A unique development of our time is the image—the icon, the picture, and the moving video. These images are an inextricable part of our culture. What household today does not have a camera, television or a DVD player?

Writes one observer, “Images. They are so compelling that we cannot not watch them. They are so seductive that they have revolutionized human social communication. Oral and written communication are in decline because a new form of communication, communication by image, has emerged.” [1]

Actually, this age of “image communication” was really born with the invention of photography a little more than 150 years ago … a very recent development, viewed in terms of the human timeline on earth.

As with all such sudden and recent trends that have impacted the world, one must ask: Why now … why during these last days? Is the “image” just another friendly technological development? Or, are there also some side effects to consider, along with novelty and convenience? Could perhaps the video phenomenon be playing handmaiden to key last-day trends?

Worldwide, though the eyes of mankind are engaged as never before with icons and moving pictures, “Though seeing, they do not see” (Matthew 13:13). Being so taken up with communicating through sight, they are largely blinded to the rapidly approaching judgment. Yet, as we will see, this very same society is better equipped than ever before to comprehend the prophetic imagery of the Bible. Not only that, the Bible seems to have anticipated our last-day era, communicating in graphic form much of the last-day prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled.

In this 2-part series, we will first delve into the vulnerabilities of this “image society.” In Part 2, we will further explore the significance of why God so purposed it that He would communicate primarily through visions to the prophets about the last-day pre-millennial period.  As well, we will review a companion trend—an explosion of false visions.

A Picture Imperfect World

The emergence of the image has had a great effect upon the world. Following the invention of photography, it then only took 50 years or so for this new method of illustration to become a major influence in the communication of social values. A little later, moving pictures were invented … otherwise known as movies. As old as the moving picture or photography may be, the impact of the image upon society is still unfolding today.

Images are now shot or viewed virtually everywhere, from cell phones, to computers, surveillance cameras and a whole host of other media devices. According to 2005 census data, adolescents and adults now spend, on average, more than 64 days a year watching television and a little over a week using the Internet.[2] Of course, images are found almost everywhere, from newspapers and billboards, to elevator video screens and the exteriors of city buses.

Yet, the invasion of the image continues. According to Gartner, a technology consultancy, over 1 billion phones with cameras (representing as much as 80% of total sales) will be sold in 2010. That would mean that as many as one-half of the world’s population will soon have camera phones. There will hardly be an event or occasion in the world that will not find its way into recorded media.

Not that there haven’t been plenty of things to watch already.  Since Louis Lumiere invented the first movie camera in the 1890s, approximately 370,000 motion pictures have been made around the world (to the end of 2002). If the entire universe of original film and video titles produced over that period were played continuously, the show would continue for 2,108 years.[3]

With all the new digital technology these days, increasingly the whole world is on stage. Consider that you are already likely to be caught on closed circuit TV (CCTV) at least several times a day if you are out shopping. In Britain, people are captured on video media an average of at least 8 times a day. Almost every retail store today has surveillance equipment, as do key traffic intersections and highways. A British report in 2004 estimated that there were up to 4.2 million CCTV cameras in that country (about one for every 14 people).[4] With websites proliferating such as YouTube, where people can post short videos of themselves or on virtually any topic or interest, everybody can be on display.

We use and process images virtually everywhere and anytime. Is it not unreasonable to conclude that visual images clog the mind today? From every direction, the human eye is being lured by images and their potentially influential messages. We are attuned to the icon, this communication medium barraging us with worldly values imbedded in both real and un-real images.

The Impact of a Visual Society: Seeing is Believing

There is little doubt that our image culture today opens up mankind to a greater vulnerability to perceptual deception. Images can powerfully manipulate our emotions and perceptions, hampering our ability to interpret facts and truths today.

Of course, modern-day marketers of products well understand the persuasive powers of icons. Not surprisingly, according to estimates, 95% of consumers are more likely to buy a product because of a visual image or a photograph.

However, taking in information through graphic images involves a very different mental process than aurally or through the written word. Studies have shown that “brain images” can even subconsciously affect our perceptions and interpretations even of written text.

It is indeed a documented fact that graphic images, whether moving or stationary, have very powerful and unique impacts upon perception. Images can have emotional or cognitive effects that the viewer may not ever realize. As such, they can be an effective medium for manipulation and deception.

