A few weeks ago, I was having a quiet slow morning. My working week as Prison Chaplain had been satisfying. Delightful looking back over various encounters and prayers with men, their reports of seeing and feeling something encouraging and healing from God. That day and the following were less full. The prospect of relaxed time ahead made me relaxed.
In my imagination, I looked to see Jesus with me. His hands stood out. He too was relaxed, giving the impression that he has everything under control. We talked about a few personal matters Then Jesus continued in the same vein:
Ukraine will win. At the end of the year, the Russian army will be out of Ukraine.
This is to show the world the futility of military force.
Pray for the demoralisation of the Russian soldiers.
I was surprised. These words seemed so clear, definite, predictive. Were they really from Jesus? I cannot say for certain. But the combination of me being relaxed, my strong awareness of Jesus with me and the surprise at the words which came, make me think they probably are from Jesus. Only time will tell.
The war in Ukraine was far from my conscious thoughts. I had not seen any news from Ukraine for days. I had not been wondering how long the war will last. From the beginning, my view has been that the war will last for a long time. If you had asked me earlier that morning when the war will end, I would have said, only after a few more years. I don’t think the message came from me, not even from my wishful thinking. And I am not sure about how a Ukrainian military victory can show the futility of military force.
Jesus speaks today
Jesus does speak to people today, through the Holy Spirit with us and in us. Jesus said that all his sheep, from different flocks, will hear his voice. (John 10:16) Not only Jews, people from every tribe and tongue and language will hear Jesus’ voice. No-one needs to learn Aramaic, Jesus’ birth language, nor Greek the language of the New Testament writers. Everyone hears in their own language.
‘All of us hear in our own language’ was the amazed comment from the crowd on Pentecost Day. (Acts 2:8) The disciples were speaking loud in what seemed to the disciples just sounds but what others heard as the languages of various places from which they had travelled. The Holy Spirit was orchestrating, prompting a gush of various sounds from various followers of Jesus which other people identified as real human languages. One message of that Day was indeed ‘All of us hear in our own language.’ Through the flow of the Holy Spirit, all Jesus’ sheep, from any flock, hear his voice in their own language.
Another comment from the crowd was ‘Aren’t all those speaking Galileans?’ (Acts 2:7) The crowd only heard the disciples, they did not know them nor see them. From hearing them, the crowd knew they were all Galileans – people from the North of the country, near the Sea of Galilee. How did the crowd know? Because of the way the disciples were speaking. The disciples were speaking various languages, all in Galilean accents! They remained themselves and sounded like themselves, although they each turned out to be speaking a language they had never learnt. Another lesson of that Day was ‘The Holy Spirit speaks through ordinary humans, who still sound like themselves.’
Jesus had also identified the Holy Spirit as the carrier of his words: ‘ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.’ (John 16:13) When the Holy Spirit speaks through someone, he speaks the words of Jesus. When we hear the voice of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is bringing Jesus’ words to us.
How do we hear Jesus speaking?
The best teaching I know about hearing the voice of Jesus today is ‘Hearing God’s Voice’ by Mark Virkler. 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice | Communion With God Ministries (cwgministries.org) When I was conversing with Jesus, I was following Mark’s teaching.
Through close examination of the whole Bible, and from wide research among many Christian leaders and teachers, Mark was led to these ‘Keys:’
1 Quieten down.
2 Look to see Jesus with you
3 Welcome, expect, the flow of the Holy Spirit from within you
4 Write out or speak out what comes.
The flow of the Holy Spirit comes in gentle words, impressions, pictures. – ‘pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ‘ (James 3:17) The flow of the Holy Spirit comes from within us, within our personality. The Holy Spirit speaks like us, with our own accents, but purer, kinder, wiser than we are. The flow of the Holy Spirit needs to be voiced, expressed, as on Pentecost Day.
Prophecy
On Pentecost Day Peter explained what was happening, quoting the Old Testament prophet Joel:
“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.’ (Acts 2:17)
Peter said that what the crowd heard was prophecy.
Jesus speaking to his people today, through the Holy Spirit, is known as prophecy, a gift given to build up the whole Church. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Ephesians 4:11,12)
Christian prophecy, according to Jesus, includes ‘declaring the things that are to come,’ predicting the future. Prediction is only a part of what Jesus says to his people. The Holy Spirit brings all that Jesus wants to say to all his people.
Paul writes that ‘those who prophesy speak to other people for their building up and encouragement and consolation.’ (1 Corinthians 14:3) Although Paul was aware of genuine predictive prophecy through someone predicting a famine, (Acts 11:28) he knew that most prophecy does not predict, but builds up, encourages, consoles. Predictive prophecy is rare.
Paul continues to value prophecy and never indicates that the Church will come to a time when there is no need for prophecy. ‘Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.’ (1 Corinthians 14:1) This is a command from Paul recognised as Holy Scripture, valid for all Christians at all times. Paul has already made it plain that the time when prophecy will no longer be needed will be when we see Jesus face to face, when he returns in glory. (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) Until that time, prophecy, Jesus speaking to his people through the Holy Spirit, will be part of the life of the Church, as much as love.
Paul also writes that prophecy needs to be weighed, tested, examined to consider how genuine it is. ‘Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.’ (1Corinthians 14:29) ‘Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies]but test everything; hold fast to what is good;’ (1 Thessalonians 5:20,21) There is never certainty about any prophecy. We need most people, especially church leaders, to think it is likely to be from Jesus.
One question to ask of a prophecy is ‘Does it reinforce Jesus’ words recorded in the Bible?’ As prophecy is Jesus speaking today through the Holy Spirit, prophecy should be at least in line with Jesus’ recorded words.
I think that the words which came to me that morning about the war in Ukraine were prophecy. It is up to other people to weigh them, consider them. Mostly, we all have to wait and see what happens.
(It reassures me that some experts have given a similar prediction, of which I did not know until after my conversation with Jesus:
Ukraine war: Five ways conflict could go in 2023 – BBC News )
Roger Harper
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