Trukki, thanks.  You can just convey your personal thanks to Andrew Strom to prophetic@revivalschool.com

Job Anbalagan 

Dear sister Birdie,

Greetings.  I visited the above blog and posted the following comments of mine:

What are the signs of a true revival?

(i)  No human being is glorified. Only God is glorified.

(ii)  There is deep repentance and people after repentance start reconciliation and restoration of their failed relationship.  As far as the emotional aspects are concerned, people would in tears over their sins. There would be joy in the lives of sinners whose sins have been forgiven.  People may see visions during this revival.  These visions would bring only glory to God and not to any created beings.

(iii) The crucified Christ would be lifted up in all the messages.

(iv) Healing will take place spontaneously when sinners open their hearts to Jesus.  No need to lay hands on the sick people. Even when ordinary people who are revived in this genuine revival would lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. 

(v) The preacher or the leaders become popular.

(v)  It results in the revelation of the Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

 Let us read how the Holy Spirit worked during the Welsh revival.

The following are the signs of a false revival:

(i) Man or preacher is glorified.

(ii) Emotions run high without repentance of sins.

(iii) In place of Crucified Christ, there would be angels, miracles of gold dust, etc.

(iv) Physical healing does take place without spiritual healing. Preachers have to use all his psychic powers by laying their hands on the sick people or by "impartation".  There are powers from the other world present during such meetings for healing the sick.

(v) The preachers become "dust and ashes" after the revival and only God becomes omnipresent and omnipotent.

(vi) It results in the revelation of another Jesus i.e. Jesus of America or Jesus of India, and not the Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
 

Dear Benjamin,

Thanks for your wonderful comments. One dear sister, a friend on my list with mychurch has sent me the following email:

I write to you in the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

"I just wanted to say that, I have recently returned from the Florida revival, and it saddens my soul to read the words you have written about God's work. I saw no one being lifted up or glorified there besides JESUS CHRIST the SON of GOD!! I witnessed personally a deeper revelation of God's Great love for me and also other's coming to know God's underserved Grace for them as well. It is a moving display of God's Glory and I am Blessed and Empowered to now go forth and share this Great Love and Glory that God has shown me. I saw many people healed physically, spiritually, and mentally. He came to make us WHOLE and that is infact what HE is still doing today!!!

I Love you, and I am praying for you to have a deeper knowledge of God's perfect Son, the Lamb who was slain for your transgressions and mine. THANK YOU JESUS!!!! ..."

Please visit the following URL to read the message given by Todd Bentley about the angelic visitations:

http://www.etpv.org/2003/angho.html

Let us note that no doubt God has appointed ministering angels for us to minister to us.  Jesus or His apostles did not pray to God for sending them angels to protect them or to reveal anything to them.  John got the end-time revelations through an angel on the island of Patmos.  John did not seek angels but the Son of God as he was on the island. It pleased good to the sovereign God to send an angel to reveal certain end-time events to John.  Todd quotes from the Old Testament scriptures to prove the necessity of angelic protections.

Counterfeit Revival is available at www.christianbook.com and also at www.amazon.com and is well researched.

The book's strength is its detailed descriptions of counterfeit Christianity.

It's weakness is a dearth of solutions to the problem.

Thanks, Grant, for introducing this book.  Of course, I read reports of many healings in the crusade of Todd Bentley.  In every evangelistic crusade like this, healings take place in the Name of Jesus Christ because people come there expecting to be healed in the Name of Jesus Christ. These people do not have faith in Christ Jesus and do not expect Jesus to heal them in response to their prayers. 

Dear saints,

I want to know about the following:

1. What is anointing?

2. Where in the Bible it talks about anointing?

I am not asking for a debate, I want to know the truth. This is my earnest question. 

Ragland,

I now explain this very clearly to you in a nut-shell.  By the by, God willing, we will be in Kodaikanal on 27th, 28th and 29th June. Our office people have booked the PWD guest house there. When I come over there, I can take Bible studys on any given subjects.

The word "anointing" simply means "refreshment after bathing".  In the Old Testament, it has also been used in the religious sense of consecrating some thing for God. In the New Testament, it has been used in the context of anointing with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is depicted in the New Testament as the "Anointed One" meaning "Christ".

