Is Benny Hinn a 'False Apostle'?
Many people find fault with Benny
Hinn — with his teachings, his practices and his performance. But they fail
to see him as God does. They need spiritual discernment. Here
is more of God's mind on this subject.
In 1993, we
took part in Mission To London, an evangelistic outreach at Earls
Court, London, conducted by Morris Cerullo. He had invited various high
profile evangelists to speak. Benny Hinn was one given the platform.
On that
occasion Benny Hinn spoke to an audience of thousands as if he was having a
heart-to-heart with his own family in the living room. The anointing of God
was upon him!
His discourse
was a stirring message about the need for self-denial and sacrifice if you
want to live with Jesus. Critics would say it was a ‘Benny Hinn performance’
– something he contrived by himself. It was not! What he said came from the
Spirit. And so did what followed.
When he gave
the ‘altar call’ after his message, many responded and the power of God
fell. 800 people were healed that evening! How do I know? God spoke to us
via a prophetic word, and told us the number whom Jesus had healed that
night.
The previous
night, when Morris Cerullo spoke, God healed 500. That was not a human
count. It was one from heaven, and which God told us through His Spirit.
Both these men
have been given POWER to work miracles. It’s what brings the crowds, and has
brought them acclaim. Paul listed miracle-workers among the gifts which God
has given to the Church (1 Cor 12:10). They are a ministry gift, given to
edify the body. God uses such individuals in His first ‘thrust’ of
evangelism. It is a very effective means to reach many with an initial
exposure to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I know many
critics who find fault with such performances and claim the miracles are all
of the devil. I will address that point in a minute.
First, I want
to tell you of my firsthand experience with Benny Hinn.
In 1993 I was
there. I heard him speak. I saw many of the miracles. I heard the account
from one woman who received an awe-inspiring vision of Jesus as Benny spoke.
The anointing of God was all over her. I heard Benny’s message. I perceived
the moving of the Spirit upon him and upon others in that meeting. I met him
after- wards, as he walked off stage. (I was back stage at the time, and was
the first person he met as he came off the platform. God set that up!) The
anointing of God was all over him. You could tell. It was like the
Israelites said of Moses after he met with God. His face shone so much that
they had to cover it.
I am not
saying Benny Hinn’s face was exactly like that, but I could discern
something amazing, glowing, radiating from him in that brief encounter. That
something was Jesus’ Spirit! It was not a physical ‘glow’ as it was with
Moses. But it was very definitely discernible!
Now that’s not
how you tell a true ‘prophet’ from one who is false. I am not saying that.
Nor am I saying that all Benny Hinn’s appearances on stage are anointed, or
all that he says is from God. But on that occasion, it very definitely was a
unique and unusual experience.
The power of
God had been at work. Many were healed. Some were delivered from AIDS. Some
had been set free from drugs. Others were helped in various other ways. The
fruits of that meeting were good. God had been very much present!
I realise it
was ten years ago, and a lot can happen in 10 years. When men get elevated,
the devil gets in and destroys what God has begun.
Discerning Correctly
I don’t have to remind you of Paul’s
warnings
against false teachers (2 Cor 11:13-15). They are liberally spaced
throughout the New Testament, along with similar caveats from other writers.
[See Apostasy in God’s Church!] The danger of false teachers, false
‘apostles’ and false prophets is a big problem. False church leaders are
there throughout – false believers, too – many of them!
Peter forewarned of their destructive heresies (2 Pet
2:1) which appeal to the majority (2 Pet 2:2). But what many shallow
Christians fail to understand is that what makes a man false is not what he
teaches, per se. It is why. What motivates him? That’s what makes him
either true or false.
Balaam prophesied correctly (Numbers 24:15-19), which is
why some of his prophecies are in the Bible. But he was a false prophet. His
heart was false. By that, it is meant that he was not true to God. He had an
ulterior motive. He lived for self. He ‘ministered’ for selfish reasons. He
didn’t care for what God cared about. What motivated him actually opposed
God’s will.
With Benny Hinn it is different – very different. What
motivates him is the Kingdom of God, the gospel of Christ, and the will of
God.
That’s not to say that all his teaching is correct. It
isn’t. But a man who teaches heresy unwittingly – because he does not know
the whole truth on the subject – is not the same as one who deliberately
preaches it out of a wrong motive.
God looks on the heart, not on the head.
He acknowledges as His, those whose hearts are sold out
on Him; not those who might have their doctrine pretty much ‘correct’, but
who have a wrong motive.
Peter’s condemnation against false teachers which I have
alluded to above, was not purely on the basis of heresy alone. I know that
is bad. Heresy causes massive problems in the Church! But these false
teachers were appropriating heretical ideas for their own devious purposes.
Covetousness and exploitation were in their motives (2
Pet 2:3). They utilised false teachings to achieve personal acclaim and
selfish advantage – whether knowingly or unknowingly, is immaterial, really.
“But that’s just what Benny Hinn has done! He teaches
heresy. And look at the acclaim he has got and the wealth he has
accumulated!”
