Pentecostal ministers caught out faking word of knowledge prophecy & healing
Lying and charlatanism is all too common in the church today. The most frustrating thing is the way the charlatans are allowed to continue unrebuked or undisciplined. More grief is given to watchmen like me for warning about the wolves, than is given to the wolves themselves! It seems the ‘church’ charlatans, apostates, heretics - that is the wolves - really can do anything, and still we should be silent and not warn people, far less correct, rebuke or discipline the wolf. Even the more enlightened ones, who see the wolves for what they actually, still will not stir - except to stir to shout the watchmen down for being ‘unloving’, ‘divisive’ or ‘judgmental’. It is absolutely ridiculous (not to mention contradictory and hypocritical, for if it is wrong to judge and correct, or to ‘touch’ God’s anointed, how come they judge, correct and touch God’s anointed, the watchmen?)!
Lou Engle recently went way too far - he said the church should kill people- http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/lou-engle-of-the-call-calls-for-war/ - and yet a poster commentating on this site is ‘grieved’ not by Engle’s militancy but by me for quote: ‘public mockery’. Sadly there was nothing mocking in that article - the antichrist rising is DEADLY serious and a call to persecution of true Bible-believers is no laughing matter. Then we have Gretta Vosper, a reverend with the United Church in Canada, who preaches a gospel of love without the cross or Christ, http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/the-gospel-of-love-without-the-cross-or-jesus/ yet her superior says: ‘it is not his job to condemn’ (and by that, meaning not condemining the person but the teaching by speaking out or doing anything about it like sacking the woman). The mind boggles, it really does, at this sort of mentality. It is far from biblical, for the Bible urges us to speak up and vigorously contend publically with false prophets and teachers.
Anyway, here is some of the fakes and charlatans’ Hall of Fame -
Lucy Rael, one of the new mystic crowd linked to John Crowder, Todd Bentley etc was caught out faking ‘angel’ feathers in a meeting, and was also caught out faking words of knowledge too (and probably her stigmata) http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/new-mystic-stigmatic-lucy-rael-caught-faking-angel-feathers-word-of-knowledge/
Glenn Smith of Shem Ministries was caught out planting gemstones in a meeting. http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/gemstones-fraud-glenn-smith-caught-redhanded/
Silvania Machado of the gold dust fame was caught out placing gold glitter in her hair. (see above article)
Benny Hinn has been caught out repeatedly lying, including notably lying about a person raised from the dead who wasn’t, and a hospital ward that was healed that was not.
Todd Bentley faking words of knowledge: http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/todd-bentley-prophesying-bad-cold-reading/
Marjoe Goertner (famous between the 1950s and 1970s) - the one differance with all the other people I mention is that he came clean in a book and documentary, and confessed that his pentecostal crusades were all stage managed for money. He never really believed in God, he says, and was leading a sexually immoral lifestyle, smoking and drinking doing all the things he preached against. http://youtube.com/watch?v=6O0p4ZDnDoQ and http://youtube.com/watch?v=p9Kv7XRaKw8
Kojo Nana Obiri-Yeboah, a Ghanaian pastor, caught out with an electric shock machine. This machine could be hidden on his body to give out small electric charges when he laid hands on people that faked being touched by the Holy Spirit: http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/shocking-ministry/
Here’s a video about Peter Popoff in action faking getting his words of knowledge http://youtube.com/watch?v=gZ-7beRITYM&feature=related and also some more here from 2007 http://youtube.com/watch?v=aHIyFmJTRsM&feature=related His motive is obviously money too.
On previous posts I have talked about how easy it is to fake words of knowledge - either by cold reading and guesswork, http://endtimespropheticwords.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/todd-bentley-prophesying-bad-cold-reading/ , planting some stooges in the audience, or by obtaining knowledge from other means than the Holy Spirit, like some basic research beforehand in the local newspapers, church bulletins, or prayer requests and application forms written before or during a rally or conference, or by the innocent or deliberate collusion of others - like sending out researchers or listening to a talkative pastor and his wife - and then later using this obtained information and pretending it to be ‘words of knowledge’. (I saw certain YWAM leaders do this regularly against their ‘disciples’ as part of their abusive control structure).
I have talked about ministers lying about spiritual things and faking prophecy to manipulate their flock. Here is an extra little snipit by ’Sheepy’ about his experiences of pastors using prophecy to manipulate and control -
When I was a college student, I niavely got involved with a shepherding movement out of Arizona known by many names: The Potter’s House (not related to TD Jakes), The Door, La Puerta, etc.It was amazing the level of prophecy that came. Most words involved submitting to God’s anointed - or else. What a number of men who left the movement later told me was that is is common practice for the pastor to secretly tell the visiting evangelist what is going on with who and then for the evangelist to speak prophetically to that issue - usually with a “you need to submit to your pastor” to get God’s blessing.