Two Purposes in Old Testament:

There are at least two purposes for anointing in the Old Testament.  One is consecration and the other is coronation.

(i) Consecration: Jacob anointed a stone pillar (Gen.28:18).  This is the first anointing mentioned in the Bible.  He did it either to consecrate or for a memory. He did this before 'law' was given.

Moses also did anoint the things to consecrate for use in the holy tabernacle. He did the anointing with the "oil of Holy ointment" and not with the Holy Spirit (Ex.30:23-26).

(ii) Coronation:  In the Old Testament, persons were anointed with oil to be set apart as kings and priests. The anointing of oil was the symbol of endowment of the Spirit of God.

Anointing of the Holy Spirit in New Testament

The next subject we have to understand is the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Before studying this subject, let us understand a few truths about the "Holy Spirit".

Holy Spirit is the Third Person in the Trinity.  He is a Person, and not an abstract power. He took active part in creation at the time of creation by God and today He takes active part in new creation/new birth. Jesus Christ was conceived in virgin Mary of the Holy Spirit (Matt.1:20). The Holy Spirit descended from the Heaven like a dove and lighted upon Him (Matt.3:17). Jesus Christ went on doing good by the Holy Spirit.  Under the New Covenant, the Holy spirit was sent to us on the day of Pentecost and the 120 disciples who were gathered in the Upper Room were anointed with the Holy Spirit for witnessing and service. Similarly, we are anointed with the Holy Spirit for witnessing and service (ministry). The same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling in us (Rom.8:11).  In short, the Holy Spirit is a Person who creates and gives life. 

Lord Jesus was known as Anointed One.  The Holy Spirit dwelt in Him.  In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col.2:9). A believer is said to be filled with the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit indwells in Him.  The Holy Spirit takes abode in the heart of the believer on his/her rebirth. The believer is said to be anointed with the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit later anoints him/her for a ministry. Anointing of the Holy Spirit means "Indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit for witnessing and ministry".  Under the Old Covenant, the kings and priests were anointed with oil for ministry. In a similar manner, we are anointed with the Holy Spirit for witnessing and ministry.

Difference between Holy Spirit and evil spirits

Evil spirits  work through mediums which can be non-living things or subhuman beings such as animals, birds, etc.  But the Holy Spirit work through the saints with perfect conscience and mind.

Some questions answered:

Question 1:  Can we anoint car, dollar, etc.?

Answer: No. 

Lord Jesus did not anoint any non-living things with the Holy Spirit.  The apostles also did not anoint any non-living things. They did not teach us to do so. Neither did they teach us to pray for anointing of any non-living thing with the Holy Spirit. 

It is a false doctrine. It is like an act of heathens. Heathens think and believe gods or evil spirits dwell in non-living things and in the nature. But the Bible teaches us that the Living God has revealed Himself in the nature and that He does not dwell in the nature.

There is no instance mentioned in the Bible about the anointing of non-living things by the Holy Spirit.

Anointing of car is unscriptural. If it is argued that the anointing of a car with the Holy Spirit would prevent the car from breakdown or accident, Paul could have anointed the ship in which he traveled so that it might not sink. We can very well pray for the anointing of all cots in our hospitals so that no patient may die.  All this is unscriptural. of course, we can pray for God's blessings upon our cars and for our protection from accidents or breakdowns.

Question No.2: Were the bones of Elisa, the hand kerchief of Paul, the apostle and the shadow of Peter, the apostle anointed with the Holy Spirit?

Answer: No.  It is true that the dead body who was put in the tomb of Elisa revived and stood on his feet when it touched the  bones of Elisa.(2 Kings 13:20-21). It is not written that the dead bones of Elisa were further used for reviving the other dead bodies. God did a special miracle to demonstrate the importance of the prophetic ministry of Elisa to the people who lived at that particular point of time.  It is not a fact that the hand kerchief of Paul was anointed by the Holy Spirit.  However, we can say that the blessing of the Lord was upon the kerchief of Paul and upon the shadow of Peter.