Yes, but did he set out to do that? No. He didn’t. It
came along with what God called him to do. It was the outcome, the result,
of taking the gospel to others and using the power of God which Jesus gave
him for Jesus’ glorification.
The lamentable fact that people have glorified Benny
Hinn, instead of Jesus, is not all Benny Hinn’s fault. It’s what people tend
to do. They look to the physical. They admire success. They like personable
leaders. They stand in awe of miraculous power and esteem the one who wields
it.
The fact that Benny Hinn is given miraculous power for
the gospel’s sake – so that Jesus is preached – does not mean Benny has got
all his doctrine right. Some take this erroneous view.
Conversely, just because he has got much error in his
teaching does not mean that all the miracles ‘he’ performs are not from God
and must be from the devil. The shallow religious leaders in Jesus’ time
reasoned like that. Many of them blasphemed the Holy Spirit (Matt 12:24-33)
because their pride refused to acknowledge Jesus and His love.
Those who continually seek to find fault with Benny Hinn,
because of the miraculous outpouring that has accompanied his ministry, are
jealous, proud and lacking the love of God. Like former untameable religious
Pharisees, they are not objective, and do not want to see the truth. They
have an evil heart. Despite a list of faults which you may justifiably be
able to compile, Benny Hinn does not have an evil heart.
How do I know? Because God has revealed to us what is in
his heart. He did this through several dreams, which I will now detail.
Dreams About Benny Hinn
§
On 31st December 1994, a person involved in our ministry here
had this dream:
Paragraph 1.
There was a surgery with Benny Hinn, Jacob Prasch and some Elim ministers,
who were all doctors at this surgery. Malcolm and Helena turned up, and in
turn, spoke to the receptionist. Malcolm demanded to see Jacob Prasch.
[Illustrates Malcolm Heap’s uncompromising approach to evil and those who
perpetrate it in the Church.] After a big row with the receptionist, who was
antagonistic, Jacob Prasch eventually came out. He argued with Malcolm, who
was shouting at him, full of the Spirit and very zealous for truth.
Paragraph 2.
After a while Jacob Prasch decided to leave the reception area and went back
into his office. Then Helena came forward and demanded to see Benny Hinn and
the same situation happened again and Benny left to return to his office.
[This depicts their exposure to the truth which we are called to promote.
Initially, he will reject what we say. This has already occurred.]
Paragraph 3.
Next E [who received this dream] was sitting on a chair in what seemed to be
a hallway of a huge office building. He was on the phone to Benny Hinn, who
was in an office with Jacob Prasch, a couple of coloured ministers, and
about six or seven Elim ministers also.
Paragraph 4.
Benny Hinn was relating how he now understands about all that we have been
saying. But Jacob Prasch was in the office acting like a demon-possessed
madman. He was screaming, swearing his face off, and pulling his hair out.
Paragraph 5.
Benny then assured E that he would “take care of” him and look after the
situation. Suddenly a group of about 20 press photographers and camera crew
appeared from all angles taking shots of E. Then he told Benny that a lot of
press had come, and joked about it with him. (E noticed that Benny was very
down-to-earth, friendly and supportive.)
What the
symbolism in this dream from God depicts is this:
1. Evil
spirits are behind the work of Jacob Prasch (para 4). (Explained in a
separate article about him in Newsletter 20.)
2. Benny Hinn
has been associated with false ministers like J Prasch who vigorously oppose
what God is doing here (paras 1 & 3). [They were in the same doctor’s
surgery. And we ‘demanded’ to see them, to contest their false teachings (para
2).]
3. But Benny
Hinn finally contests with Jacob Prasch, the false minister, and goes to
‘sort him out’ (para 5).
4. God made a
specific point of conveying how friendly and down-to-earth Benny Hinn was
towards us (para 5). This conveys what is in his heart. He means well. He
wants to do God’s will. And, when he understands the truth fully, he will
see eye to eye with us (para 4).
5. The press
photographers depict the publicity which will surround us when the dead are
raised for a witness, as God has promised to us. He will use this means to
publicise the truths which we promote, which are alien to the majority of
believers, including Benny Hinn.
As I said
earlier, God looks on the heart, not on the head. He condemns no one for
misunderstandings or misconceptions. Everyone holds those, to some degree.
And Benny Hinn is no exception. He has many errors in his teaching but he is
not a deliberate deceiver. What God condemns is deliberate
misappropriation! Benny does not do that. Any error he has taught has
been done in ignorance, or folly, or out of human weakness. God does not
condemn a person for those. He extends His grace to cover them until such
time as they come into fuller appreciation of His truth, and then they can
turn from their error.
Only God can
see into a person’s heart, and only He can reveal it. Being called to
perform the duties of prophets, He has revealed this to us, so that others
who condemn Benny Hinn may realise their mistake and repent.
§
On 6th November 1992, Helena had a
dream of Benny Hinn and that we came into contact with him. We met.
§
Over a month later, on 22nd December,
God gave me a dream that Benny Hinn needed more information on the truth
about the true Sabbath.
That, he certainly does, as does
every major evangelist! They have all been duped into believing lies
concerning this aspect of God’s truth! But they won’t listen to us until God
pours out His power in a wave that will astound even them!
