And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26

I was a false prophet. There is no joy in making such a statement, but there is joy in salvation from the wrath of God for my sins that only Christ can provide. For years, I held to the belief that I was a modern-day prophet of God. I was affirmed by a self-professing apostle, as well as other leaders affiliated with what many identify as the New Apostolic Reformation. I said things that did come to pass, but I also said things that did not come to pass. Though I was sincere in my intentions, I essentially led people away from God’s written Word and to my own words, claiming to be in His name. I relied on my dreams and visions as divine revelation. I blasphemed His name in ascribing things to Him He did not say. Arguably one of the most terrifying passages in Scripture applies to my former ways, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in our name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity.'” (Matthew 7:21-23).

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of God’s mercy and grace granted to me. I came across a quote from Martin Luther a while back where he had stated, “We need to hear the gospel every day because we forget the gospel every day.” How beautifully true and terribly tragic at the same time to know that all of us have daily forgotten His glorious gospel. For some, it may be a simple decision and life resumes as normal. For others, it is a steppingstone to loftier and more spiritual things. Personally, I need this reminder.

I do not want to ever “get over” the gospel of Jesus Christ. I do not want to ever forget from what I have been saved or to treat God with any less reverence or awe. I do not want to forget who saved me. I do not want to ever forget that it was His Word though contorted in presentation that captured my attention, perking my ears to the Shepherd of my soul, as His staff drew me close to Him and away from the cliff of damnation and despair. I need to hear the gospel every day because I am prone to wander from Him, forgetting the richness of His holiness and His steadfast love.

There are some who have disagreed with my profession in being a former false prophet in this movement. There seems to be great reluctance within areas of the Charismatic movement in calling someone a false prophet or a false teacher. Those who have such reservations do so with the belief that labeling an individual a false prophet or a false teacher condemns them to hell. Some attest to the belief in knowing an individual or talking with an individual before being able to identify a false teacher or false prophet. Though we know that God is the ultimate judge for each individual person, we also recognize that bad trees bear bad fruit, and good trees abiding in Christ bear good fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). A bad tree cannot bear good fruit and vice versa. Jesus Christ has made this very clear.

We also know that attesting to a personal relationship with an individual and personal observations does not eliminate the possibility of rotten fruit denying the testimony of Jesus Christ and His character in one’s life. We are seeing this now in the devastation surrounding Mike Bickle and other leaders associated with IHOP. Many times, actions demonstrate the inward desires of a person’s heart. Unrepentant sin and desiring to keep sin in darkness rather than coming to the light of contrition and brokenness in sinning against God Himself helps us to understand the sobriety and gravity of such actions. These are serious matters, and they must be addressed out of love for God and love for others.

When dealing with the matter of false prophets and false teachers within the Charismatic movement, some leaders have created additional categories of prophets, such as carnal prophets and spiritual prophets. One leader has even created two categories for false prophets, “unbelievers who use the devil’s power and unbelievers who have learned how to traffic in the Lord’s power.” These additional categories are problematic. I believe they create roadblocks within this movement to the point that identifying someone as a false prophet or a false teacher becomes even more difficult, if not impossible. Additionally, there is the belief that an unbeliever can traffic in the Lord’s power. Is this not encroaching upon the glory of God in a twisted way? Does this not bring reproach upon His name and character to believe that such an individual could wield the Lord’s power as if He has rubbed the lamp in the right direction? When the lines are blurred in discerning truth from error, the sheep are placed in a perilous position to where wolves adorned in wool mingle within the flock and soon devour sheep put at ease by their presence.

I will be candid in saying that I have great concerns and frustration with the standards upheld within this movement. Sadly, there seems to be an unwillingness to identify false teachers and false prophets according to the Biblical standards plainly written in black and white. Talk of an individual’s restoration seems to point more toward public ministry rather than a focus on restoration to God Himself. We will all stand before Almighty God at the end of our lives, and we will give an account for what we have done in this life, whether good or evil. Our love for God and reverential fear of Him should not be displaced or devalued. We are all one day closer to eternity. This should evoke joy and sobriety within each of us who are in Christ Jesus.

I take great comfort in the Lord because He has freed me from the bondages of such egregious practices. Yes, I was a false prophet, and false prophets need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the most loving thing to proclaim to them. They need to hear the call to repent and to turn from their wicked and sinful ways. They need to be warned of the wrath abiding on them should they continue down this path. God is most certainly loving, and He is also just. He is merciful, and He is also wrathful. The most loving thing to do is to mark and avoid those who are bringing such division in error and to put them out of fellowship from among the flock of God (Romans 16:17,18). The most loving thing to do is to call false prophets and false teachers to repentance and saving faith in Christ alone. The most loving thing to do is to warn others of such individuals and such teachings and practices. I pray that God may grant them repentance, as Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:24-26. Personally, I want nothing less than what Christ has graciously done for me. To desire for them to perish would be sinful, as I remember, by the grace of God, there go I.

False prophets and false teachers are equally dangerous and sinful, and this is clearly seen in 2 Peter 2:1-3. False prophets are not identified by sincere intentions, but they are identified by false prophecies and their rebellion against God and His Word. It is not unloving to identify individuals based on the standard of God’s Word as false in their prophetic utterances or their ongoing teaching contradicting Scripture. What is unloving is creating additional standards that essentially provides amnesty to wolves and ambiguity to the flock. It is unloving to our holy God who has established the standards and the boundaries for what constitutes a prophet and a sound teacher. When we keep God’s commandments, we will not fear in exposing the unfruitful works of darkness.

Listen to this episode discussing the importance of identifying false teachers and false prophets and what Scripture has to say on the matter: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: A Pirate Weighs in on False Prophets on Apple Podcasts