Dear Ragland, in our Pentecostal church circles, people use this word frequently for any kind of blessing. After saving us through the Blood of Jesus Christ, God has to use us for His ministry.  Under the old covenant, kings, prophets and priests were anointed with oil.  Oil is symbolical of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  No doubt, the Holy Spirit has taken abode in your heart after you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior.  Then He has to anoint and use you for His ministry.  God anointed me to do a prophetic ministry to the body of Christ.  It is not an emotional experience but a spiritual experiences.  You have to accept this spiritual experience by faith like the salvation experience. 

You are most welcome to approach me for any clarification in this behalf.  

Precious sister, Birdie, thanks for your comments.  I was also associated with a Pentecosal church in Delhi during the earlier days of my conversation.  I took immersion baptism in that church.  At that time, the Holy Spirit was giving me certain prophetic visions about the great deceptions that the whole Pentecostal movement would face in these last days.  You can just have a look at my visions and interpretations which I give below:

Vision of a Pentecostal church

In my spirit I was flying towards a Pentecostal church (belonging to a pioneer Pentecostal church denomination in India) in my Home town in Kerala.  I opened the door of that church and went to the pulpit to preach. I was preaching about the new move of God nowadays and the need to move with God, leaving behind the traditions etc. One person sitting in the audience started arguing with me and I found it difficult to convince him and another person came on the scene.  The second person who seemed to be interested in my preaching with an open mind advised me not to argue with the first person as it was a vain argument without any fruit.  At that time, I saw a statue of a man talk something though its mouth.

Interpretation:

The Pentecostal churches which were once the torchbearers in the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit have since become the citadels of traditions of men.  They do not move with the Holy Spirit and got stuck up in the traditions of men. One category of the people of God in these churches is moving ahead with the truth of the Word, while the other category of the people of God in these churches is not listening to the truth of the Word.  It is no use arguing with this latter category of people. The preachers speak through the doctrines of their churches handed over to them by their predecessors.  It is like a lifeless statue of a man that talks. The preachers give messages but the spiritual lives of the congregation do not grow.

Vision of worshipping God in an underground church

In an underground building, I was worshipping the Lord.  There I met a man of God, probably, a prophet of God. I asked him to find out from God whether God was fully pleased with me.  Then I saw him go inside the church to enquire from God.  He never turned up.  When I wanted to leave the place after waiting for him for some time, I heard the voice of God saying, “Job, look at this place!” drawing my attention to a certain spot on the wall of that underground building.  When I looked at that spot, I saw something trying to enter the building by making a hole.  I saw the head of a big snake come out of the hole.  I immediately ran out of the building.  Outside the underground church, a shop was situated.  The owner of the shop claimed herself to be a Christian.  But she was keeping some idols, pictures, candles, etc. in her shop.  On my inquiry with her about the snake, she told me that snake would not harm her.

Interpretation:

A local church should be grounded in the Word of God and should be visible to the world as an arm of God.  It should not be hidden from the view of the world.  It has to evangelize the world and win the lost souls. These days, we find that the churches are only the places of worship and are not actively involved in evangelism. People cannot see the churches which are underground. People cannot hear the gospel from the churches which are underground. A local church should not be underground except in nations where the churches are not allowed by the rulers to function openly.  A local church should not be below the ground level. It should be above the world. It has to be led by the Holy Spirit through the elders or deacons as a body ministry.

Secondly, under the New Covenant, a child of God should not approach “any prophet” to know the will of God.  We do not need any mediators between God and us. Under the Old Covenant, the people of Israel had to seek the ministry of prophets to know God’s will. But under the New Covenant, the people of God should pray to God and should search the Scriptures to know God’s will.  The New Testament prophets only confirm what the Lord has revealed to them. Under certain exceptional circumstances, God does reveal His will to us through the ministry of the New Testament prophets when we are confused.

