Ministry of Hope

Character of the New Prophecy

Following is a very typical example of the new prophecies that are coming out of the new movement. Take note of the general tone:

"Change...change...change! Your ways are old ways, your thoughts are old thoughts, your prayers are old prayers, your cries are old cries, your worship is old worship, your way of doing church is an old way of doing

church. ...Let Me change you

church. ...Let Me change you...let Me change you inside and out. Let go of yourself! Let me have you! I don't want a little bit at a time, I want all of you, NOW! Desire change! Desire it because it is what I am doing in you! Hunger and thirst for my changing in you. You must change! I cannot equip you unless you change."

(Barry C. Linville, the 'New Wine 'Vineyard Bulletin Board)

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. Ps 23:1-3

...with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord ...is patient... 2Pet 3:8-9

Do not associate with those who are given to change... Pr 24:21

For I, the LORD, do not change... Mal 3:6

...the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. Jms 1:17

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever... Heb 13:8-9

Forever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven. Ps 119:89

The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation... Ps 33:11

The word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the word which was preached to you. 1Pet 1:24-25

As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 1Jn 2:24

Perhaps you have already read some of the new prophecies without even realizing it, like in Rick Joyner's popular book, ''The Final Quest.'' If so, I would encourage you to take a second, hard look at them.

The prophecies written by these new prophets are unlike the Bible. They are titillating- extremely persuasive, sensual, and seductive in nature,

The prophecies, unlike God's word, are filled with contradictions. The personal thoughts of each of the 'prophets' are easy to discern and each of them are developing their own followings, as people pick and choose which prophets they prefer - this is completely subjective!

The prophecies do, however, contain consistencies and a unified overall message which I'd like to point out.

Secretive.

The prophecies are secretive and vague, in contrast to the Bible's openness and forthrightness. The speaker hints at his plans in figurative language but does not openly disclose them. When one examines them carefully, these hints are often worded in such a way that they could actually mean the very opposite of what you would first assume.

For example, let's look at a prophecy given by Cindy Jacobs to Europe, called ''One More Chance'':

And the Lord would say I'm renewing ancient covenants. I'm calling together ancient kingdoms. I'm the ancient of days. I'm doing a new thing in Europe... I'm calling back to ancient times when I stirred my people to take Jerusalem I'm calling out my warriors and my war horses forth.

Think carefully about this prophecy.

Who was ''stirred to take Jerusalem''? This could speak of the Roman destruction in A.D. 70, or the Roman Catholic crusades.

As we have seen, Roman Catholicism is making a strong bid to become the global 'church' once again.

Do you say, 'but he says he's the Lord, the ancient of days!' Don't you know ''the devil... is a liar, and the father of lies'' (Jn 8:44) ? Furthermore, he can legitimately call himself the ''God'' or lord - of this world (2Cor 4:4, 1Jn 5:19). Gnostic symbolism.

The prophecies contain the marks of gnosticism- a secretive, highly symbolic mysticism where one works to 'attain to' a 'higher wisdom.' Gnostic symbols well-known since ancient times are used, such as Rick Joyner's allegorical ''mountain'' which he had to climb to attain to 'higher spiritual levels' of the 'revelation of God.'

Clues.

The Holy Spirit constantly speaks on His own initiative, portraying Himself as wine, and saying He longs to make us ''drunk'' with Himself.

Statements that sound like Bible verses are made but when you look them up, you find they've been cleverly misquoted or misapplied. God does not misuse His own word.

Satan, however, has been known to misuse God's word to tempt (Mt 4:6).

In a prophecy titled ''Behold I am Doing a New Thing,'' Marc Dupont has God saying,

''Go I say, go! Go to the upper rooms and the roof tops. Go to the high places with a view. Go and seek me.''

