Christian Research Service

Christian Research Service

POINTS to PONDER

June 10, 2010

Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, Rick Joyner, and False Teachers

Point #1: Business of betrayal

In what was once thought to be a closed chapter in Todd Bentley's Book of Angelic Anomalies, Emma the female angel has returned. According to Bentley, "she" never left.

Beginning at 6:14 into a YouTube video titled, Todd Bentley-"Repenting for offending the supernatural," Bentley tells his MorningStar audience,

Man, we get so many letters. People go, "Todd, talk about that female angel again." And, yes, I did have an encounter with Emma--I don't deny that--two times. But I've had over a hundred encounters with the angel of the Lord, the healing angel, and the healing angel is not a female angel.

People get the two mixed up. They go, "He's talking about the healing angel--Emma the female angel." That's a whole other encounter that happened twice. And the last time I really taught about it was on a CD called Angelic Hosts seven years ago. And people have taken that one controversy and then connected it to every time I talk about the healing angel, which is a whole different encounter, and it's not a female angel.

Any ways, I needed to put that out there 'cause there's critics and people watching that go, "Now he's lying and denying Emma the angel" which, I'll never deny the encounter I had. [ http://tinyurl.com/323yz63 ]

Moments later, instead of encouraging his followers to check this out and test what he says by God's written word, Bentley instructed his followers, "Don't even read the stuff that's on the internet."

On the contrary, let's do read the stuff that's on the internet--specifically the stuff written by those trouble-making ODMs (Online Discernment Ministries).

In the meantime, let's read what Todd Bentley said about Emma during the 2008 Florida revival. Afterwards, check it out in the video, Todd Bentley-Emma The Angel-"Lyin' to My Face" at http://tinyurl.com/2wpkpxs :

An I'll say this for all the critics out there: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT EMMA AND A FEMALE ANGEL?! Just had to say that for some people out there in heresyland. THERE IS NO FEMALE ANGEL DIRECTING ME!

Hmmm. If Bentley had not mentioned Emma the female angel in the first place, he would have avoided all the controversy and excuses about Emma. Further, if Bentley had studied God's written word--alone and without the influence of heretics and false prophets--he may have turned out to be a great evangelist.

Nonetheless, IF Bentley is telling the truth, and IF he is actually seeing "angels"--specifically a female angel named Emma--"she" will prove to be more of a hindrance than a help. Why? Because demons are in the business of betrayal.

Point #2: Living like a king

Well, it's that time of the year, again. Benny Hinn is sounding the money- alarm, again, and is convincing his dedicated followers that "A wealth transfer is truly on the way!" again--but only if his followers cough up the cash, again.

Here's the deal: If you donate your wealth to Benny Hinn Ministries, your wealth will be transferred from your pocket to Benny Hinn Ministries' wealth. And at an estimated $100,000,000 per year (that's one hundred million), that's alot of wealth!

Yikes! With that type of wealth rolling in, Benny Hinn could live in a multi-million dollar mansion, drive an expensive automobile, take vacations to foreign countries, wear expensive jewelry and custom-tailored clothing, relax in five-star hotels, sample the Bill of Fare at five-star restaurants and local cuisines, fly around in a multi-million dollar jet, pay his bodyguards, assistants, and catchers a hefty salary, and live a lifestyle fit for a king.

But wait a minute. That's what Benny Hinn has been doing for years.

Think about it: If Benny Hinn would follow his own advice and transfer his own wealth to his followers, he would receive a hundredfold return, as he maintains. Then, his days of begging for wealth would be over. He would continue to live a life of luxury, and so could you!

But it doesn't work that way, because the way it works is: you give, and Benny Hinn receives. If you don't give or don't have enough money to give, you are a sub-standard Christian who hasn't enough faith. That's the way the rules of prosperity work.

Who made up the rules? The prosperity teachers, not God.

So, if you want to play the prosperity game, be sure to rush your personal checks, pay checks, Social Security checks, Disability checks, Income Tax checks, Welfare checks, blank checks, food stamps, postage stamps, deeds to house and property, money orders, credit card numbers, family heirlooms, cash money, and loose change to Benny Hinn Ministries. That way, Hinn can continue to live like a king at the expense of your hard-earned dollars.

