Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.You will recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7/15-16)
"Leaving the Message is a project of William Branham Historical Research, critically examining William Marrion Branham (a.k.a. William Marvin Branham, 1907–1965), a Pentecostal revivalist and doomsday prophet whose teachings gave rise to authoritarian cults and spiritual abuse. We trace his influence into N.A.R., Latter Rain, Word of Faith, and Deliverance ministries."
The host of Leaving the Message, John Collins, and his co-host Charles Paisley are former members of the Branham cult and are well qualified to evaluate its complex history and influence. The sect known as 'The Message' or 'The Message of The Hour' is a label adopted by Brahnam's followers. The movement continues to exist, having followers in North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and many parts of Asia.1 Collins and Paisley describe Branham as "A Pentecostal revivalist and doomsday prophet whose teachings gave rise to authoritarian cults and spiritual abuse."
Branham claimed to have received an angelic visitation on May 7th, 1946, that allegedly commissioned his worldwide ministry and launched his campaign career. His fame spread exponentially, and many people were drawn to his accounts of angelic visitations and reports of the miraculous at his meetings. Branham's ministry spawned many emulators and was the catalyst for the broader healing revival that later became the modern charismatic movement. In all, Branham claimed to have received seven (actually eighteen) visions from God dating from 1933. These visions have been debunked as fabrications on the following link: William Branham's 1933 Visions .. Debunked! - Episode 33 William Branham Historical Research Podcast : John Collins, Charles Paisley : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive In actuality Branham was a plagarist whose primary source was the "prophetic" writings of 17th century mystic Jane Lead.*
Steve Montgomery: "Driven by 'ongoing revelations' and through 'borrowing' and plagiarizing the written works of the Esoterically-inspired, 17th century mystic and 'prophetess' Jane Lead, these 'prophets' of the Latter Rain developed the idea that 'all things' to be achieved in the 'end-times' would occur through the essentially deified 'corporate Body of Christ' prior to the literal, physical, personal return of the individual Jesus Christ."2
The preamble gives a brief insight into the history of Branhamism. For the purposes of this post, I will limit my focus to the Shepherding Movement, aka the Discipleship or Covering Movement, which was established as a discipleship network during the 1960s by five charismatic teachers based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. These five teachers became known as "The Fort Lauderdale Five": Charles Simpson, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Don Basham, and Ern Baxter. The emphasis of the Shepherding Movement was on spiritual accountability, submission to authority, and close discipleship relationships. All five of these men were deeply influenced by William Brahnam. In particular, Ern Baxter was Branham's campaign manager between 1947 and 1953. Baxter often shared a platform with Branham, and their joint meetings were frequently referred to as the "Baxter-Branham meetings". Eventually, Baxter became disillusioned and parted company with Branham in 1953/4.2
Ern Baxter: "In the ministry with William Branham, I saw a dimension of the supernatural, that had in it such seeds of Christian unity and other good fruits that my excitement was hard to contain. But when I saw carnality start to invade the movement - exaggeration, misrepresentation, metaphysics and eventually the breakdown of many of the healers in critical areas of their lives, because they couldn't handle the crowds, the popularity or the money - I had to withdraw from it.."3
Competing schisms subsequently developed from Branham's cult, and he became a catalyst for the Latter Rain Movement. The key component in these schisms was the emphasis on the five-fold ministry consisting of prophets, apostles, elders, preachers, and teachers (as outlined in Ephesians 4:11). The movement was based on ungodly hierarchical apostolic–prophetic structures with "prophets andapostles" claiming direct authority from God. Many direct parallels can be drawn between the Latter Rain Movement and the governance structure of the NAR. The most striking parallel is the alleged authority of modern-day "prophets and apostles" and their claim to receive direct, unverifiable revelations from God.
The discussion proper about Derek Prince begins at the 29:00 mark. Prince came from a high socioeconomic status (SES) and attended Eton College and Cambridge University. Those coming from high SES backgrounds often have an entrenched attitude of entitlement. In my view, Prince's assumed "spiritual authority" was based on his privileged background rather than on calling and spiritual maturity. (Romans 8:5-9).
