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Best-selling author, Teen Challenge founder, sees ‘earth-shattering calamity about to happen’

Posted: March 08, 2009

3:15 am Eastern

WorldNetDaily

David Wilkerson

http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/

A respected pastor, best-selling author and founder of a major ministry to teens predicts an imminent “earth-shattering calamity” centered in New York City that will spread to major urban areas across the country and around the world – part of what he sees as a judgment from God.

David Wilkerson, author of “The Cross and the Switchblade,” a book about his ministry to troubled New York street kids that was later made into a movie starring Pat Boone, tells readers of his blog this weekend that he is “compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message” about his prediction.

“An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen,” he writes. “It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the godliest among us.”

Wilkerson’s vision is of fires raging through New York City.

“It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires – such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago,” he explains. “There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting – including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Wilkerson is the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City, where he launched a ministry to gang members and drug addicts in 1958. He is a highly regarded mentor to other pastors in evangelical circles and travels the world holding conferences for other Christian ministers.

His work in New York in the 1950s and 1960s led to the formation of Teen Challenge – a nationwide ministry to reach out to people with life-controlling habits. Teen Challenge has grown to include 173 residential programs and numerous evangelism outreach centers in the United States, and 241 centers in 77 other countries. The program claims a recovery rate of 86 percent.

The story of Wilkerson’s first five years of ministry in New York is told in “The Cross and the Switchblade,” a book he co-authored in 1963. The book became a best-selling phenomenon and more than 15 million copies have been distributed in over 30 languages.

“God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations,” claims Wilkerson. “He is destroying the secular foundations.” Wilkerson urges everyone to stockpile a 30-day supply of food and other necessities to deal with the catastrophe he foresees.

“I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off,” Wilkerson concluded in his message. “I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.”

A past vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention is hoping believers pay attention to Wilkerson’s message.

“I have known David Wilkerson for more than 25 years as well as many of his friends and associates,” said Pastor Wiley Drake. “He is a godly man and I believe he is listening to God. I encourage each Christian to read and heed what God is saying through our brother.”

I can not stop sharing this word from 1 Chronicles, still this morning it rings in my head it is so powerful for the Body today to realize what happened in chapter 13 and how it applies to us today. The reason why David wanted the ark back in Jerusalem was that they had neglected it since the time of Saul, they had neglected the presence of God, the symbol rather, of God’s presence in their lives. After so many victories of war, so many triumphs David conferred with his officers, a King with heart full of desire to worship, had realized that they had to have the true presence of God among them. But they did something not quite right in the eyes of the Lord, the ark of the covenant was in Abinadab’s house (notice the location), now they wanted to bring it back and to do so they brought it on a new cart. Now let me stop here for a moment, that new cart was a type of transportation a method of moving but this method or strategy was not what God had designed, you see the ark had golden rings and through those golden rings were to wooden rods for the sole purpose of carrying the ark from place to place not on carts but on the priest shoulders. The presence of God manifested through His Son Jesus Christ can not be brought correctly into the lives of others with new methods or strategies it must be brought in by us, we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9) As a matter of fact everything that represented Christ in the Tabernacle had the same two poles for transport purposes, the Altar of Sacrifice (offering), The table of Showbread (His word), The Alter of Incense intercessory prayer) all were meant to be carried by Us.  (more…)

By Dan Trotter

At a recent house church conference, before a panel discussion was about to begin, I whispered to Les Buford that I bet the first question was going to be: “how do we handle the children?” Sure enough, it was. This, in my opinion, is the number one question asked by those contemplating doing house church. It is a tremendous stumbling block. But it shouldn’t be.

This issue will examine three things: one, the differing philosophies or mindsets that the institutional and house church have toward children and the church; two, practical issues that arise; and three, the advantage to children of the church in the home.

“Jesus never, ever said: ‘Suffer the little children to be packed away in the nursery.’ Can you imagine the children being led to Children’s Church during the Sermon on the Mount?” (more…)