THE ROLE OF PROPHECY IN GENERAL

                                                                                                             ELUSIYAN TOLU’ FRANCIS

INTRODUCTION

 What is prophecy? Why did God reveal so much about the future through his prophets? What are God’s reasons for wanting us to understand the prophecies? Sometimes a child will stare out of a window for a moment of an hour, deciphering the future from a dusky summer sky. Does he imagine that some wisp of cloud reveals the signature of things to come? Or that the world’s a book we learn to transfer? And sometimes a girl stands naked by a mirror imagine beauty in a stranger’s eyes, finding a place where fear leads to desire. For what is prophecy but the first inkling of what we ourselves must call into being? The call need not be large, no voice in thunder. It is not so much what spoken as what’s heard and recognized, of course. The gift is listening and hearing what is only meant for you.

Life has its mysteries, annunciations, and some must wear a crown of thorns. I found my via dolorosa in your love. And sometimes we proceed by prophecy, or not at all, even if only to know what destiny require us to renounce.

We all our curious about the future and what’s in store for us personally! And our loving creator doesn’t want his people to be in the dark and to be worried with fear of the unknown. So he inspired the bible so it can be our guidebook and map for our life’s journeys. Bible prophecy and even prophetic messages does indeed satisfy much curiosity about the future, but God has greater purposes than just that. They have wonderful spiritual purpose!

During the last two or three decades we have heard more concerning the present fulfilment of prophecy than at any time during the Christian centuries. It is true that for certain types of mind, the prophetic word has a special attraction. These portions of the scriptures have therefore been the happy hunting ground of many who have desired to learn about the future, but it seems that in last few decades, the interest in the study of prophecy has been heightened.

By and large our concern in this discourse is not to critically expose the nature of prophecy but to examine the role of prophecy in general and this shall be run open under the following thematic outline:

-WHAT IS PROPHECY

-THE ROLE OF PROPHECY IN GENERAL

-CONCLUSION

WHAT IS PROPHECY?

This is a statement that something will happen in the future,especially one made by some body with religious or magic powers or the power of being able to say what will happen in the future[1].

A prophecy could be a prediction that directly or indirectly causes it self to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy it self, due to positive feedback between belief and behaviour. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient Greece and ancient india, it is 20^th century sociologist reobert k merton who is credited with coining the expression ‘self fulfilling prophecy’ and formalizing its structure and consequences[2]. In his 1948 article self-fulfilling prophecy, merton defines it in the following terms:

                        ‘the self fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come true. This specious validity of prophecy pertpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning[3].’

In other words a positive or negative prophecy, strongly held belief, or delusion, declared as truth when it is actually false, may sufficiently influence people so that their reactions ultimately fulfil the once-false prophecy.

Sometimes prophecy could be effects in behavioural confirmation effect, in which behaviour, influenced by expectations causes those expectations to come true.

According to Thomas theorem which sate that:

            ‘If men define situations as real, they are in their consequences[4]’

According to thomas, people react not only to the situations they are in, but also, and often primarily, to the way they perceive the situations and to the meaning they assign to these perceptions. Therefore, their behaviour is determined in part by their perception and the meaning they ascribe to the situations they are in, rather than by the situations themselves. Once people convince themselves that a situation really has a certain meaning, regardless of whether it actually does, they will take very real actions in consequences.

THE ROLE OF PROPHECY IN GENERAL

Haven clarify our scepticism in the previous discourse we shall now examine critically the role of prophecy in general which is the major concern of this work.  An interest in this portion of the scriptures normally indicates a healthy spiritual condition, a desire to know more perfectly what God has received. An absence of this desire to study the predictions of the word is indicative of an abnormal growth or distorted or perverted ideas regarding the truth. Something therefore is radically wrong with the person who is not concerned about the prophecies.

