Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The 19th-century child-preacher phenomenon in Sweden

History accurately records children under the Influence of the Holy Spirit in Sweden.
This event shows striking similarity to the day of Pentecost in the past and the time predicted for the future call the "latter rain"

Read this account of the event.

Two thousand years ago, children, compelled by the Spirit of God, waved palm branches in the temple courts and proclaimed Christ as the promised Son of David. During Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and into its temple, the children continued to praise Him after the adults, fearing the priests and rulers, grew silent. When the jealous Pharisees demanded that Christ silence the children, He answered that their praise was in fulfillment of prophecy.d And just as God used children to proclaim Christ during the First Advent, did He also use them to proclaim the message of the Second Advent?

The 19th-century child-preacher phenomenon was reported as first occurring at the parish church of Hjelmseryd, Sweden. There, in December 1841, four young peasant girls announced that the end of the world was approaching and that all must repent and prepare to meet God. Almost simultaneously, a large number of "prophetesses of ten to twelve years of age" appeared in adjoining parishes.14 And in the village of Hornborga, six boys from eight to 18 years of age were led to give the same message of warning. Reports of these child preachers permeated the Swedish press for several years.15

The children were sometimes called "repentance criers." Some said that they were afflicted by the disease of "preaching sickness," and authorities tried to isolate the children lest the "disease" be "contagious and the epidemic spread to other children." Some were punished severely. Those affected seemed to be normal except when moved by an unseen power to call for repentance. Thousands thronged to hear their stirring messages. On February 6 and 7, 1842, one peasant girl preacher was visited by 3,000 to 4,000 people.16

Many who listened to these messages were prompted to denounce sin. Within two weeks of hearing the call for repentance, 70 distillers closed their businesses.17

In 1843 Dr. Sven Erik Skoldberg (government medical officer for the province of Jonkoping from 1834 to 1864 and later medical director of the famous Serafimer Hospital in Stockholm) published a scientific report on the phenomenon. According to Dr. Skoldberg, the children "opposed all immoral life, drunkenness, dancing, and all kinds of vices, and asked people to judge themselves in the light of the Ten Commandments. The voices claimed that they were not preachers, but that they were sent by the Lord to call people to repentance, and that no one, not even the angels, knows the exact time of the day of judgment.

"The calls to repentance which I heard were so pure that no one,É Bible in hand, could criticize them, much less say they were heresy.''18

One of the evidences that a person is under the special control of the Spirit of God and is being used as His spokesman is that on some occasions he may not breathe. The Bible prophet Daniel did not breathe when he was "in vision."e Nor did these child preachers breathe when they preached, according to Dr. Skoldberg's observations, though he could scarcely believe what he saw. He said, "Breath cannot be observed, although they doubtless must breathe." He challenged the greatest theologians and doctors to explain the phenomenon by natural means; he himself had originally "had a prejudice, an abhorrence for all these voices and considered them heretical and fanatical spirits...." But he was finally "convinced that not a single word . . . is dependent on their own choosing--for then the message gushes from their breast like a bubbling spring--I repent of all my harsh opinions and stand in amazement.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this post!
    I am studying the subject myself and I am very courius where you did find this quote: "opposed all immoral life, drunkenness, dancing, and all kinds of vices, and asked people to judge themselves in the light of the Ten Commandments. The voices claimed that they were not preachers, but that they were sent by the Lord to call people to repentance, and that no one, not even the angels, knows the exact time of the day of judgment.

    "The calls to repentance which I heard were so pure that no one,É Bible in hand, could criticize them, much less say they were heresy.'
    and this one:
    "convinced that not a single word . . . is dependent on their own choosing--for then the message gushes from their breast like a bubbling spring--I repent of all my harsh opinions and stand in amazement.
    Is it from a book or a letter by Sköldberg? I am reading his book and have not yet found these sentences.

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