In the underground church, the Devil deceives people through false prophecies and through false doctrines.  The Devil makes an inroad into these underground churches and does not allow the members of these churches to grow in their spiritual lives.  These people always remain as babes in Christ Jesus and subject themselves to the Levitical priesthood of the Old Covenant. These churches have become “business establishments”.  They covet “tithes” from their congregations in return for “God’s blessings”.  They sell the spiritual gifts for building their own kingdoms.  The idols, pictures, candles are part of these churches.  The church doctrines are their idols. The pictures are the personalities of these ministers of God. The candles are used in these churches because these churches experience black outs frequently in the absence of “prophetic words”.  The candles are the tools of the Holy Spirit. The grace of God is still with these churches. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the tools of the Holy Spirit in these churches. The candles help these churches to perceive the Word of God. Though these churches have idols and pictures, the candles help the ministers of God to minister to their congregations. The people in these churches still experience the power of God through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  

The Devil does not bother much about these churches.  The woman in the dream told that she was not harmed by the snake. These churches so long as they follow the Levitical priesthood do not pose a challenge to the authority and power of Satan, the old serpent. If these churches are led of the Spirit and are actively involved in evangelism and revival, then the Devil would try to attack them.

Dear sister Birdie, all such miracles and healings through these popular evangelists take place on the stage only.  But genuine miracles and healings take place in mission fields where the evangelists go and preach the gospel to those who have never heard the gospel. Such genuine miracles which glorify God and not any man are not reported in the television or any media.

John Dev Singh, a native missionary of Indian Missionary Society, serving the Lord in Dhanora, Maharashtra State, India, had an attack of stroke which resulted in paralysis of one side of his body and he was admitted to a hospital in a town called Brahmapuri.  The doctors diagnosed his illness as brain hemorrhage, gave up their hope of saving his life and predicted his imminent death. The doctors also told the people of God who brought him to the hospital that even surgery would not save his life and advised his immediate transport to his village on the ground that transport of his “dead” body would cost them more than that of his live body. So they decided to shift him to his village much before he died.  Then they brought a vehicle, and committed him into the hands of God through prayers. After they brought him home, a miracle happened. John Dev Singh recovered from brain hemorrhage and started walking.  Let us praise God for this miracle in the life of His servant.

Dear sister, let us read the Acts of Apostles.  Do we find any instance of healing the sick people on the stage there? Paul and apostles went to the different villages and towns and preached the gospel and laid their hands on the sick and healed them in the Name of Jesus Christ.  Peter healed the crippled in the Name of Jesus Christ, saying "we have no gold to give you but only the Name of Jesus Christ".

When I was young, after church service on every Sunday, we used to go for gospel outreach in Delhi and nearby villages.  There as we prayed for the sick, people were healed and God performed miracles.  All these things happened on the street, and not on the stages. The evangelical dais or the church pulpit corrupts the preachers.  

Hi Saints!

I am just going through this blog to see what you friends have got to say. I am of the opinion, If we have 'faith'  the size of the mustard seed, God will use us to do miracles in others lives. The point is we dont have that much of faith when it comes to miracles. We always leave that to 'spiritual giants' and we would like to escape saying we are only 'spiritual babes'.

As  you have been talking of anointings and prophets, this is what the word of God says in Jeremiah 23: 30  Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another.
Jer 23:31  Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, 'declares the LORD.'
Jer 23:32  Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.
Jer 23:33  "When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' you shall say to them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the LORD.'
Jer 23:34  And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, 'The burden of the LORD,' I will punish that man and his household.
Jer 23:35  Thus shall you say, every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother, 'What has the LORD answered?' or 'What has the LORD spoken?'
Jer 23:36  But 'the burden of the LORD' you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man's own word, and you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.
Jer 23:37  Thus you shall say to the prophet, 'What has the LORD answered you?' or 'What has the LORD spoken?'
Jer 23:38  But if you say, 'The burden of the LORD,' thus says the LORD, 'Because you have said these words, "The burden of the LORD," when I sent to you, saying, "You shall not say, 'The burden of the LORD,'"
Jer 23:39  therefore, behold, I will surely lift you up and cast you away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers.
Jer 23:40  And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.'"

I would advice you all to read the entire chapter of Jeremiah 23 and know what it talks about People, Prophets and Priests.  It is interesting to note that even after 3000 years, it is still relevant.

