Photo credit: CIA World Factbook

Steve Shultz, the publisher of the Elijah List, sent out an e-mail Tuesday claiming that “prophets” Kim Clement, Cindy Jacobs and Chuck Pierce predicted the recent earthquake in Haiti. See his e-mail here. But did they really predict it?

This is a perfect example of how “prophets” in the apostolic-prophetic movement falsely claim credit for predicting events. Yet, if you look at their actual prophecies, you will see how vague — or inaccurate — they were. Let’s look at them quickly.

Kim Clement’s Prophecy

Kim Clement’s prophecy, given last July, makes a quick reference to Haiti, along with South Africa, New Guinea and China. The only thing he says about Haiti is that “a spirit if unity is being released” in the nation (nothing about an earthquake). He says the same thing about unity coming to South Africa and New Guinea. And regarding China, he says that the “wicked regime” and communism are being defeated there.

I would hardly call Clement’s prophecy a prediction of the earthquake that occurred in Haiti.

Chuck Pierce’s Prophecy

Back in December, Chuck Pierce prophesied about “buckling highways throughout the earth.” Watch a video of it here. His prophecy — about “buckling highways” — predicted the damage that was caused to roadways during the Haiti quake, according to Shultz. Never mind the fact that Pierce’s prophecy didn’t mention either an earthquake or Haiti.

Shultz also claims that Pierce’s prophecy predicted the recent “buckling” of sections of roads in Israel, California and Florida. But his prophecy about “buckling” roads is laughable. There  are always roads that collapse or need repaired. The minor incident that occurred in Israel involved a bus wheel that broke through the pavement. It only merited a small news story that was related to Shultz second hand. A fulfillment of prophecy? Give me a break!

Cindy Jacob’s Prophecy

At the same event where Pierce spoke in December, Cindy Jacobs said there would be earthquakes in regions of the world where they normally don’t occur. She said the media would be shocked because they would happen in places that aren’t situated on top of fault lines.

Well, Jacobs’ prophecy definitely couldn’t have referred to the Haiti quake since two major fault lines run right through the island nation, and it has a history of devastating earthquakes. Read about them here.

When it comes to predicting the Haiti quake, it appears that Shultz’s “prophets” are 0-3.

Paul Keith and Wanda Davis, founders of WhiteDove Ministries

“God is doing a new thing!”

Have you ever heard a Christian teacher make this statement? Chances are, you have. It’s become a catch phrase to promote all kinds of dangerous teachings, like this recent one from “Prophet” Paul Keith Davis of WhiteDove Ministries. See it here.

In his teaching — sent out by the Elijah List on Dec. 12 — Davis said God is doing a “new thing” today by giving new revelation to the Church through modern “apostles” and “prophets.” The purpose of this revelation, according to Davis, is to help the  Church set up God’s kingdom on earth. The Scripture he quotes to support this teaching is Isaiah 48:6-7.

What is the new revelation God is giving the Church, according to Davis? It contains insights into the heavenly realm, including the discovery of new laws of “physics, light, sound and spiritual colors,” he said. It also contains new revelation into the Scriptures. Christians will suddenly understand verses they never understood before. Their new understandings will have as great an impact on the Church as the Protestant Reformation, according to Davis.

But does Isaiah 48:6-7 support Davis’ teaching? No, an examination of the passage in its biblical context shows that it can’t be used to promote new revelations from “apostles” and “prophets.”

First, let’s look at the passage. I will quote from the Amplified Bible since it’s the translation Davis quotes from, even though it’s not the best translation to use. (I’ll explain why it’s not the best translation in a future post.) Here’s the passage:

⁶You have heard [these things foretold], now you see this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it? I show you specified new things from this time forth, even hidden things [kept in reserve] which you have not known.

⁷They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word], and not long ago; and before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, Behold, I knew them!

In this passage, God — speaking through the Prophet Isaiah — says He will reveal “new things” that He hadn’t revealed before. What are the “new things”?  They had to do specifically with the nation of Israel and its restoration after going into captivity.

