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August 24, 2018

Shredding Yet Another Defense of the False Prophetic

By Anthony Wade

Debunking the latest claims of "new testament prophets."

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Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. -- 1Corinthians 14:1-3 (ESV)

https://www.charismamag.com/spirit/church-ministry/38052-7-sure-signs-of-a-genuine-new-covenant-prophet

Ron Cantor lists himself as an Israeli Evangelist, a noble undertaking. A week ago on Charisma News however he penned the above linked article regarding "new covenant prophets." This is apparently part two of a longer piece but the reference to new covenant prophets alone gave me pause to read it and respond to the confusion he is sowing. There are no "new covenant prophets." You are either a prophet or you or not. Since the bible represents the final revealed will of God the modern day prophet receives revelation regarding scripture that he shares to edify the body. The notion that God forgot something when He ensured the production of His bible and now He is telling Ron Cantor to tell us is biblically absurd. In the wacky world of Charismania, everyone fancies himself a prophet. They are constantly at odds with other prophets as they rush to predict things God never told them and practice divination and clairvoyance. Let us reason once more beloved through this article and really hear what sayeth the Lord.

"But What About False Prophets in the New Covenant? The phrase "false prophet" is used 11 times in the New Testament, and it never refers to a believer. There is the false prophet of the antichrist and Bar Jesus of Acts 13, "a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!" and he was "seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith." (v. 8, ESV). The other references refer to false messiahs and deceivers of the truth. Never, not once, is a child of God referred to as a false prophet--and yet, we know that every believer was encouraged to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1). So, if one claims that someone who makes a mistake in prophecy is a false prophet, they are claiming that he is an unbeliever, presently and always, in line with the devil, seeking to deceive the body--despite repentance, loving Yeshua and bearing fruit for the kingdom--which is absurd." -- Ron Cantor

Not quite. What is absurd is assuming everyone who sits in a church is saved. False prophets are not saved and thus those that prophesy falsely, repeatedly, are likely unsaved as well. If they are lying on behalf of God I would wager they have no real fruit to speak of. You see Ron does not realize that he has bought into an apostate system. So let's take a known false prophet such as Jennifer Leclaire. When someone with discernment looks at Jennifer they can see the falseness oozing out of everything she does. From pretending she can release angels of abundant harvests to seeing imaginary sneaky squid spirits. We can see her motivation for greedy gain in her making merchandise of the sheep of the Lord, pretending she can teach a gift of the Spirit or make you a "seer." When someone like Ron Cantor looks at Jennifer however he sees a colleague. A former editor of Charisma News who has multiple ministries and of course "loves the Lord." He cannot see how all of her ministry efforts are not for the Lord at all.

"Furthermore, we must ask ourselves: are prophecy and prophets exactly the same under the New Covenant as the Old Covenant? If so, should one who prophesies presumptuously be put to death? (Duet. 18:20). If that is our conclusion, then a host of others should be killed. But there is a clear difference." -- Ron Cantor

Clever but transparent. The admonition for slaying false prophets was part of the organized law that governed Israel. We are not Israel and outside of the moral law, Christ nailed the law to the cross. What does not change however is the principle that people who claim to be speaking for the Lord better not be lying. It matters not if those lies are told to oneself. The truth is even the well-intended false prophets of today simply have no fear of God.

"Every Believer Should Seek to Prophesy. In the Old Covenant, God spoke almost exclusively through prophets. In the New Covenant, every believer is encouraged to seek to prophesy: "Follow after love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification and exhortation and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:1, 3)

The Greek word translated eagerly desire is zeloo--where we get our word zeal. It is an onomatopoetic word, meaning it sounds like itself (like buzz) and it sounds in Greek like "boiling water". In other words, we are to be boiling over with zeal for the gifts of the Spirit (as we "follow the way of love"). It should be something we pray for every day." -- Ron Cantor

Every believer is encouraged to desire prophecy, not seek it. A subtle difference that is important. We should pray God uses us and empowers us but the bible makes clear that only the Holy Spirit decides who gets what gifts and when and that no one possesses all the gifts. Thus not everyone can or will prophesy. Paul also provides the reason why we should desire prophesy over tongues and that is because prophecy edifies the body of Christ. False prophecy however does not edify the body of Christ at all! In fact it has the opposite effect. It sows doubt in the hearts of believers. This is why the principle of accuracy remains.

