I’ve been pondering what one friend of mine calls the unchecked, freewheeling prophetic endorsements some are handing out these days without biblical authority and oversight. Widespread, gullible acceptance of such words keeps many from comprehending the destructive fruit that they will surely bear.
Scripture offers warnings about following the wrong kind of leader.
Paul warns those in his spiritual care not to be deceived by “super apostles” who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ and servants of righteousness.
“…I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly! Now I consider myself in no way inferior to those ‘super-apostles (2 Cor. 11:3-5).’”
The problem of “super apostles” was not limited to Paul’s day. His words are relevant today. These false apostles and dishonest workers:
- Seduce people away from genuine, innocent commitment to Christ.
- Preach a different Jesus.
- Operate from a different spirit.
- Brag about themselves.
- Place themselves over others.
- Exploit others and take financial advantage of them.
“Super prophets” work alongside “super apostles,” distracting and derailing people spiritually. And here’s the thing: false leaders can look just like the real deal. They quote Scripture. They know Christian culture. They use spiritual language which sounds familiar and pleasing. They know how to sound like they’re prophesying.
“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3).”
We need to be careful about whom we follow. False leaders are masters of manipulation. They are dangerous.
To be clear, I believe in the fivefold ministry, including apostles. I believe supernatural spiritual gifts are still distributed by the Holy Spirit. I do not believe that false prophecies and false prophets invalidate genuine prophetic ministry. I believe demons are real, and they inhabit strongholds in the minds of humans.
The Bible describes these realities. When New Testament fivefold ministers encountered demonized people as they traveled to various regions to reach people with the Gospel, they set them free in Jesus’ name (Acts 16:17-18). Sometimes people destroyed occult objects as they turned away from witchcraft to follow Jesus (Acts 19:19).
When Paul wrote about tearing down strongholds, he was referring to ungodly thought patterns in the minds of those in his apostolic care.
“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).”
His analogy of spiritual warfare told believers how to fight against the spiritual adversary we face daily (Eph. 6:11-16).
But here’s what I do not see in the New Testament — not in the above Scriptures, nor anywhere else:
- Apostles ruling over geographic regions after expelling demonic principalities.
- Prophets using flattering predictions to partner with ungodly political leaders.
- Disciples of Jesus trying to make whole nations become Christian.
- Jesus followers taking over culture from the top down.
The early church thrived despite living in oppressive times. Believers understood the Kingdom of God is not of this world and therefore has no need for political power. They knew how to stay on mission with no earthly rewards in sight.
Believers are warned numerous times by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament that many false prophets and teachers will arise, and that many people will fall away (Matt. 24:24-25; 1 John 4:1). This doesn’t sound like increasing success and favor in the last days, but rather, a narrow road.
Today, many alleged prophets and apostles make big promises to Christians — promises of power, domination, status, and supremacy, in this life, seducing those who lack discernment into a false version of what it means to follow Jesus.
Don’t be deceived. We are responsible for testing prophecies (1 Thess. 5:19-22).
The validity of a prophetic word is not determined by popular opinion, well-known personas, big platforms, or how goose-bumpy it makes us feel. Rather, prophecy must be examined considering the overall message of the written Word. If a prophecy contradicts or cleverly twists Scripture, it does not originate from the Holy Spirit.
(Since we can be wrong in our own prophetic words, we must subject them to testing, too—and not just in an echo chamber of voices we prefer.)
True apostles and prophets aren’t known for flash and sizzle, emotional hype, big promises, and lavish lifestyle. They are marked by sacrificial love, service, and suffering. The fruit of a leader’s character will demonstrate whether he/she is a genuine, loving leader or just someone who’s good at mesmerizing a crowd for selfish reasons.
Let’s exercise our discernment and model that for others. Let’s not trade away pure and sincere devotion to Christ for the alluring bait of worldly power and importance.
It’s so not worth it.
Susanne Maynes is the author of Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree and serves as Director of Prophetic Ministry at her church. Susanne offers an original, scholarly research-based workshop on prophetic development to churches and enjoys preaching as opportunities arise, as well as blogging regularly.