God has no need for his people to go up to high places to seek Him! Jesus made it clear that a person's physical location has nothing to do with his worship of God; ''the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth,'' (Jn 4:21-23)

In the Bible, the 'high places' were places of demon worship (Num 33:52; Num 22:41; 1 Kings 14:23-24; 1KI 13:33-34; Jer 32:35; Ps 78:58-59).

Jesus was taken by the devil to the pinnacle of the temple and to a very high mountain, to be tempted (Mt 4:1,8).

In Carol Arnott's 'Sword' prophecy, 'God' says he needs to ''chasten, but not with anger... I am a God full of mercy but I am serious as the time is short.''

Time is never short with God, He is in absolute, sovereign control of the timing of all things! And, He is patient beyond our understanding; ''with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,'' (2Pet 3:8). Time simply is not an issue for God.

But, time is short for someone else: ''Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.'' (Rev 12:12).

In Marc Dupont's ''New Thing'' prophecy, God says,

''Do not doubt My love for you. Neither doubt My love for the lost and the hurting. And neither doubt that I am who I say I am.''

The believer is warned not to question or doubt it is really God speaking, whereas the Bible commands us to ''test the spirits,'' 1Jn 4:1. This demand should actually fill us with doubt!

The believer's relationship to Jesus is symbolized in these prophecies as a sexual relationship, to the point where it is just lewd. Jesus wants to ''have a love affair'' with you. He is a seducer instead of Lord and God. The Jesus of the scriptures does not seduce. We do, however, read of seduction in connection with demons and also false prophets (1Tim 4:1, KJV; Dt 13:5).

Carol Arnott (Airport Church Toronto) claims God Himself was speaking through her when she said,

''The ways you have been using My weapons, the methods that you have been using in the past, you are to throw them away because I am giving you My sword now [sic.] and the old ways of doing things will not do. The old methods will not be acceptable to Me anymore because I am doing a new thing.''

The old weapons God gave us are ''the full armor of God, that we may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm'' (Eph 6:13-18). But now, we no longer need to ''gird our loins with truth,'' put on the ''breastplate of righteousness,'' or ''shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel'' because God is ''doing a New Thing''? ''The shield of faith'' and ''the helmet of salvation'' ''will no longer do''?

We are to throw away the ''old'' sword - ''the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God''?

We come again to the crux of the matter! Don't doubt it- this is what it's all about. The spirit of this movement desperately wants to separate us from the word of God!

No, we will not throw away what God has told us to hold fast, even if ''an angel from heaven should preach'' that we should (Gal 1:8).

Urgency.

Manipulation.

Fear, guilt, and flattery (Ro 16:18, 1Th 2:5, Jude 16) are used to pressure, coerce, and manipulate.

The grace and loving patience of God that the Bible communicates is absent.

The church and the people of God are described again and again as ''filthy'' when God's word declares us as cleansed in Christ (Eph 5:26).

Sensual hints of promises are implied as rewards for obeying demands that go against God's instructions to us in His written word.

Rewards alluringly offered to those who will obey the prophecy usually do not even have any definite meaning, like, ''you will know me in a way you have never known before.'' If that doesn't happen, who are you going to sue and what charges would you be able to bring? Can't you hear a certain someone laughing in derision at your easily bought compliance on that day?

Often times things are promised as rewards that the Bible says we already possess as believers, like, ''I will clothe you in pure garments.'' Gal 3:27 says, ''For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.'' This is kind of like someone stealing your wallet then offering your own money back to you to do their dirty work.

Other times they tempt us to be unfaithful to our God, like, ''Be hungry for Me and the food I have prepared for you.'' In Jn 6:35, ''Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.'''

And, finally, they feed sinful desires to have secret knowledge and significance above others, like, those who ''follow Me into the deeper things... shall see My glory visited upon them.'' Gal 6:3 warns us, ''if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.''

Accusation.

Take, for example, these words in a prophecy called ''Repent!'' by Doug Fortune:

''O, that you would acknowledge your fallen condition before Me... O, that you would cry out for My mercy! For I desire to pour out My mercy upon you, but to a people that are unrepentant and satisfied in their religion I will not bring mercy, but judgment. Repent, My people, and turn.''

