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Topic: False Prophets
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Roy Jones
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This is a great article. Thanks for posting it. I plan to come back and read it again. May our Lord richly bless you.
Posts: 15 | From: Willcox Az. | Registered: Apr 2005
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When we, as Christians, move away from the 'simplicity that is in Christ', it leaves room for a profligacy of "Christian programs", business acumen and world-based agendas to penetrate the Biblical defenses of the local church.
This is not a foreseeable agenda, IT IS HAPPENING NOW!
Here is how it has been allowed:
1. The pastor is pressured into being 'more relevant' to the cultural changes in the present world. So instead of teaching only from the Bible, he adds some 'relevant' teaching (i.e. non-offensive mish-mash) to his sermons.
2. Other churches are growing by leaps and bounds (so they say); the pastor asks himself "Why isn't my church growing?". So he trots off to another city with the pastoral staff and checks out what "they" (the growing churches) are doing. When he and the others return, a "new vision" has been given to them to pass on to the church!
3. Cell groups and home groups are formed; the leaders are encouraged to lead by concensus, not by the challenging Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The congregation is taught that this is the "The New Thing", "Vision from the Holy Spirit", "New Wine Skin". The pastor changes the music, brings in a "discipleship" curriculum (and I'm not referring only to the Purpose-Driven Church; there are many types of curricula out there that are just as insidious). The congregation is trained (brainwashed?) into accepting the new "cultural adaptability" of the church.
4. The pastor is approached by various organizations (i.e. Promise Keepers, Campus Crusade for Christ, Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc., Women of Faith, Roman Catholic Church, Nat'l Assoc. of Local Church Prayer Leaders) to "unify" the "body of Christ". No one questions the Biblical validity of this "unity". The Bible does say that the body of Christ should be unified, but in SPIRIT, not in the physical aspect of unification! "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling." Ephesians 4:3-4 In fact, these groups are ecumenical at best. They believe in unifying at the expense of the doctrine of the Bible. They "sell" themselves to the unification theme because they don't want to be identified as being "intolerant" of other religions.
5. The pastor creates an atmosphere of false unity within his church by promoting these organizations and omitting the fact that they do not all believe in the core tenets of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That part is ignored because it would cause "disunity". The congregation is encouraged to go to the conferences and seminars promoted by these "unifying groups". Books, tapes, CDs, videos, and literature are brought into the church and shamelessly merchandized. No one is encouraged to check the Bible, to ensure that none of these groups is part of the apostasy that Paul talked about in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 "...as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostasy] first, and that man of sin [antichrist] be revealed, the son of perdition."
6. Because the pastor and pastoral staff do not teach the identifying of apostasies in the last days, the congregation is led to believe that all is okay as long as everyone is "in the same boat"! The teachers and prophets on the Christian TV stations are free to do as they wish, say what they wish, and prophesy as they wish because "the people love to have it so!" (Jeremiah 5:31).
Now be honest with yourself -
DO YOU BELIEVE IT'S POSSIBLE THE APOSTASY MAY ALREADY BE IN OUR MIDST?
Take a look at this:
In Matthew, Jesus spoke regarding the last days. Did He say that a great REVIVAL would break out just before He comes back, or is it the APOSTASY that Jesus spoke about? What does He tell us to beware of? "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Matthew 24:11-12 . Why did Jesus say those things if in fact a great REVIVAL would be present and the church would be in UNITY? Obviously that isn't going to happen in the last days! So why are these pastors, teachers, preachers, prophets, authors, TV evangelists, ministry leaders all saying that we are working toward a great REVIVAL to take over the earth? With their own brand of WORLD EVANGELISM? Perhaps these leaders are jockeying for position in the new, unified World Church? Yes, they are!! And is this World Church the one that is unified in the Spirit according to Ephesians 4? That isn't possible, according to the Word of God!
If you look for the threads that unify almost all the major churches, parachurches and missions organizations in this world today, you will find that the threads are all intertwined with the US Center for World Mission. To name a very few of the people, ministries and organizations involved:
TBN (Paul & Jan Crouch)
World Prayer Center (C. Peter Wagner)
Dream Center in LA (Matthew Barnett)
City Church (Wendell Smith) Kirkland, WA
Dr. David Cho of Korea
Benny Hinn
Cindy Jacobs
Chuck Pierce
Winkey Pratney
City Bible Church (Frank Damazio) Portland, OR
Tommy Tenney
the list goes on and on and on...
