David Wilkerson's "The Vision"--a brief critique.
Did this vision pass the smell test? I think so. Although I have wavered about it for many years I couldn't help but apply it to my life and benefit from its words. I think I was just uncomfortable with not knowing for sure, since it is not written in the typical biblical format. It is a modern vision.
A major focus of the Vision is on economics, in stating that an initial period of prosperity, with inflation, would lead to a shaky economy, with a great recession in the future. Did this happen?
For sure. After '73, when this Vision came out, we had the Arab Oil Crisis, which led to serious inflation. But Reagan took over from Carter, and established a stable economy with real prosperity.
9-11 in 2001 brought about a huge dip in our economic security, and we had financial stress and bankruptcy among corporations, including flight and car companies. Some bailouts began under Bush's tenure, and continued under Obama's term, when Democratic liberalism became more of a Democratic socialism.
This popular agenda appealed to human greed, advocated for special human rights, and promised programs financed by the wealthy. The national debt doubled to 20 trillion dollars. During Obama's presidency the economy suffered a very slow recovery, setting up an interest in businessman Trump.
Under Trump, the economy started doing well again, with low unemployment and a booming stock market. But it came crashing down with the pandemic. And now, several trillions more have been added to the national debt, I'm sure.
This follows The Vision's pattern of increasing economic insecurity, leading to a great recession. And the bankruptcy of corporations was specifically predicted, and took place most definitely after 9-11.
Another major focus of the Vision was on unpredictable or strange weather. I remember my wife and I, after having read The Vision, recalled Wilkerson saying this:
"Words like violent, record, unseasonal, and record-breaking keep appearing in weather forecasts everywhere." We saw these very words over and over again in the news. We haven't seen the major earthquake he predicted, but we have seen the strange weather patterns. And he did predict an outbreak of epidemics, like cholera.
Another major focus of the Vision was on a moral landslide. Nothing has been more specific or fulfilled! These things seem normal now, but back when The Vision came out it was almost unthinkable--toplessness on TV, triple x-rated movies on TV after midnight (cable TV), explicit sex education in public schools, a homosexual epidemic, and sexual corruption in the ministry. Think Swaggart and Baker, among other televangelists falling in this "moral landslide."
The "gay movement" back in '73, when The Vision came out, had very little political support and had not yet become mainstream. It was, at the time, unthinkable for many.
Another major focus of the Vision was on a unique kind of youth problem. Whereas in my time young people "ran away," or "dropped out," Wilkerson predicted stay-at-home youths who hated their parents, and yet tolerated them for the "free benefits." Many, many times I've seen this over the years, where kids stay at home long after they have grown up, or move back in later. And it often is not out of love for the family--it is out of selfish interests. It is more free-loading than contributory.
The prediction of a sex drug brings to mind Ecstasy and to other sex-stimulating drugs like Viagra. The prediction of a turn more to alcohol than to drugs is something I saw as we moved out of the psychedelic and heroin era into the cocaine and methamphetamine era. Hard drugs were not let go of completely, but the drug culture itself seemed to soften.
The prediction of arguments with strict parents over fashions I saw personally when my kids insisted on damaging their shoes and jeans in the interest of "fashion." They literally made tears and holes in the clothes we bought them! This did not make for good relations between parents and children!
And the prediction of increased problems with kids due to out of control divorce you can see around you every day. I think today marriages only last 50% of the time! This is not only an increase from '73, but the impact upon children with working parents and daycares has been devastating, with respect to childhood development. It has been worse among Black Americans whose children disproportionately end up in prison.
One of the starkest prophecies of The Vision is the claim that antiChristian persecution will rapidly rise. The acceptance of gays, occultism, and high church religion among nominal Christians is a fact of our existence today. A strict stand against these things would likely be persecuted by liberal churches. Pagan society would be furious with Christian stands against these liberal lifestyles.
I haven't seen a big revulsion within the Catholic Church vs. Charismatics, but I do see Hollywood, TV comedies, and leftist government attack conservative Christianity every day now.
An awakening behind the Iron and Bamboo curtains definitely happened, as predicted in The Vision, particularly after the Berlin Wall came down in '89! Wilkerson talked about a temporary truce between East and West, which we clearly saw after Gorbachev.
It is also predicted that trouble would begin again, which it certainly has under Putin and Xi.
Wilkerson writes this, and keep in mind the recent pandemic began with bats--a kind of flying rat:
"Medical authorities say venereal disease is no longer just an epidemic--it is an uncontrollable pandemic of frightening proportions. Scientists warn of new strains of germs, viruses, and vermin that are resistant to poisons and chemicals and threaten to upset the balance of nature. "Super rats" immune to poisons now infest grain supplies and pass along dreaded diseases to humans. So-called "killer bees" have been bred in South America and threaten to invade this country. The sting is nearly always fatal."
In the last couple of weeks I heard there is a new strain of "killer bee" from Asia in my state of WA. It is worse than the S. American 'killer bee," and much more dangerous. It's a very large hornet, or paper wasp.
Folks, it looks like someone really saw a vision! What do you think?
