I want to bring a brief but important message on false prophets. We will look at three portions of Scripture, showing how they are to be treated, avoided, and how God cleanses us from them, even if they are our own family and extremely dear to us.

First, false prophets are to be put to death. In the New Testament, we don’t stone them, but we shun them utterly. If anything they promise doesn’t happen, then they are to be disregarded! “You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a message the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the Lord’s name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the Lord has not spoken [Deut 18:21-22].”

You cannot come into God’s house and tell 100 people, “God will prosper you. I see success and miracle money. I promise you healing!” If even one person doesn’t receive what you’ve said, then you’ve lied on God and do not speak for Him. The miracles in Scripture were never subject to faith. When promised, they are going to happen, even if faith must be given [See Israel in the wilderness, Zacharia made mute, the man Elisha prophesied would not enjoy the miracle though it would happen]! The Lord has never broken a promise. He promised the elect salvation and unsearchable riches in Christ, and He fulfills it, even now, day after day, as sinners are brought to Christ from every language. “And the Gentiles hearing it were rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed [Acts 13:48].”

The false prophet performs fake miracles. Nothing is real, like straightening a crooked leg. One false prophet, Todd White, has YouTube videos where he “makes a leg grow” an inch. It is a cheap trick! When did God send prophets to lengthen people’s leg an inch? Todd simply turns the other foot until the heels match. He’s a deceiver.

God says, “The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him [Deut 18:22].” Do not fear these charlatans who say, “The Lord has said,” when He has not said. Nigeria has more Prosperity Preachers than anywhere on the planet, promising money, but the nation has gotten POORER since they began deceiving. The naira has plummeted, corruption has increased, and a prosperous nation has diminished, except for the false prophets fattening their bellies and pampering their children on the backs of oppressed people. They should be stoned, which means acknowledged as false and totally disregarded, not esteemed, praised, or feared. They can do nothing but tremble at God’s word, as their lies are exposed. They have no power.

Secondly, even if a man could do miracles, if he’s not preaching sovereign grace, then disregard him. God says, “If a prophet or someone who has dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he says, ‘Let us follow other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us worship them,’ do not listen to that prophet’s words or to that dreamer. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul… That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has urged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slaver, to turn you from the way of the Lord your God has commanded you to walk. You must purge the evil from you [Deut 13:1-10].”

We are NOT to listen to Prosperity Preachers, because they preach a lie! Benny Hinn has said himself that he’s preached a false message, and God doesn’t work by buying or paying for miracles. Who ever paid for a miracle in the word of God? What prophet or Apostle ever charged people for anything? No, Paul says they are, “People whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain. From such people withdraw yourself [1 Tim 6:5].”

We are not to heed anyone who says, “Give me money, and God will bless you,” even if he could perform the miracle, because God has said that godliness is not a means to financial gain: It doesn’t promise you riches because you pay a tithe and live holy. You may be poor like Paul, who simply gave his life to the gospel, and like the many who lost everything for following Christ [Heb 10:32-34]. You may be like the slave in submission to his master, whom Paul never promised freedom [1 Tim 6:1-2]. Godliness with contentment is great gain, and anyone promising you anything else, “Give me money, and God will heal you. Pay me, and He’ll bless your business, etc,” is a false prophet, even if he could speak in tongues. I know no one can. I know no one speaks in languages they’ve never learned, which are understood as people’s birth language [see Acts 2:5-11]. I know the miracle is gone, and the sign gifts are absent, no longer needed, but even if Satan brought them back and God gave him permission, he still would not be preaching sovereign grace. He wouldn’t preach election unto salvation, justification by faith, and faith unto holiness. His prosperity preachers are liars with no miracles, no holiness, and no gospel. They have no authentic fresh revelation from God. They can prophesy nothing. They preach a lie, and God has NEVER worked by them.

I’m glad to hear Benny Hinn repent of prosperity preaching. We’ll see if he repents of sin and preaches the true message, like his nephew Costi, who left the clown show for the true gospel and joined up with God’s people. (See Costin Hinn’s book, "God, Greed and the (Prosperity) Gospel; How Truth Overwhelms A Life Built on Lies”.) I will not follow any man preaching prosperity, even if he could rain gold down from heaven.

Thirdly, and most importantly, God will deliver elect sinners from the snare of bondage. He will open our eyes and give us utter hatred for heresy. We will side with truth. He says, “On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity [Zech 13:1].” God will forgive our sins and uncleanness! The blood of Christ will pardon our rebellion and ignorance, and the Spirit makes us new creations. He gives us enlightenment and understanding.

Here is the result:

1. “I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land [vs2].” God will cause us to see they’ve lied to us, and instead of following the multitude to do wickedness, we’ll stand with two or three, and we’ll look for people who know Christ. Compromise will be over, and their spell will be broken. As one man told his wife, “You can go to hell by yourself, but I’m not going with you.”

2. “If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him: ‘You cannot remain alive because you have spoken falsely in the name of Yahweh. When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through [vs3].” Again, we don’t kill false prophets physically in the new covenant, but we avoid them, mark them, and have nothing to do with them. We preach against their lies and dishonor their ministries to their face. We pay them no homage, no fear, and we do not even wish them godspeed as they run to do evil [2 John 10-11]. Our Lord said that we hate our father, mother, sister, brother, and own life to be His disciple, and this holds true: It doesn’t matter who the false prophet is - no matter how much I esteemed him, loved him, or supported him… it doesn’t matter if he’s my father, sister, son, or brother - if he’s not preaching sovereign grace or lying on God with phony miracles, then I will not support him, promote him, or even pretend that he is faithful.

3. “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive [vs4].” God’s power is SO STRONG that false prophets like Costi Hinn, prosperity preachers like Elly Achok Olare (see his article, “A Charismatic Preacher Who Needed to be Saved” https://tinyurl.com/yyatsfoq), and wicked sinners like myself who preached legalism instead of Christ, will turn from their ungodliness and admit openly, “I’ve been wrong!” I didn’t just fine tune my doctrine: I went from not knowing God to knowing Him… from preaching lies to truth… and from deceiving sinners - no matter how sincere I was - to helping them into the kingdom. God’s change is radical, and He will perform it.

Brothers, you have been warned! Discern for yourselves these false prophets and stop sending them your money. Quit the silence under their ministries. Join up with God’s people, and stop being afraid of a useless prophet who can do you no good. He is a soul destroyer whose ministry is contemptible. He is to be avoided, not esteemed, challenged openly from Scripture, and never pampered as God’s man. Get rid of their books. They had a book burning at Ephesus [Acts 19]. Get on God’s side, squarely, 100%

I know it is hard to give up the lies and admit you’ve been deceived, but examine their miracles, comparing them to Scripture. What can they do that the Prophets and Apostles did years ago? They don’t speak in tongues. They don’t give sight to anyone born blind. They can’t part the Red Sea, walk on water, or call fire down from heaven. Their miracles are psychosomatic - things that can’t be seen. Their followers are not healed miraculously and instantaneously. Crooked legs, twisted and mangled, are not suddenly made straight. It doesn’t happen. They wear a cloak to deceive. They use fair words and fancy speeches to deceive the simple. They promise money and get rich off the people. They are con artists, self-deceived, and some sincere but damnably wrong. They will not profit you at all.

“I am against those who prophesy false dreams,’ says the Lord, ‘telling them and leading My people astray with their falsehoods and their boasting. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people,’ says the Lord [Jer 23:32].”