen spouses would lose their marital partners and children would lose any parents here without documents. Additionally, siblings would be torn apart when some have citizenship and others do not.
I often ask people to consider what a massive round-up of 11-12 million people would look like in their own community. What would be the human cost? How much would it cost for our nation to do this? What would be the economic cost to our farms, construction companies and factories who hire them.
Instead of using dehumanizing words, it would be better to address our immigration system and take responsibility for our part in the issues.
I shutter to think of how our world would be affected by the dehumanizing words spoken by the former President and other politicos. Speak Life, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
I’m writing columns for the main Christian Swedish newspaper, Dagen. My latest one is a word of hopefully sobering warning. The subject is American so-called prophets. They have a following on our side of the Atlantic as well.
A warning has increasingly echoed within me this year: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7b, NASB2020). This warning has grown stronger over the past year, particularly after hearing those who prophesied in support of Donald Trump. In 2016, a supposed prophecy claimed that Trump’s victory would spark a major revival. It would be one thing to suggest a political improvement, but a revival! How did they come to that conclusion?
These so-called prophets declare it a Christian duty to stand behind the prophets as if they were right, despite being wrong. They predicted Trump would win the 2020 election, that Biden would never become president, and, later, that he would soon be removed. It was proclaimed with certainty as the truth. According to the prophets, Trump was “unstoppable,” and neither spiritual resistance nor voter fraud would prevent him. Many of these so-called prophets elevated their desires to the status of the Lord’s word.
Among these prophetic figures, it has become a dogma that God chose Trump as the vehicle for every conceivable blessing. Voting against Trump was said to be opposition to God. Johnny Enlow, a Pentecostal pastor in California, called the acknowledgment of Biden’s presidency a “serious transgression,” foretelling that Christian leaders would lose their spiritual authority, and their names would be erased—a disturbing form of spiritual abuse.
The problem isn’t that this comes from the right. A similar exaltation of political leaders from the left or center would be equally serious. The gravity lies in proclaiming that God’s kingdom stands or falls with a single person. Messages are being presented that everything is at stake in the election, and Trump is de facto elevated to a messianic figure.
I have previously written about how God allows false prophets to emerge, leading their followers astray to test us. But God does not let them remain unpunished forever. “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them nor command them, nor do they provide this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:32), NASB2020)
A loss for Trump in the election could be an eye-opener for some of them. However, if Trump wins, they will likely become even more entrenched in their delusion. The punishment may be delayed—but risks becoming more severe. And how will they be judged? By their own words (Matthew 12:37). And “in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:2).
Lars Gunther is a pastor and Bible teacher based in Hestra, Sweden.
Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace & Justice is a multicultural, gender inclusive, and ecumenical organization that promotes peace, justice, and reconciliation work among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians around the world. If you like what we do, please become a member!
The film Jesus Revolution about the youth revival in the 1970s has done much better than expected in US cinemas – and now there are reports that some have even given their lives to Jesus after seeing the film. At a movie theater in Miami, a prayer and praise meeting arose after the film was over where some made the decision to become Christians.
Here I have made a video where I have collected clips from the revival meeting at the cinema:
People were saved even during filming. When Jonathan Roumie, who plays the hippie preacher Lonnie Frisbee in the film (and who also plays Jesus in the series The Chosen) filmed a scene where Lonnie baptized hundreds of people in the sea, some of the extras said that they had never been baptized but wanted to be born again in the name of Jesus. Thus, some of the baptisms that made it into the movie are not staged, but the cameras filmed people being baptized for real! 🙌
The film’s producer also said that many in the studio and on the production team who were not Christians were moved to tears when they saw the film and wanted to know more about Jesus. This is truly no ordinary Hollywood movie!
The Jesus Movement in the 1970s emerged as a unique blend of evangelism, charismatic spirituality, and activism for peace and justice. Participants were deeply engaged in anti-war protests, expressing their commitment to nonviolence and social reform. This countercultural movement also fostered a strong sense of community, with many followers living in communes and practicing a simple, communal lifestyle that emphasized shared values and spiritual growth.
As the Jesus Movement gained momentum, it attracted a diverse range of individuals, including disenchanted youth, disillusioned with the mainstream societal values of the time. These followers sought solace in the teachings of Jesus, interpreting them as a call for radical transformation of both individual lives and society as a whole.
