The Real False Prophet That’s Bewitching the Church

It’s not who you think…

Incorrect prophecies are distracting; false prophets are destructive.

In a conversation with my wife, a very profound point was raised.  In fact, I believe the Spirit of the Lord was speaking through her concerning a very controversial subject at the moment – false prophecy.

She noted that yes, those who prophesied the 2020 election incorrectly, or who deliver incorrect words of knowledge, or predictions that don’t come to pass bring distraction. However, there is a fate worse than distraction: It’s destruction.  And it’s the real false prophets we need to be on the lookout for, as they are partnering with the antichrist spirit to re-write and redefine Christianity as we know it.

There is a fate worse than distraction; it’s destruction. Those delivering false prophecies about events that don’t come to pass are distracting and need to be corrected; those preaching a false Gospel are destructive and need to be called out.

In the Old Testament, if a prophet missed it, that was it.  The prophet’s fate was sealed, as the consequence for delivering a false prophecy was death (Deut. 13:1-5).  No “I missed it; sorry.”  No “grace” for improvement.  Why?  The prophets of the Old Covenant were literally representing the character and nature of God to the people because not everyone had access to the Holy Spirit or the Holy Scriptures at the time.  The prophets of old were literally scribing the canon of Scripture.  What they said about God mattered significantly, as we in the twenty-first century today form our theology and understanding of Who God is based on what they said and wrote. 

New Covenant prophecy is very important and there is still the sobering call to represent the nature, character and voice of the Lord with holy fear.  But the canon of Scripture is closed.  Prophecy today is not changing or adding anything to what’s clearly stated in the Old and New Testament; if anything, it’s echoing and providing a contemporary, “right now” application or instruction to an established Biblical truth.  New Covenant prophecy will never contradict or re-write Scripture.

The Election Prophecies Are a Big Deal… But…

Fast forward to 2020, where many prophets predicted Donald Trump would secure a second presidential term.  This has created a significant uproar in the Charismatic church, so much so, that Politico, the New York Times, and other major publications have been commenting about either the “false prophecies” or those who were insistent that Trump would be back… sooner than we think.  My thought?  Each prophet and prophecy requires its own unique review, scrutiny and discernment, and thus, I don’t think it’s intelligent or appropriate for us to lump them all together and write them off as “false prophecies” or worse, false prophets.  We cannot paint with broad brush strokes and thus write off the entire “prophetic movement.” Are false prophets out there among this group?  I’m sure, yes.  But the worst thing we can do right now is turn on each other when in fact, there is a much more insidious spiritual enemy to fight. And we must battle as a unified whole.  Dare I say, there is a real false prophet rearing its ugly head right in the middle of Evangelical Christianity.  And sadly, this false prophet is selling books, influencing theology, gaining converts and demonically seducing an entire generation.

This false prophet did not prophesy a “Trump win.”  This false prophet did not give a word of knowledge about a certain date, or who someone was going to marry, or how many children they would have, or a hurting area in their physical body.  It’s unfortunate when incorrect and yes, blatantly false prophetic words bring hurt, pain and disillusionment to people.  This is a conversation we need to have and continue to engage—but we must have it in perspective.  It should not be a center stage conversation for the church right now, because it’s a matter of prophetic protocol and integrity.  Big deal issues, sure, but they are not as important as what’s facing us in the days ahead and what’s at stake for the future of Christianity.

“What is Your Name?”

I remember Bill Johnson once making this statement concerning casting out demons and deliverance: “If you spot em’, you got em’.”  In other words, to cast out a demon, we must first recognize the presence and influence of the demonic spirit.

