False Prophets

In the past, when I’ve read the Bible, I’ve pretty much skimmed over the prophets. After all, who wants to be endlessly preached at and condemned? At least, that was my impression of the prophetic scriptures. But recently, I’ve been led to examine the prophets more closely. Maybe it’s because I’m on the downhill slope of life–that’s a kinder, gentler way of saying that I’m getting old. But additionally, I’ve been in Old Testament Bible studies for the past few months, and apparently, some things are sinking in.

A couple of months ago, I wrote a very general overview of the book of Isaiah (“Listen. Listen. Listen!“), summarizing what we can learn from Isaiah and whether or not it applies to us today (it does).

Last month, I wrote two articles about Biblical prophecy. “Paying Attention to Prophecy” concentrated on the prophecies about the end times and Armageddon.  I shared a few things that I’ve learned in a recent Bible study about the book of Isaiah in “Aha Moments from Isaiah.”  In that article, I promised that I would write about false prophets, and about a global church movement that sounds good on the surface, but in reality, it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Buckle up and return your seats and tray tables to their upright positions. What I’m going to tell you will make your hair stand on end.

First, what is a prophet? The prophets who spoke to Israel and Judah were ordained by God for life. God spoke to the prophets, and they were called to relay God’s message to the people. If they failed to deliver the message, or if they changed the message, or if they created their own messages, guess what happened?

Deuteronomy 18:20 “Any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in My name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak–that prophet shall die.”

Put very simply and harshly, if you weren’t a true prophet, you were a false prophet and the punishment was death.

The Bible has a lot to say about false prophets, in both the Old and New Testaments. Let’s take a quick look.

Jeremiah 14:14  “The prophets are prophesying lies in My name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.”

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

Matthew 24:24  “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

Are there still false prophets today? You’d better believe it. In Counterfeit Kingdom, authors Holly Pivec and R. Douglas Geivett describe the dangers of new “prophets” and new age revelations in the Church, particularly in a movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Quotations in this article, other than Scripture references, are from Counterfeit Kingdom.

Pivec’s and Geivett’s goal is to warn people about the ways that “NAR churches have distorted the Christian message and damaged the Church’s witness.” Their book focuses on the practices of the New Apostolic Reformation movement, primarily led by Bethel Church in Redding, California.

Before you dismiss the NAR movement because it began on the “Left Coast” and it won’t happen where you live, think again. The NAR is a worldwide movement, and it’s probably much closer to your neighborhood than you think. More than 3.5 million people worldwide attend NAR churches.

The word limits imposed by the editors of this publication prevent me from going into great detail here, but I assure you that Pivec and Geivett have thoroughly researched the NAR, and their statements are supported by Scripture. But don’t take my word for it–please read their book.

What are the foundational principles of NAR churches? On the surface, many NAR churches look wonderful. They claim to be Christian churches, and if you attend, you may not immediately notice that there are some serious problems with the way they interpret Christianity. Many of their controversial teachings are hidden behind Christian terminology.

First, the leaders of NAR churches are self-proclaimed apostles and prophets who believe that they have miraculous powers and a “direct pipeline to God.”  These leaders teach that without a prophet/apostle leader, you, as a Christian,

“…cannot experience intimacy with God, defeat demonic strongholds in [your] life, or fulfill [your] divinely appointed destiny…. ‘Apostles’ and ‘prophets’ lure their followers with the promise of blessings. Blessings are the bait. They claim they have something no other church leaders have.”

Many NAR churches send their young people to Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, “a center for training miracle-workers.” At the Bethel School, you can learn how to prophesy. One teacher instructed the students, “If you don’t know what to say, just start talking and you’ll get there.” Another said, “If you’re right, you’re right. If you’re wrong, who cares?”

The NAR leaders are unconcerned with the accuracy of their prophecies. They acknowledge that Old Testament prophets were required to be 100% accurate, but they conveniently deny that they are held to the same standard. 

Pastors of NAR churches join the Bethel Leaders Network, an “apostolic” network which is overseen by an apostle working together with a prophet. When they join the network, pastors must agree to submit to the spiritual authority of these prophets and apostles. 

Here is just a sampling of the disturbing goings-on in, and/or beliefs of NAR churches:

• NAR has its own translation of the Bible. Apostle Brian Simmons claimed that Jesus visited him in his room and breathed on him, commissioning him to write a new translation of the Bible. Simmons claims that Jesus gave him “secrets of the Hebrew language” which allowed him to write the Passion Translation of the Bible. This translation distorts Scripture, and yes, it is available on Amazon.
• Students from the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry take part in a practice called “grave sucking” or “grave soaking.” They visit the graves of well-known “miracle workers” (such as Kathryn Kuhlman) and lie on their graves to soak up the dead person’s healing powers. This practice is based on the Bible verse in 2 Kings when a a dead man’s body came into contact with Elisha’s bones and the man came to life (2 Kings 13:21). This practice became such a PR problem for the NAR that it has supposedly been abandoned.
• They believe that it is always God’s will to heal a person of sickness or disease in this life, and every Christian can learn to heal people. Read your Bible, folks. That’s not what it says in the Scriptures.
• NAR leaders not only train people to heal the sick, but they also train them to raise the dead. To date, they claim to have resurrected 15 people.
• At Bethel Church, and others like it, the ministry time includes an event known as the “fire tunnel.” The leaders form two lines, facing each other, and people are encouraged to walk through the fire tunnel where they will have “deep encounters” with the Holy Spirit.
• One of the most controversial NAR teachings is that, 
  • “…when Jesus came to earth, He gave up the use of His divine     powers and worked all His miracles as a mere man, through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, contrary to what Christians have believed through the centuries, His miracles were not evidence of His deity.”

This is just a peek behind the NAR curtain. I assure you that I’m not an over-zealous Chicken Little in a panic, but don’t take my word for it–do your own research. You’ll discover that the New Apostolic Reformation is less of a reformation and more of a carnival, complete with seers, fortune-tellers, and clowns. And a whole host of wolves in sheeps’ clothing.