Where Are The Prophets Now?

2 Thess. 2:10-13~"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11-And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12-That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

The nation's recession continues with high unemployment, record foreclosures, and an astounding national debt that has just exceeded $11.8 Trillion and is expected to surpass $12.1 Trillion by as early as October 2009. According to current studies Medicare will be insolvent by year 2017. Then President Barack Obama is insistently pushing for more govermental control of the healthcare of the nation's citizens. In light of this the over 45 Million individuals who receive Social Security/Medicaid are at risk that they will totally loose whatever benefits they are receiving within their lifetimes. So far as retirement benefits for those with 20 or more years left until retirement age, my advice is that you/we create another source of wealth for yourselves that will meet future needs because under current numbers there won't be enough tax base or resource to provide post retirement benefits for us at all. On top of all that, what we know as dollars, may be worthless in a short period of time due to rampant debt and global insecurity.

What Is This?

Knowledge of these things is not a fear tactic, it's a reality check. One needs not peer into the spirit realm to see and know the reality of many of these things. For the church and to the believer we have an assurance that God will provide and that we will be sustained:

Phil. 4:19~"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

The foundation of the true believer is secure and steadfast in Christ Jesus as he is the Rock upon which our hope, faith and trust is built.

Mt. 16:18~"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Unfortunately, there is another agenda that has seduced many in the church and continues to be a problem. It's the "snakeoil" salesmen that promises the miracle cure for whatever ails. Remember, from the secular point of view it's called control the masses. It begins in 2 parts:

1- Control the money (as the Federal Reserve CARTEL does) and
2- Control the mind, wellbeing and placement of the people by mass appropriation

We'll address the secular aspects of this more specifically in an upcoming post, but what makes all of this especially traggic is that the post modern church has seemingly, deliberately mimmicked many of the same techniques that scular society employs when it comes to the seduction of the minds of the people.

Let's Look Back

Many of us remember that 2007 was supposed to be the "Year Of Supernatural Release" or "The Year Of Freedom" associated with the number 7 and the year of jubiilee.(???) Then 2008 was the "Year Of New Beginnings" (one year after the 7, which somehow completed a cycle, and then at eight we start all over again...???) There were prophecies that went out all around the country and everything was "Howdy-Howdy!" If the ministry wasn't "grand" it was insignificant. If the bank account wasn't "deep", you weren't living up to your "God potential"

Similar to the materialistic teaching and "pimp daddy" preaching of the late Rev."You Can't Loose With The Stuff I Use"Ike, the messages then were as they are now: prosperity, sow, gift, seed, plant, harvest (in order to sow, gift, seed, plant and harvest again). The prophets were receiving all time high PROFITS. Many with personal jets "for the work of the ministry", starting banks, proclaiming a business for every one in the prayer line, a multimillion dollar venture for every adherent that would "sow a seed to meet the need", a new multimilliondollar home for all, a new luxry vehicle (Esc'y-Esc'y), a special "money anointing" for those who needed cash and supernatural "debt cancellation plan" for all them that would only, believe and "speak it into existence". Times were grand! Hopes were high. Notes were signed. Debts were piled up.

In his 2004 booklet "How To Be Rich And Have Everything You Ever Wanted" defrocked and resurged false prophet Robert Tilton stated that his message "declaring the 7 decrees of abundantly more" was "one of the most important messages that I have ever been sent by God to deliver." You mean Mr. Tilton placed this message on the same plane as the message of the cross? If it was one of the most important certainly it's up there, and especially since he preaches nothing else on his infomercial but propserity, we can safely say that this message is probably one of his ONLY messages therefore being at least equal to the cross in his mind.

In his letter attached to the book Charlatan Tilton says:

"...Jesus is going to cause what you give to be given back to you and MORE. You must plan a seed to receive a harvest. Plant a seed of $30 or $60 or even $100. Or pay a tithe and believe god to fulfill His word of riches and wealth to be in your house (Ps. 112:3). And believe as King David did in Ps. 118 when he prayed, "Oh God, SEND NOW PROSPERITY!"