In certain fundamental circles, there have been found much guessing and speculation, which have brought disrepute upon the study of prophecy and which have caused thinking men and women, seeing what glaring errors have been made by amateur expositors of the prophectic word, come to the conclusion that it is impossible for anyone to interpret prophecy correctly. They therefore, wishing to avoid errors, devote their time to those portions of the word and those matters mentioned therein about which there need not be any guessing or speculation. But it would interest you to know that, prophecy play alot of roles:

Prophecy help confirm that the Bible is God’s word. Because of the requirements noted earlier, true prophets of God often predicted near future events so that, when their predictions came true, people would know that the person was a true prophet of God and that his message concerning the presnt proved accurate, we too may have  confidence that, whether fortelling or forthelling, the words  of the biblical prophets are God’s word.[5]

Biblical predictions encourage our belief that God is sovereign over the affairs of men. Fulfilled predictions prove that God indeed can set up nations and take them down, use powerful men to accomplish his purposes, and tell us in advance exactly what is going to happen[6].

Biblical predictions about events still in the future, motivate us to be very vigilant and be committed to our faith. Jesus  who commanded, ‘Be on guard! Be laert! You do not know when time will come’ (mark 13:33) and also instructed, ‘now  learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twinges get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door ‘mark 28, 29.[7]

The knowledge of the prophecy can also help us to interpret world and events and it could help us to be courageous when hardship comes.

CONCLUSION                           

By way of conclusion on the account of this discourse, one would see that prophecy has it own role but sometimes it affect the psychology of the people such people act towards what has been prophesied. In fact people seems not to believe in prophetic message again because of so many fake clergy in our society who speak out false prophetic message and who misinterpret the scriptural prophetic messages and this is evident in WOLE SOYINKA’S novel ‘THE TRIALS OF BRO JERO’ where prophet jero is presented to the reader as a rogue who manipulates and keeps his gullible followers in a subservient position for he is able to read from their minds what they long for. Thus when the play opens, we see brother jero claiming that he is a prophet by birth and by inclination and tries as much as possible to convince people that although there are many prophet but that they are not the same. The prophet then uses pun to show that ‘eggs is eggs’ which means in English ‘they are all the same’. He keep people dissatisfied; for once they are satisfied they will leave him. He believes that as long as they are unhappy, worried and dissatisfied, they will continually seek his service for prophesying. This is contrary to the message of freedom and choice that Christianity spells to its followers. Brother jero’s philosophy of keeping people dissatisfied and helpless does not conform to basic Christian ethics. Wole Soyinka uses the protagonist to show that the attitude of some religious leaders negate to a greater extent what they prophesy, in fact some can change the prophetic message to suit their needs. By so doing people lose interest in prophecy and prophecy continue to fade away like a wash hand basin.

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[1] Oxford advanced learner’s Dictionary 8^th Edition

[2] Wikipedia.com, retreieved 4/12/2015

[3] Merton Rober ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ Antioch review 8 1948, www.wikipedia.com,retreieved 4/12/2015

[4] Thomas W.I ‘The child in America: behaviour  problems and programs’ New Yorrk, 1928.pg 572

[5] Keith hunt ‘Benefits of prophecy’ pdf pg176

[6] ibid

[7] ibid

CORRUPTION AND UNEMPLOYMENT THE FUTURE AT STAKE

                                                                                 ELUSIYAN TOLU’ FRANCIS

INTRODUCTION

The Nigerian society is beset with myriads of challenges today that are searching for solutions, because all over the world today, the image of Nigeria is that of a pretentious country. Most of these challenges ranged from corruption to unemployment. Corruption which leads to an inept Leadership, from nepotism to religious triumphalism, from incessant kidnapping to ritual killing, from vandalism to oil theft and most recently the terrorism of Boko haram. The imperative role of a crystal clear understanding of what corruption is will be inevitable before delving into the stage in which the grave rage of corruption in Nigeria is cart null and void into Hades. John Locke outlined the doctrine of the separation of powers, indicating the dangers of oppressive and arbitrary rule when all function of government are exercised by a single person or institution. Corruption as we all know is the abuse of entrusted power for enraging private gain. It hurt everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a position of Authority. The growing corruption in Nigeria can be traced to people holding power at federal, state and local government levels. Corruption does not involve just people in government, but also to people in both private and public positions and even traditional rulers