"Now, if someone who makes a mistake in prophecy is then cut off from the Lord and deserving of death, why, then, is the apostle seeking to put the everyday believer in such a precarious and perilous position by encouraging him or her to seek to prophesy? And, yet, we know that under the New Covenant, it is not just prophets who prophesy, but every believer can do so. That is Peter's meaning in quoting Joel in Acts 2--that God's Spirit is not just for prophets, but all flesh, meaning, any believer who is hungry." -- Ron Cantor

This is a really evil twisting of what Paul is saying. Paul is speaking about orderly church service and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He encourages people to desire prophecy as a gift, which really is encouraging them to desire gifts that serve others as opposed to tongues. He is not suggesting that they go into a Zen state of meditation and wait for the first thing that pops into their heart and assume it is from God. That is what Ron Cantor and the new covenant prophets think prophesy is. So they cannot fathom what Paul is saying. By desiring the gift of prophecy and being granted such by the Spirit, there would be zero chance of being wrong. The spirit does not stutter nor make mistakes. If you are "not sure" you have heard from God -- assume you have not.

"Prophecy is an objective word from heaven, but it is highly filtered through the subjective lens of the human vessel--through our emotions, our intellect, our theology and even our wounds and presumptions. Paul said, "We see as through a glass dimly" and "We know in part, and we prophesy in part." (1 Cor. 13: 12a, 9) Paul also says, "If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith." (Romans 12:6) So, there must be the possibility of prophesying beyond your faith or presumptuously, as in Deuteronomy. In such cases, leaders should deal with that, but with the goal of restoration, not repudiation." -- Ron Cantor

Then why do we have no record of Elijah missing one? Why is there no time recorded that Elisha misheard God? This rationale is utter nonsense. His notion of restoration not repudiation is equally unbiblical. Realize that the acceptable accuracy rate set by the Kansas City prophets is 65%. They believe you are a solid prophet if 35% of the time you lied about what God said. Think of it as 35 out of 100 prophecies are false yet Ron Cantor sees no reason to repudiate them at all. Is there any concern whatsoever for the people who received the false word 35 times?

"Paul says, "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies. Examine all things. Firmly hold onto what is good" (1 Thess. 5:19-21) What about that which is not good--or bad--and the people who falsely or presumptuously prophesied? Did they kill them? Did they label them permanently as false prophets, excommunicating them from the body of believers? It seems not." -- Ron Cantor

This is the same poor hermeneutical strategy people used to try and pretend God has no issue with female pastors. You ignore directive scriptures in favor of making cultural assumptions from historical narratives. It seems not? That is untrue. The bible gives no indication either way. Do you think Paul would allow someone who was misrepresenting God to stay in fellowship? Either way it matters not because of the plethora of New Testament scriptures that deal directly with false prophets and teachers. They are referred to as wolves beloved. Not sheep that just need to be restored.

"Something Has Changed. The argument is very simple. Michael Brown has a chapter in his 2018 book Playing With Holy Fire: A Wake-Up Call to the Pentecostal-Charismatic Church on the problems and pitfalls of prophecy. He simply says that the standards of 1 Corinthians 14 show that other prophets and leaders weigh prophecy in the New Covenant, and there is no hint that there is a penalty for making a mistake. Obviously, something has changed. It is simply to note that the consensus of the charismatic and Pentecostal world (and its scholarship) is that New Covenant prophecy does not function in the same way as the Mosaic covenant standards. It is that all might learn to hear from God and that leaders would be responsible to confirm (or not).Because they did not have the Scriptures in the way that we do today, the word of the prophet was much weightier. A missed word could be the difference between life and death. With the New Covenant and the deeper revelation of Yeshua and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are less dependent on prophets today--though they are needed--and more dependent on hearing God through His word and in personal time in prayer." -- Ron Cantor

The assumptions and conclusion are always in favor of their presuppositions. Dr. Brown is completely compromised in the area of Charismania. There is nothing or no one he will speak against. He supports the sneaky squid spirit of Jennifer Leclaire for heaven's sake! He takes an unbiased fact that 1Corinthians 14 does not indicate a penalty for false prophesy and concludes that it means there is none? It does not indicate one way or the other so Brown's conclusion is that something has changed after thousands of years of biblical accuracy. Something has changed all right. The Charismaniacal world has simply stopped following the bible. Cantor is right that the new breed does not think prophecy follows any of the norms set up in the Old Testament. That is the heart of the problem because the bible gives no indication that should be done.