How do we know this? By reading the chapters surrounding Isaiah 48. In Isaiah 39, God reveals that He will punish the Israelites by sending the Babylonians to conquer them. Undoubtedly, this experience will leave them wondering if God has abandoned their nation. So, in chapters 40-48, God calms their fears by promising that — after a time of captivity in Babylon — He will forgive them, return the exiles to their land, and restore their nation.

Thus, the restoration of Israel is the topic of chapters 40-48 and also the subject of the “new thing” God promised to do in Isaiah 48:6-7. This same “new thing” is promised in two other places: Isaiah 42:8-9 and 43:18-19.

So, Isaiah 48:6-7 is a specific promise God made to the nation of Israel — not a green light for every new revelation given by a teacher. Yet, a “green light” is exactly how this passage was treated by Rev. V. Gene Robinson when he was elected as the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop. In an interview with Beliefnet, Robinson said that the election results showed that “God is doing a new thing in the world.”

Robinson’s use of this passage contradicts other teachings in Scripture that say homosexuality is a sin. In the same way, many modern “apostles” and “prophets” are giving teachings that don’t mesh with Scripture, like Davis’ teaching that we must learn new laws of physics in order to establish God’s kingdom on earth.

God makes it clear that we must test all new revelations by seeing if they line up with Scripture. That’s what the first Christians did when they were presented with new teachings from the original apostles — they examined the Scriptures daily to see if they matched up (Acts 17:11).

But can God ever do something new — assuming that it lines up with the revelation He’s already given? He certainly can — He’s God! He can do whatever He wants to do. This is the very reason He promised to do a “new thing” for Israel in the first place. He wanted to show them that only He — and not their worthless idols — was capable of fulfilling prophecy (see Isaiah 48:5 and 7-8).

Steve Shultz

If you ever receive a forwarded e-mail from an organization called the Elijah List, beware. Steve Shultz — the founder of the Elijah List — is one of the most dangerous false teachers today.

This is a harsh statement. Why do I say it?

The Elijah List e-mails — which are sent to more than 134,000 subscribers everyday — have done more to promote the false prophets and false apostles of the New Apostolic Reformation than just about anything else. And they do this by twisting Scripture beyond recognition.

Take a recent example. Today Shultz sent out an e-mail containing a prophecy from Kim Clement. See it here. The prophecy was about California.

Shultz always introduces the prophecies he sends out with background information about the featured “prophet” or prophecy. In this case, Shultz introduced the prophecy by saying that when he first heard Clement give it live on streaming TV — before Clement even began to speak — Shultz somehow intuitively knew it would be about Los Angeles. Shultz concluded that — because he knew the prophecy would be about Los Angeles before Clement said what it was about — then the prophecy must be true. Then Schultz backed up his bizarre conclusion with a Scripture verse. Here are his exact words:

I am not exaggerating when I tell you I just KNEW he was about to prophesy about Los Angeles, and that was before he said it. The Bible says, “By the mouth of two or three witnesses.” So this is one of those words you can “take to the bank!”

The portion of the verse Shultz quoted — “by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established” — comes from Deuteronomy 19:15. Shultz used this verse to argue that — since two “prophets” (he and Clement) agreed with the prophecy — then it must be of God. So Shultz’s followers could trust the prophecy and, as Shultz said, take it “to the bank!”

Yet if Shultz had quoted the full verse — and not just the second half — then it would be obvious to everyone reading his e-mail that it had nothing to do with knowing whether or not a prophecy is from God. Here’s the full verse in the New King James Version (the version Shultz quoted it in):

One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

This verse comes from the Old Testament, and it says that a man cannot be given the death penalty based on the testimony of only one person. This law was given by God to the Jewish nation to protect someone from being falsely accused of murder.

We know the verse is talking, specifically, about the death penalty — even though it doesn’t use those words — because the surrounding verses talk about what to do when someone is accused of murder. This interpretation is backed up by other passages in the Old Testament that set forth the same principle in regard to someone who has been accused of murder (Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6). We also see the same principle at work in the New Testament regarding Christians who are accused of committing some type of major sin (Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19).

So, the verse Shultz quoted has nothing to do with testing a prophecy. His misuse of Scripture to support Clement’s prophecy is irresponsible and dangerous. It teaches Christians that — any time two or more Christians agree that a prophecy is true — then it is true and they should believe it.