May the God the Holy Spirit give us the discernment to know the truth and truth alone.

Ragland,

Please take time to read my message 

Job Anbalagan 

Dear Job Annan

Tried to read your message but the link was not working

Ragland,

I give below the whole message:

Aberrations in the prophetic ministry by lying prophets who say “Thus saith the Lord thy God” 

In the 13^th chapter of Ezekiel, the Spirit commanded the prophet to prophesy against the prophets of Israel and against the daughters of the people of Israel because – 

(i)                  they prophesy out of their own hearts by following their own spirit;

(ii)                they have seen nothing;

(iii)               they have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel;

(iv)              they have seen and spoken vanity and lying divination, saying The Lord saith;

(v)                the Lord has not sent them but they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word

(vi)              they have seduced the people of God saying, “Peace” and there was no peace 

 “Thus saith the Lord thy God” 

These days, we see multitudes of God’s ministers prophesy, saying, “Thus saith the Lord”. I have heard and read many messages, beginning with the words addressed to a congregation or to individuals i.e. “Oh My people” or “Oh My son” or “Oh my daughter”.  Then the speaker keeps talking to the audience and then ends with the words, “thus saith the Lord thy God”.  We can clearly see here that the speakers are speaking here as the mouthpieces of God the Father under the Old Covenant. We are told that these are words of prophecy.  If we listen to such messages, we will find many aberrations which are contrary to the written Word of God, especially the gospel of grace and truth under the New Covenant.  

Many such people prophesy under the Old Covenant saying, “thus saith the Lord”.  Secondly, we should note that God the Father has spoken to us through His Son only, and does not speak to the world through any person (Heb.1:1-2). 

Only the Old Testament prophets prophesied under the Old Covenant, saying, “thus saith the Lord” 

No prophecy under the New Testament would reveal a new way of salvation.  All the prophets prophesied until John. .  “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John” (Matt.11:13).  

The Holy Spirit led me to examine many messages given by certain servants of God who said at the end of such messages, “thus saith the Lord”. The following litmus tests should be applied to such words of prophecy as revealed by the Holy Spirit to me:  

(i) The message purported to be from Jesus does not conform to the words of Jesus in the gospels and the apostolic doctrines.  

(ii) The message purported to be from God the Father reveals a message which is contrary to the gospel of the New Testament. 

(iii) The message purported to be in the Name of God the Father conveys a message in future tense about the salvation through Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus for our sins is a fait accompli and Jesus will not again go to the Cross for our salvation. 

(iv) The message purported to be either in the Name of God the Father or in the Name of the Son of God conveys a way of salvation through works and not through grace.  

Prophecies concerning the salvation plan of God 

In fact, the prophecies concerning the salvation plan of God came to an end with the ministry of John the Baptist who revealed Christ as the Lamb of God to the Israel. However, the Bible Prophecy concerning prophetic events continued to be revealed through Jesus Christ and through His apostles who wrote the Gospels and the Epistles.  Since the salvation plan of God had already been revealed through the Old Testament prophets, Jesus as the Prophet did not make any fresh prophecy in this regard. However, He made prophecies concerning prophetic events that would take place.  He spoke words of comfort and of promises. He also spoke words of condemnation against the Pharisees and Scribes, and condemned the sin. He also conveyed timely messages of God to Israel. 

The Bible Prophecy concerning revelation of the salvation plan of God came to an end with the ministry of John the Baptist. The fulfillment of the salvation plan began with the birth of Christ. All the Old Testament prophecies concerning the ministry of Christ right from His birth to His ascension to God’s right hand were fulfilled. The word of prophecy in Gen.3:15 concerning the seed of a woman was fulfilled with the birth of Christ as mentioned in Col.4:4. The word of prophecy in Ps.68:18 regarding Christ’s ascension to God’s right hand was fulfilled as per Mark 16:19. 

No prophet under the New Testament shall further add to the salvation plan of God which had been revealed once and for all under the Old Testament. Neither shall he add to nor shall he delete what the Old Testament prophets spoke.  If he adds or takes away any of the words of prophecy spoken by the Old Testament prophets, he will be a false prophet.   

