Patrick’s Blog — By admin
3:54 am
Over the last couple of months, more or less out of the blue. many people began contacting me to ask what I think of a gentleman named Charlie Johnston, a Catholic who’s made some startling predictions about dire events in the near future. Is he authentic? they asked. What do you think of his predictions? etc. Some expressed skepticism, some seemed gripped by fear and anxiety, and still others seem calm and convinced.
A few days ago, I was able to spend about half an hour on my radio show chatting with Charlie. He strikes me as very down to earth, low-key, amiable, credible, and a completely sincere Catholic. As he explains in our on-air discussion (see link below), he says he has received countless instructions and warnings about the future from a holy angel of the Lord.
Since I have only very recently did I become aware of Charlie and his message, and though I have read several of his blog posts and watched a video of an informal presentation he gave recently to a small group of Catholics in which he elaborates on his predictions, I’ve not met him in person and can only draw conclusions from what I’ve read and heard thus far. This is why I asked him to discuss things further on my radio show. I wanted to know more and, to the extent possible, see more clearly into his message of a coming global “storm” of strife and upheaval with which God will chastise and purify mankind.
I’ll be candid. Whenever someone pops up claiming to be a “seer” or to have “visions” or receive “locutions,” my default reaction has always been (and remains) one of firm skepticism. Self-proclaimed seers and loctutionists abound, and my practice has been simply to pay them no attention. There have been countless false prophets (see Matthew 24:24), but there are also authentic prophets, which is why I also believe that careful, prayerful discernment is always required whenever the possibility arises that a given message may be authentic.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
My thinking is that if someone indeed is blessed by God with supernatural interventions, that fact will become evident in due time in his/her life and in the messages themselves, just as a false prophet will be found out in due time for the same reasons (see Deuteronomy 18:20-22). More importantly, the truth will eventually become evident through the Spirit-guided discernment of Holy Mother Church.
As the Rabbi Gamaliel declared of the nascent Catholic Church in the book of Acts 5:38-39:
[K]eep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!
In Charlie Johnston’s case, however, I’m not skeptical but remain open and willing to hear more and ponder further, as God permits. What I have seen and heard thus far seems reasonable, balanced, and congruent with Catholic teaching. Only God knows, and I do not trust in my own meager powers of discernment. But I am open.
So, anyway, here’s my interview with Charlie. What do you think?
http://patrickmadrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Madrid_Johnston.mp3
Article source: http://patrickmadrid.com/my-radio-interview-with-charlie-johnston/