Yet, Scripture gives us at least three tests for knowing whether a prophecy is from God. And they have nothing to do with the number of people who agree.

1) Does the prophecy point people to worship of the one true God or to the worship of other false gods? See Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:20. A close examination of the prophecies given by Shultz and Clement over the years show that the “God” they talk about bears little resemblance to the God of the Bible.

2) Does the prophecy come true? See Deuteronomy 18:21-22. Clement has become notorious for giving prophecies that never come to pass and then attempting to explain away their failure.

3) Does the prophecy line up with Scripture or does it contradict or otherwise undermine Scripture? See Acts 17:11, where the Bereans were praised for searching the Scripture to test new teaching. Shultz, on the other hand, contradicts Scripture by twisting verses such as Deuteronomy 19:15 and giving bogus methods for testing a prophecy.

Besides these three tests for a prophecy, the Bible also tells us we can know whether a prophet comes from God or not by examining the fruit of his or her life (Matthew 7:15-23). The frequent abuse of Scripture exhibited by Shultz is one example of bad fruit.

So, the bottom line is, Shultz and Clement can agree all they want — until they’re blue in the face. It still doesn’t make their prophecies true. Contrary to what Shultz says, by the mouth of 2 or 3 or even 123 witnesses a prophecy is not confirmed.

First, I want to be clear that the apostolic-prophetic movement is a huge, worldwide movement made up of many different people and strands of thought. I don’t believe that all Christians who are part of this movement are equally in error.

I define the apostolic-prophetic movement as a charismatic Christian movement that is seeking to restore apostles and prophets in the church. Historically, Protestant Christians have believed that apostles and prophets who give new doctrinal revelation have ceased and that the Bible is our sole source of doctrine.

While the apostolic-prophetic movement is seeking to restore apostles and prophets to the church, not all people in this movement view modern “apostles” and “prophets” in the same way. Many believe that “apostles” are simply gifted, visionary leaders who have a strong, evangelistic calling to a specific geographical region or people group (like church planters) and that “prophets” simply have the New Testament gift of prophecy. My blog isn’t critiquing people who define “apostles” and “prophets” in this way (though I do think the terms can create confusion when not clarified).

But others in the apostolic-prophetic movement believe that “apostles” and “prophets” are giving new doctrinal revelation to the church (new teachings not found in the Bible) and that all Christians must submit to the “apostles” and “prophets” — in fact, the whole world must submit to them. A well-known supporter of these teachings is C. Peter Wagner (pictured here). He calls the apostolic-prophetic movement the “New Apostolic Reformation.” I may also start using this term to clarify which part of the movement my blog is critiquing — the part that shares Wagner’s unorthodox views of apostles and prophets.

I’ve talked about Wagner in past posts, so I won’t go into much detail on him now other than to say that he’s a former professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, he’s written many books on the New Apostolic Reformation, and he leads several influential organizations of “apostles” and “prophets” — including the “International Coalition of Apostles” (ICA’s Web site) and the “Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders” (see the ACPE’s “Word of the Lord for 2007”). Some of the well-known “apostles” and “prophets” in these organizations include Chuck Pierce, Cindy Jacobs, John Kelly, Dutch Sheets and Steve Shultz (founder of Elijah Rain magazine and the “Elijah List,” a Web site that e-mails prophecies daily to more than 130,000 subscribers). These people are becoming very influential in the U.S. charismatic movement and are regularly featured in Charisma magazine. See the current issue (pictured here), which has Chuck Pierce and Dutch Sheets shown on the cover.

My blog focuses mostly on Wagner’s circle of “apostles” and “prophets.” I realize that some people in the apostolic-prophetic movement are concerned about Wagner’s teachings and oppose them. But his teachings aren’t on the outer fringes of the movement — as the poster on my blog claimed. They represent a prominent and growing force within the movement.

Directive No. 1, for example, states that in 2007 God is looking for Christians who will invest their talents wisely and bear fruit for the kingdom. My response is: when isn’t God looking for this? He wants this from all Christians, in every year of church history.

Directive No. 2 predicts that there will be a lot of changes in 2007 — including political changes, people moving to new locations, getting new jobs, and switching their college majors. Again, these predictions are laughable. When don’t these things happen?

