Today we continue our look at the heresies of the Prosperity gospel movement. And as we noted last week – Their miscues surrounding the issues of financial wealth are merely the tip of the theological ice-berg when it comes to their errors. Again, the scope of these errors is incredibly broad, and differing Prosperity leaders sometimes claim different things. My aim is merely to shed a light on some of the overarching themes of some of them – So that we can see the movement for what it is.
One of the themes you will often notice is that many of these preachers claim to have had a personal divine encounter with the Lord – Wherein they claim to have seen Him face-to-face, and to have spoken with Him (sometimes at length). Some claim to have spoken with the Father, or the Son, or even the Holy Spirit as a person. Kenneth Hagin claims to have one day been in the spirit, when he was enveloped in a cloud, began speaking in tongues, and Jesus appeared before him. “He stood within three feet of me,” said Hagin. Another popular preacher, Benny Hinn, claims: “I saw Jesus walk into my bedroom. He was wearing a robe that was whiter than white and a deep red mantle was draped over the robe. I saw his hair. I looked into His eyes. I saw the nailprints in His hands. I saw everything.”
Claims such as this are prevalent and rampant among Prosperity teachers: Some claim to have visited heaven or hell, others claim to have discoursed with angels or demons, some claim to have “out of body” experiences, others say they’ve had trances, visions, and dreams, while others are somewhat more tame claiming merely to have had direct conversations with God – Wherein they claim He vocally and audibly instructed them. These experiences so often serve as the bedrock of their ministries and what they say they heard in such encounters is how they justify their various teachings. Of course, such things are generally claimed to have been experienced in private – And necessarily they are unverifiable and suspect. This is nothing new. There have always been those who have claimed to have stood in God’s presence, and thus have usurped the role of speaking for Him:
Jer. 23:16 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord.’”
Jer. 23:21-22 – “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings.”
Jer. 23:25-27 – “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.”
Jer. 23:30-32 – “‘Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,’ says the Lord, ‘who steal My words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets,’ says the Lord, ‘who use their tongues and say, ‘He says.’ Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,' says the Lord, ‘and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,’ says the Lord.”
We could really mine the entire Book of Jeremiah for such refutations – But clearly, these hit the issue right on the head. It is relatively easy to say that God has spoken to you and to claim to have had some experience that sets you apart as a mouthpiece for Him. And there have always been countless people who will buy into such claims – Especially when the message they “bring back” is one of peace and prosperity. But here is the real danger such charlatans bring – In having claimed to speak directly with God Himself, by what means are we to know if their message is true? It might be asked: “Having had no direct face-to-face interaction with God ourselves, who are we to contradict their claims?” Well, the answer is actually quite simple – We can’t contradict anyone, but we can point to those who can. We can point to the witness of those we know verifiably had such interaction with God – Namely the Lord Jesus Himself, and His Apostles. Their writings in the Word are sufficient proof enough to refute many of the outrageous claims and false doctrines that these wolves in sheep’s clothing preach. More of which we will have to wait until next time to further unpack.
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