Did David Wilkerson Give a Prophecy About a Plague in New York City Back in 1986?

Photo of David Wilkerson courtesy of Times Square Church

By Tom Campisi, Publisher

A prophecy attributed to the late Rev. David Wilkerson regarding a plague in New York City has gone viral on social media and on Christian websites—but a Wilkerson family member is warning believers to check their sources.

The quote, which is cited as being from 1986, speaks about churches and other societal institutions being shut down, an increase in prayer, and a Third Great Awakening.

Dr. Mike Evans, an author and the founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, said Wilkerson shared the prophecy with him during a meeting in 1986. On April 3, the ministry’s Facebook page reported that Wilkerson gave Evans the following prophecy:

“I see a plague coming on the world, and the bars, churches and government will be shut down. The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been shaken. The plague is going to force prayerless believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles, and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world.”

That Jerusalem Prayer Team offers Facebook readers a transcript “of this amazing and prophetic message from Dr. Mike Evans and the ENTIRE prophecy from David Wilkerson” if they will sign up to receive the Jerusalem Prayer Team’s newsletter.

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Tristatevoice.com obtained a copy of Evans’ 14-page message, which includes about two pages detailing his breakfast meeting with Wilkerson at an Embassy Suites near the Dallas-Ft- Worth Airport in 1986. In the document, Evans recalls how Wilkinson showed him a letter addressed to Rev. Richard Dortch, who was running PTL under Jim Bakker at the time. The letter warned PTL of impending judgment if leadership did not repent of sexual sins.

“It was exactly 12 months [later] that The Charlotte Observer broke the PTL scandal,” Evans wrote.

At that same meeting, according to Evans, “Brother Wilkerson opened his Bible and quoted Isaiah 24:10, which says, ‘every house will be shut up, and no one will be coming or going. The city of confusion is broken down, and every house is shut up that no man may come in.’ ”

The document then describes Wilkerson’s prophecy scenario and the expectation of a coming revival.

Rev. Wilkerson, the author of The Cross and the Switchblade and the founder of Times Square Church, was known for his powerful preaching and prophetic voice. The quote attributed to Wilkerson by Evans certainly mirrors a lot of what is happening in New York and around the world today, but is being called into question by Julie (Wilkerson) Klose, the niece of David Wilkerson and the daughter of Rev. Don Wilkerson, co-founder of Brooklyn Teen challenge.

In a Twitter post, Klose, an author and freelance blogger, said, “The quote by David Wilkerson was pieced together by someone who took some of his prophecies to make a new quote. While he was a prophetic teacher, please don’t misuse his words. Integrity counts even with prophetic voices and teaching. Source your quotes!”

Additionally, Times Square Church made an announcement after receiving numerous inquiries about the quote that has gone viral: “To the best of our knowledge, David Wilkerson has never made this statement, either in his prophetic books or in his recorded messages.”

A representative of the church also noted, “We are not saying that the quote is not true. Rather, that we cannot corroborate if it is true or not.”

In the summer of 2001, Wilkerson and the leadership of Time Square Church sensed, from the Holy Spirit, that a calamity was coming to New York. The church subsequently ceased all ministry programs and reverently entered into a season of prayer. When the city and nation were attacked by terrorists on 9/11, Times Square Church was ready to mobilize its resources and minister.

In a 2007 message, entitled “In One Hour Everything Is Going to Change,” (available on YouTube) Wilkerson quotes Isaiah 24 and speaks of a sudden shaking on the earth. Some parallels to the current pandemic are evident, including a quote about how sports will be irrelevent. Although there is no mention of a plague, he warns that destruction and judgment are coming.

“Scripture strongly indicates it is now at the door,” Wilkerson said.

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