The movement’s emphasis on charismatic spirituality, which included speaking in tongues, divine healings, and prophetic visions, created a sense of unity and transcendent experience among its members. This spiritual fervor served to strengthen their commitment to activism and social justice, fueling the movement’s impact on the broader culture.
The Jesus Movement’s anti-war stance aligned with the growing peace movement of the era, and its members often participated in protests and demonstrations against war and militarism. This commitment to peace extended to various social issues, such as racial and economic justice, environmental concerns, and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities.
Despite its countercultural roots, the Jesus Movement also had a lasting influence on mainstream Christianity. It contributed to the growth of contemporary Christian music, as well as the rise of non-denominational and charismatic churches. Ultimately, the Jesus Movement’s unique combination of evangelism, spirituality, and activism served as a powerful catalyst for change, both within Christian communities and in the broader society of the 1970s.
It’s amazing to see how the Holy Spirit is impacting people’s lives through this movie. Now sadly, I haven’t been able to watch the movie myself since I live in Sweden, but a Swedish friend of mine, Anders-Petter Sjödin, went to the premiere in Los Angeles and said that it was amazing. If you have the opportunity to see it, you should definitely take it.
Micael Grenholm is a Swedish church historian, author and an editor for PCPJ.
Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace & Justice is a multicultural, gender inclusive, and ecumenical organization that promotes peace, justice, and reconciliation work among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians around the world. If you like what we do, please become a member!
A few nights ago I had a surprisingly vivid dream featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin. I recall it now as if it were an event that actually happened.
At first I was walking behind him and an American woman I knew, who seemed determined to keep me from him. Then I saw him look at me at a gathering in a hotel, as I refused to sing some well-known American songs in English with what looked like American fans.
Then suddenly I was seated beside him in the front seat of his limo. Gracie sat beside a woman in the back seat who was maybe his wife– though I’ve since learned he’s divorced, so I’m not sure who this was. She lay back against the seat, her bare forearms covered with elaborate, symmetric tattoos.
We start talking more personally, and he immediately directs someone to pull the curtains between the back seat and the rest of the limousine, so those further back couldn’t hear or see us. Heavy black curtains are drawn, allowing for total privacy.
I tell him I’ve been praying for him. He looks skeptical, and I say:
“Mr. Putin, I mean prayer as conversation with God.”
His driver mockingly asks: “conversation with God?!”
I then remember that as Russian Orthodox Christians he and his driver would understand prayer more as rote, liturgical prayers from a prayer book. So I explain:
“I’m not talking about praying liturgical prayers, say from the Orthodox liturgy or prayer books. These prayers are precious, valuable and powerful, and we can certainly benefit from praying them. But we can also pray to God directly, conversationally about what’s on our heart and mind.
I look at him and say: “President Putin, I’ve been talking with God, with Jesus, like we’re talking now, asking him to give you wisdom to know what to do, and courage to make the right decisions.”
He visibly warms up, and looks at me with genuine interest.
I had seen some special bottles of liqueur or skin tonic. I wondered if he might give me a gift. Just then he offered me a bottle and some other gifts. I thought I should ask him how we could stay in contact in the future. But then I woke up.
This dream took me completely by surprise. I hadn’t been thinking about Putin, though I have been keeping up on the news on a daily basis regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I also lead a weekly Bible study via Zoom with Russian recovery guys living near Krasnodar.
I read and hear Mr. Putin being regularly denounced as a brutal oligarch dictator, a war criminal, evil incarnate. He is often compared to Stalin or Hitler. He most certainly has blood on his hands.
However, in only demonizing Russia’s President we risk pushing him further into the darkness, from where even more destruction can be unleashed.
Throughout Scripture the prophets regularly communicated with heads of State, both in person and through letters and emissaries. These communications included intercession, as well as offers of specific counsel, warnings and outright denunciation too.
Jesus challenged the religious leaders of his day, embodying a way for saving that incorporated active love for and intercession on behalf of enemies.
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Lk 6:27-28).
The Apostle Paul was often imprisoned by the authorities of the Roman Empire who had blood on their hands– who he faithfully told about Jesus. He writes in Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse,” followed by “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rm 12:21). Paul wrote Timothy words that are certainly important to head now.