The image problem

It is now exactly 55 years since the independence of our dear beloved nation, the giant of Africa, Nigeria, and the most populous black nation in the world. Though the day as any other day would have passed without any notice if not for the public holiday being celebrated in few places. Lament of the people is what we keep hearing. At 55 years old the giant of Africa is still crawling following the dictations of other countries. When exactly will she stop been led? The joy of freedom suddenly collapses into a bank of sorrow when there is an agony of remembrance flashing to the stupendous enthusiasm in which Nigeria gained her independence.  Nigeria has now become a mole-rat digging burrows of abjectness with incomparable large and powerful incisors driving narrowing into the spines of her citizens. Though she may have been freed from the colonial figures and imperial masters that feasted like vultures on a dead carcass, she has now been fully plunged into the black dungeon of her own feudal lords who at best we could describe as hungry dogs who lack integral reputation. In the past we have great men, real patriot who sacrificed all they had to make sure that this country will one day become one of the best countries in the world. But what is really the result today? Contrary leaders, old fool who dedicate themselves in serving their pocket and specialized in looting and corruption. Instead of the highly focused Nigeria of yesterday, what we are left with today is nothing but a horrible and blind country, a dumping ground, and an odour of offensive pong what a shame! She lost her identity and therefore described as a country of paradoxes, perplexities and complexities throwing every citizen into what Yoruba people will call “wahala”   

youth as future leaders of tomorrow: are we there yet?

If we recall the popular aphorism or if you like cliché which says: ‘youth are the future leaders of tomorrow’ made by our leaders of yesterday who are still voraciously clinging in the baton of power which has become ineluctable to them. I wonder when exactly is the future going to arrive for the youths when unemployment today has become every youth nightmare. To me it is enigmatic that in a country so rich and blessed with natural resources, people can still find it difficult to deep their hands into their mouth.  It is no longer about going to school and graduating or learning a trade, but about how to face the reality of graduating and joining the battalions of unemployed youths. Politics have thrown many of the old fools into confusion that they can no longer think properly. All they think of is jumping like a toad into another party all in the name of making money, no hope of redemption what empathy! The government in advanced countries has placed high priority on matters regarding the welfare of their youths and their policy has in some way positively affected the young people by institutionalising many youth centres organised primarily focused on reflecting the views and serving the needs of the young people. They provided a space where young people can organize for action and meet community needs and experience group processes, strengthening youth vigilance combating corruption through advocacy and networking.

IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR THIS PLAGUE OR SHOULD WE LET THE SLEEPY DOG LIE?

In order to prevent corruption from happening at all, Nigeria should emphasis transparency, integrity and accountability in all their private and public transaction. There achanism model is named for achan who appears in the old testament of the Bible. Achan in the scripture was avaricious (Joshua 7). He was caught and his entire family was severely dealt with. His children, who, who might have expected to inherit the proceeds of his illegal actions were not allowed to do so. There is need for formation and reformation, orientation and de-orientation of the minds and heart of Nigerians for them to see that corruption is the enemy of development. The law should be enforced to its fullest and without favour. Improvement of socio-political and economic life will reduce the tendency of public servants to demand and take bribes and get involve in other corrupt practices. And to the youth of this country, our future is at stake, these old rotten hoodoo have degenerate and waste our future and that of the generation to come. Therefore, the earlier we begin to think and plan the better for all of us. So the stage is now ours we either think objectively in order to bring positive change or sit back and fold our hand or leave the old goats to determine out future which they now hold at ransom!

CONCLUSION

It was Mark Terry who says “don’t waste your time about what you should have done, use your time instead and do the next thing that needed to be done”. Corruption in Nigeria is systematic, and to address the problem a systematic approach is needed. To curb abd eventually eradicate corruption, children, youth and adults must be given the power to distinguish right from wrong. All schools should return to the teaching of moral education to empower children with the spirit of stewardship, while adults live exemplary lives, reflecting truth, kindness, dignity of labour and integrity. Permit me to conclude with this popular Yoruba moral song on corruption.