Prince cultivated a close association with Branham and the Assemblies of God, which was the largest branch of the Latter Rain movement during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1962, Prince moved to Canada from Kenya, where he had been a missionary, and he became a US citizen. He subsequently became pastor of the AoG Broadway Tabernacle in Seattle, where he ministered alongside key Latter Rain player and elder James A. Watt of Sharon Orphanage. Prince also became involved directly with Branham and the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI). His association with Branham led to a move to the AoG Faith Tabernacle in Chicago.4 Paisley contends that Prince's ministry was entirely facilitated by his association with Branham: "Derek Prince had to get William Branham's blessing in order to share the stage with him."
The Shepherding Movement consisted of pyramid structures of "sheep and shepherds" that demanded the total submission of the lower ranks to the five-fold ministry as a requirement for "perfection" or what they referred to as "maturity". Rank and file members were required to submit to an authority figure known as a "shepherd" who micromanaged their lives via"covenant relationships". The shepherds in turn submitted to the Five or their subordinates. Members were not permitted to make lifestyle decisions, including marriage, house moves, career choices, visits to doctors, etc. without the permission of their shepherd. The authoritarian structure and rigid disciplinary requirements of the Shepherding Movement resulted in profound negative consequences on the lives of its rank-and-file members and their families. An insightful comment made by Charles Paisley is that the "shepherds" usurped the role of the Holy Spirit and personal accountability to God. (36:00 mark) The Shepherding Movement received increasing negative publicity as reports of severe spiritual abuse emerged. Eventually, due to pressure from Pat Robertson (CBN), who was also a false teacher, Prince left the movement in 1984, stating that they had been "guilty of the Galatian error: having begun in the Spirit, we quickly degenerated into the flesh."5
Prince's "repentance", in my view, is suspect. My contention is that the Shepherding Movement was always rooted in the flesh. It is my observation that false teachers often "repent" when they are backed into a corner and have no other choice. Bob Mumford also publicly repented in 1989.
David Moore's description of the Shepherding Movement is that it "created a propensity toward an abuse of spiritual authority, especially among young immature leaders, or leaders who lacked character and integrity...the emphasis on
hierarchically oriented submission to God’s delegated authorities led to many cases of
improper control and abusive authority throughout the movement."6
A victim of the Shepherding Movement writes: "I grew up in the Shepherding movement. Just like anyone who has grown up in abuse, perspectives of what is normal, loving and correct are skewed. Healing has come so very slowly. This movement affected four generations of my family, my grandmother, parents, an aunt and uncle, myself, cousins and my children. The wounds are deep and serious. It has felt like we have been so wounded that we needed a spiritual ICU, but there isn't one. My older child are now practising non-Christian beliefs, wanting nothing to do with Christianity. My cousins have battled drug addiction as a means to try to forget. A day does not go by that I do not feel the searing pain left on my soul. The Shepherding movement was not of God in any way, shape or form. If the bible states we will know people by their fruit I would have to say that there certainly a great many bad apples that went on to injure others that might other wise have been good fruit."7
"The five were deeply influenced by William Branham [Ern Baxter, one of the 5 had known him], and in turn they deeply influenced others such as the Kansas City Prophets (IHOP), Paul Cain, Bickle and Joyner [were under Wimber who was under Paul Cain]; and Peter Wagner. They are sometimes considered a syncretistic bridge between the New Age occult movement and some Charismatic movements (such as those in the Manifested Sons of God â MSG â branches)."8
This is a cautionary tale for those currently influenced by the NAR. This post barely scratches the surface of the Shepherding Movement and Prince's involvement with Branham. The corroborating evidence, thorough research, and insight of Collins and Paisley are of great value to those seeking to understand the insidious tentacles of Branhamism. This series of videos has much to offer those with "ears to hear".
I wrote extensively about Derek Prince's false teachings from 2014-18.I am revisiting the subject of demonic possession due to the prominence of various "deliverance ministries" via false teachers such as Vlad Savchuck, Isaiah Salvidar, Bob Larson, Torben Sondergard, and Kathryn Krick etc. whose ministries often mirror the aberrant ministry of Prince and others. In this video, Prince falsely teaches that a Christian can be indwelt by "two spirits".
Prince: "The most difficult people to deal with are people who have two kinds of spirit. One is the Holy Spirit and the other is not. Now people will tell you that the Holy Spirit wouldn't dwell in an unclean vessel. That's wrong. The Holy Spirit does dwell in unclean vessels.."1
A biblical rebuke to this false claim:
What God has made clean, do not call common/unclean (koinos). Acts 10:15 cf. Acts 11:9).2
This phrase is repeated twice in the Book of Acts and is preceded by the Greek word for "voice"(φωνή, phōnē) which suggests an authoritative proclamation. The phrase "has made clean" (καθαρίζω, katharizō) signifies a divine act of purification.This indicates the new covenant in Christ, where all believers, Jew and Gentile alike, are made clean by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8).