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
Mr. Putin has recently threatened to use nuclear weapons, which would lead to destruction like the world has never known. Certainly now is the time to include him and his political and spiritual advisors, and our own national leaders in our prayers, “so that we (followers of Jesus in the Ukraine, Russian, Europe and around the world) may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity”– so we can focus our attention on advancing Jesus’ Kingdom.
In my dream I told Vladimir Putin that I pray for him. However in reality I have really only begun to actively pray for him since my dream. I invite you to join me in daily prayer for Mr. Putin, and for his advisors– including the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. Let’s remember to pray too for the Ukrainian people, leaders and soldiers– and for Russian soldiers. May we engage in active peacemaking from out of a commitment to prayer as the Apostle Paul urges in Philippians 6:18.
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
Bob Ekblad is co-founder and co-director of Tierra Nueva in Burlington, Washington. Bob is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He holds a ThD in Old Testament and is known internationally for his courses and workshops on reading the Bible.
Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace & Justice is a multicultural, gender inclusive, and ecumenical organization that promotes peace, justice, and reconciliation work among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians around the world. If you like what we do, please become a member!
I live in a country where there are no school shootings. It’s probably due to us having extremely restrictive gun laws in Sweden, as it is illegal for civilians to carry a gun unless they have a license and guns are required to be unloaded, hidden, and supervised when transporting them.
For example, worship leader Sean Feucht warned his followers against seeking political solutions to the gun problem, telling them that the solution is to bring God “back in schools” (which, ironically, is a political suggestion):
In fact, when the National Rifle Association (NRA), the leading gun lobby organisation in the US, arranged a prayer breakfast at their national convention just a few days after the shooting, nobody on stage mentioned the attack or prayed for the families of the victims. Instead, they prayed against “Democrats and liberals” who want to have better background checks on those who want to buy guns. After all, this is the same organisation that has actively lobbied against background checks and undermined efforts to keep firearms away from those with mental illness.
Yet, there was a voice in the wilderness, a remnant of righteousness among the gunmongers. Our friend Shane Claiborne, activist and theologian, was there. Not because he is a NRA supporter, but because he wanted to show the people at this prayer breakfast the difference between the Gospel of Jesus and the gospel of guns.
He and some friends started to pray for the victims of the shooting in Uvalde, and immediately were kicked out by the police. Shane writes at Red Letter Christians blog:
I carried with me the Uvalde paper we had picked up. The front page had all those babies’ faces and the two teachers who died with them. We also had a list of all their names, along with the names of the 10 people killed in Buffalo. Our goal wasn’t to get kicked out of the prayer breakfast. Our goal wasn’t event to disrupt it.
We had tickets and waited until there was a space without speakers in the program so we didn’t interrupt. Our goal was singular – to pray for the victims by name, and to invite everyone to join us. With the help of a coalition of clergy around the country known as National Faith Leaders For Ending Gun Violence, we had created a liturgical, call-and-response, prayer. Before reading aloud each name, we say together, “God knows their names.” And after each name, we say, “Lord, have mercy.” Simple, heartfelt prayer.
As we were told that the program would pause, and breakfast would begin, I stood, holding the Uvalde paper, and invited people to join us in prayer for the victims. After the first name, we were told that we would be arrested if we did not leave. So we invited people to join us outside, as we respectfully complied with police orders. It is noteworthy that the police came quicker to kick us out of the prayer meeting than to confront the shooter in Uvalde.
“I’m going to go straight to Jesus and say we cannot serve two masters. And we really are at a crossroads where we’ve got to choose: Are we going to follow Jesus or the NRA? And literally, you couldn’t come up with much more contrasting messages. The gospel of Jesus — turn the other cheek, love our enemies — stands in direct opposition to the rhetoric of the NRA — stand your ground. The gun and the cross give us two very different versions of power.”
[…]
“Idols are things that we put our trust in. They’re not God, but we treat them like they are,” Claiborne said. “We put this sort of sacred reverence into things that should only be given to God. And it’s been said that idols are things that we are willing to die for, kill for, and sacrifice our children for. And literally, by that definition, I think guns would have that sort of unreasonable dedication.”
“Guns are not made in the image of God but children are,” he added.
Amen.
Micael Grenholm is a Swedish theologian, author, and editor for PCPJ.
Pentecostals & Charismatics for Peace & Justice is a multicultural, gender inclusive, and ecumenical organization that promotes peace, justice, and reconciliation work among Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians around the world. If you like what we do, please become a member!
PCPJ 