Posted also at: The WORD on the Word of Faith
Deuteronomy 18:20-22
But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (ESV)
Matt 24: 4, 11, 24
And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray…. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray …. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (ESV)
Matt 7: 15-20
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (ESV)
Olsteen, like many other false prophets like Benny Hinn, Rod Parsley, and others, have been confronted gently and with Biblical precepts already. They have rebuffed the true Gospel of Christ for a false one. The movement they are part of, many decades ago, was at a place where they were merely misusing the gifts of the Spirit. However now, they teach New Age concepts wrapped in Gnostic theology. They have moved past the point where they are misusing God’s gifts and are charlatans, or in a few cases as have been documented here, have communed with evil spirits and occult practices (I speak of Benny Hinn and the Movement started in the Canadian Vineyard movement).
So this topic should never pass from these discussion boards. Critics, such as I, should point out new news about these false teachers whenever possible, so new Christians and those who are beholden to their theology can be challenged to further their understanding of what a true vs counterfeit gospel is.
I will post a quickie on Benny Hinn for those who have always wondered what the deal is with him. I study him quite a bit because I use to go to a few of his large meetings as a younger kid, we use to go as a family. When one studies the effects of singing the same song over and over and over again while expecting miracles, one will find how psychosomatic the mind can get, a technique used by cult figures to brainwash their followers. (See the close comparison between Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s new age cult “meditation” techniques with those of Lakeland):
PFO (Personal Freedom Outreach, a great counter-cult ministry) has obtained a cassette tape from a late-evening service on Dec. 31, 1989, at Hinn’s church, the Orlando Christian Center (now known as World Outreach Center). On this tape, Hinn presents a dramatic sequence of prophecies concerning events that were to occur in the 1990s. During the New Year’s Eve service, Hinn, supposedly under direct Divine influence and in a trance-like state, gave his audience a whimsical look into what he said would occur in the upcoming decade. It was then that Hinn moved into the most damaging segment of his prophecy. He said:
- The Lord also tells me to tell you in the mid-nineties, about ‘94 or ‘95, no later than that, God will destroy the homosexual community of America.
Hinn’s declaration was greeted with a loud applause from his congregation. Perhaps the enthusiastic response caused Hinn to further bury himself:
- But He will not destroy it with what many minds have thought Him to be. But He will destroy it with fire. And many will turn and be saved, and many will rebel and be destroyed.
The audio of a few of Benny Hinn’s major false prophecies (including the one dealt with above and below) can be found in the following audio:
The first sentence probably refers to AIDS. Hinn has been confronted over undocumented claims of healing from AIDS, from which he has retreated quickly. Given that the homosexual population has become more overt and militant during the decade, it is obvious that Hinn has spoken with great presumption. The irony is that the Disney Corp., also based in Orlando, has given the homosexual community a great boost. This has led to a call by the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention for people to boycott Disney products, a move endorsed by publisher Stephen Strang, Hinn’s good friend (see Charisma, August 1996, pg. 88). There has been no nationwide destruction of homosexuals and evidently Hinn did not know that the mid-nineties would have a previously family-oriented organization lending its weight to a group and lifestyle that militates against the family. Can any good thing come out of Orlando? Probably so, but not accurate prophecy by Hinn.
In his quest to be a prophet, Hinn left nothing to personal interpretation with these statements. Remember his claim that the Lord told him as he repeatedly emphasized the source of his edict, and was exact in what would happen and to whom, and even provided a date by which the event would occur. Those who still consider Hinn anointed of God need to contemplate what the Lord has said concerning would-be prophets in Deuteronomy 18:21-22.
G. Richard Fisher and M. Kurt Goedelman, eds., The Confusing World of Benny Hinn: A Call for Discerning the Ministry & Teaching of the Popular Healing Evangelist, 6th ed. (Saint Louis, MO: Personal Freedom Outreach, 1997), 172-173. Found at: http://www.pfo.org/confusing.htm
Some other resources:
- Prophecy Or Presumption? Time Is Running Out On The Spurious Oracles Of Benny Hinn
- BENNY HINN’S MOVE INTO NECROMANCY Faith Healer Claims Contact with the Dead Foretells New Direction for His Ministry
