A month ago false prophet Shawn Bolz said that God said the caronavirus was at the end...sigh

::::::::

Shawn Bolz -- Shameless False Prophet Smearing Whitewash on COVID Prophecy

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God. Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, 'Peace,' when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, - Ezekiel 13:9-10 (ESV)

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/80430-shawn-bolz-prophesies-millions-won-t-die-from-covid-19-and-the-economy-will-surge

These times are difficult enough without having to deal with false prophets and teachers trying to profit from the coronavirus. We have already profiled Paula White asking for a 91-dollar seed to protect you based on Psalm 91 and billionaire huckster Kenneth Copeland demanding that you continue to tithe even if you lose your job due to the virus. Now we turn to Bethel's resident false prophet Shawn Bolz who makes his living by faking words of knowledge by using his smart phone. His schtick is rather clownish until we realize how many people follow Bethel and swear by this snake oil salesman. Let's start this story on February 28, 2020:

"Note: As of this publication, the coronavirus has reportedly infected over 82,000 people around the world and caused more than 2,800 deaths. In the midst of this global crisis, prophet Shawn Bolz sent Charisma News this prophetic word: The Lord showed me the end of the coronavirus. The tide is turning now! He is answering the prayers and cries of the nations and is putting an end in sight. The exaggerated fear-based tactics of the enemy and several media outlets for political reasons are coming to an end. The enemy has been trying to distract and steal from several equally important purposes and issues by dominating airwaves with conspiracy and fear. Even now, several vaccines are coming out, as well as a natural dying out of the virus itself. The Lord is saying, "I am removing the threat of this." Within a short amount of time, the extreme threat will feel as though it is in the distant past. "The very moment I call to you for a father's help, the tide of battle turns and my enemies flee. This one thing I know: God is on my side!" (Ps. 56:9, TPT)." -- Charisma News

So a month ago Bolz claims God told him that the coronavirus was nearing its end. He said that God said the tide was turning. He spoke for God and claimed the end was in sight. He further claimed that God told him that the media attention was merely exaggerated fear-based tactics. That it was all political. He flat out says here that God said He was removing the threat of this. Several vaccines were supposed to be coming out according to Bolz, via God allegedly. Within just a short amount of time, the extreme threat will feel as though it is in the distant past. That is quite a lot of claims he is made on behalf of God. Let's see how he did. As of this moment there are 400,964 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,501 deaths. That means since Shawn Bolz prophesied the end was in sight the confirmed cases rose by over 300,000 people and the confirmed deaths have also increased by over 17,000 people. This is what false prophets do. They promise things God never said. Read the key verses where God speaks against them. They prophesy peace when God has not said so. When the people are trying to build a wall or protect themselves from a pandemic, false prophets smear those efforts with whitewash -- claiming all is well on behalf of God when He has not spoken. A few weeks after the false prophecy, many correctly rebuked Shawn and instead of having an ounce of humility for how egregiously wrong he had spoken on behalf of the creator of the universe, he doubled down:

"Today our Bolz Ministries you tube was featured on several Cessationism sites and self proclaimed church cult watcher groups who are anti prophecy and anti charismatic. They have been bombarding with evil and comments. Pray for our team to have capacity to remove and ban the groups and if you are a fan of our youtube or want to be leave a good comment so that they aren't just looking at the evil ones. Good news is every time you take ground a religious spirit will rebel against you." -- Shawn Bolz

So let us clear away the silly straw man talking points. I am not anti-prophecy. I am anti false prophecy. I am very much against anyone who fears God so little that they think nothing of lying about things He has not said. I am also not anti-Charismatic. I am however anti-Charismaniacal. I am against people like Bolz who make a mockery of the charismata. Who think they can teach the gifts of the spirit when only the spirit determines who gets what gifts and when. I am also not cessationist. I am however against false churches like Bethel who abuse all of the gifts of the spirit. God does not disperse words of knowledge through your smart phone. Everyone cannot prophesy. Are you getting the point Shawn? YOU made a prophesy 25 days ago that has proved to be demonstrably false. You claimed God said things that He clearly did not say. Or are you calling God a liar? I think it is obvious that you are the liar Shawn. It is not a religious spirit that discerns these things because a child could see how false you are. The indwelt Holy Spirit leads us into all truth and you sir do not measure up.

