Prophecy as catalyst for socio-economic revival

By Bishop Dave Chikosi

The resurgence of Zimbabwe as an economic powerhouse is clearly on God’s To-Do List. This is not only evident from Prophet Makandiwa’s “Judgment Night 2” mega service, but from the prophetic utterances of other (non-African) voices in the past. 

On October 17, 2001, renowned prophetic intercessor Cindy Jacobs declared this in Pittsburg, USA: “Satan is very afraid of Zimbabwe, very afraid. But the Lord says, I myself have sent my angels and I am going to reveal myself to a people that has not recognized me.”

Earlier in 1998 Mrs. Jacobs had also declared, “The river is going to flow through Zimbabwe and I see a powerful torrent of water, a mighty rushing torrent, many fish . . . I see Zimbabwe like a jewel, she will feed the world with beautiful produce.”

Mrs. Jacobs confessed at the same meeting that she knew nothing of Zimbabwe at the time.

So why is Zimbabwe on the radar of both heaven and hell? Why is satan “very afraid” of this small, prosperity-challenged southern African nation?

The answer is because God has elected her, by grace, to be a key launching pad for the end-time preaching of the Gospel. What we are witnessing with events like Judgment Night is no fly by night, flash in the pan move of God. This time around God’s coming for a habitation, not a visitation.

From basket case to bread basket

If you don’t like what you’ve seen so far, brace your unbelieving self. More is on the way. A nation that went from breadbasket to being a basket case is ready for a divine re-launch. There is hunger among its people and it’s not just physical. It’s also spiritual.

But God must deal with the spiritual first. The nation will once again become an economic breadbasket to the extent that it first allows itself to be used as a spiritual breadbasket first to feed the hungry, not just in Africa, but all over the world.

If economists and politicians could solve the nation’s problems they would have done so long ago. But its insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. It’s also insanity to think that the nation’s problems can be resolved at the same level of thinking that created them.

This is the proper context with which events such as Judgment Night 2 must be viewed.

Don’t pee in the fountain

Instead of foolishly peeing into the same fountain from whence you draw your drinking water, Zimbabweans should be celebrating the spiritual awakening that is happening all over the country. It will redound to the nation’s peace, power and prosperity.

If you doubt it then study the history of the Reformation.

The Puritans were among the early group of Reformers in England who understood the potential that a spiritual awakening has on national socio-economic progress. They carefully studied the Bible to extract practical principles which they would then apply to every sphere of societal life.

But England as a nation never benefited from the Puritans’ Bible-based contribution to economics, agriculture, science and government. That was because King James I, instead of embracing and celebrating this spiritual awakening, chose instead to harass and persecute the purveyors thereof.

As a result most Puritan, unwilling to compromise their reform efforts, fled to the New World in a mass exodus.

And at the proverbial end of the day, it was the New World, not England, which benefitted. It was 17^th century America that saw great strides of reform in the areas of civil government, law, history as the Pilgrims settled.

America became the first culture in the world, (besides ancient Israel) to have the Bible as the sole basis for its laws and civil government.

The Welsh Revival

Those who want to pooh-pooh the current spiritual/prophetic revival in Zimbabwe need to also know or be reminded that the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 brought similar positive outcomes for the country of Wales, UK, as it did for the Americas.

Before the Great Revival there was almost a plague of drunkenness and gambling in Wales. But during the Revival the levels of drinking and gambling went down remarkably. The socio-economic benefit was that workers were now able to take home more of their earnings to their families, instead of squandering their wages on alcohol and games of chance.

Those that traded on vice (prostitution, drug trafficking, corruption etc) went out of business, even as legitimate enterprises, founded on honorable trades and products, flourished. Crime rates dropped and business optimism skyrocketed.

This is what a spiritual awakening does. God knows Zimbabwe needs one. She needs it badly.

The curse of Biblically uninformed criticism

Some critics have opined that Zimbabwe’s economy needs more than just a prophecy. How do they know that? If they were so sure what Zimbabwe needs why aren’t they providing it?

No-one ever proposed that prophecy should now replace diligence and hard work. That’s just a straw man created to distract from the substance of what was actually said.

On the contrary, the fact that, for instance, Rev Makandiwa talked about the resurgence of industrial boom implies that people are going to have to get to work. How will Zimbabweans “go shopping even during the night” if there is no-one to work the shop floors?

It’s factually incorrect to give the impression that every Old Testament prophet addressed the natural causes of the problems that Israel was facing. First of all, Israel was a theocracy.  No nation on earth is a theocracy – at least not in the Biblical sense that Israel was.

God is not going to deal with a democracy the same way He dealt with a theocracy. Theocracy is the rule by God. Democracy is rule by the people.

No, prophets or preachers don’t always have to “speak truth to power.” But they must always speak Truth as they receive it from above.

Loose lips sink ships

In the famous famine of Samaria (which resulted in cannibalism and human consumption of birds’ droppings) the prophet addressed neither the underlying natural causes of the nation’s hardships, nor the methodology by which the nation was going to be delivered.

It was enough for Elisha to stand up and simply declare:

“The Lord says that by this time tomorrow two gallons of flour or four gallons of barley grain will be sold in the markets of Samaria for a dollar!” (2 Kings 7:1)

What I find interesting is the response of one of the nation’s leaders to this prophetic utterance:

“The officer assisting the king said, “That couldn’t happen if the Lord made windows in the sky!” (2 Kings 7:2a)

This kind of skepticism and negativity by this officer is not unlike the type of response we are seeing after the prophecy pronounced at Judgment Night. But the officer needed to watch his mouth. Loose lips sink ships.

“But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen, but you won’t be able to buy any of it!” (2 Kings 7:2b)

The upshot of this story is that the young officer tragically dies as a result of his ill-advised vituperative utterance:

“The king appointed his special assistant to control the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and trampled and killed as the people rushed out. This is what Elisha had predicted on the previous day when the king had come to arrest him . . . for the people trampled him to death at the gate” (2 Kings 7:17, 20) 

In this day of spiritual revival may our National Anthem lyrics become true as we pray:

“Mwari ropafadzai nyika yeZimbabwe/Nyika yamadzitateguru edu tose/Kubva Zambezi kusvika Limpopo/Navatungamiri vave nenduramo/Ngaikomborerwe nyika yeZimbabwe”

“Nkosi busis’ ilizwe lethu leZimbabwe/ Ilizwe labokhokho bethu thina sonke/ Kusuk’ eZambezi kusiy’ eLimpopo/Abakhokheli babe lobuqotho/ Kalibusisiwe ilizwe leZimbabwe”

“O God, we beseech Thee to bless our native land/ The land of our fathers bestowed upon us all/From Zambezi to Limpopo/ May leaders be exemplary/ And may the Almighty protect and bless our land.”

(Bishop Chikosi has a new 2014 book project entitled: “Supersize Me Lord!” Excerpts can be viewed at this pre-publication website: http://www.supersizemelord.com. He can be reached by email at [email protected])