Twisted context and scriptural manipulation is what we see most abundantly in the life of false teachers like Tilton. Not to mention the personal committments gone awry.

Then Reality Does Set In

Now some years later many of those that gave significant dollars and resources remain unfulfilled. Many of those prophesied up businesses either never materialized or went bankrupt. Homes have been forclosed upon, and cars have been reposessed. Some were even waiting by the mailbox for that "supernatural check" to cancel the debts after sowing their seeds, but only more bills came. Then others who were waiting for their healings slipped further into their medical conditions some paying the penalty by waiting too long to receive adequate medical care and therefore costing their lives.

These circumstances are sad and happen to many of us, and some of them are nothing to be ashamed about in and of themselves. But then others could have been prevented by listening to sound council instead of listening to wolves in sheeps clothing. It should be no surprise that a sinner can prophesy and sound good:

1 Sam. 18:7-12~"7-And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 8-And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? 9-And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 10-And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. 11-And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12-And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul."

Even Saul with jealously, hatred and murder in his heart was bound and overwhelmed by an "evil spirit" to prophesy.

Even at yet another time Saul and his men werre overcome and prophesied even as they sought to kill David.

1 Sam. 19:19-24~"19-And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 20-And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21-And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22-Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. 23-And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24-And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?"

We should note that the "gift" is not the only consideration that should be had. The quality of the word of God and the lifestyle and integrity of the vessel should be the greatest considerations. Now many will say that "prophecy" doesn't exist as a modern gift or if it does exist it doesn't men to foretell it only means to forthtell. I don't want to necessarily open that can of worms in this post but the critic (the cessationist)is hardpressed to set forth a truely biblical hermenutic that would support either of those propositions especially since the New Testament church was specifically engaged in this gift even during the post-apostollic period.

More specifically for this post, what we should ask is this: Where has the prophet been since all of this trouble has arisen and why didn't the prophet have a word warning us that we'd be in this condition?

Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, I Know!

1- Many of these persons that we call prophets weren't saved to begin with and certainly had no connection with God to know what was coming. Then secondly, unfortunately, many of the prophets (who were once saved) were seeking PROFITS and adding to the delusion of the people of God.

You see in most prophetic schemes "the blessings don't flow unless you sow"...In other words the money has to come under control of the prophet. This always leads to the security fo the wellbeing of the individuals and eventually the controlling of the actions of the masses. When those two things are combined within a person who is irresponsible and not saved, it is always a dangerour coctail of spiritual intoxication and a seething cauldron of sin waiting to happen.

Seeking PROFITS:

Similar to the hip-hop entertainer who sometimes create multiple personalities to deal with their issues, some prophets are not just one, but two also. In fact, Masterprophet Bishop Mar Elijah Bernard Jordan founder of Zoe (Gk: The god kind of life) Ministries prophesies for a fee. This is what his website says about Bishop Jordan's gift:

"Bishop Jordan is a modern-day prophet whose ministry is absolutely astounding! Like Nostradamus, Bishop Pike, and Edgar Cayce, the accuracy of the gift that operates in Bishop Jordan will astound you! He is known to predict exact names, dates, and times of events both individually and globally! His visual perception is so exact that he is able to give accurate descriptions of locations that are pertinent to the recipient of the prophecy! Bishop Jordan differs from those who can operate with extra-sensory perception, for his calling as a prophet endows him with a degree of authority. As a prophet, he can truly decree a thing and see it established---just like the prophets of the Scriptures! He is not one just to give information, but he is also known to create miracles and circumvent events merely by the power of his speech!"

"merely by the power of his speech" Wow! Why go any place else or to anyone when we can hang around The Masterprophet and he can shape reality for us through his speech? He is the world-speech-bender almost like Naruto.