We do know, don't we, that globalization of the world is the step before the antichrist appears. But beware, in 1 John 2:18 it says "...as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. THEY WENT OUT FROM US, but they were not of us..." John is speaking of CHRISTIANS! Tell me why these "Christians" today have ignored what Jesus has taught, and are selling their own doctrines??! 1 John 4:1-3
1 John 4:1-3
Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are GONE OUT into the world. Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses** that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses** not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is THAT SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now ALREADY IS IT IN THE WORLD.
** In the original Greek, CONFESSES means: to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent; not to refuse, to promise;
to declare openly, speak out freely.
If we align ourselves with those who do not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, then we are not of the Spirit of God!
I would encourage, PLEAD with, every one of you who is reading this article - USE THE BIBLE AS YOUR ONLY SOURCE of information.
DO NOT believe any doctrine or teaching that is not substantiated by the BIBLE!
The Global Church?
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RECOGNISING THE FALSE PROPHETS Part 2
5 They turn their ministry into a business
Money plays a very important role, even though this is usually denied. False prophets usually lack nothing financially.
Mathew 7:15, 16 “Beware of the false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing – you will know them by their fruit.
6 False prophets manipulate people with their gifts (especially the gift of healing and a word of knowledge)
Because of their power and faith healing, many false prophets are often authoritarian and overpowering. They do not tolerate any kind of opposition. When Christians test the spirits or question things which they feel they are not comfortable with, they are told that they are not to touch God’s anointed and they are often threatened and they feel accused of committing blasphemy.
T.B. Joshua has in an overpowering way encouraged people to return for prophetic training and has been known to break families up. However, in his services, public repentance of sin does play a role. It is usually done in front of a video camera or in the services itself. “Only when you confess your sins before a righteous man can you receive deliverance from sin and strongholds.”
During Sunday services, T.B. Joshua will often expose sin in some of his members through a word of knowledge. He will call people out by their name and mention the exact sins which they are guilty of. It will be done in such fine detail as if he were present when they were committing those sins. Usually this can be seen as a form of manipulation putting fear into the member and succumbing to T.B. Joshua’s fortune-telling spirit.
Deuteronomy 18:22 says, “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously – do not fear him.”
7 The inspiration of the false prophet comes from many different sources
In Jeremiah 23 :13 we see that it can come from evil spirits. In Jeremiah 23 : 16 and then 25 – 28 and verse 32 we see that it can come from your own dreams or thoughts or it can come from your own heart which is part of the flesh. It can also come from imitation. To prophesy is often associated with being super spiritual and therefore many people seek to do this. Jeremiah 23 : 30 says, “The prophets are stealing my words one from another”.
8 Trademarks of their prophesies
8.1 Prophesy according to the Bible is nothing else than preaching the Word of God. All the contents of Jesus’ prophesy was the written Word. In Matthew 22:29 it says,” You go astray because you do not know the Word of God.”
In Revelation 19:10 we read, “For this testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy.” In the past God would speak to his people through His prophets in many different ways. However, in the last days, God speaks to us through His Son (Hebrew 1:1; 1 Corinthians 14:4,5; John 5:39).
8.2 False prophet’s prophesies do not warn us of sin. In the Bible, the prophets that we see were very firm and harsh regarding sin. They proclaimed it fearlessly. That is the very reason why Jeremiah and many other prophets of the Bible were killed or persecuted. Listen to today’s prophesies. It doesn’t sound very different from somebody reading your horoscope. I know of somebody who prophesied blessing over the owner of a shabeen and a bottle store (instead of a word of warning).
Jeremiah 23:22, “But if they had stood in my council they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.”
8.3 Another trademark of the false prophets today is that it is usually always done with a positive attitude and full of love and often the prophesies are full of false hope. An example here is if you think back to the false prophesies that Zimbabwe would not be taken over by communism and that South Africa would not be taken over by the ANC and all the hope that we were given that South Africa and the African continent would be living peacefully and that God’s revival would come over the land.
Ezekiel 13:3 says “Woe unto the foolish prophets”.
Ezekiel 13:10 says “Because they lead my people astray saying “peace” where there is no peace and because when a flimsy wall is built they cover it with whitewash. Therefore, tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall.”
Jeremiah 5:31 says “The prophets prophesy falsely and my people love it”.
Jeremiah 14:15 says “Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in My Name. I did not send them though they are saying no sword of famine will touch this land. Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine and the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword.”(Jeremiah 23:17)
8.4 False prophets twist the Word. In John 14 :12-14 we see that it says that we will be able to do greater things than what Jesus did and this is often quoted. However, this scripture has been taken and quoted out of context.
