Pastor now tells how to prep for imminent catastrophe

By WND Staff

David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson

A nationally known pastor and author who predicts an imminent catastrophe of God’s judgment on America is now telling concerned Christians it is time for peace and preparation, not panic.

“This is what I hear the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart concerning my own spiritual response to impending calamity,” writes David Wilkerson, author of “The Cross and the Switchblade” and founder of a ministry to troubled New York street kids, on his blog today. “It is simply this: Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”

As WND reported, Wilkerson drew attention by publishing on his blog over the weekend a vision for impending fires and riots sweeping through New York City and other cities across the country.

“An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen,” he writes. “It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the godliest among us.”

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“It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires,” he explains. “What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath.”

After such dire words, Wilkerson was asked how people should respond to his message, and, with today’s blog post, the pastor answered.

“I can only answer by sharing what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my own heart and what I am to do,” writes Wilkerson. “I shared that I was led in a practical way to lay aside a month’s supply of food — because I have witnessed the panic in the wake of terrorism.”

Wilkerson’s call to prepare for catastrophic circumstances comes during a time when, as WND reported, the economic crisis has prompted a surge of business in the emergency preparedness industry.

Bill Heid of Survival Seeds, a company that sells “banks” of high-yielding vegetable seeds sealed for long-term storage, told WND, “The survivalist mentality used to be considered a fringe element, but now that economic times are such as they are, many more average, regular folks are adopting the same set of preparations.”

But Wilkerson also sees a spiritual application of his message, calling Christians to exhibit peace and hope in God’s salvation in the midst of fearful times.

“My warning is just one voice among many who are saying the same thing,” writes Wilkerson. “We may all tremble for a season, but those who truly know God’s Word will be quickly comforted by the Holy Spirit. We will be baptized with a great peace – a supernatural quietness – which will be a tremendous witness to the fearful multitudes.”

One of the many Christian leaders with a similar message is Dr. Gary Dull, pastor and founding member of The Faith and Freedom Institute.

“America was founded with a spiritual basis, but there are those who want to make it a purely secular nation,” said Dull to an NBC reporter. “Because of the rejection of God and His values, we can expect nothing but His judgment. All one needs to do is to read in history and find out how that when a nation forgot God, God forgot the nation.”

A past vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention is hoping believers pay attention to Wilkerson’s message.

“I have known David Wilkerson for more than 25 years as well as many of his friends and associates,” said Pastor Wiley Drake. “He is a godly man and I believe he is listening to God. I encourage each Christian to read and heed what God is saying through our brother.”

Wilkerson is the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York
City, where he launched a ministry to gang members and drug addicts in
1958. He is a highly regarded mentor to other pastors in evangelical
circles and travels the world holding conferences for other Christian
ministers.

His work in New York in the 1950s and 1960s led to the formation of Teen Challenge – a nationwide ministry to reach out to people with life-controlling habits. Teen Challenge has grown to include 173 residential programs and numerous evangelism outreach centers in the U.S., and 241 centers in 77 other countries. The program claims a recovery rate of 86 percent.

The story of Wilkerson’s first five years of ministry in New York is told in “The Cross and the Switchblade,” a book he co-authored in 1963. The book, which spawned a movie, became a best-selling phenomenon, and more than 15 million copies have been distributed in over 30 languages.