Deliverance ministers practice a form of spiritual abuse wrapped up in Christianese. These wolves plant seeds of doubt in the minds of believers that they have not been truly cleansed from their former sins. (2 Peter 1:9). They lead believers into far worse problems than they claim to solve; they kill joy and assurance and their lies lead to confusion, anguish, and bondage. (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 11:14). The scriptures state repeatedly that the Holy Spirit brings cleansing and renewal to regenerated believers.
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, (Acts 3:19).
... to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Acts 26:18). But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9).
Titus 3:5; 1 John 1:9; 2 Peter 1:9; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:22; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:11,19; Ephesian 5:26; Romans 15:16 etc.
Prince engaged in obfuscation and double-talk. On one hand, he taught that believers cannot be demonically possessed; on the other, he taught that believers can have "two spirits". Prince: "..he came to believe that Christians could be 'demonized', (normally described as "possessed" by demons.."3
The scriptures teach that believers are cleansed from their sins and made holy by the blood of Jesus Christ. This is not to promote sinless perfection since sanctification is an ongoing process within believers. However, no true follower of Jesus Christ is an "unclean vessel"! It is inconceivable that the Holy Spirit would dwell within a person together with a demon.
Believers can be tempted, harassed, and oppressed by demons at times. However, a genuine follower of Jesus Christ cannot be demonically possessed. No believer was ever delivered from a demon in the New Testament! If we are plagued by former ungodly habits and addictions it is necessary to persist in prayer and to recognize that God will deliver us from temptation. (1 John 1:9; Matthew 6:13; Galatians 5:16). The Corinthians had many serious issues with sin and immorality. However, Paul did not recommend "deliverance", he instructed them to cleanse out the old leaven (sin). Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7,6:11; Romans 6:2; 2 Peter 1:9). If someone has made a conscious decision to follow evil that is another matter entirely; such a person cannot be truly devoted to Jesus Christ. (Numbers 25:3).
Prince's endorsement of false prophet William Branham is a major red flag!
It should be glaringly obvious to any bible believing Christian that William Branham was a false prophet/teacher. Prince claimed that Branham had "two spirits" dwelling within him, "the Holy Spirit and a demonic spirit".4
Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt (pikron)water? "Strongs 4089:pikros bitter, acrid, malignant."5
Self-proclaimed "prophet" William Branham (1909-1965) was an early Pentecostal leader. He hugely influenced the Latter Rain Movement and his false teachings have left their mark on those who promote the restoration of apostles of prophets in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). In reality, Branham was an occultist and a cult leader.
Branham's followers refer to his false teachings collectively as "The Message". His eschatological views were utterly demonic. He proclaimed himself the angel of Revelation 3:14,10:7. He also claimed to be the prophet Elijah and taught that his ministry would result in the return of Jesus Christ. He prophesied that by 1977 all denominations would be consumed by the World Council of Churches under the control of the Roman Catholics, that the rapture would take place, and that the world would be destroyed.
Branham taught the false Oneness doctrine. However, he differed from the Oneness baptism formula and insisted that his followers were re-baptized in the name of Jesus Christ only. He also taught annihilationism, predestination (similar to Calvinism), eternal security, and the serpent seed doctrine (i.e. the serpent had sexual intercourse with Eve).
Apologetics Index: "Branham taught that the Word of God was given in three forms: the zodiac, the Egyptian pyramids, and the written scripture. He said that anyone belonging to any denomination had taken 'the mark of the beast'. Branham denied the Trinity, calling the Trinitatian doctrine 'of the devil.' 'Now don’t get excited. Let me say this with Godly love. The hours approached where I can’t hold still on these things no more… Trinitarianism is of the devil. I tell you that – Thus saith the Lord.' William Branham, Footprints on the Sands of Time: The autobiography of William Marrion Branham, Part Two (Jeffersonville, IN: Spoken Word Publications, 1975), 606-7. He insisted that believers baptized by a Trinitarian formula should be baptized in the name of 'Jesus only'
His doctrine of the 'serpent’s seed' taught that Eve’s sin involved sexual relations with the serpent. Some humans are descended from the serpent’s seed and are destined for hell, which is not eternal, however."6
Derek Prince (1915- 2003) became a Pentecostal teacher in 1962. He was born in India to British parents and was a scholar of Greek and Latin, attending both Eton College and Cambridge University. It is my observation that some people from privileged backgrounds have a sense of entitlement and assume that they can automatically become church leaders. In reality, this is far from the case. (1 Samuel 16:7). Even after the failure of the infamous Shepherding Movement Prince persisted with this arrogant assumption and continued to damage the body of Christ. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:20).
