Colonel Walter E. Kurtz's Prophetic Callings

Prophetic messages declare the end of one epoch and the start of a new one. A prophetic message comes indirectly from God through the words and actions of a prophet. The most well-known prophet dates back to Prophet Muhammad: founder of Islam and proclaimer of the Qur’an. Muhammad’s prophetic message came to him atop a mountain near the city of Mecca from Angel Gabriel (Britannica.com). Although Muhammad received his prophetic message from Angel Gabriel, he waited three years before he spread his revelations and started his prophetic calling. Many of God’s followers might feel their calling towards him however this undertaking is often personal instead of prophetic. A prophetic calling changes history and results in a revolutionized world. Those who receive a prophetic calling must give their life wholly to God in order to live out their divine life as prophet (Belt). Prophetic messages and callings are represented in all forms of artistic and literary art. The Book of Eli is a direct representation of a prophet and his mission to deliver and preserve the word of God; while Apocalypse Now’s Colonel Walter E. Kurtz succumbs to his evil temptations and abuses the power of God’s message.
Eli believes that he is on a prophetic mission from God to protect the last remaining copy of the King James Bible and save his world using the divine wisdom …show more content…
Unlike Eli, Kurtz abused the situation he was given and “In such condition of emptiness, Kurtz or any man is at extreme risk of moral and, finally, total destruction – open and available to the darkest opportunities around him and to the darker suggestions within” (Greiff 189). Like Conrad in The Book of Eli, Kurtz became overwhelmed with his power and used his control as a weapon for evil instead of good. The best prophet is able to carry out God’s word without become overwhelmed with the word