The funniest of her predictions for 2007 is that people will start finding change (coins) in unique places, like on the ground in front of them and in drawers. She says these finds will confirm her prediction of coming changes. So, now every time people find change, should they see it as a prophetic sign? King also predicts the appearances of butterflies and unusual weather patterns. Again, when don’t we see butterflies and unusual weather patterns?

Directive No. 4 predicts catastrophes and, in response to these catastrophes, Christians reaching out to the victims with compassion ministry and prayer. Again, which year hasn’t the world had catastrophes, and when haven’t Christians responded in compassion and prayer?

Directive No. 6 predicts that biblical teachings will be challenged. But some Christians will rise up to defend those teachings — facing persecution. I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but when hasn’t this happened? (Not to mention that King and her fellow “prophets” are challenging many biblical teachings with their teachings about apostles and prophets.)

These directives aren’t “extremely prophetic” — in fact, they’re not even slightly prophetic — despite the name of King’s ministry. Visit King’s Extreme Prophetic Web site here.

On Nov. 1, the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE) released their “Word of the Lord for 2007” through the Elijah List. Each year, this group of 33 “prophets” meets to determine what God is saying to the Church for the new year. I want to point out some observations about this latest “Word.”

1. Note that the list of “prophets” in this council includes Steve Shultz, Chuck Pierce and Kim Clement — three people I’ve recently written about. Clement has a long list of false prophecies, and all three of them teach the unbiblical doctrines of the apostolic-prophetic movement (read past posts for more information). I plan to discuss the council’s other “prophets” in future posts.

2. The council is headed by C. Peter Wagner (pictured here), perhaps the leading proponent of the apostolic-prophetic movement (he calls it the “New Apostolic Reformation”). Wagner teaches that all Christians must submit to the new apostles and prophets. Those who resist are motivated by a high-ranking demonic principality, according to Wagner. He also admits that this movement has the same teachings as the Latter Rain movement of the late 1940s that was deemed heretical by most Christians. (See his books Churchquake! and Changing Church.)

3. The introduction to this “Word of the Lord” has lots of caveats — more than I’ve seen in previous years. Perhaps critics of the movement are having an effect. However, keep in mind a couple of things. First, many of these “prophets” teach that they have the office of prophet and, thus, have the same authority as prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah. So, although they seem to be downplaying their role here, they are elevating it in many of their books and other teaching materials. Also, notice that when you add up all the caveats, you’ll find that not one of the prophecies actually has to come to pass for the prophecies to be accurate, according to these “prophets.” (Read the introduction to see what I mean.) Furthermore, when you read all the prophecies, you’ll see that not one is specific enough to actually be proven true of false. They are so vague and nebulous that many things could be pointed to as their fulfillments. That’s why I call them “fortune cookie prophecies.” Consider prophecy No. 1, for example: “Finishing of a building cycle. Time for new building strategies to be released.” What does this mean? What would it look like if fulfilled? Anything could be made to fit this.

4. Notice prophecy No. 2: “Finishing of the five-fold ministry restored. Apostolic and Prophetic moving together.” The doctrine of “fivefold ministry” is the crux of the apostolic-prophetic movement. It’s based on Ephesians 4:11-13, which — according to the movement’s leaders — teaches that there are five ongoing, governmental offices in the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. They teach that apostles and prophets (the highest offices) have been missing since the first century, making the church ineffective. According to the ACPE, these two offices will finish being restored this year. Once all Christians submit to the new apostles and prophets, the church will have power like never before, according to the movement. (Note: Some Christians who believe in the doctrine of “fivefold ministry” don’t view apostles and prophets the same way as leaders in this movement do. They sometimes call missionaries and effective church leaders “apostles,” and they call people with the New Testament gift of prophecy “prophets.” I will talk about this more in future posts.)

5. Prophecy No. 6 has to do with the “transference of wealth.” According to leaders in the movement, God is going to transfer the world’s wealth from the wicked to the righteous (specifically, the apostles). The wealth will be redistributed under the guidance of the apostles. This will give the Church the resources it needs to establish God’s kingdom on earth. The problem is, this teaching has no basis in Scripture. It’s based on new revelation given by new “prophets,” like members of the ACPE. It’s also based on Scripture verses yanked out of context, like Isaiah 60:5 and 11, which speak of the time after Christ’s return.