It does not mean that the signs and wonders that we perform will be greater than what Jesus did. How could anyone perform a greater sign and wonder than raising someone from the dead and this is surely then what Jesus did. Nobody can do a greater sign and wonder than that. But that we will be able to reach more people than what Jesus did in His lifetime - yes. At the day of Pentecost, 3000 people came to know the Lord. Jesus only worked in Judea. The apostles were told to evangelise, to take the Word and to preach the gospel to the whole world. Surely this is greater than what Jesus did and surely when someone comes to know the Lord and repents from their wicked ways, what a wonderful miracle that is.
8.5 The danger of being in contact with these false prophets is that you can fall away and you might become the enemy of God. Listen to their foolish words. It is so difficult to find fault with what they are saying because often there is some truth in their prophecies. It sounds as if they are giving God all the glory for the wonderful works which are taking place. However, always remember it is not 95% of the water in the glass that kills someone, but 5% of the arsenic in the glass that is unseen. The 95% which is often the truth, is what leads the people to follow the false prophets. But the other spirits, the counterfeit spirits, the counterfeit Jesus is what brings spiritual death to man. The spirit of the false prophet has the belief that doctrine is not that important because it would cause division. Today you can see many people with an ecumenical spirit encouraging Christians to join hands with the Roman Catholic Church, the spirit of the false prophet is freely advocating this. In theological faculties and many churches today this is encouraged. However, many theologians question the inspiration of the Bible, the virgin birth and many other fundamental doctrines. The Bible says that this must happen so that the Word can be fulfilled. The Lord is busy purifying His church - Revelation 3:10.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 says “If a prophet or one who foretells by dreams appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods, gods you have not known, and let us worship them.’ You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him, serve Him and hold fast to Him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death.”
This is an IMPORTANT test to see whether we love the TRUTH or will follow after a man.!
In the Old Testament false prophets were the enemy of God and they were put to death. (Deut 13).
WARNING
1.
The false prophet is often dynamic and has an amazing stronghold over the people, otherwise he would never be as successful as he is. For this reason many people will be led astray. The Afrikaans prophet, Siener van Rensburg, was a great folk hero in his time, (according to Nostrodamus). For this reason, even magazines or newspapers can place many positive things about false prophets. Sadly, there are Christian radio stations today, and magazines, who positively support prophet T.B. Joshua, Silvania and others. Ignorance to the Word of God, a false unity amongst Christians, will be the price to pay and many will fall because of this and it will be in opposition to the truth.
Thes 2:9-12, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness”.
The writer of this article has also experienced the power of deception. During one of my visits to a town, a healer came and prayed for me for the gift of healing. From that day onwards I was able to pray for people’s legs and see them grow. Everyone in the town was very excited that I had also received this gift. I genuinely saw wonderful signs and wonders and healings. One day someone warned me through a cassette that this was not from the Lord. Where did it stand in the Bible? Jesus and His disciples did not work in this way. I went on my knees before the Lord. “Lord”, I said, “you understand Afrikaans very well. I don’t want to grieve your Holy Spirit and I don’t want to miss any of the gifts that you have for me, however, your Word tells me to test the spirits. If this gift is not from you, please remove it in the Name of Jesus.” I repeatedly prayed this prayer and from that day onwards I could not perform those healings anymore. Today I know that they were not from God and that it was a counterfeit spirit.
1 Corinthians 4:6 says “Now brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit so that you may learn from us and the meaning of the same. Do not go beyond what is written”.
Any new experience that does not weigh up with the Word of God can be considered magic. 2 Cor 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
Mathew 4:4 says, “Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Sheep are careful as to what they eat, but a goat will eat anything. Are our spiritual leaders like the goats who accept and are open to anything that is spiritual as if it will always come from the Lord?
Isaiah 56:10,11 compares these leaders to sleeping dogs. Scripture tells us: “Woe unto the shepherd who leads my sheep astray.” The shepherds will be responsible for misleading the people, taking them to foreign places to follow after ‘anointed leaders’, or when they invite guest speakers or are open to false prophets and let them come and preach in their midst.
John 10:12 says “The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep, so when he sees the wolf coming he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters them”.
The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. We need to test everything very carefully and not follow after man.
REMEMBER, WHOEVER STANDS FOR NOTHING, WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING!
2.
Throughout the years we have been exposed to a heartsore process of meeting with people who have been involved with false prophets. Initially they have been ecstatic about their experiences, and completely blinded. After a while, perhaps a year or more, serious things start to go wrong in their life. This can be in their spiritual life, in their physical life, or in their psychological well-being. It is sometimes only much later on that they realise that what they were involved in was not from God. Call it whatever you will: Hypnosis, suggestion, soulish experiences (read Whatchman Nee’s book, The Latent Power of the Soul), emotional influence, faith healing, deception.