Bishop Jordan is like "Nostradamus", "Bishop Pike", and "Edgar Cayce". I was familiar with the other two individuals and know that they rendered nothing that was subject to Christ in their works but I wanted to know more about Bishop Pike. He was an American Episcopal Bishop. To commend Pike, he was a desegregationalist, however his spritual practices and doctrines were unbiblical. In fact he was a proponent of what we know know as gay inclusion and also one who was caught up heavily in spiritualism and was even "poltergiested" according to his own accounting. He wrote a book called "The Other Side" in which he documented his expereinces after the drug overdose of his son and he also preformed a seance with his dead son through an apostate preacher named Arthur Ford on television. The Masterprophet is like him? God help us please!!!

There's a second aspect of development of this personality. This is what the website says about Mar Elijah's duties:

"Mar Elijah flows with the wisdom and insight of the prophet Daniel, of whom the Bible says understood all the sciences. In their time and season, Moses and Joseph also understood the prophetic sciences of their day, enabling them to overcome their obstacles. The Neophytes under The Prophetic Order of Mar Elijah are trained not only to hear the voice of God and articulate it accurately, but are taught scientific ways of mind renewal and development using the Word of God and proven technique sciences."

Mar Elijah is like Daniel, he says that he was assigned to raise up 300 "neophytes" before the year 2000 as the "foundation stones", and the gifts he shares with the neophytes (foundation stones) is to teach them ways of "mind renewal and development using the Word of God and proven technique sciences." Just in case you couldn't get through the jargon this is called mind contol.

I thought,"a neophyte"??? This is the definition I find for that:

"A beginner; A novice (recent convert), a new convert or proselyte; A name given by the early Christians, and still given by the Roman Catholics, to those who have recently embraced the Christian faith, and been admitted to baptism, especially those converts from heathenism or Judaism; A plant"

The question is, does a neophyte (one who is a recent convert) really need to be involved in controlling the mind of others? In fact does the ministry at any level need to be involved in mind control techniques? I suppose you can answer those questions for yourselves...Or better yet let the word of God answer it for us:

2 Cor. 4:1-2~"1-Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2-But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God."

One thing is certain, God is not and will not use these mind control agents, and they render no glory to the Lord through their works.

Then there are others such as West African Prophet Thomas Manton IV who also Traffics Pornography Once again these are real lifes issues and noone is immune to problems, however one wonders is the PROFITIC ministry only a cover for many of these guys or what? Prophet Manton was so influential that leaders of countries were making decisions based on his word and in some cases having people executed. Here's what Bishop Mutthee had to say about seeking to get into this prophetic gift:

"According to Thomas Manton IV’s January 2004 prophecy, the Lord is turning our night into morning. Within days of the prophet prophesying a political leader would die, one suddenly died in a road accident. God has greatly used Prophet Thomas Manton IV in Kenya and many other nations. Things have actually happened as he declared they would! I believe this same prophetic anointing shall flow into you as you go through these prophetic revelations word-by-word!" ~Apostle Pastor Mutthee – Kenya

Then there's probably the grandmomma of them all...Juanita Bynum III. No wait it's only II for now...Act 3 is on the way! According to Gcmwatch.com, Juanita Bynum II is glad for the dollars and praises whosoever gives them even if their lifestyles aren't biblical. In this case she was more than happy to praise homosexuals for their support, calling them children of God, without hinting they they must repent, leave homosexuality and be saved. Juanita yet breathes out her false prophecies on her web radio network and website but don't expect to find insight on how to come out of sin and be free of false prophetic influences. That would be a prophetic violation.

In short there are 2 standards that I am interested in when it comes to the modern day prophet. 1- Are they biblically centered? and 2- Do they live what they teach? and I'll add a third, are they glorifying God or are they glorifying themselves? In short these guidelines should be good guidelines for any servant of God assessing the value of the ministry from which they partake, but especially that of the prophet. The weak and vunerable would do good to stay away from these wolves and those similar to these. They are popping up everywhere, saying promising words collecting money and leaving individuals broke and frustrated. Remember, they only have the power that you give them and their works will be judged.

We'll conclude with the words of the Apostle John regarding this issue:

1 John 4:1~"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

Blessed!