Why Do So MANY People Follow False Teachers?- Part One

“An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, the priests rule by their own power, and MY PEOPLE LOVE TO HAVE IT SO”- Jeremiah 5:30-31.

That verse by Jeremiah could well have been written for the present day church. Todd Bentley’s Lakeland Revival has deceived MANY yet all you hear from those “MANY” are:

“Touch not mine anointed”
‘Thou shalt not judge”

Discernment has been missing in action from the church for the longest time and no one seems to care! In this two part series we will highlight, from the New Testament, verses that deal with this plague that is affecting the “MANY” that follow false teachers, prophets, and apostles. Jesus said-

“Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and MANY who go in by it”- Matthew 7:13. Todd Bentley offers so many unbiblical principles from his Extreme Prophetic Movement that its just staggering to say the least. He says you can call down angels that will do your bidding for you. Where in the Bible does it say that? The power that was to be used for witnessing that Acts 1:8 declares has taken on a whole new meaning with the Extreme Prophetic Movement. Yet Jesus would counter that saying, “Do NOT rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven”- Luke 10:20.

When you think of Todd Bentley, Mike Murdock, and Benny Hinn, Jesus would offer counsel such as this: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. MANY will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I NEVER KNEW YOU, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness”- Matthew 7:21-23. Notice the MANY connection that I am connecting the dots to in this regard. Power is being used in the wrong way in the church of today by adding words to the Bible that do not exist there.

Yet Jesus knew that MANY false teachers were coming such as Doyle Davidson, Paula White, Juanita Bynum, and Joyce Meyer, when He said: “For MANY will come in My name, saying I am the Christ, and will deceive MANY. Then MANY false prophets will rise up and deceive MANY”- Matthew 24:5,11. Are you getting the picture here? It takes MANY false prophets to deceive MANY! Each of these false teachers has a measure of truth that is mixed in with the spirit of error. So how much poison does it take to kill you? Of the false teachers of His day, Jesus said, “TAKE HEED AND BEWARE of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees”- Matthew 16:4. What did Jesus mean by that? He was warning them of the DOCTRINE (teachings) of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:12) which is the same leaven that MANY are swallowing today tainted with poison. But of these false doctrines today many people are ever so UNAWARE of the poison in their pot (2 Kings 4:39).

The Apostle Paul said something that every pastor of TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) should heed: “We are not, as so MANY, peddling the word of God”- 2 Corinthians 2:17. Here the many refers to the pastors of TBN that are adulterating the word of God for gain! They are making merchandise out of YOU! And while YOU embrace them as being “the anointed of God” they are instead as Philippians 3:18-19 describe: “For MANY walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the ENEMIES of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is their shame- Who set their mind on earthly things”. As for Paul’s weeping in this regard, hear now these words from Acts 20:29-31. “After my departure savage wolves will come in AMONG YOU, not sparing the flock. Also from AMONG YOURSELVES men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples AFTER THEMSELVES. For three years I did not cease to WARN you night and day with tears”.

Perverse things are those things not recorded in the Bible that many false teachers use and all in the form of extra-biblical revelation. More in Part Two.