Is it then any wonder that the False Prophet mentioned in Revelation uses an image to deceive the world? Says the Bible, “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:15, KJV).

How God Communicates

There is little doubt that our generation is being prepared to be deceived by images—ultimately by the images of the beast. However, at the same time, God allowed it to be so that our intensely “image conscious” generation would also be ideally equipped to understand endtime prophecy. To discover why this is the case, we must first briefly review the main form of God’s communication to mankind—the written Word.

God chose to mainly communicate His truth and revelation to most of mankind through written communication. If pictures and moving images had been the more reliable means for mankind to study, interpret and contemplate Scriptures, would God not have used this technique instead? At creation, would He not have designed it that images would be the main form of communication rather than speech and writing? Though a picture may claim to represent a thousand words, the fact is that images alone are inadequate for all communication and are far too unreliable for literal and precise interpretation of truths and facts. Therefore, instead, we were given the written Scriptures.

But just how did the Scriptures come to be recorded? How were prophecies revealed? No Angel Moroni appeared with neatly typeset golden plates as the Mormons claim occurred to Joseph Smith. Indeed, God did write the 10 commandments on 2 tablets and gave them to Moses … twice. Yet, with a few exceptions, all of the original impartations of revelation were not in written form, but rather visual or aural or both (though not necessarily in the physical sense of being actually seen or heard). They received visions and dreams. On this point, God said, “When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams” (Numbers 12:6).

Though we may think that the moving picture (the movie) was an invention of the late 1890s, in reality a form of video communication had been already invented by God a long, long time ago. God used visions to communicate with his prophets. We see that the Holy Spirit frequently used “neural movies” to impart the content and meaning of much prophecy.

The Prophet—An Ancient Media Device

Many (if not all) of the major prophets mentioned in the Bible—both Old and New Testament—experienced either visions or dreams. Consider that virtually the entire book of Revelation is the product of a vision. Apostle John wrote down what he saw and heard. Another example is the book of Zechariah, 5 chapters of which consist of 8 separate visions. Other prophets expressly received prophecy in visual form. Examples abound.  Said Ezekiel, “the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God (Ezekiel 1:1). “The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision” (Genesis 15:1). Jeremiah was asked, “What do you see?” (Jeremiah 1:11), and, “God spoke to Israel in a vision at night” (Genesis 46:2). These serve as only some of the examples.

But why did God give visions and dreams to the prophets when the written Word (Scripture)was the intended form of communication to following generations? We see here that a two-stage process was involved. The prophets saw visions and then accurately wrote down what they heard and saw. In a sense, they served as ancient “high fidelity” media players. Crucially, the writing down of these visions was guided by the Holy Spirit. For the Bible says, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). What we see then is that God many times chose to impart revelations in the form of images, then to be written down in words, and not pictures. Why?

There are likely a number of reasons we theorize. For one, God was able to show the prophets things of the future for which adequate words to describe them did not yet exist. Moreover, visions and the symbols could contain much more information than could be understood through hearing.

No doubt there are other reasons. However, we observe a significant fact: A high proportion of prophecies and the greater volume of information that applies to the latter days—the very last of the last days and the events of the Great Tribulation—were given in the form of “image-rich’ visions. Why should God have chosen to communicate more of His prophecies to later generations such as ours, in visions that are full of symbols and imagery?

Could it be true that God knew that our “last day” generation would be an “image conscious” society, one highly attuned to communication through images? As such, it is our generation that has the suitable aptitude to understand and interpret the visions and dreams described in the Bible better than any other. While, on the one hand, our age of visual communications opens up our world to greater manipulation and deception, it also gives this generation the means to better understand prophecy, as we will further show.

Thoughts to Ponder

Our generation, namely the last generation—as the Bible defines this term with respect to the re-establishing of Israel in its own historical land and its reunion with the Messiah—is also the very last to experience actual visions and prophecy. We are not referring here to “personal prophecies” as some like to interpret today, but rather the type of prophecy that is inspired by “the spirit of prophecy,” that being the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 19:10).

Scripture clearly says that there will be no more prophecy after the Tribulation period. “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy” (Daniel 9:24). Here it is confirmed that visions and prophecies will be sealed up after the 70th week (the 7-year tribulation period). That is because no new visions will be necessary after this time. Jesus Christ himself will reign during the millennial period. No longer will it be necessary for Him to enable visions to be uttered and written down by men. His own words are the Word … no visions required.