KINI UN O FOLE SE LAYE TI MO WA (2X)

LAYE TI MO WA KAKA KIN JALE

KAKA KIN JALE MAKUKU DERU

KINI UN O FOLE SE LAYE TI MO WA.

And to also say Ese rere ye Ese rere, Ese rere ko ba le ye wa o.

FEMINISM IN POST-MODERN WORLD

FRANCIS TOLU’ ELUSIYAN: ‘Nothing affects a man as deeply as an encounter with a woman who has womanly qualities. Let me say, those women you are looking at, they have lost what they ultimately want while skirmishing over the reward of recognition. What is all this bullshit?... feminism everywhere! Even in academic sphere you see feminism, feminist epistemology, and feminist ds, feminist that...... what is it? Women or feminist...listen to me, when you lose your selves as women and begin to force your selves to develop muscles you are not designed to have, your internal and rational system suffer! Hence you will continue to be an object of problem! A cacophony of confusion to our changing world.....nonsense!

COMMENTS............................................................

*PETER DERAH: Actually the evolution and incessant agitations of the feminine gender for recognition and relevance is not as miasmic as you think bro. I am not a feminist and intend being none, but the world has been too patriarchal and manly. Lets give them trial and see whether there could be ‘an end to history’....£ fukuyama£ conception£

*F. ELUSIYAN: Give them chance or not..... Since the emergence of this wagonic idea called feminism... The world had been transported to a state of Hopelessness and we are all dancing to our own dirges! let me say, they are only advocating for nothing, they don’t have to be heard everywhere, after all men are not everywhere. Looking at it meticulously you would agree with me that men and women can never be the same, even though there are scriptural back up to that! Because to me scriptural analyses is not enough! After all we are giving them the chance but instead of them to make use of it, they prefer clamouring for what is not.... why can’t we consign them to flame and forget about the whole enterprise of feminism....

PETER DERAH: David Hume at work in you! Treating the proposal of feminism like an empty Shabuoth cannot proffer lasting and concrete panacea to argument against androcentricism. We still have some of them that are really apt in decision making and governance, like the president of Brazil is trying better than our erstwhile indecisive primus buhari. There seems to be a light at the dark tunnel powered by the feminine gender.

F. ELUSIYAN: Bros i beg iiiii:.o jere.. President of Brazil is one out of many, so that can never be the paradigm to follow, simply because these things are not done indisputably. Feminism i will continue to say is a fog of mentality that cannot withstand critical examination. Revolution is done with a spectacular kind of rigorousness. It is not a sheer naked flaunting of naive, precarious and wobbled ideas about a subject matter. It is indeed coloured with interior motive, let me say, the treatise could hence be described as a sociological hilarity, amusement and announcement. It is an intentional smugness labelled with theme of defamation, ludicrousness, pride and unimportant legacies. Truth be told! Feminism is just a penchant for personal nomenclature and as such it should be jettisoned!

FAMOROTI RAPHAEL SHEUN: ‘When you lose yourself as woman (even as a man) and begin to force yourself to develop muscles you are not designed to have, your internal and rational system suffers! ‘I feel that is the height of the write up. That is a good statement’

F. ELUSIYAN: Thank you FAMOROTI....You got it right, that is the point......you know why?  Because God who is awesome and all knowing, he has a divine plan for his creatures. So he must necessarily has a reason for creating women the way they are. Whenever women begin to fight and advocate for themselves all in the name of feminism which solely based on gender quality, they are rejecting the will and plan of God.... and as such it is nonsensical.