What’s the name of the false prophet that is arising strong in the Earth right now? Progressive Christianity.  False prophets by New Testament standards are hell-bound heretics who are intentionally deceiving the people of God, most often, introducing false theology that does not line up with sound Christian orthodoxy.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. – 2 Peter 2:1, ESV

Here are a few hallmarks of the false prophet of Progressive Christianity and its destructive message:

• Bible Truth is up for Discussion: The Scriptures are not final or authoritative; they are beautiful, poetic, and provide wonderful “life lessons.”  They contain stunning “figurative” imagery and are constantly evolving or progressing.  But also, they feature archaic evaluations on life and culture that could no way be relevant for today concerning sin, gender, behavior, morality, and the like.  Bottom line for Progressive Christians on Scripture: The Bible bows its knee before an ever-evolving culture which is absolutely fine walking out what we read about in Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (NIV).
  
  
• Jesus is Just Alright… With Everybody and Everything! I believe it was the Doobie Brothers who rocked out to the lyrics: “Jesus is Just Alright with me.”  Sadly, we have embraced a Doobie theology, where Jesus is okay with sinful lifestyles.  Jude recognized this phenomena as people who “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality.” God’s cool with the destructive things we do to our bodies, or the bodies of others, in the name of sexual gratification or personal pleasure or connivence.  He’s okay with different religions because, after all, He’s just one among many different (and equally valid) ways to God.  A Jesus that’s okay with the destruction or desecration of His temple (our bodies) is not the Jesus of the Bible; this one is false.  Oh, He loves the people—deeply, radically and intensely.  But He is not okay with that which wars against the temporal wellbeing and (more importantly) eternal destiny of God-formed and fashioned humanity.
  
  
• Repackaged Universalism: “Ultimate Reconciliation” – Universalism is a destructive heresy that basically claims no definite response is necessary to the work of Jesus at the Cross; that everyone is saved, by default, and everyone ultimately gets to Heaven.  Simply not true.  God’s will is that all should come to repentance, yes (see 2 Pet. 3:9). But the same Scriptures tells us that the soul that sins shall die (see Ezekiel 18:20) and that those who do not believe shall be condemned (Jn. 3:18). Most recently, with Rob Bell’s controversial book Love Wins, this teaching has become increasingly popularized and now, it is being rebranded in more theologically lofty language as ultimate reconciliation. This means that even if someone goes to “hell,” (or some temporary afterlife destination for judgment) it’s only for a period of time, and even those people will receive a second chance to become ultimately reconciled to God. 

Ye, this is a simplified definition and explanation of the False Prophet of Progressive Christianity.  For further study, I would recommend Alisa Childers’ timely book Another Gospel as an easy-to-read apologetics overview of this spiritually cancerous trend. My goal here is not to provide an exhaustive write-up; it’s rather to make us aware of what the real spiritual enemy is right now—doctrines of demons.

Pentecostals… Leading the Way on Biblical Integrity?

Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors. – Proverbs 22:28, NIV

One last comment… I don’t need to make it, but I feel provoked to.  I know the Charismatic / Pentecostal / Prophetic movement has had its issues.  They are quite glaring right now, I know.  I recognize that even within contemporary Pentecostalism we have extremes, imbalances and even heresies.  But I have to applaud the Pentecostals for, by and large, refusing to move the ancient boundary lines of Truth and remaining true to Scripture in our evolving, progressing cultural landscape.  

Pentecostals and Charismatics, by and large, continue to call sin sin.  They recognize there is only One Way to the Father and only one road to eternal life: Jesus Christ.  They do uphold the Scriptures as inspired and authoritative.  Do they need some help when it comes to systematic theology, sound Biblical interpretation, and prophetic accountability?  Yes.  But in the midst of the swirl of language about “false prophets” and false prophecies, I’m shocked by the level of dissension taking place within the ranks of Christianity when we should be locking shoulders and advancing into the future, waging war not against flesh and blood, but against the high level spiritual forces who are trying to influence the re-writing of Christianity.

I cannot say it loud and clear enough: we need to continue to have open, honest, and confrontational dialogue about reformation in the Charismatic community, especially when it comes to sloppy, presumptuous, and downright false prophetic words.  But while we are having that conversation, we must remain a unified body of Christ, recognizing that there are real false prophets out there, maliciously bewitching a generation.