For today, the Bible expressly promises that the person who studies the book of Revelation will be blessed. “Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book” (Revelation 22:7). Of course, one is only able to keep the words of prophecy if one studies them.Moreover, we are also told in the Book of Daniel—the Old Testament book which most closely parallels Revelation—that the day would come near the end that “Many will go here and there” (Daniel 12:4) to gain the knowledge with respect to its prophecies and the divine plan of God. Both these books of the Bible (as well as Zechariah), which emphasize endtime prophecy, rely heavily upon imagery, symbolism, visions and dreams.

It is true that many of the things prophesied in these books are more understandable today, given the technological advances, scientific knowledge and globalization of our generation. Our video-exposed society today is also ideally suited to this task.

We will further explore these observations in Part 2. Even more interestingly, we will outline other perspectives on endtime prophecy which our generation is the first to uniquely appreciate. However, at the same time, much danger prevails. Like no age ever before, the world is besieged by a last-day flurry of false visions.

 

[1]J. Francis Davis, Power of Images: Creating the Myths of Our Time. Media and Values, Issue #57 / Winter 1992.
[2] Sam Roberts, Who Americans Are and What They Do. In Census Data, New York Times, Dec. 15, 2006.
[3] How Much Information? UC Berkeley’s School of Information Management and Systems, 2003.
[4] A Report on the Surveillance Society. Surveillance Study Network, September 2006. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/02_11_06_surveillance.pdf> Accessed May 10, 2008.

Many researchers today say that America is in the midst of the biggest wealth transfer ever. Some $40 to $100 trillion and more will change hands as the older generation passes off its wealth to the next generation in future years.  Similar such shifts, of course, apply everywhere.  But there is yet one more great wealth transfer predicted to occur in the near future.  According to some teachers, the Church with soon inherit the wealth of the wicked.

Reputedly, there is a Bible verse that supports this idea.  Found in Proverbs 13:22, it reads, “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”  It is mainly from this one single verse that the “wealth of the wicked” is conjured up for divine distribution to Christians living today.   But really, what does this verse mean and to whom does it apply?

There seem to be a number of answers that have gained popular support in recent years. Representing a growing view, says C. Peter Wagner, “[…] the body of Christ needs to come into alignment with God’s declared purpose to release unprecedented amounts of wealth for the extension of His kingdom on earth.”[1]  Wagner is one of the key proponents of the view that the transfer of the “wealth of the wicked” is a premillennial event and is specifically meant for the Church … more precisely, his own association of churches which is under his senior apostolic authority.  Dr. Wagner, who was also a major impetus behind the “Church Growth Movement” and the “Third Wave,” has much influence.  Supposedly, this wealth transfer is a glorious development of the last days that enervates and honors the Church.

There are quite a number of loose interpretations of Proverbs 13:22.  Applied to the Church, this concept is also often linked with the teaching that a massive, world-wide, last-day ingathering of souls will yet occur.  It is also well known that prosperity gospel preachers like to hang their theology on this same Scripture verse found in Proverbs, though they apply it to the individual Christian.

Can any of these ideas be broadly supported in Scripture?  We want to investigate.

Undocumented Transfers

Will the Church soon be showered with the wealth of the unrighteous, thus being able to fund the last, great global harvest of souls?  Again quoting C. Peter Wagner, “I think the time is ripe for those of us who are apostles to begin to understand the crucial role we have in God’s plan to release the wealth of the wicked for the advance of the kingdom of God.”[2]

But what does the Bible say?  Pursuing a historical-grammatical interpretation—in other words, interpreting the Bible as it reads—try as one might, one cannot find this view supported in the Bible.

Dealing first with the “wealth transfer” notion, indeed, we do find that there is a great wealth transfer prophesied in Scripture.  However, it has nothing to do with the Church, but rather applies to Israel and the Millennial period.  There are many more Scripture verses connecting this event to Israel, rather than the Church.  Here are six:

1. “You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast” (Isaiah 61:6).

2. “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come  (Isaiah 60:5).

3. “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream” (Isaiah 66:12).

4. “Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hoofs of bronze and you will break to pieces many nations.”  You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth  (Micah 4.13).

5. “Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations—their kings led in triumphal procession”  (Isaiah 60:11).

6. “The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing” (Zechariah 14:14).