They are often exposed to a mixture of magic and hypnotism. True healing cannot occur under these circumstances. Often what happens is that people will experience relief in the certain area where they went for prayer but the problem will move to another area. Many people experience healing but something else will then go wrong either in their own body or in that of friends or family. Many people are already starting to complain that since they went to T.B. Joshua, other problems have arisen in their lives or their loved ones.
BE WARNED – you are exposing yourself to demonic powers here!!!!!!!!
The writer of this article has also been involved with false prophets who genuinely believed that they were from God, but during deliverance sessions, the demonic side was exposed. Stay away from churches and spiritual leaders that operate in the realm of fortune telling,(Similar to words of knowledge),encourage being slain in the Spirit or being drunk in the Spirit. This is often the work of a counterfeit spirit.
3.
How will we know that the return of our Lord Jesus Christ is at hand?
We will know because of a great falling away and deception which will take place.
In Matthew 24:3,4 Jesus warns us, “Be careful that nobody deceives you.”
Also read Revelation 16:13 ; 19:20 and 20:10. Jesus even asks whether He will still find faith on the earth when He returns? All these new teachings are paving the way for the Anti-Christ and all the prophecies of taking our cities and countries for Jesus are again making people focus on the wrong things. People are falling away from a love for the Truth. Sadly it will not be the masses who will come to love the Truth, but a handful who will be prepared to be persecuted for making a stand for sound doctrine which is the Truth.
4.
There is no biblical ground for the prophetic schools which some churches are propagating. A prophetic school should be no different from a normal Bible school where we are being trained in sound doctrine and in the Word of God. Prophetic schools in the Old Testament were schools where you were trained in the Word. If a prophetic school considers itself to be anything other than this, it is nothing more than charismatic fortune telling.
5.
In the past many people were aware of the dangers of communism and Roman Catholic traditions. However, within the charismatic movement, there is also a danger. The Church, the true Body of Christ is being polluted (Revelation 12:15) and a stream of satanic deception is entering the Church today. False prophets are doing many strange things that are not Biblical at all and they are being worshipped and idolised as great men of God. Fortune telling is being clothed in prophesy and words of knowledge. The Bible is not the sole source of our truth anymore (sola scriptura). Sadly, Gerald Coates has been known to say that some churches that teach sound doctrine are useless. A well known Christian leader has been known to say that God is not a slave to His Word. There seems to be a new spirituality entering the Church today, particularly found in the charismatic movement. This pollution that the modern Christian is exposed to is often discerned as a renewal, however, it is a renewal of the occult and a falling away from the true Lord Jesus Christ and the true Gospel. Sadly, this renewal is what so many leaders in the Church today are excited about. There are so many different movements that we are currently exposed to. However do they pass the test when weighed up with the Word of God? For example, the Word of Faith movement, Dominion Theology, Prosperity Gospel, Kingdom Now Theology, the restoring of the Prophetic and Apostolic Ministries, spiritual warfare and claiming certain areas or towns for God, prayer walking, automatic writing (here people hold the pen in their hand and the Holy Spirit tells them what to write), Theophostics (another form of inner healing), meditation, mysticism (how do you know that you love God? Here so many people don’t realise that it is mystical because they are told that when they feel a warmth they will know it is God’s presence.) John Wimber used to suggest this. Some of them have sensual sensations or pins and needles in their physical body. This they interpret as experiencing God, visualisation (which is a Hindu form of prayer). There is a new evangelisation being preached without the Cross of Jesus Christ being at the centre. New manifestations are being sought after, particularly in the charismatic churches eg. gold teeth, gold dust, being drunk in the spirit, making animal noises. A new form of spirituality is becoming evident and a new praise and worship is coming to the fore (repetitive music which can lead people into trances). The modern Christian sees this as renewal. However our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever and when we are born again we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, there is no need to call up the Spirit, invoke Him or worship Him in meetings. This is not Biblical Christianity!
6.
Everybody is expecting the return of a Messiah. The Hindus, Moslems, Buddhists and Christians. Sadly, the writer is convinced that a transference of spirits can take place when we visit false prophets such as T.B. Joshua. The spirit of the false prophet will be transferred to us, thus, when the Anti-Christ does make his appearance, masses of Christians will fall for him and will be deceived and misled because they have not been able to discern the false prophets now.
7.