End-time Prophets? 

These days, some prophets claim to be “end-time” prophets and their claim is not scripturally correct. God has revealed all the truths to us in the Bible Prophecy which came to an end in the isle of Patmos when John received the special revelations from God. There are not such “end-time” truths to be revealed to such “end-time” prophets. Of course, in these last days, the New Testament prophets get revelations on the Bible Prophecy which had already been given to the Church. The New Testament prophets only interpret the Bible Prophecy and are not supposed to give any other prophecy which contradicts the Bible Prophecy.  Through the revelations and visions received by them from the Holy Spirit, they only confirm the Bible Prophecy that takes place in the end-time. These so-called “end-time” prophets should not and cannot proclaim any message which is outside the written Word of God.  Leaders of certain cults proclaim other ways of salvation than what the Old Testament prophets proclaimed. They are indeed false prophets. 

Fulfillment of the Bible Prophecy 

The Bible Prophecy concerning the salvation plan of God which had begun in the Book of Genesis was partly fulfilled at the Calvary. The remaining part of the Bible Prophecy concerning the final redemptive plan of God would be fulfilled after the second advent of Jesus Christ when those who would be alive and those who are dead in Christ would put on immortality (I Cor.15:51-58). 

The Bible Prophecy concerning prediction of future events which had begun in the Garden of Eden was finally revealed to John the apostle and prophet, when he was in the island of Patmos. The Book of Revelation was given to the Church through John as the last book of the Bible Prophecy concerning future events about the end of this world and about the final redemptive plan of God. Revelation is the book of consummation.  In it, the divine program of redemption is brought to fruition.  Although there are numerous prophecies in the Old Testament books, the Gospels and Epistles, Revelation is the only New Testament book that focuses primarily on prophetic events. This book is an unveiling of the character and program of God.  It is also known as the Apocalypse, a transliteration of the word apokalypsis, meaning “unveiling”. No prophet under the New Testament is supposed to “add unto these things” or “take away from the words of the book of this prophecy” (Rev.22:18-19). The Bible Prophecy concerning prediction is still being fulfilled.  Though many of such prophecies had been literally fulfilled before the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, certain words of prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. 

Prophecy on behalf of God the Father? 

Any word of prophecy saying “Thus saith the Lord thy God” which is on behalf of God the Father is supposed to be in continuation of the Old Testament prophecies.  It is absolutely false because all the prophets prophesied until John. The Holy Spirit works in us and on behalf of Jesus, and not on behalf of the Father. Jesus said very clearly that the Holy Spirit will not speak on His own authority but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will tell us things to come.  “He will glory Me (Jesus) for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13). 

Prophesies made by the early apostles and prophets 

The early apostles of Christ Jesus had never prophesied saying, “Thus saith the Lord thy God”. Agabus, a prophet during the New Testament days did prophesy of a future event of great dearth throughout all the world” which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:28). He also prophesied of persecution of Paul. Agabus took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this gird, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles “ (Acts 21:11).  Agabus did not prophesy in the Name of God the Father saying, “thus saith the Lord thy God”.  

In the church at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:1-3). The prophets and teachers laid their hands on them and sent them away. It is seen here that through the word of prophecy, the ministers are ordained for God’s ministry. The prophets did prophesy, not in the Name of God the Father but conveyed the words of the Holy Ghost, which were in other words the words of the Lord Jesus to whom they ministered. 

Under the New Covenant, we can prophesy future events as led by the Spirit. We can give words of comfort and of edification to edify the Church. We can also give words of warning proclaiming the imminent judgment of God. At the same time, we should be very careful to see that no words are uttered which are contrary to the written Word of God, and which go against the spirit of the New Covenant. If you have a word of prophecy or a word of exhortation, you can simply convey the message to the people without ending such message with the words, “thus saith the Lord thy God”.  A prophet under the New Covenant can convey a word of prophecy in his own words by saying that this is what the Lord or the Holy Spirit wants him/her to convey. He need not prophesy like an Old Testament prophet.  