It was an utter and total scam. This organization has had several major breaks with most every leader I knew back then leaving. The manipulation, the lying, the sheer deception done under the guide of prophecy was revolting. Sad to say, I’ve seen this sort of stuff in other churches, too.
Update - Steve, posted this interesting comment -
“I was stationed at Ft Lewis, WA with the military and a small church of about 50-100 did the same thing. Here is how the pastor of this growing church (due to his words of knowledge) worked…
He would send out teams of two people and they would go around and strike up conversations with other military service members. Long story short some of these people were told to report back to the pastor about what everyone was doing & having problems with. This ‘pastor’ suggested that the teams write down the information on 3×5 cards on ‘visitors’ with name, address, phone # AND what problems they were facing in their lives.
Then if when these people were brought to church, suddenly the pastor had ‘words of knowledge’ about that specific person/s (the same info that was on the card).
A terrible way to grow a ‘church’. I voiced my concerns when I found out & they stopped visiting me. Shortly after that I was deployed and never went back to that base.
Yes its sad that folks resort to faking stuff like this. However we must not forget that there are real words of knowledge & prophecy - so don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. In light of the current condition of the ‘church’ we really need to ask for the Lord’s discernment and test everything against scripture.”
But ‘touch not my anointed’, right? Wrong!
Another incident from http://lit4ever.org/revivalforum/index.php?topic=12514.msg20550;topicseen#msg20550 - (I do not agree with the message though on this forum):
At a healing rally, an evangelist asked the lady if she had ever met him before. “No.”
He repeated the question and added, “So we have never had a conversation before this moment, right?” She responded, “No, but I spoke to some of your staff members.”
Irritated, he said, “That’s not what I asked. Pay attention. You and I have never had a conversation before this moment, right?” She got a little uneasy, “No, but…”
“Do you believe God knows your name?”
“Yes.”
“Do you believe God knows everything about you?”
“Yes.”
“Is your name ____, and do you have a son named ____?”
“Yes.”
“Let me ask again…Have you and I ever had a conversation before tonight?”
“No, but….”
“Don’t interrupt the atmosphere, just answer yes or no to my questions. …Have you and I ever had a conversation before tonight?”
“No.”
She looks down at me, pleadingly, as if to say, “What do I do?!”
He continues, “You had a wreck about 2 years ago, yes or no?”
“Yes.”
“You hurt your back and haven’t been able to bend to touch your toes since then, yes or no?”
“Yes.”
“Do you believe Jesus heals?”
“Yes, but…” He stops her as she tries to say, “But I spoke to YOUR STAFF and told them these things!”
“Don’t grieve the atmosphere, just answer yes or no to my questions. ..Do you believe Jesus heals?”
“Yes, of course I do! But…” As he stops her from speaking, she begins to nervously cry.
“There it is! Don’t be afraid to weep! That weeping shows that He’s coming on your right now!”
For those who do not yet know me - I believe in genuine prophecy. I believe in genuine healing and miracles, and the genuine gifts of the Spirit. I believe in being filled with the Spirit. But I also believe in charlatans and spiritually abusive churches and ministries - don’t you?
yea faking words of knowledge is not just for big churches & tv evangelists. I was stationed at Ft Lewis, WA with the military and a small church of about 50-100 did the same thing. Here is how the pastor of this growing church (due to his words of knowledge) worked…
He would send out teams of two people and they would go around and strike up conversations with other military service members. Long story short some of these people were told to report back to the pastor about what everyone was doing & having problems with. This ‘pastor’ suggested that the teams write down the information on 3×5 cards on ‘visitors’ with name, address, phone # AND what problems they were facing in their lives.
Then if when these people were brought to church, suddenly the pastor had ‘words of knowledge’ about that specific person/s (the same info that was on the card).
A terrible way to grow a ‘church’. I voiced my concerns when I found out & they stopped visiting me. Shortly after that I was deployed and never went back to that base.
Yes its sad that folks resort to faking stuff like this. However we must not forget that there are real words of knowledge & prophecy - so dont throw the baby out with the bath water. In light of the current condition of the ‘church’ we really need to ask for the Lord’s discernment and test everything against scripture.
Thanks for posting this piece. Keep seeking God, listen & obey only Him.
Love,
steve
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