An unbiblical emphasis on signs and wonders is in disobedience to the 2nd commandment because it is in direct contrast to the way in which we should worship the Lord. We should worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth, however, when we allow experiences where emotion is involved and our senses are involved, to become prominent and the most important part of our worship, we are in disobedience. When the emphasis is put on signs and wonders with the hope that people will then believe in God, our true faith is put aside. That is why faith is the hope of things not seen that we believe in and Jesus said it is a wicked generation that seeketh after signs and wonders (Mathew 12:39 and Mathew 16:4).
8.
Do not support Christian magazines that are mouth pieces to false prophecy. Many false prophesies are often placed in these magazines. These magazines have no discernment and unknowingly become supporters of false prophets and prepare people for the way of the Anti-Christ. Beware of spiritual leaders and churches who are open to any kind of signs and wonders and who do not test the spirits (2 Thes 3:6). Do not let these leaders lay hands upon you (transference of spirits). If leaders do not operate in the gift of discernment now and cannot see the danger in exposing their people to false prophets, how then will they recognise the Anti-Christ.
9.
False prophets such as T.B. Joshua and Sylvania are nothing new. The signs and wonders taking place with these people are now being marketed in a new way. The only reference in the Word of God to gold dust can be found in Exodus 32:20. Here Moses destroyed the golden calf the people had made to worship as a false god. Moses ground the gold to powder (dust) and scattered it on the water. He then made the people drink it as punishment for their idolatory. The chapter then goes on to say how 3000 of the people were slain in that one day for their sin. Job 28:12-16, Proverbs 22:1, Proverbs 3:13, all tell us that wisdom and understanding should be more sought after than gold. Proverbs 8:9 says that the fruit of wisdom is better than fine gold.
10.
A scene on TV showed how a Hindu in India followed a holy cow. He caught up the urine of the cow into a bowl, drank it and washed himself with it. He picked up the excretions of the cow and covered his whole hair and body with it, but he was so sincere, he believed that he was doing this to honour his god. He believed that he was honouring the right god.
How sad is deception. Who will be next and what will be the next deception to cross our paths? Will it be THE ANTI-CHRIST? Will you be their prey?
RECOGNISING THE FALSE PROPHETS
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RECOGNISING THE FALSE PROPHETS Part 1
In the Old Testament false prophets were stoned. Today they get positive publicity. The boundary between Truth and error, Truth and lies, is hardly discernible. Christians today are hesitant to stand for the Truth, yet God commanded us to test the spirits [1 John 4:1]. An ecumenical spirit has entered the church, trying to get everybody to work together, yet it is at the cost of the Truth. Criticism is seen as not loving the body of Christ and that you are trying to create division between different denominations. Yet there is a big difference between criticism and testing the spirits. This brochure is an urgent call to speak the Truth in love.
Two of the false prophets that are prevalent amongst us today will be used as examples.
The 37-year old T.B. Joshua's ministry is being received with tremendous enthusiasm and excitement. He calls himself the promised child, "By the grace of God I'm doing what I'm doing because I'm a promised child. Anybody called a promised child will do what people in his time, cannot do." He's got his own website, www.themaninthesynagogue.org. Anyone can get more information from logging into that website. In the entrance to the synagogue the taps that contain water, have been blessed and the water then actually become the blood of Jesus. Water plays a big role in the supernatural healings that take place there.
Renewal is the word on everyone's lips. Could it perhaps be that there is a renewal of the occult? There are unusual and supernatural powers in this man's ministry. But whose power is it? People testify about wonderful healings, wonderful experiences, they say that they have seen Jesus in his eyes, but which Jesus is it? People from all over the world come to visit his synagogue [in earlier times the locals in the area referred to it as the synagogue of Satan]. People are slain in the spirit by his actions or words, but which spirit is it? He claims that God appears to him, is it really God, or could it be Satan disguised as an Angel of Light?
Here is another example: The JOY! magazine has issued an article about the coming visit of Sylvania Machado. She is one of the first proponents of the gold dust. Gold dust falls from her hair. She claims to have seen angels pour out the gold dust over the people. Oil is also known to drip from her fingertips. Wonderful, supernatural events do take place in her presence. She has even been known to sell photographs for R10 with samples of the gold dust pasted on the back. Apparently there is a special blessing on these photos, and you can place them under your pillow or you can place them on people to bring about healing. The oil that drips from her fingertips has been put into bottles and has been given to spiritual leaders, they again, are then able to bless or anoint their members with it. She claims to have a healing and a love ministry and concentrates particularly on working with spiritual leaders. Pastors have been known to be kissed on the mouth and to be anointed by her, people for whom she prays, say that every time they read their Bible after that, gold has appeared to them. One of Sylvania's fellow workers also sells CD's. If you take your wedding ring or your chequebook, and place it on the CD, it will bring a blessing to your marriage or your cheque account. There is the promise of blessing to whatever problem you might be having. Is this from the Lord, or is it a subtle form of deception? How will we know, because Satan is also able to perform amazing signs and wonders.