That is why God will raise more than 50 people from the
dead.
§
Four days later, on 26th December 1992,
God gave me another a dream. I saw myself with Benny Hinn and he was talking
to me. This confirms that God will arrange this meeting, and we will be able
to pass on to Benny all that God has revealed to us. The dream portrayed him
talking to me, showing that he will be receptive. Up to now, we have gone to
him, but there has been no response. Later it will be different, as God has
shown.
§
Then on 30th September
1994, Richard received a vision. Jesus was standing with Morris Cerullo,
Reinhard Bonnke and Benny Hinn. Morris was on one side, Benny was on the
other, and Reinhard was in front of Jesus. Richard was in front of Reinhard.
There were three ropes attached to Richard, which went to each of the
evangelists, symbolising that what God does in Richard’s life will impact
these three men, who have things to learn from him. The meaning of this
vision will become fully apparent when the dead are raised.
Although God has used these three a lot, God will do something completely
new, involving us, which will be somewhat different from anything that
anyone else has done. When God moves us, He’ll move in these evangelists’
lives as well.
§
On 2nd April 1998, I recorded this
dream:
Condemned! Someone was behaving pompously (as if they
thought of themselves as an official, or a traffic warden – but the person
was not a traffic warden, they were just throwing their weight around)
booked me for attending to a lorry that was stationary outside our house. He
"did" me for speeding, yet I wasn't even driving the lorry. It was a false
accusation. I was quite upset by the penalty imposed and protested that I
had been fined unfairly before!
Meaning:
How this ministry is condemned by church leaders – who think
they are the authority. We are "speeding" in their eyes. Yet I am not the
One driving the lorry. God is. People condemn and criticise us for all sorts
of reasons, depending upon their background and experience. They cannot hack
what we say or do. But what we do is according to God's instructions,
irrespective of what the ‘authorities’ think.
Many have condemned us for being supportive of other
ministries (like, for example, Benny Hinn's, which comes under intense fire
because of the power displayed). The charges against us are ridiculous, but
those who accuse don't see that. They are moved by wrong spirits; resentment
is one of them; jealousy another.
The Claims Are Libellous
Critics accuse Benny Hinn of being a false minister for
five reasons – because of his:
1) Approach,
2) False teachings,
3) Manifestations,
4) False claims, and
5) His accumulated wealth and fame.
Listen to what Jesus has to say to these fault-finders.
1) Approach
To every accuser He says:
Do not judge according to
appearance, but judge righteous judgement (Jn 7:24, NKJV).
That means you look to the internal motives, not to
externals. Appearances are often deceptive.
Similar accusations were thrown at Jesus. Religious
people – and religious folks can be very opinionated, can’t they? – found
fault with Him for dining with blatant sinners. But Jesus was not seeking to
sin. He was seeking the sinner, to bring him to the Truth, so he could find
repentance. That is what Benny Hinn is doing, too.
Just because the way he does things does not meet with
your approval, is no cause to accuse him of being a fraud. You are not his
Judge.
Who are you to judge Another’s
servant? To his own Master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to
stand, for God is able to make him stand (Rom 14:4, NKJV).
More pertinent is whether you will stand on the
Final Day!? That’s what should concern you.
2) False teachings
A man of God can have misunderstandings and
misconceptions, but that does not make him evil. What makes a man false is
not what he believes, of and by itself, but what is in his heart. And that
you can only discern with the spiritual help of God by seeing his spiritual
fruits:
Watch out for false prophets. They
come to you in sheep’s clothing, but INWARDLY they are ferocious wolves. BY
THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL RECOGNISE THEM (Matt 7:15,16, NIV).
Jesus didn’t say that you would recognise a false
minister by his doctrine. Yet, hordes of critics hurl vicious epithets and
accusations at Benny Hinn, purely on account of the weird doctrines he has
espoused over the years. I would be the first to contest with him over much
of what he teaches, but I know from what God has shown me that Benny Hinn is
not what his critics claim! The spiritual fruits of his life are good, not
evil!
3) Manifestations
Wherever God’s people come to present themselves before
God, Satan is there also, to try and ruin what God is doing (Job 1:6). Satan
is the originator of false accusations (Rev 12:10).
He is also the counterfeiter. Whatever God does, he tries
to counterfeit. That causes great confusion amongst believers who can’t tell
the difference between true and false. The result?
[False believers]
speak abusively against what they do not understand
(Jude 10).
Miraculous activity is just such a difficult area where
the unconverted fail to discern! Space does not permit a full explanation
here. I explain more in Testing The Spirits and A Message To
Law-Keepers.
4) False claims
Fault-finders assert that Benny Hinn has made false
claims about his past, etc. But they are unable to look into his heart and
say whether they were deliberate lies or lapses of memory. Let him who is
without sin cast the first stone (Jn 8:7).
5) Wealth and fame
Solomon didn’t seek wealth or fame, yet God
found no fault with him over that. So it is with Benny. He did not seek it.
Wealth and fame are an outgrowth of his work for God. It’s a pity that so
many of his enemies seem to want that more than the love of God! Who has the
greater sin?
Malcolm B Heap
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