There are additional indications of a great wealth transfer prophesied in the Old Testament. Their context refers to the same general time—late in the Tribulation and early Millennial period.  For example, a prophecy applying to Tyre—this city being a prefigurement of the godless commercial systems that aligns with the Babylon the Great of Revelation 18—speaks of wealth being set aside for “those who live before the Lord.”

“At the end of seventy years, the LORD will deal with Tyre.  She will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.  Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the LORD; they will not be stored up or hoarded.  Her profits will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant food and fine clothes”  (Isaiah 23:17-18).

While this is not an exhaustive list of references, we have at least established broad Scriptural support for Israel being the recipient.  Interestingly, there is not one verse we can find in the New Testament that even indirectly refers to a great endtime wealth transfer. Even the book of Revelation is silent on this topic, though it refers to the destruction of the wealth of Babylon the Great, which will “never be recovered” (Revelation 18:14).  Assuredly, if such wealth were to be transferred to the Church, support for this concept would have been found in the New Testament.  Instead, there we only find admonishments about the deceitfulness of wealth and how the faith of many will grow cold due to the cares of this life.

The Great Wealth Transfer Received

If there is any concept of the “wealth of the sinner” being transferred to the righteous, it clearly applies to the beginning Millennial period and not to any previous time.  As such, Proverbs 13:22 is clearly taken out of context by the Third Wave group of movements.  This verse is not a prophecy, but rather, like most of the wisdom literature of Proverbs, only points to general principles or ideals. In fact, in the very same chapter are found two additional statements about the wicked: “Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous” (verse 22); and, “The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry” (verse 25).

Again, neither of these can be prophecies.  For one, there will be neither misfortune nor hunger in the Millennial period, nor will there be any wicked during that time to have such experiences.  Secondly, as general physical principles, the two maxims in these verses are simply not observable upon earth during this present dispensation.  Other Scriptures clearly point out that the wicked do enjoy their riches and that God indeed allows the rain to fall upon both the wicked and righteous.  (For example, see Job 21:7-9, Psalm 73:12.)

There are many other problems with the last-day wealth transfer notion applying to the Church.  For example, it is claimed that there will yet be a last-day global harvest before the Lord returns, and that the Church will need great wealth to fund this objective as well as eradicating poverty in the world.  Says Wagner, “In order to possess the gate of wealth to, among other things, develop plans to eradicate systemic poverty, we need to develop new structures of intercession to do the spiritual warfare necessary to transfer wealth.[3]”

However, the Bible says directly otherwise.  Clearly implying that there would be little faith upon earth when He returns, Christ asked the rhetorical question:  “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).  Sadly, whatever great harvests there might yet be, only a very small number of believers will remain at the time of Christ’s return. Other Scriptures also underline this general “cold” spiritual condition of the last days.

In addition, with respect to the poor, Christ said that they would be with us always (Matthew 26:11), indicating that the fallen state of mankind was not going to be successfully transformed by the social initiatives of the Church or any other organization.

A final point to consider in our brief review is that if the Church must first wait for one great and final ingathering before being raptured (as the Third Wave prophets and so-called apostles such as Dr. Wagner prophesy), then the Biblical principle of imminency is obviated. However, nothing more is required to happen before the Rapture can occur.  It is imminent. As such, it would be strange that the Holy Spirit himself would enable modern-day prophets and apostles to foretell that one great ingathering is yet ahead.  If that were so, the Rapture would need to wait and the Trinity would have internal contradictions of truth.

As it is, if there is any last-day ingathering prophesied in the Bible, perhaps this could occur within the Tribulation period, though this view is also not without its problems.  Here may be involved the 144,000 that are sealed or the final Christian converts that may respond to the angel that “had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people (Revelation 14:6).  However, the text gives us no indication as to how many people might respond, if any.  Therefore we cannot prove that a great gathering would occur then either, though there surely will be believers during that time (See Revelation 20:4).

Respect for Scripture

So is there a great, last-day wealth transfer to the Church?  Scripture easily and clearly settles this question.  Yet, theologians who should have sufficient knowledge of what the Bible says[4] instead prefer to trust their own intuitions and prophecies.  This recent statement from Apostle Peter (also known as C. Peter Wagner) provides an example of such vanity, in which he appears to make his own decrees supersede Scripture.  Spoken on the great reverential authority of the claimed office of an early New Testament apostle, he literally commands the earth’s obedience.  Not even the first Apostle Peter spoke with such licence.  (One also wonders why the foundations of the New Jerusalem will be named after the original 12 apostles and not more? —See Revelation 21:14.)