Here is yet another example: Benny Hinn claims that he has a direct channel to God and that God gives him new revelations which are not in the Bible. He claims to be such a direct channel, that sometimes when the spirit comes upon his tongue and his mind, he is not even aware of what he is saying or doing. He claims that the Lord appears to him almost on a daily basis. Is Hinn perhaps an instrument of the devil?
In 1 John 4: 1-7 we are told to test the spirits. In 1 Thessalonians 4:21 we are again told to test everything. In Acts 17:11 the Berean Christians examined the scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. In 1 Timothy 3:16 and 17, we are told to watch our life and doctrine closely, for if we do so, we will save our hearers and ourselves. In 2 Timothy 3: 16 and 17, we are told that all scripture is for correcting, teaching, rebuking and training. Even Paul warned Timothy against Alexander, and Jesus warned the Pharisees and the Sadducees [2 Timothy 4:15 and Matthew 16:6]. We are told to do this, so that it may go well with our soul. Jesus himself warned against false prophets. Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no-one deceives you. For many will come in My name claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." [Christ meaning anointed one.] Matthew 24:11 "..and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." Matthew 24:24 "For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible." 1Timothy 4:1 "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."
2 Thessalonians 2:3 "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction."
Some Namibians were recently robbed of their dollars and led astray by a false prophet, by the name of Dr Moise Cohen. In South Africa, many Christians lack discernment and openly welcome false prophets from overseas and locally. Some of those who have been able to perform signs and wonders, prophesy falsely and deceived the true Christian, have been: Branham, Hagan, Copeland, Benny Hinn, Rodney Howard Brown, John Arnott, Rick Joyner, Gerald Coates, Lester Blumberg and others. Who will be next? Pastor Clement Ibi from Nigeria says that South Africans don't realise what they are exposing themselves to when they go to see T.B. Joshua. The local people as a witch doctor originally knew him. His synagogue is full of non-Christian symbols. There is a big painting called The Healing Hand, in the middle of the hand is the all-seeing eye of Horus. In the dining room a pentagram has been seen on the ceiling. Many Roman Catholic occultic symbols are also seen, such as in the picture of the sacred heart of Jesus, and many pictures of Jesus on the cross, are seen in the prayer huts. All these pictures are pictures that the Roman Catholic Church portrays as Jesus.
My first exposure to the power of such prophets
About 20 years ago, not long after I started my tent meetings amongst the black people of SA, one of the first sangomas I met with, was born again. The woman was filled with evil spirits. She was riddled with pain in her body and had other problems. Despite prayer she could not be set free. When she came to see me, she said that the ‘Holy Spirit’ appeared to her and sometimes called himself an angel. She asked to be set free from this ‘Holy Spirit’.When I rebuked the holy spirit which was attacking her, she was immediately set free. In the beginning this confused me, but many years later I learnt to know this holy spirit. Of course it was not The Holy Spirit of the Bible, the holy spirit which imitates the Holy Spirit is present today, deceiving many people and especially some of the churches, such as the Zionist Church in South Africa. This church is a good example of the leaven or mixture which is evident in many churches today. The Zionist Church is a mixture of charismatic Christianity and witchcraft. Usually in this church, you cannot attain leadership, unless you have been filled by this imitation spirit. This spirit gives power and status to the leaders that control the Zionist movement [ZCC]. This spirit is very spiritual and it leads people to spend days praying up on the mountain. This spirit literally speaks to the people, and they hear him, telling them what to do. For example, Go and pray for this person, or go to that town and pray for them there. Usually, when they are obedient to this spirit, signs and wonders do take place. The spirit leads them to pray spontaneously for people and they also speak in other tongues, they also sing spontaneously in other tongues. Their praise and worship can be very emotional. The spirit also leads them to prophesy, but usually, this is pure fortune-telling. A word of knowledge is given to many people who are sick. These prophets have regular dreams, visions and apparitions of Jesus. He is usually a white man with long blond hair. The reasons why the Zionist Church is growing so rapidly in SA, is because of these amazing signs and wonders. Despite the sincerity, we can sadly say, that these people are false prophets and healers and that they have been misled by a spirit of deception. They are actually just witch doctors and sangomas, with a spirit of fortune-telling. These people have been deceived, and have never come to true repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result they are still very spiritual and operate in spiritual gifts, but it is not from the Lord Jesus Christ. This is most probably what has happened with T.B. Joshua as well. If you look at his past, he was a Moslem and a witch doctor. When sangomas or witch doctors are "saved" into the Zionist Church, all they do is leave their traditional sangoma garb, and put on coloured coats with crosses on it. Their fortune- telling and practises also get new names. Fortune-telling becomes prophesying, and the ancestral spirits which used to lead and guide them, now becomes the ‘holy spirit’. This is a clear example then of the woman I dealt with in the Zionist church, how moving from one religion to another, can still cause confusion. T.B. Joshua was not born in a Christian home, yet when interviewed by a French reporter as to when he received his special gifts, he claims he was born with them. There needs to come a time in each person's life when they are truly born again, when they repent and turn from their wicked ways. To be born with certain gifts, is not from God. Many people claim that T.B. Joshua must be from God because they see it in his eyes, or because he is a kind and humble man. This is not enough, because there are many people in false religions who are kind and humble, and who come across as gentle and caring. Do not be deceived by this, my dear friends, but test very carefully the words which are coming out of the prophet's mouth and measure it up with the Word of God. Their doctrine must be correct!
