Spirit Of Error » Kim Clement

Holy Cows!

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:50:06 +0000

“God owns the cattle on a thousand hills.”

The above statement — quoted from Psalm 50:10 — has become a favorite in apostolic-prophetic churches where “prosperity theology” is a key teaching.

If God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and everything else besides, then He will certainly give His people anything they desire — money, mansions, muscle cars.

Or so the teaching goes.

Click here to see how “prophet” Kim Clement used this verse to teach that God will give Americans land, property and miracles.

But is this actually what Psalm 50:10 teaches? Does it promote the idea that God wants His people to amass land, houses and money? I will show that it doesn’t.

A Closer Look

Let’s look at Psalm 50:10. God is the person speaking:

for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10, New International Version)

It’s clear: God owns all the forest animals and cattle. The next two verse are also clear: He owns all the birds and field creatures and, in fact, He owns everything: “for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (verses 10-12).

So the statement — “God owns the cattle on a thousands hills” — is just a poetic way of saying that God owns everything. That’s certainly a biblical teaching. So far so good.

But what about the implication that, because God owns all things, He will give His people all things?

That’s not what this psalm teaches. In fact, it’s not even an announcement of blessing on God’s people. It’s an announcement of blame.

Look at the rest of the verses in the psalm. God states His anger at the Israelites for just “going through the motions” in their worship of Him. They bring him animal sacrifices, but don’t honor Him with thankful hearts and obedience to His law.

More specifically, God accuses them of quoting His Words and then turning around and promoting theft, adultery, lying and slander (verses 16-21). Psalm 50 is His response to their insincerity. He basically says:

I don’t need your sacrifices! I own all the animals that exist, so you’re not doing me any favors when you present your piddly offerings of cattle and birds to me. What I want from you is heartfelt gratitude and obedience.

So Psalm 50:10 does not teach a self-serving, get-rich theology. It’s a rebuke of hypocrisy.

True Promises

It’s true that God promises to provide for the needs of His children, such as food and clothing. Other places in the Bible teach this comforting truth, such as Matthew 6:33:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

We know that, one day in the future, we will enjoy all spiritual — and material — riches in our eternal home. But keep in mind that none other than Jesus, himself, eeked out a meager living. He and his disciples relied on the generous financial support of His followers (Luke 8:3).

Jesus didn’t even own a house (Luke 9:58). We shouldn’t expect more for ourselves.

Empty Stalls

In fact, true faith in God shows itself by continuing to trust His goodness — even when our external circumstances are bleak. This is the main lesson in the book of Habakkuk — which also has something to say about cattle.

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18, emphasis mine)

Yes, God does own the cattle on a thousands hills. But that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find any cows in your stalls. Will you still trust Him?

‘Crazy’ Does Not Equal ‘Prophet’

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:57:24 +0000

Kim Clement

Is being crazy the mark of a true prophet?

That’s what Kim Clement — one of today’s so-called prophets — would have you think. When he and his fellow “prophets” come under fire for their bizarre prophecies, they defend themselves by saying that the Bible prophets were also viewed as crazy.

In his book Call Me Crazy But I’m Hearing God, Clement says:

You may call me crazy, my own family and friends may call me crazy, and I may even call myself crazy at times. … It’s all crazy; hearing from God has been crazy for thousands of years.

Those ‘Crazy’ Bible Prophets

He’s got a point: the Old Testament prophets did some unusual things. Just look at Ezekiel. Lying on one’s side for 390 days, as he did, is definitely odd. And don’t forget Isaiah who prophesied naked.

That’s weird.

But just because the Bible prophets did some crazy things doesn’t mean that all crazy people are prophets. Said another way: All apples are fruits, but not all fruits are apples.

Yet — taking inspiration from the strange behaviors of these Bible prophets — Clement wears his wackiness as a badge of honor. In his book, he says that many people who are honored today were once viewed as “off their rocker” because they attempted seemingly impossible feats — people like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Joan of Arc. He, apparently, includes himself among this distinguished crowd of “crazy” people.

But now let’s think about a different type of “crazies” — people who are are truly off kilter — like Octomom, the late Wacko Jacko, and the parents of the “Balloon Boy.” These people are crazy, too.

So, what’s the difference between prophets who do crazy things and run-of-the-mill crazy people?

The difference is in their message. Throughout the Bible, we see real prophets making predictions that are specific, come true and are consistent with other Scripture. Run-of-the-mill crazy people who pose as prophets, on the other hand, give prophecies that are vague, don’t come true and contradict Scripture. Let’s look at a few examples of truly crazy prophecies from Clement.

The ‘Big E’

An example of a vague prediction is his well-known “Big E” prophecy. For a number of years, Clement has prophesied that a new form of energy is about to be discovered, which he calls the “Big E.” He claims it will end America’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Back on May 22, 2005, he told a church in Whittier, California:

“But He [God] tells me there’s something other than petroleum or gas or whatever you call it, oil, that’s coming forth that’s going to be used. ‘Invest in it for it will bring some of you millions of dollars within a 14 month period’ says the Lord. It begins with an ‘e’” … (Read the full prophecy here.)

This prophecy is so nebulous that the “Big E” could refer to almost anything and everything that starts with the letter E. Indeed, his followers have interpreted it numerous different ways, as you can see from a discussion of his prophecy here. The kicker is that some of them — based solely on Clement’s vague prophecy — have invested money into companies that are experimenting with new energy forms that start with the letter E.

Five years have passed since that “Big E” prophecy was given and his followers are still waiting for the new energy to materialize. Earlier this month, Clement gave another prophecy about it. See it here.

Bin Laden, Aborted Babies and Other Bizarre Prophecies

An example of an inaccurate prediction is Clement’s infamous prophecy about Osama Bin Laden. In short, he prophesied that Bin Laden would be captured within a specific number of days. Yet, when it didn’t happen by that date, he offered a series of ridiculous explanations to hide his mistake. To learn more about his attempted cover up, check out the link here.

An example of a prophecy that contradicts Scripture was given on the same night as his “Big E” prophecy in Whittier, California. Clement claimed God told him that babies who had been aborted would get a second chance at life — they would be reborn in the wombs of other women. See it here. Yet the Bible teaches that it is appointed for people to die just once (Hebrews 9:27).

The bottom line: crazy does not necessarily equal prophet. Sometimes it just equals crazy.