Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, the Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, has explained why his office is encouraging religious leaders to formally communicate specific prophecies to national authorities before making them public. Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, August 11, Mr. Afriyie Ankrah clarified that this request is not aimed at limiting the freedom of prophecy. Instead, it is intended to ensure that messages with potential national security implications are managed responsibly.
“Many of us are aware of the various video and audio clips, as well as TikTok posts that have emerged since the unfortunate helicopter crash last Wednesday, which resulted in the loss of eight lives,” he stated. He noted that most of these messages lack a way to connect with the individuals involved or relevant officials. This prompted the decision to create a channel to manage such communications, given their serious security implications.
Mr. Afriyie Ankrah emphasized that the government respects the right of prophets to express themselves freely. “Every man of God and prophet has the right to prophesy about any subject matter they choose. There is no issue with that,” he affirmed. “However, we respectfully request that any prophecies concerning the President, Vice President, senior government officials, or that carry security implications should be formally communicated to the Office of the Presidential Envoy for urgent review and appropriate action.”
He likened the situation to the reaction in another country if a similar prophecy were made. “Can you imagine if a prophet gets up in America and says Air Force One is going to crash? What would immediately happen, the kind of actions that that will trigger? We don’t want to get to that point,” he explained.
Citing scripture, he noted that Christian teaching supports the review of prophecies. “First Thessalonians 5:20-21 says, ‘Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all. Hold on to what is good.’ Again, First John 4:1 says, ‘Test the spirits,’” he said. “The Bible actually encourages review… All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial.”
Mr Afriyie Ankrah said the aim was constructive engagement. “If you have to be called, you will be called, you will be spoken to. What did you see? What can be done about it? Behind the scenes, quietly. At the end of the day, we are urging the Christian community to pray,” he said.
“Whether it’s prophecy, whether it’s a vision, whether it’s a revelation, everything begins and ends with prayer.”
He added that Ghana had “more than enough” experienced and trusted spiritual leaders to help assess such messages, and if necessary, the person who received the prophecy could be directly involved in private discussions.
“This is not about negativity,” he said. “It’s about making sure that whatever God reveals can be acted on in a way that protects the country and honours the responsibility that comes with spiritual insight.”
Source: Clara Seshie