With the present economic and political shaking going on in the world, it seems that prophetic ministry is taking on a much greater importance. There is an increasing desperation to hear from the Lord and to discern what He is doing in the earth, as well as what we can expect to happen in the nations. Where is this trend itself going?

After the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, we were overwhelmed by interest in the prophetic. We had days where there were over a million hits on our website, and even liberal, secular news organizations were asking for interviews. Churches overflowed with the greatest attendance in history—for a few weeks. Then the interest melted away as it seemed that the world was going to survive. However, the nature of the present economic and political shaking is producing a longer, seemingly deeper, and more sustained interest in the Lord and prophetic ministry.

For years, we have been devoted to helping and developing an authentic, trustworthy prophetic ministry for the whole body of Christ even though only a small portion of the body seemed to be interested, with a greater portion even hostile to it. That has been changing, and we can expect it to continue. After years of almost relentless attacks, mostly from other Christian leaders and teachers, this did serve to drive out many pretenders who were seeking popularity more than to truly serve the Lord and His people. This has resulted in a major purifying of the prophetic, as well as a maturity in authentic gifts.

As we see in Acts 2:17-18, we can expect “in the last days” for the Spirit to be poured out, resulting in dreams, visions, and prophecy. This is indeed happening. Because of the attacks, it has been done quietly, almost in a hidden way, but the prophetic ministry is already being called by some as a “mainstream” ministry in the body, almost across the spectrum of the body of Christ. This is a trend that the Scripture in Acts 2 prophesies. The term that is translated in some Bible versions as “all flesh” or “all mankind” could actually be more accurately translated “the whole body”—that which the Lord will pour out His Spirit on and then experience “dreams, visions, and prophecies.” This is because in these times we are going to need this kind of prophetic guidance.

The prophetic ministry has been growing and maturing and is probably far more healthy than it has ever been. It is becoming increasingly sought after, and we can expect this trend to continue. With its growing importance and popularity, there are also growing dangers. The essence of true prophetic ministry is intimacy with the Lord. The popularity of people, even God’s people, can be very fickle. Remember that the same crowd who welcomed the Lord in Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosanna” was just five days later shouting, “Crucify Him!” Human popularity or unpopularity should neither encourage nor discourage the true prophetic—what God thinks of us should be our concern.

Because the prophetic is becoming so much more important and sought after, we are going to be doing much more to train and release those who have prophetic gifts. You will be hearing much more about this soon.