BISSONG SNATHY EHISOGIE: Well as much as i agree with that expression as stated by FAMOROTI, I still don’t think it’s right to totally dismiss the idea of feminism. Feminism as we know, doesn’t have to be radical, it could simply be a movement which seeks to resolve the problem of female subjugation and male chevenunism. Humanity is two natures, man and woman and the share this humanity equally. Women should therefore not be regarded to the background; they should be given equal chances of development. In this light, i support the movement of feminism. At least i don’t want my sister to not be able to reach the height of her endeavours in life simply because she is a woman. Women have suffered a lot ranging from rape, prostitution, genital mutilation, lack of education etc. But even with the above being the case I still do agree that a lot of irrationality has crept into this thought of feminism hat women now clamour for a right to alter nature. For example Allison jaggar clamouring for a time when instead of women, men would get pregnant, sayimg that pregnancy subjugates women. Marriage types such as those involving women having wives. Women not wanting to domestic shores, and fool themselves saying ‘ if he loves you he wont let you work’. Funny that women can clamour for equality or rather prioritization and still want ‘John’ to pay the bills, or open the car door, or carry you at the wedding. If women has been i all treated my factors created by humans then we can and should adjust, but if some women think that the way God created them limits them, then it means they already agree to subjugation. Thanks ELUSIYAN for this piece, it was insightful but don’t be too one sided.

FAMOROTI RAPHAEL: Bissong Snatchy Ehisogie has spoken well, but i need him to support his claims because men have suffered a lot too. Women rape men, lack of education is not restricted to women alone. What about the idea of ‘sugar mummies’ feminism in the strict sense is an agitation that is contra natural. However, i support the fact that the rights of women be upheld but I stand against feminism. Feminism becomes a waste of time when we, (men and women) respects our very own strength and weakness. The creator has made it like that, that women get pregnant and breastfeed. If men try to breastfeed they will alter nature.

F. ELUSIYAN: And as a follow up to FAMOROTI and BISSONG, I submit to you that women have lost their hallowed position by trying to assimilate into what they consider to be a male world. Now before you get all excited, i would like you to hear me out. God did not design a man’s world. God’s design for the world was man and woman working together in peaceful harmony, building one another up and promoting each other to good works, namely our God given assignments on the earth, that others would observe the fruits of our lives and give glory to God. Women lost it when they failed to recognize their own unique power. Instead they got locked into a power struggle that never existed from God’s vantage point. Struggling to get the credit for something I still cannot figure out, they put men on the defensive, and that put them on the defensive. Now, with everyone defending themselves, we are all losing ground. Let me say, it is time to take off the boxing gloves and allow God to redistribute his first commission to us, man and woman both in power because of their status as complementary partners. For women who  have chosen to walk in the spiritual dimension, it behooves you all to understand kingdom principles in the light of who you are and who you were meant to be as women....say no to feminism...if it has contributed nothing to the development of mankind!

BISSONG SNATCHY EHISOGIE: We should understand that speaking against feminism s a whole mean speaking against the good part of it also, the rights of our mothers to a good life. Feminism in the strict sense means a movement for an support of women’ rights. Feminism has a good part, and for that good part i am a feminist, but for radical feminism which presents all those odd things that alter nature, that am against. At this juncture we are saying the same thing FAMOROTI. I understand men undergo these things but we cannot lie about the fact that it is on the very minute bases. It happens on a 5 out of 100 percentage calculation. The females are actually the most affected by this. This doesn’t however give them a right to be irrational.

BISSONG SNATCHY EHISOGIE: ELUSIYAN I like your post. But if you gonna be heard by all. You must try to clarify concepts and not put all the eggs into one basket. I am not oblivious of the evils being perpetrated under the guise of feminism. (i can’t be oblivious of the obvious especially when the obvious is precarious...bro Francis, HOD PHIL. But i wouldn’t make the famous mistake of throwing away the child with the bath water.

F. ELUSIYAN: With all of life pressures surrounding us, how do we find our way back to the garden! How do we get back to the place of women being women and men being men and nobody minding? How do we return to celebrating our differences and making them work for all of us? The serpent has woven an intricate lie into fabric of our existence. He has made us believe that if we are not ‘as’ another, then we are ‘less’ than other. What a ridiculous concept! A naira bill has the same value as a naira coin, doesn’t it? Each will buy the same thing. So men use authority while women use influence. Men are calculating while women are instinctual. Men are fixers while women are nurturers. I could go on and on with the comparisons, but the bottom line is that both elements of what a man has to offer and what a woman has to offer are just as vital as the other to the existence of all....let me also say, Feminity is definitely strength under control. Feminity is strength wrapped in a velvet glove. It doesn’t insist on its own way, but most of the time gets it. So what is so awful about just being a woman? Women listen, humility is not a weakness...be humble and say no to feminism! Its not helping matters...i must say.