Let us not overlook the platform. Charisma News and Stephen Strang are also to blame. They gave Bolz the platform to prophesy this falsely and now at the link above we see they are tripling down on this nonsense. Strang says:

"Shawn tells me on my podcast that the response to the story about him on Fox News has been incredible. He says it was Fox News' No. 2 story, with millions of people reading it. If nothing else, this shows that people are hungry for God, perhaps even more so now that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is wreaking havoc." -- Stephen Strang

The shamelessness knows no bounds. Because Fox News ran the original prophecy story, Bolz brags that millions of people read it. This of course does not show a hunger for God but rather a fear of the virus and a desperation for any good news about the future. Bolz was ready and willing to provide that ear scratching for his own personal gain. Realize that the millions of unsaved see that a month has gone by with the virus only gaining more steam and killing more people. This is what the bible means when it says that false prophets cause the unsaved to blaspheme the way of the truth. Nonetheless, Strang continues:

Shawn's prophecy had two major points, he says. The first is that the enemy will flee as the church rises up. God has called the church to respond to COVID-19, not sit back passively and merely let it happen. "God's going to turn the tide of this thing," he says. The second point of the word is that millions will not die from this. Fox News chose not to report on this, Shawn says, because their readers couldn't relate to that. "I prophesied that this will not become a pandemic with pandemonium and millions dying," he says. "They're going to say that millions will die, but millions won't die, especially in America." Shawn says that it's almost every day that major news sources cite a health professional who claims between 20 and 60 million people will die from this. Shawn says this will not happen." -- Stephen Strang

This is where the false prophet tries to rewrite history. On February 28 Shawn Bolz said nothing about the church having to rise up to cause the enemy to flee. He said God told him the virus was ending -- full stop. On February 28 Shawn Bolz said nothing about millions not dying. He is trying to move the goal posts now that his original prophecy has been proven to be bogus. Instead of "God said it is over" we are seeing Bolz claim God is saying millions will not die from it. He seems to try and blame Fox News but his original prophecy was on Charisma News and said nothing about this million person issue. Bolz is so confused by his own mendacity that he openly admits that he prophesied it would not become a pandemic but then he defines pandemic as mass pandemonium and millions dying. Unfortunately, that is not the definition. A pandemic simply means a disease that covers an entire country or the world. Under the correct definition, coronavirus is most assuredly a pandemic, making Shawn Bolz proven false on yet another claim. Then it appears he tries to get cute and claim that experts are saying 20-60 million people will die. I have not seen any such predictions. I think he may be referring to the estimates of how many will contract the virus. Notice of course that Strang never addresses the fact that this prophecy is already proven false! That is because Strang promotes anything that exalts the current administration and the NAR dominionism he idolizes:

"Instead of churches just putting information up online, God is going to move churches to actually engage, build community and foster connection online, Shawn says. Churches that only want to remain information-focused in the online space will eventually disappear. "It's a preparation for an entire revival that we would have all of our technology in order and the practice that we need because God's going to bring half of the revival--it's going to happen virtually," he says. "... And the second thing is that I believe right now there's about to be an economic upturn, not downturn. I believe the Lord showed me that Trump would win another term in office. "... I saw the financial condition of our economy. And in the second or third--by the end of the second year and beginning of the third year of his next four years in office, we're going to hit one of the greatest times, if not the greatest time, of economic stability in our history. That's setting us up for the next 20 years." I'm so grateful for people like Shawn who are standing up and speaking prophecy despite the media's contrary narrative. I only hope that the church will choose to heed these prophets instead of the media." -- Stephen Strang

So according to Strang via Bolz, the church is going to engage the community yet the church that Shawn attends has canceled their healing rooms and every other in person activity. Here is the official Bethel position on the virus, from seven days ago:

"March 17, 2020 Update: Bethel Church is adjusting its schedule and ministry activities to encourage continued health in the North State. As of Monday, March 16, 2020, all ministry gatherings and weekend services at Bethel campuses are postponed until further notice. Instead, Bethel will offer several online opportunities for members, attenders, and students to be a part of, including church online at www.bethel.tv streaming at 8:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 1:00 PM, & 6:00 PM PDT on Sundays moving forward. Changes to Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry: Bethel's ministry school (BSSM) has decided to transition fully to online school sessions to continue to foster safety and health in the community. All in-person classes and gatherings at all campuses are postponed until further notice. Changes to Bethel's Preschool & Elementary School: Bethel Christian School (Preschool-8th Grade) is transitioning all students to independent home study until further notice, with lesson plans being sent home and teachers available via email. The school office will remain open from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM PDT Mondays through Fridays to resource both teachers and parents during this time." -- Bethel Church Press Release

Gee, I guess Bethel is just going to disappear. Strang and Bolz bring this false parade of garbage home by dragging politics into it. Suddenly the virus is not going to cripple the economy! No no! In fact, it will somehow assure a second term for President Trump! What dominionist nonsense. Why in the world would anyone heed the false prophecy of Shawn Bolz? Not only that but ignore the media in doing so. This is a dangerous dangerous false teaching beloved. Do not ignore the medical experts. Do not ignore what is all around you in favor of some charlatan who has already been disproven! Shawn Bolz is as false a false prophet as there is today. He spends his days lying about what God has said and when caught, smearing whitewash all over his falseness hoping no one will realize that he is espousing false visions and false divinations. Thankfully the key verses assure us that the Lord's hand will be against them and we will know that He is the Lord God.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- March 24, 2020

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.