6. Note, also, that the “prophets” tells us that 2007 is “The Year of the Clash of the Swords.” “Prophet” Chuck Pierce (pictured here) has prophesied that the Church is currently in a “seven-year war cycle” and that 2007 is the year of the sword. (I wrote about this two posts back.) Where did Pierce get this from? Certainly, not from the Bible. But the fact that the ACPE makes this a major portion of their “Word of the Lord for 2007″ shows the weight they give to Pierce’s prophecies that have no biblical basis.

7. I think this warning is humorous: “Watch for the trap of fornication and adultery, and beware of seducing spirits.” Since when did we need a special word to warn us of the lure of sexual immorality? There’s a reason prostitution is called the world’s oldest profession. Of course, we should always beware of seducing spirits.

8. Whatever happened to all the prophecies made in the “Word of the Lord for 2006?” Read it here. I haven’t seen any follow up but, then again, those predictions also were vague, so almost anything could be made to fit them. There are lots of similarities with the “Word of the Lord for 2007,” like predictions of moves of God on university campuses.

These are just quick thoughts about the “Word.” Let me know yours.

I am continually distressed by “prophets” in the apostolic-prophetic movement who twist Scripture to support their teachings. Well, I thought I’d seen it all when it comes to Scripture twisting — until last Saturday, Nov. 18.

On this day, “Prophet” Steve Shultz — the publisher of the Elijah List (an e-mail newsletter) — sent out an advertisement for his new Voice of the Prophetic magazine (pictured above). Read the ad here. This ad contained a sample of the teachings you’ll receive if you subscribe to the magazine. The sample teaching, written by Shultz, is titled, “What’s the Difference Between a Prophet and a Psychic?”

Shultz’ 3 Tests for Prophets
Shultz’ answer is that there are three criteria for distinguishing a psychic from a true prophet of God.

1. A prophet claims the source for his or her prophecies is God, not some other power.
2. A prophet’s prophecies are “correct more times than they are incorrect.”
3. A prophet will seek to obey the Word of God at all times, while a psychic will not.

Criterion No. 1 is hardly helpful since many people — even non-Christians — claim the source of their prophecies is God. That doesn’t mean their prophecies really are from God. That’s why the Bible commands us to “test the spirits” to see whether a prophet is really speaking for God. 1 John 4:1

Criterion No. 3 also isn’t too helpful. What does it mean that a prophet seeks to obey the Word of God at all times? This seems rather vague and subjective. Certainly, this criterion should include the expectation that his or her teachings are faithful to the Word of God. Yet, Shultz never mentions the importance of comparing a “prophet’s” doctrines to the Bible — the most important test to apply to anyone who claims to represent God. In fact, 1 John 4:1, cited above, shows that the way we “test the spirits” that are speaking through a prophet is by evaluating the prophet’s teachings.

Blatant Scripture Twisting
Now, onto Criterion No. 2: The prophet’s prophecies are “most often accurate.” Amazingly, this criterion — which allows for failed prophecies — directly contradicts the Bible. The Bible tells us that if a prophet gives a false prophecy, then he or she is a false prophet. Yet, Shultz claims that a prophet will makes mistakes, but that doesn’t disqualify that person as a true prophet. To support this teaching, Shultz twists Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 18:22:

“If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”

The standard interpretation of this verse throughout church history is that someone who gives a false prophecy is a false prophet. So, there is no need to fear this person’s prophecies because God did not send him or her. But here is Shultz’ interpretation of this passage:

“However, even if a true prophet misses it once in awhile, the Bible tells you not to be afraid of that person. Just because a person makes a mistake doesn’t mean he or she is a false prophet or a psychic. It only means they are still learning to hear accurately.”

Do you see what Shultz has done? He’s made the verse say the exact opposite of what it really says. He says not to be afraid that someone is a false prophet if he or she gets some prophecies wrong. That prophet simply needs to develop his or her prophetic abilities, according to Shultz.