How DO we recognise the false prophets?
1 Jesus Christ will not be the focus, but the signs and wonders will.
The emphasis will not be on Jesus. Today people hunger after signs, wonders, power and emotional experiences. They forget that like the magicians in Pharaoh's day, they were also capable of doing signs and wonders and that even the false prophets will be doing signs and wonders with demonic powers [2 Thessalonians 2:9]. Sadly, the pure undiluted Word of God and sound doctrine are not sensational enough for the Christian of today. Instead of worshipping the Lord, for who He is and having Him and the Cross as the centre of our focus, people are opening themselves up to altered states of consciousness, so that they may experience emotional feelings and savour sensual experiences. They are not discerning between what is of the soul and what is of the spirit. Here again, emphasis must be put on the ‘mixture’ which abounds in the church today. It is only the Word of God which is a two-edged Sword and can separate the soul from the spirit. An example is of a lady, who claims that she went to T.B. Joshua for help, but she was extremely surprised because she was asked to role-play in front of a TV camera. She was called up, and prophet Joshua did a role-play of someone being set free from demons. Prophet Joshua uses hypnotism as a means to explain certain scriptures from the Bible. He says, "I am not the healer, I know the healer..." Yet, over the internet he claims, "The divine person in me can do a million things simultaneously. I can appear to thousands of people in their dreams in any part of the world and set them free from their sicknesses, problems and afflictions." In Matthew 12:39 Jesus says "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!"
2 The false prophet gets his messages from dreams, visions, voices that speak to him, not out of the Bible.
True prophets of God, get their message from the Word of God. In John 17:17, Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by the Truth, your Word is Truth." Jesus also said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father, but by me." If we really love the Lord Jesus Christ, then we need to love the Word and the Word is Jesus, and the Word is Truth. The Word [Greek - Logos], that's why Jesus said, he is the Truth [ = logos]. The Word of God also tells us not to add or to subtract anything from the Word. In Jeremiah 23:25-32," 'I have heard what the prophets say, who prophecy lies in My Name, they say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make My people forget My Name, just as their fathers forgot My Name through Baal worship. Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has My Word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?' declares the Lord. 'Is not My Word like fire,' declares the Lord, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Therefore,' declares the Lord, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,' declares the Lord, 'I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The Lord declares.' Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,' declares the Lord. 'They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least," declares the Lord.
How then does Jesus speak to us today? "Jesus' way of speaking to us now, is not by uttering fresh words, but rather by applying to our consciences those words of His, that are recorded in the gospels, together with the rest of Biblical testimony to himself. " [J.I. Packer, Knowing God]
Hebrews 1:1 and 2 "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."
3 The false prophet teaches and does things which cannot be weighed up with the Word of God and which are unscriptural.
Jesus put a lot of emphasis on the Word of God. He often rebuked the Pharisees, saying, "It is written" [Matthew 12:3-4, 19:4, 21:16, etc.]. John 5:19 "Jesus gave them this answer: 'I tell you the truth, The Son can do nothing by Himself, he can do only what He sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.' " Sadly the false prophets are not using Jesus, the great prophet, as their example. They are imitating other false prophets. Many actions which are done, for example, slaying in the spirit, to bless bottles of water, or bottles of oil or clothes and to sell it to bless other people, is nothing more than white magic, or charismatic and Roman Catholic traditions which have been passed on but which are not biblical. False prophets (operate in the spirit) to remove the source of sickness in the spiritual realm that causes the sickness. The false prophet does not always lay hands on the sick person, he often just stretches his hand and that person is usually slain in the spirit. Is this what the Bible teaches us?