Prophesying out of their own hearts 

These people prophesy out of their own hearts and not according to the revealed Word of God under the New Covenant. We can find that such prophecies are made only by the pastors or the elders and that too, only during church services. Does this mean that the Holy Spirit does not operate the gift of prophecy during other times? No.  

They give their own messages to the congregations.  Most of their messages are based on certain dos’ and don’ts.  They condemn people from the pulpits and create fear, hopelessness in the hearts of the audience.  They present a Christ who is jealous of a young girl wearing a golden necklace or wearing a jean pant.  They present a message based on the Law and say that the Lord has given such messages.   

In big conventions, one or two people appear on the dais and prophesy, “Oh my people, I am pleased with thee and love thee eternally. I have an abundance of blessings for thee. Gold and silver are Mine. You should inherit the same. I do not want thee to live in poverty which is My curse……thus saith the Lord thy God”. There may be many people living in sin who attend such conventions. When the speaker says on behalf of God, “I am pleased with thee….” this message condones the sin. John the Baptist cried in the wilderness with a very simple message, “Repent”.   

They have seen nothing 

They have seen nothing. God has not shown any thing new to them apart for what is revealed in His Word. But they claim to have seen visions and revelations. Some time back, I read a message in InJesus.com that one lady saw a vision of Saddam Hussein as a lizard writhing in pain in a pot of hot water and said that Saddam Hussein was a demon to be destroyed by the American army.  

They have not gone up into the gaps (Vs 5). A minister of God is supposed to go into the gaps for protecting the sheep under his care. The gaps are those areas in the lives of the sheep through which the Devil attacks them.  There may be false doctrines by which the Devil takes hold of the Lord’s flock. The minister should find such gaps – grey areas in the lives of the sheep under his care. He has to me up the hedge for the house of Israel.  Many sheep are attacked by the false prophets and teachers because there is no hedge around them.  The thief comes to steal the sheep and to destroy them because he has access to such sheep in the absence of a hedge.  

Speaking vanity and lying divinations 

They have spoken vanity and lying divinations (Vs.7 – 9). I came across messages purported to be inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said very clearly about the Holy Spirit that He “shall testify of Me” (John 15:27).  The Holy Spirit will not speak on His own authority.  Whatever He hears from Jesus, He conveys. (John 16:13). These days, we find many people prophesy things which are contrary to the words of Jesus Christ. If a minister of God gives a message which is not based on the doctrines of the New Covenant, he speaks lying divinations even if he quotes verbatim from the New Testament.  The spirit of his message should revolve only on the New Testament doctrines. 

Seducing the people saying “Peace” 

They have seduced the people saying, “Peace” (Vs-10).  They always preach a message palatable to those who have itching ears. They do not speak about divine wrath and judgment. Neither do they speak of sin and of righteousness. They do not want to displease the rich members of their congregations who live in sin with the message of repentance. They covet their tithes and offerings but do not warn them against divine judgment.  

These preachers condone marriages of divorced spouses and give God’s approval on such marriages. I came across a dear sister in USA who was divorced 6 times and remarried 6 times. Many pastors on the pulpit support marriage of divorced spouses. Their messages are not of God.   

Building a wall with untempered mortar 

The prophet says in verse 10, “one built up a wall, and, lo others daubed it with untempered mortar”.  On minister builds a wall through his individual ministry but the other ministers daub it with untempered mortar. We find here that there is no ordination between the one who has built up the wall and the others who have daubed it with untempered mortar. There are many ministers who daub the wall with untempered mortar. Mortar has to be made by the mixture of sand and cement in suitable proportions.  For completing the work of building a wall, tempered mortar has to be applied on the bricks placed on the foundation.  

Those ministers engaged in the work of edifying the people of God should put in strenuous labor for making mortar according to the specifications laid down in the drawing made by the architect concerned. An evangelist has preached the gospel to the lost and souls have been saved. He thus builds a wall. Now the other ministers come there to daub it with mortar. They have to lead the saved people to the right doctrines of the Word and to feed the babes with milk. They have to tend the babes with utmost care and love. They have to daub the wall with tempered mortar. What happens today is that the souls that have been added to the local churches are not edified in their spiritual lives by the ministers concerned.  