Point #3: Diamonds are a faith healer's best friend

When the bill collectors come calling, and when the prosperity teachers come begging, where in the world are the diamonds, gemstones, gold nuggets, and gold dust from "heaven"? The answer is simple: They are from the world and not from heaven.

By the way, arts and craft stores are loaded with plastic diamonds and gemstones, gold dust and gold glitter.

Speaking of the world, let's go back to February 2007 and see what Rick Joyner had to say about prosperity:

I realize that this may sound like just another reciting of the prosperity teachings, which is a good thing to many, and a bad thing to others. However, as we proceed, you will find that what I am sharing with you is different from what you have heard before. If we believe the prophecies, we know that unprecedented prosperity is coming to God’s people. ["UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY IS COMING TO GOD’S PEOPLE–OUR OBEDIENCE IS KEY," http://tinyurl.com/37fcqt8 ]

Rick Joyner is right, it does "sound like just another reciting of the prosperity teachings." And guess what? Your "OBEDIENCE IS KEY."

With that in mind, check out the following except from Todd Bentley's article, "IT'S TIME FOR GREATER GLORY & FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH." But be sure to remember that it is a "prophetic word" and contains "angelic encounters":

The Lord commissioned Todd to begin hosting "Greater Glory Gatherings" for the purpose of stirring up God's people to simply seek after the face and presence of God for a release of His glory like we have never seen before. What followed caught everyone by surprise. There came a supernatural release of signs of God's glory in the form of gemstones and diamonds showing up in the meetings, major financial breakthroughs, debt cancellations, and major favor in the realm of finance that continued for months leading right into what has now been called "The Lakeland Outpouring", which was marked by notable miracles on a massive scale and aired LIVE on television, with thousands in attendance, night after night for 4 months.

Isn't it strange how "gemstones and diamonds" show up just at the right time? So, the question is: IF Todd Bentley is telling the truth, and IF "gemstones and diamonds" really showed up at the meetings, then WHY OH WHY does Bentley and Rick Joyner continue to solicit donations from their followers, when all they have to do is simply ask for a "supernatural release" of "gemstones and diamonds"?

Without fail, year after year, the prosperity teachers promise that "God is going to release financial prosperity this year." But truthfully, the only ones who prosper from the prosperity movement are the prosperity preachers.

Point #4: False teachers + contradictions = double-mindedness

Consistent among false teachers is an ongoing ability to tell stories that are inconsistent or foreign to the Bible. Also, their inability to remember what they said in the past is the result of telling so many lies that they can't remember what lies they told to cover up the original lies.

One lie + more lies = a bunch of lies.

The same applies to those who are captivated by false teachers. They believe a lie, share the lie with others, defend the lie and liar, and blast those who expose the lies and liars. Overall, they fail to realize they have been swept away from truth and ushered into deception.

In many cases, a false teacher's words go straight through a follower's ear and out the other, so to say. As such, those who are captivated by false teachers fail to mentally process outlandish statements, horrific blasphemy, and doctrines of demons--amid little tidbits of truth. So, what's left to retain? Heresy.

By their own doing, false teachers are plagued with contradictions, which is a natural consequence to being double-minded. Gradually, false teachers tell their stories and, at the same time, teach their followers to believe in their dreams, visions, and revelations--despite the Biblical warnings.

And because many modern-day false prophets and false teachers claim to see "Jesus" and have direct, verbal communication with God, their words are slowly phased in as the word of God, while God's inspired written words are phased out. As such, so-called "new revelations from God" spewed from the mouths of false teachers today are likely to change into something totally different tomorrow.

Indeed, contradictions and double-mindedness go hand in hand, both of which should prompt red flags of discernment.

For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. --James 1:7-8

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not (2 Peter 2:1-3).

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written by Bud Press. Please review the CRS Article Reprint Guidelines at http://tinyurl.com/CRSArticleReprint