The Bible does speak about anointing oil and laying hands on the sick. However to bless the oil is to take it one step further and this is not Biblical. To bless water, clothes, letters, handkerchiefs, is a misunderstanding of the Biblical message and is taking scripture out of context (John 5, Acts 19:12). Nowhere in the Bible do we get the commandment to bless things. God blesses people, not things. If we remain within His will and if we want to find favour with God, then a blessing will be upon our lives. Therefore, even when we sit at the table to eat, we should thank Jesus for the food, like Jesus thanked his Father, and not bless it.
What we see happening in the ministry of T.B. Joshua and Sylvania, is not revival, but a falling away in the last days.
We need to always weigh up everything with the Word of God. Ask yourselves the question, "What does the Word say or how did Jesus and the Apostles go to work? Or what did Jesus and the Apostles do?" The Bible should be our measuring stick and everything should be measured against the Word of God [Hebrews 13:8]. This way we will clearly be able to discern truth from error, what is from God, and what is not from God.
Nowhere in the Bible do we get the commandment to bless things. God blesses people and not things. If we are in His will and if we want to find favour with God then a blessing will be upon our lives. Therefore, even when we sit at the table to eat we should thank Jesus for the food like Jesus thanked His father and not bless it.
T.B. Joshua is also a vegetarian – why? According to his website, he delivers thousands of witches and magicians every week. Many of them are half man and half fish. He claims that if he were to eat fish, he would not have the power to deliver them. Does this sound like a man of God to you?
The spirit of the false prophet speaks about new revelations. Have you ever heard people saying that God is doing a ‘new thing’ and that we are not to limit God – we are to go with the flow, we are to set aside the Word of God and to open our minds and to enter into altered states of consciousness. This again does not weigh up with the Word of God.
What Peter 5:8 tells us is to be self-controlled and alert because the powers of darkness are especially prone to attack our minds. Also it is important to remember that firstly you cannot separate the Word of God from the Spirit of God. That is when mixture can come in and can lead to chaos. When this happens people start growling like lions and make other animal noises in services. They start to deliver in the spiritual realm. On prophet Joshua’s videos it is even seen that they urinate and laugh in the spirit.
Many times the pastor will just stand back and look on because he does not want to interfere with what he thinks the Spirit is doing, or quench the Spirit. However the Spirit of God’s true measuring stick is the Word of God. John 6:63 “The Word that I speak to you is Spirit and is life.”
Secondly, you cannot separate the Spirit of God from a sober mind. When Christians question something they are often suppressed and are told that they do not need to understand everything with their mind. However, to use your mind is not from the flesh and it is less spiritual when you do not test the spirits.
In Mark 7: 18 Jesus asks “Are you then without understanding?”
In Mark 12:33 the Holy Spirit is referred to as being a Spirit of wisdom and understanding. Our understanding must be through the Holy Spirit and must be controlled by Him.
Ephesians 4:18 “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the lightness through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their hearts.”
1 Timothy 6:5 “Perverse disputes of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness, from such withdraw yourself.”
1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
See also Paul’s comment in 1 Corinthians 14:20.
Thirdly, we are not the ones who restrict God. He restricts us.
Revelation 22:18 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophesy of this book. If any man should add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.”
2 Peter 1:20, 21 “Knowing this first that no prophesy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
It is interesting therefore to note the similarity between the Roman Catholic Church and the Charismatic movement. Both do not accept or use the Bible as their final authority. The Roman Catholic church adds the book of the apocrypha and the charismatic churches add new revelations.
I read often of men of God from our past who were true men of the Word and who loved the truth. I would like to challenge the Christians of today to become those men who stick to sound doctrine and who love the truth.
4 The False Prophet works in the name of Jesus
Reference is continually made to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit, however it is often done in a manner which is not respectful (see the video of T.B. Joshua). Sadly, with the continual reference to Jesus and the Holy Sprit, this might deceive those who are naïve and who are lacking wisdom and discernment. If one were to look more closely, one would see that it is very seldom that the cross is preached and the message of Jesus Christ crucified. We need to die to self, turn from our wicked ways, repent from our sins, take up our cross and follow Jesus.
So, in other words the centre of the message being preached is not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ but rather focus is put on signs and wonders in the name of Jesus.
Mathew 7:22 says, ”But many will come to me in that day saying, Lord, Lord, did I not prophesy in your name………”
In Ezekiel 22:28 it says, “ Her prophets whitewashed these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, “This is what the sovereign Lord says, when the Lord has not spoken.”
RECOGNISING THE FALSE PROPHETS
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