The evangelist concerned who has built the wall should ensure that untempered mortar is not used for daubing the wall built by him. He should not go away after building the wall.  It is a team work.  A civil engineering work made without coordination and cooperation between the architect, the civil engineer and the masons concerned will be in vain. It will fall when an overflowing shower falls on it or when a stormy wind rends it (Vs.11).  It is the Lord who causes the showers or the stormy wind to hit such a wall made with untempered mortar.  

Prophets sewing pillows and making kerchiefs upon every stature 

The prophet says, “Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! ….” 

The ministers of God want to keep their congregations in good humor and in comfortable positions.  The congregations are not convicted of their sins and iniquities. The prophet calls these ministers as women that sew pillows to all armholes. Women are known for their tender heart.  However, a minister of God has to be tough with a heart filled with zeal for the living God. His heart should glow in the fire of God.  The heart of Jesus was set on the fire of God when He saw the Temple in Jerusalem desecrated by the traders. A minister of God is not supposed to prophesy, “The Lord is pleased with you. The Lord blesses you abundantly” when he knows that some of his congregations live in sin.  

These days, the ministers give messages palatable to their congregations who do not live according to the Word of God. The ministers preach on an easy life which does not lead their congregations to a narrow way, but to a broad way.  The ministers lead the congregations to idols by making kerchiefs upon the head of every stature. Idols are set before them. Material prosperity, ways to amass wealth by faith, etc., are some of the idols. Such idols are eulogized and worshipped. Every stature is covered with a kerchief.   

God saves His people from lying prophets 

According to Ezekiel, such lying prophets hunt the souls of His people, and the Lord vows to save His people from their hands.  These lying prophets pollute God “among His people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread” (Vs.19). They want their congregations to believe such false prophecies so that they continue to be flattered and praised by their congregations.  They expect handfuls of barley and pieces of bread from their congregations. These ministers do not want to lose tithes and offerings from their congregations and want to please them for the sake of handfuls of barley and pieces of bread. Such prophecies which the Lord has not commanded to convey to His people do pollute the holy God.  

A servant of God or a prophet who visits such churches should unearth such statures. In some churches, the ministers treat their doctrines as idols. If a prophet or a servant of God goes to that church and points to them about such doctrinal errors, the prophet or the servant of God is not accepted.  

The Lord took me to a church in Delhi sometime ago where I found the pastor of the Church prophesy, “Thus saith the Lord thy God”.  When my time came to give the message, I told the congregation that we should not prophesy under the Old Covenant. This message was not accepted by the pastor.  When I shared some of the wonderful visions given by the Lord to the Body of Christ, he immediately retorted that we should not be deceived by such visions and revelations.  

“…Ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord” (Vs.23). 

God assures that He will not allow any more vanity, or diving divinations in the House of Israel because He has appointed His apostles and prophets to the Body of Christ to expose such lying prophets in His House. He will deliver His people out of their hands. 

Evil spirits using human bodies as medium  

We normally find certain occult practices by which the people possessed by evil spirits prophesy in the names of such evil spirits. 

The ministers who prophesy, “I am God thy Lord” or “I am Jesus” make the audience believe that God or the Son of God is speaking to them by making use of their bodies. Such statements are tantamount to nothing but blasphemy. Though Jesus as the Son of God was the express image of the Father, during His Earthly ministry, He never called Himself as God. 

Prophecy against two kinds of people 

God commanded the prophet to prophesy against two kinds of people in this chapter. One of them is the category of prophets who are the ministers of the gospel under the New Covenant.  The other is the category of the daughters of the people of Israel who are the members of the Body of Christ who are not the full-time servants of God or who want to call themselves as believers. 

Judgment on the lying prophets and the daughters of the people 

Against the lying prophets and the daughters of the people of Israel, God pronounces His judgment in the following words: 

“….They shall not be in the assembly of My people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel…” (Vs.9) 

Dearly beloved in Christ, if you are in this fallacious doctrine, ignorant of the truth, today, I exhort you to refrain from doing so.  I myself was in such a false doctrine earlier.  When God brought me to the light of His Word, I corrected myself.  If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.