What a bizarre interpretation of this verse! Read it in its larger context: Deuteronomy 18:20-22. Notice that, just two verses above the verse Shultz quotes in the very same passage, the Bible says that a person who gets prophecies wrong should be put to death. Shultz conveniently leaves out that part of the passage.

Part of me thinks that such blatant twisting Scripture has to be intentional, but perhaps Shultz is actually that deceived. Either way, God’s people should not be looking to him for teachings on the prophetic. But, sadly, some Christians are. Shultz will be a featured “prophet” at an Elijah List conference in Albany, Ore., Nov. 30-Dec. 2, titled “What is God Saying for 2007?” (Ad shown here)

I know some of my readers will think I’m attacking Shultz, but that’s not true. Keep in mind that he has attacked the teachings of historic, orthodox Christianity. I am simply defending the faith from his attacks.

Crucial Distinction
There’s an important point I need to make. A lot of confusion arises when it comes to issues of prophets and prophecy because many people don’t make a distinction between the office of prophet and the New Testament gift of prophecy. Some people claim that the Bible makes no such distinction. Yet, when we examine Scripture, this distinction emerges.

Office of Prophet
When it comes to Old Testament prophets — like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah — we see that they had great authority to speak God’s exact, infallible words. To disobey them was to disobey God. For example, Old Testament prophets gave new teachings and moral commands that were authoritatively binding on all God’s people. Many of their prophecies were recorded in Scripture and, as such, are still binding on Christians today. They also gave commands to kings that, if disobeyed, brought disastrous judgments on nations. They were sought for divine guidance.

New Testament Gift of Prophecy
In contrast, Christians with the New Testament gift of prophecy are never seen giving prophecies that are authoritatively binding on all Christians. They never give new commands or doctrines that become Scripture. Far from this, their prophecies must be tested by Scripture. They don’t have the absolute, divine authority we see attached to the office of prophet. In fact, their prophecies can be questioned, challenged and, when false, rejected by other believers.

Also, notably, nowhere in the New Testament do we see a prophet being sought out for guidance. That’s because, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon only specially chosen people. But, after Christ’s resurrection, the Holy Spirit now dwells within every believer — making the mediation of a special prophet unnecessary. The New Testament gift of prophecy doesn’t function to mediate or legislate, but to strengthen, comfort and encourage believers and to expose the sinful hearts of unbelievers so they will be convicted and receive salvation. 1 Corinthians 14:3, 14:24-25

Testing New Testament Prophecy
The difference between the office of prophet and the gift of prophecy also becomes apparent when we look at the tests for each. Those with the office of prophet must never give a failed prophecy. If they do, they are false prophets.

Those with the New Testament gift of prophecy, however, may make mistakes. This seems evident from 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, which teaches a church to test all prophetic words — holding onto the good ones and throwing out the bad ones. Note: This passage doesn’t say to throw out the Christian who gives a false prophecy (like the Old Testament says to kill a false prophet). It says to throw out the bad prophecy. The reason for this difference is simple: someone with the gift of prophecy doesn’t have great authority like someone who fills the office of prophet. This person isn’t claiming to be speaking God’s infallible words (or else his or her words would be equal to Scripture). Since the authority isn’t as great, the consequences of such mistakes aren’t as grave.

Theologian Wayne Grudem defines the gift of prophecy as: “speaking merely human words to report something God brings to mind.” Since these prophecies are filtered through human words and human interpretation, they are subject to error. This is a much-diminished role from those who fill the office of prophet and speak God’s very words. The gift of prophecy, however, is still a valuable gift that we should desire, according to Paul. 1 Corinthians 14:1

The Doublespeak of Shultz’ ‘Prophets’
Yet, Shultz (and many other leaders in the apostolic-prophetic movement) teach that the movement’s “prophets” have the office of prophet, the same as Elijah or Jeremiah. They claim that nations must obey their prophecies or face judgment. They claim they can give new doctrinal revelation and that all Christians must submit to them. These teachings can be found throughout their teachings and books. (See, for example, Bill Hamon’s book Apostles, Prophets and the Coming Moves of God.)