The god of this prophecy clearly talks to ''My people'' yet they are presented as in a fallen condition, unworthy of His mercy, and in danger of judgment. Jesus said, ''Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.'' Jn 5:24.

''There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,'' Ro 8:1.

God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus... Eph 2:4-6

...in Him you have been made complete. Col 2:10

And, what must they 'repent' of? Being 'satisfied in their religion? What is this vague accusation supposed to mean? Being satisfied with the word of God, perhaps?

The one who accuses us of being unclean and unacceptable is a thief who is trying to rob us of what Christ has already given to us, and ''the thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy'' Jn 10:10.

Compare to the voice of the Scriptures.

Notice the general tone of the scriptures, the loving-kindness, forgiveness and gentleness of our God, and notice that He always speaks of our cleansing and fullness in Christ in past tense- it has happened. It is a present reality.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world... to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. Eph 1:3-8

• The god of these prophecies has a plan but he cannot accomplish it without our efforts.

• He is not all-powerful. He is not in control. He is working hard with promises and threats because he has to convince us to do what he wants done; he cannot do it himself.

• This can flatter a believer into a false sense of importance; ''God needs me!'' but the God of the Bible is not like this.

Sounds familiar ?

He is absolutely sovereign and omnipotent:

Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Ps 115:2

...neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything... Acts 17:25

For the LORD Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth... God is the King of all the earth ...God reigns over the nations... Ps 47:6,7

And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, `What hast Thou done?' Dan 4:35

Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Ps 46:10

 A Gospel of Works.

• Not by our works. Through guilt, condemnation, and accusation, these prophecies seek to mislead us into a gospel of works instead.

Scriptures and concepts from the New Testament epistles are remarkably absent from these prophets' messages. Their message is law, not grace.

• They would like to have the authority of the Old Testament prophets (without the accountability to be 100% accurate) and to put the rest of us back under law.

• They have forsaken the New Testament message of salvation and righteousness through faith, and turned to a system of law and works.

Not compatible.

These prophecies are incompatible with the Bible.

They cannot both be true- a choice must be made.

What fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Cor 6:14

Make no mistake, though - there is enough truth mixed in with the error in these prophecies to confuse any person who does not know their Bible well, and the words are skillfully woven together. I personally do not encourage any Christian to read them, the possibility for deception is too great.

 Why are we Dissatisfied?

Could it be that deep down we crave the forbidden things of self. The enemy of our souls knows the flesh and will try to find ways to trigger the rebellion into Gods very elect, in a way that Gods people will not notice, because it will be done in the name of Jesus, never the less in the name of Jesus or not, we will be lead asray through vain unbiblical promises, the promise of posessions, wealth, power, devine health, position (higher higher higher, the next level, victory around the corner, exitement, shouting, laughing, miracles, signs, wonders, experiences.

Every religion on Earth can offer you these shallow promises. Go to "New Age "and you are in for the experience. All these for the "godly consumers", for self, from one thing into the other, thinking that we are spiritually growing, not realizing that the good works we are destined to have will never come to completion.

For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD; Who say... ''You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.'' Isa 30:9-11

• Is it possible we want new prophecy because we do not want to accept what the Bible says as the final word?

• Are we tired of being rejected by this world system? (Jn 15:18-20).

• Do we want to hear a message of earthly popularity, prosperity, power, glory, and influence? (Dt 28:13).

• Do we want to hear that the world is going to fall at our feet and acclaim us rather than ''If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you'' (Jn 15:19) ?

• Do we want to have our ''ears tickled... in accordance to our own desires''? (2 Tim 4:3-4).

• We say ''we don't want to put God in a box,'' but don't we really mean that WE don't want to be put in a box by God- that box being the authority, limitations and final word of the scriptures?