“I hereby take the apostolic authority that I have been given by God. I decree that vast amounts of wealth will be released supernaturally, even from godless and pagan sources. I decree that large numbers of God’s chosen people will be empowered in fresh and creative ways to gain wealth according to Deuteronomy 8:18. New inventions will multiply. Disruptive technologies will change the life patterns of the whole human race. The earth will disgorge vast riches of hidden resources. These will be entrusted to God’s agents. Profits will increase exponentially. It is spoken. So may it come to pass! Amen and amen!”[5]

Today, as all too frequently with other Third Wave Christian movements supposedly marked by “fresh moves of the Spirit,” new or revised theologies have been revealed on the strength of new prophecies uttered by their own prophets.  The serious issue here is that these prophecies serve to revise what God originally said through his prophets and Scripture. Indeed, such revisions are not a new phenomenon, having been the mark of many if not all apostate movements or beliefs.

These prophecies reveal a lack of reverence and respect for what God has said.  Consider that Christ himself never once claimed to correct or revise any “jot or tittle” of the Scripture and the Prophets.  Jesus, though he was God, could not and did not have the temerity to revise and improve upon the testimony of the prophets.  Yet, such conceit and disrespect of Scripture is legion amongst all revisionists.  Doing so, they “reject authority and slander celestial beings” (Jude 1:8).  This was true of Mohammed (who claimed his mission was to revise and correct the previous prophets, including Christ) and today of many claimed Christian denominations from Roman Catholicism (namely, its Magisterium) to a growing number of Protestant sects.

Thoughts to Ponder
The Bible does prophesy a major endtime wealth transfer.  It is not to the Church, but rather to Israel and the righteous of the Millennial Kingdom.  Yet, some churches today do hanker after worldly power and have set their eyes upon monetary wealth.  As America itself is in the midst of the largest wealth transfer in history, says the website of PhilanthroCorp, a fundraising consultancy, “Churches can capitalize on the opportunity presented by this huge wealth transfer by pursuing a strategic planned giving program.”[6]

In fact, the apostate church and its many daughters, shown as Mystery Babylon the Whore in Revelation 17, are well on their way to a full union with commercial Babylon of Revelation 17.  The grand last-day ecumenical lie of serving both God and Mammon is far advanced. Since this is impossibility—“You cannot serve both God and Money.”  (Matthew 6:24)—it is really a movement in which Mammon has robed itself in the garb of religion and apparent “Christian godliness.”

The true Church of the last days, if anything, is more of a remnant than it is resplendent with wealth.  Revelation 3:8 says that the church of the “open door” is weak and feeble; far from being imbued with worldly power and wealth. It is this little Philadelphian band of believers, to which is promised, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth”  (Revelation 3:10).  If the Third Wave movements are correct, one wonders why it is the rich Laodicean church that is being reprimanded by Christ.

The Bible says, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”  (Revelation 19:10). We therefore must ask: Is the spirit behind these prophecies of great wealth and power coming to the Church the testimony of the Spirit of Jesus? (Acts 16:7, Philippians 1:19).  Such riches would surely corrupt for wealth is deceitful (Matthew 13:22).  Christ pointed to the importance of true riches for His followers and the Church, saying: “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:11-12)

Where should we look for wealth and power?  “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12)

[1] C. Peter Wagner, Personal invitation to this author to participate in an ad hoc “invitation-only” Apostolic Roundtable on Kingdom Wealth, in Colorado, October 2004.  On file with The Mulberry Ministry.
[2] C. Peter Wagner, Releasing Wealth in Apostolic Times. <http://www.globalharvest.org/index.asp?action=wealth>  Accessed April 17, 2008.
[3]  C. Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs et al. January 10, 2008. <http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/6056>  Accessed April 18, 2008
[4] Dr. Wagner was a long-time professor at Fuller Theological Seminary (28 years).
[5] C. Peter Wagner, Global Link Volume 3, Issue 23, June 9, 2006. <http://www.globalharvest.org/global_link_95.htm>  Accessed April 17, 2008.
[6] PhilanthroCorp website: <http://www.aboutplannedgiving.com/page.php>  Accessed April 25, 2008.