Even though they claim all this for themselves, ironically — when it comes to the guidelines for testing those who hold this office — they turn around and claim those tests don’t apply to them. For instance, they claim that it’s OK if they get prophecies wrong — even though Deuteronomy 18:20-22 says they are false prophets and should be put to death. This is inconsistent. Shultz and his “prophets” can’t have it both ways. They can’t have the authority of the office without accepting the responsibility of the office.

I can’t address all the issues in depth here, as I would like to. These are complex issues, and we Christians need to think carefully about them. The apostle Paul warns us not to be “unaware” when it comes to spiritual gifts like prophecy because, if we are, then we can be misled into idolatry. 1 Corinthians 12:1-2 He also tells us to have maturity when thinking about these issues. 1 Corinthians 14:20 The nature of these gifts is supernatural and, because of that, they need to be practiced with much wisdom and discernment.

Yet, unfortunately many Christians haven’t thought carefully about these issues. And some leaders in the apostolic-prophetic movement are taking advantage of their lack of knowledge. I am afraid the result is that many Christians are being led into unbiblical teachings that, at the least, will stunt their walks with the Lord. At the worst, they might even be opening themselves up to demonic teachings and oppression — something I plan to discuss in future posts.

For more understanding about prophecy and the role of prophets, I recommend Wayne Grudem’s book The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today (pictured here).

Here’s another example of a current prophecy that is distracting Christians from the Bible.

“Apostle” Chuck Pierce (pictured here) has prophesied that, in 2001 — when the terrorists attacked America — the Church entered a “Seven-Year War Season.” Using a Hebraic calendar, Pierce believes we are now in the sixth year of this war season (Hebraic year 5767) — the “Year That Swords Will Clash.” This will be a year when the Church will engage in spiritual warfare and exercise its authority, according to Pierce. For more information, see his Oct. 25 prophecy sent out by the Elijah List.

Other ‘War’ Years
Here is what Pierce has prophesied about the other years of the “war season”:

• Year 1 (starting Sept. 2001) was the “The Beginning of War — 7 Years of Breaking Old Cycles”
• Year 2 (starting Sept. 2002) was a “Sabbath Day Rest Year” (a year for increasing our faith)
• Year 3 (starting Sept. 2003) was “A Year of Secrets, Mysteries and Surprises”
• Year 4 (starting Sept. 2004) was “A Year to Circle, Surround and Plunder the Enemies Camp”
• Year 5 (starting Sept. 2005) was a “Year of Staking Your Claim for the Future”
• Year 6 (starting Oct. 2006) is the “Year That Swords Will Clash”
• Year 7 (yet to be announced by Pierce)

Read his explanations of each year here.

Not Biblical
The whole concept of a “seven-year war season” will sound odd to many Christians. Nowhere do we see Jesus or the original apostles teaching people that that the Church will continually go through different cycles. Yet — according to the apostolic-prophetic movement — the Church needs new “apostles” and “prophets” like Pierce to give supernatural insight into these cycles. Why? If the church knows the current cycles, then it can use the necessary strategies to defeat demonic forces and establish God’s kingdom on earth.

Embraced by Prominent Leaders
Pierce’s prophecy has been embraced by leaders in the apostolic-prophetic movement, who consider Pierce to be a very accurate prophet when it comes to revealing the times and seasons the Church is in. In fact, many of the movement’s leaders are actually scheduling their ministries around Pierce’s timetable. The Elijah List, for example, regularly features updates on the “war season,” and entire conferences have been held to teach Christians how to live during each year of the war season. See this conference held to prepare Christians for the fourth year, which featured speakers Cindy Jacobs, Dutch Sheets, John Eckhardt and Peter Wagner.

‘War Season’ Products

Pierce has even sold products geared around the “war season,” including this $20-lapel pin, this $20-tent peg, and this $12 anointing oil, all designed to help Christians wage battle in the fifth year.

This $20-necklace pendant represents the current year of the sword.

He also has written a book about this war season titled The Future War of the Church (pictured here). In this book, he argues that it’s crucial for all Christians to submit themselves to modern apostles.

Pierce’s “war season” is another example of how he, and other leaders in this movement, are causing Christians to turn their eyes away from the sure teachings of Scripture and, instead, pay attention to their vague, unbiblical and speculative prophecies.