Did this vision pass the smell test? I think so. Although I have wavered about it for many years I couldn't help but apply it to my life and benefit from its words. I think I was just uncomfortable with not knowing for sure, since it is not written in the typical biblical format. It is a modern vision.
A major focus of the Vision is on economics, in stating that an initial period of prosperity, with inflation, would lead to a shaky economy, with a great recession in the future. Did this happen?
For sure. After '73, when this Vision came out, we had the Arab Oil Crisis, which led to serious inflation. But Reagan took over from Carter, and established a stable economy with real prosperity.
9-11 in 2001 brought about a huge dip in our economic security, and we had financial stress and bankruptcy among corporations, including flight and car companies. Some bailouts began under Bush's tenure, and continued under Obama's term, when Democratic liberalism became more of a Democratic socialism.
This popular agenda appealed to human greed, advocated for special human rights, and promised programs financed by the wealthy. The national debt doubled to 20 trillion dollars. During Obama's presidency the economy suffered a very slow recovery, setting up an interest in businessman Trump.
Under Trump, the economy started doing well again, with low unemployment and a booming stock market. But it came crashing down with the pandemic. And now, several trillions more have been added to the national debt, I'm sure.
This follows The Vision's pattern of increasing economic insecurity, leading to a great recession. And the bankruptcy of corporations was specifically predicted, and took place most definitely after 9-11.
Another major focus of the Vision was on unpredictable or strange weather. I remember my wife and I, after having read The Vision, recalled Wilkerson saying this:
"Words like violent, record, unseasonal, and record-breaking keep appearing in weather forecasts everywhere." We saw these very words over and over again in the news. We haven't seen the major earthquake he predicted, but we have seen the strange weather patterns. And he did predict an outbreak of epidemics, like cholera.
Another major focus of the Vision was on a moral landslide. Nothing has been more specific or fulfilled! These things seem normal now, but back when The Vision came out it was almost unthinkable--toplessness on TV, triple x-rated movies on TV after midnight (cable TV), explicit sex education in public schools, a homosexual epidemic, and sexual corruption in the ministry. Think Swaggart and Baker, among other televangelists falling in this "moral landslide."
The "gay movement" back in '73, when The Vision came out, had very little political support and had not yet become mainstream. It was, at the time, unthinkable for many.
Another major focus of the Vision was on a unique kind of youth problem. Whereas in my time young people "ran away," or "dropped out," Wilkerson predicted stay-at-home youths who hated their parents, and yet tolerated them for the "free benefits." Many, many times I've seen this over the years, where kids stay at home long after they have grown up, or move back in later. And it often is not out of love for the family--it is out of selfish interests. It is more free-loading than contributory.
The prediction of a sex drug brings to mind Ecstasy and to other sex-stimulating drugs like Viagra. The prediction of a turn more to alcohol than to drugs is something I saw as we moved out of the psychedelic and heroin era into the cocaine and methamphetamine era. Hard drugs were not let go of completely, but the drug culture itself seemed to soften.
The prediction of arguments with strict parents over fashions I saw personally when my kids insisted on damaging their shoes and jeans in the interest of "fashion." They literally made tears and holes in the clothes we bought them! This did not make for good relations between parents and children!
And the prediction of increased problems with kids due to out of control divorce you can see around you every day. I think today marriages only last 50% of the time! This is not only an increase from '73, but the impact upon children with working parents and daycares has been devastating, with respect to childhood development. It has been worse among Black Americans whose children disproportionately end up in prison.
One of the starkest prophecies of The Vision is the claim that antiChristian persecution will rapidly rise. The acceptance of gays, occultism, and high church religion among nominal Christians is a fact of our existence today. A strict stand against these things would likely be persecuted by liberal churches. Pagan society would be furious with Christian stands against these liberal lifestyles.
I haven't seen a big revulsion within the Catholic Church vs. Charismatics, but I do see Hollywood, TV comedies, and leftist government attack conservative Christianity every day now.
An awakening behind the Iron and Bamboo curtains definitely happened, as predicted in The Vision, particularly after the Berlin Wall came down in '89! Wilkerson talked about a temporary truce between East and West, which we clearly saw after Gorbachev.
It is also predicted that trouble would begin again, which it certainly has under Putin and Xi.
Wilkerson writes this, and keep in mind the recent pandemic began with bats--a kind of flying rat:
"Medical authorities say venereal disease is no longer just an epidemic--it is an uncontrollable pandemic of frightening proportions. Scientists warn of new strains of germs, viruses, and vermin that are resistant to poisons and chemicals and threaten to upset the balance of nature. "Super rats" immune to poisons now infest grain supplies and pass along dreaded diseases to humans. So-called "killer bees" have been bred in South America and threaten to invade this country. The sting is nearly always fatal."
In the last couple of weeks I heard there is a new strain of "killer bee" from Asia in my state of WA. It is worse than the S. American 'killer bee," and much more dangerous. It's a very large hornet, or paper wasp.
Folks, it looks like someone really saw a vision! What do you think?