PHASUGBA HARYOBAMI: Yeah...i am enjoying this...i swear it is better than the cinema....lolz

THE PATHETIC ENSLAVEMENT OF THE BLACK

ELUSIYAN TOLU’ FRANCIS

We are not Africans because we were born in Africa, but we are Africans because Africa was born in us; and as such whatever happens on the continent of Africa is in us and it revolves round us.

Going back to the history of slave trade in Africa could actually be a waste of time because we are all familiar with this pathetic historical trajectory, even though we the children of the present day were not part of the enslavement of our fathers but am very sure we can still feel it in our modern world. But can we keep swimming in the massive ocean of this pathetic experience and allow it to affect our present day. We have to forget the past, even though it is not easy to forgive the colonial masters on how we were treated and underrated, some have said in the past that  we all lived in the world of blindness, but assuming we were not treated in that mannerism, what could have be our history? Some are of the opinion that the pathetic experience launched Africa in to her full potential such that Africa was able to realize her strength, what she’s capable of doing and what she can’t achieve on her own.

But is she going to remain a toddler forever, when is she going to grow to withstand every other continents? Are we going to remain in our state of blind foldedness thinking of bachelorhood days? When are we going to stand up to the challenges before us? Or are we going to weep over and over again just because of our pathetic enslavement in the past? After all we are now free, what have we achieved? Are we even preparing to do anything at all? A fool at forty is a fool forever. Oh Africans, we have to stand up to the challenges before us, we are great continent that has been blessed by God with so many things like cultural values, natural resources, talents, metaphysical powers and beautiful concepts etc... We are powerful, we have strength, we are intelligent, and we have great wisdom about life, what else do we need? We cannot have all this and continue to close as if the weight of our melody had pulled into shut, and our lips pressed together in a half-smile.

When will the goat be strong enough to kill a rat? We don’t use bare feet to search for hidden thorns which we have seen in day time. Perhaps, the gods only hear one wish at a time, and nothing more. A herbalists that refuses to ask laymen what leaves he looks for in the bush must have difficulties getting what he wants. It is a pot of water that is already half full that the world would like to help in filling to the brim. Oh! Africans, let us make conscious effort to make Africa a better place for her citizens.

Let me quickly borrow the words of olufemi taiwo in his book ‘African must be modern’ he says ‘Africa must embrace individualism as a principle of social ordering; make reason central in its relation to, activity upon, understanding of, and producing knowledge about the world, both physical and social, that it inhabits; and adopt progress as its motto in all things. The position just stated is rarely encountered in discourse about, in and on the continent or its Diasporas. On the contrary, no thanks to the militancy and stridency of the nativists, those who wish to celebrate Africans genius at adapting the wisdom of others and, by so doing, domesticate modernity for the benefit of Africa, Africans, and their life and thought, are practically shouted to silence or, at best, limited to furtive expressions of their preference’

And there is no doubt that with the widespread diffusion of white supremacy in the world’s relations with Africa, the roots of which can be traced to the slave trade and slavery as well as the peculiar form that colonialism took in Africa, it is almost required of an African intellectual that she or he be hostile to modernity and its suppositions. It is almost as if an African like me who deliberately embraces modernity as a way of life that promises at the present time a better template for making life and thought in Africa must be a dope; one who is suffering from pathological dependence on white people as well as a severe case of self-hatred. This charge, this awful name-calling has managed, over the course of the last century, to silence many in the continent who would and could have been the spearhead of positive change for Africa’s long-suffering peoples. What else? He who does not look ahead always remain behind; so charms do not perform miracles on the shelf; they perform for those who are brave.

WAKE UP FROM YOUR SLUMBER! OH AFRICA!