Dream Cards. That’s right. For $10 a piece, you can buy cards that list the meanings of common dream symbols, like different types of animals, people and places (pictured above). If you buy all 12 cards, you can even get a discount: $96. Brought to you by Barbie Breathitt, of Breath of the Spirit Ministries, Inc. (pictured here). Dream interpretation has never been easier.

If the dream cards aren’t bad enough, it gets worse. One of the cards has a chart that lists areas of the body along with colors and musical notes that are supposed to bring healing to those areas.

What? Where is the biblical basis for this practice?

There isn’t a biblical basis. The Elijah List doesn’t even try to give one in its ad. But there is an occult and New Age basis. See, for example, this New York psychic’s Web site (pictured here), where she lists colors and the areas of the body they heal. Or see the Psychic Healing Room, which also talks about the healing power of colors and music.

Of course, we see throughout the Bible that God does give people dreams, and He gives His people the ability to interpret the meanings of those dreams. But where in the Bible do we see anything like dream cards? The people who interpret dreams in Scripture, like Daniel and Joseph, are given supernatural insight from God. They certainly don’t consult cards to find generic symbolic meanings. Can you imagine Daniel saying, “Just one second, King Nebuchadnezzar. You said a statue? Well, according to this chart here, a statue represents …”?

And we certainly don’t see Daniel or Joseph creating cards with dream interpretations and selling them. This reminds me of Tarot cards.

What we do see is that both Daniel and Joseph make it clear that the source of their interpretations is God. See Genesis 40:8, 41:16; Daniel 2:17-23, 27-28.

As far as healing colors and sounds: well, of course, music and colors can affect people’s moods. For example, music can be soothing, and a pastel-painted room (like a soft blue) might be a more relaxing environment than a brightly painted room (like red). But this is far different than claiming that a certain color or musical note can bring healing to a specific organ or body part.

It’s not my goal to pick on professing Christians, but people like Steve Shultz (pictured here) — the founder and publisher of the Elijah List — need to be called to account for their shameful promotion of such products. I believe true prophets of God (which Shultz claims to be) would be appalled by these dream cards.

The Elijah List e-mails are so full of unbiblical (and often harmful) teachings that I’ve decided to add a separate category on my blog that will focus just on this ministry. See the bar on the right side of my blog for the new category called “Elijah List.”

One example: On Oct. 1, the Elijah List sent an e-mail advertising a book, titled Portals to Cleansing by Henry Malone, to help Christians learn how to cleanse their houses and property from curses. Malone also sells a “Portals to Cleansing Property Dedication Kit” (pictured here). See the full ads.

The kit includes instructions, scriptures, anointing oil and stakes to drive into your property.

Steve Shultz, the publisher of the Elijah List, promises his readers: “Use it and make the enemy flee!” Shultz said he’s cleansed his own property three or four times, in the past six years, and each times he’s seen “a noticeable change in the atmosphere and circumstances.” Shultz added: “If you don’t believe those curses have power, you’d be hard-pressed to explain certain sicknesses, diseases, and even death that comes upon very anointed and pure-hearted people you know.”

Then, on Oct. 16, the Elijah List published a testimonial from a reader, named Tom Panich, who used the book to cleanse his property. Panich wrote:

Recently, I finished Dr. Henry Malone’s book, Portals to Cleansing. I actually used 3-foot, scripturally-endorsed stakes to stake our property. I utilized the scriptures found in the book, Protecting Your Home from Spiritual Darkness by Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema. I also poured our “Third Heaven Vision” anointing oil over the top of the stakes. After I drove the first stake into the ground, I felt the Presence of the Lord come across the yard, hit me, and then I almost fell over. It really surprised me! These spiritual, prophetic acts actually have awesome and powerful effects. Try it.” Read the testimonial.

For the record, “Third Heaven Vision” anointing oil (pictured here) is another product advertised by the Elijah List, that, “coincidentally,” is sold by Tom Panich. Learn more about the oil. Panich claims it will give users visions of the Third Heaven.

It’s troubling that Christians are devolving to a magical worldview that has more in common with occultism than biblical Christianity. It’s equally troubling that people — like Steve Shultz, Tom Panich and Henry Malone — in the name of Christianity — are seeking to profit from these magic charms and spells.