"Need for Accountability. Indeed, there are many self-proclaimed prophets who do damage and take advantage of the Lord's people. There is a horrible lack of accountability when it comes to public prophecy. We must do better! Please do not take this writing as an excuse for the plethora of silliness that is out there when it comes to prophecy and prophets. But we cannot throw out the baby with the bathwater (or drown him for being a false prophet). So, are we going to take the position that anyone who is not 100 percent accurate is a false prophet? Or can one make a mistake, repent and ask God for forgiveness, and seek to grow? Does not God forgive such things? Or, are we then disqualified for life? We are for mercy, but that should not be interpreted as taking prophecy light. It is no small thing to declare that you are speaking for the Lord. And one who does so presumptuously in public should submit to discipline by other leaders." -- Ron Cantor

Too late Ron. I take this as a defense for the silliness because you cannot see how you are part of it. I am not trying to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I am just trying to get the sharks out of the tub. This is the point that Ron keeps missing. WE are not setting the 100% accuracy standard -- God did! More disturbing is the constant mixing of the gift of prophecy with someone who is claiming the office of the prophet. If someone proclaims a prophecy and is wrong of course they can repent! The sobering notion that they lied on behalf of God I pray leads to a serious repentance. That of course ends their prophecy career. That is the fruit in keeping with their repentance. To Ron they should get back on the horse and try again. This is not a joke beloved. Real people have their lives ruined every single day by phonies and snake oil salesmen casting themselves as men of God.

"Tone it Down. One thing we can do is tone down our proclamations. We rarely, if ever, say, "The Lord told me...," but use language like, "I sense that God might be saying...," "The Holy Spirit bore witness with my spirit," or, "I felt led of the Spirit." Making proclamations such as "Thus says the Lord..." places one in a precarious position and will rightly invite rebuke if you are wrong. It is always better to tone down the way in which we deliver prophetic words.

Accept for the account of Agabus in Acts 21, we do not see New Testament prophets saying "This is what the Lord says..." Rather, James' tone, and he was the most senior apostle, is more low key in Acts 15 when he says, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28a)." -- Ron Cantor

Yes, the real problem with false prophecy is how it is packaged and marketed. Ugh, can we get anymore carnal? If someone ever said to me "I think the Lord is telling me this" I would tell him to keep it to himself until he is sure. It is important to not miss the dynamics of what is going on. The new breed is taught a version of contemplative prayer to lose oneself and listen for the "still small voice." The first thing that pops into the head is deemed a prophecy from God when all it is in reality is backwash from their wickedly deceitful hearts. I kid you not. I saw a video from Bethel where worship leaders were taught this technique because Bethel believes all worship leaders are prophetic.

"Function of the New Testament Prophet. A prophet can know things by the Spirit (Peter knowing that Ananias and Sapphira lied (Acts 5)). He can sense one's calling by the Spirit (Ananias to Paul, Acts 9; prophets to Barnabas and Saul, Acts 13:1). Strengthen the body (Silas and Judas, Acts 15, Eph. 4). Proclaim the word of God in power (many examples such as Acts 2, 10). Predict the future (Paul predicts that the false prophet Bar Jesus will be blind, Acts 13, or Agabus predicts a famine, Acts 11:28). Proclaim judgment on a believer or unbeliever (with Ananias and Sapphira , Acts 5 and Bar Jesus, Acts 13). Weigh the prophetic words of other prophets and non-prophets (Acts 14)." -- Ron Cantor

I am not going to get into the nitpicky here because some of this is true. Prophets and prophecy can certainly strengthen the body if God actually said what the message is. If prophecy is righty focused on and grounded in the Word then certainly they can proclaim it with great power. I want to briefly comment on the prediction business because that is largely what new breed prophets do. First, here is the story of Bar-Jesus:

But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. -- Acts 13:9-11 (ESV)

Paul did not predict the future by stating the present fact that God was going to take his eyesight. The painfully ironic thing here is that Bar-Jesus was punished as so because he was a false prophet! He was not restored to the office of false prophet. He was repudiated harshly. Cantor finishes:

"Final Word. False prophets go to hell or, at least, invite "swift destruction upon themselves" (2 Peter 2:1c). They do not go around the world preaching the gospel and loving Yeshua. False prophets lead people away from Yeshua, as do false teachers. Just as a teacher's doctrine can change over time, and he can make mistakes in his exegesis and hermeneutics, so, too, can a believer make a mistake in prophecy, repent and be restored. There can be no question that the New Covenant brings a higher level of mercy in regards to mistakes in prophecy and that believers are never referred to as false prophets." -- Ron Cantor

Wow. Cantor actually has the nerve to make equivalent hearing from the Lord and a teacher's doctrine. While he is right that our doctrine may change he is dead wrong in saying God will change. One can make mistakes in exegesis or hermeneutics but claiming God said something He never said? That is not the same thing. Cantor tries to finish with the same false foundation he laid at the start. To him it is simple. If he determines that you truly love the Lord then you cannot be called a false prophet because you are a believer. To me if you continually lie about what the Creator of the universe has or has not said? I would never refer to you as a believer at all.

Reverend Anthony Wade -August 24, 2018



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.

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