A primary requirement for the office of overseer is to have the ability to teach and to accurately handle the word of truth. (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 2 Timothy 2:15). The scriptures warn that not many believers should become teachers since teachers will be judged with greater strictness. (James 3:1).
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. (Romans 16:17).
Pentecostal minister Derek Prince operated in the pseudo ministry of deliverance and demonology during the late 1900's. In his vanity, Prince rejected the use of the term "demon possessed", falsely claiming that it was a mistranslation due to its implication of "ownership". He then proceeded to redefine and water-down "demoniac" to "demonize", a word that is unknown in the scriptures. Demonize comes from Medieval Latin: to be subject to the influence of demons.. from Medieval Latin daemonizāre, equivalent to Late Latin daemon demon + -izāre -ize {1} Having borrowed the spurious general category "demonize" from Medieval Latin, Prince taught that non-Christians, and also the majority of Christians are demonized.
Lie No 1: A demon cannot "possess” a non-Christian.
Lie No 2: The majority of committed Christians are "demonized" i.e. they can be indwelt by demons.
Lie No 3: Many Christians come under ancestral curses, going back hundreds or even thousands of years.
Derek Prince: "Three different Greek expressions normally used to describe the influence of demons: 1. To have an unclean/evil spirit. See Matt. 11:18; Mark 7:25; 9:17; Luke 4:33; 8:27; 13:11; John 7:20; 8:48–49, 52; 10:20–21. 2.To be in an unclean/evil spirit (Modern English—to be under the influence of) See Mark 1:23; 5:2. 3. To be demonized. KJV incorrectly translates to be “possessed with devils.” There is nothing in the Greek to support the word “possessed,” which is completely misleading. See Matt. 4:24; 8:16, 28, 33; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32; 5:15, 16, 18; Luke 8:36." {2}
Prince's three classifications above are completely bogus. In particular, the Greek verb δαιμονίζομαι, English demoniac, translates: I am demon-possessed. Definition: I am possessed, am under the power of an evil-spirit or demon.{3} Prince's statement that the Greek does not support "possessed" is completely false. Not only Strong's Greek 1139, but ALL the accepted Greek dictionaries and lexicons define δαιμονίζομαι in exactly the same way:
BAGD “be possessed by a demon” EDNT, ed. Balz & Schneider, 1:274 “be possessed by a demon” LSJ “to be possessed by a demon” Louw-Nida, 1:147 (§12.41) “to be possessed by a demon” NIDNTT, ed. Brown, 1:453 “be possessed by a demon” TDNT, ed. Kittel, 2:19 “To be possessed by a demon” UBS Greek Dictionary “to be demon possessed” {4}
1.To have (ἔχω) a demon as in Matthew 11:18; Mark 7:25; 9:17; Luke 4:33; 8:27; 13:11; John 7:20; 8:48–49, 52; 10:20–21.
The Greek verb in question is ἔχω = I have, hold, possess {5}
The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have (ἔχεις) a demon! (John 8:52).
Other examples:
And the same John had (εἶχεν) his raiment of camel's hair.. (Matthew 3:4).
We have (ἔχομεν) Abraham as our father.. (Matthew 3:9).
I have (ἔχω) the keys of Death and Hades. (Revelation 1:18).
ἐκβάλλω= to expel, to drive, cast or send out. {6}
ἐξέρχομαι: to go or come out of . {7}
And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has (ἔχοντα) a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out (ἐκβάλωσιν), and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out (ἔξελθε) of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Mark 9:17-29).
2. Mark 1:23; 5:2. "..a man with an unclean spirit."
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him (ἔξελθε)!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him (ἐξῆλθεν). (Mark 1:23-26). ..And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. (Mark 5:3-5).
Notably, the demons, not the man responded to Jesus in both cases:
“What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us?( Mark 1:24) “My name is Legion, for we are many.” (Mark 5:9).
3...they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons (demoniacs), those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. (Matthew 4:24). Other translations have "demon possessed".
We are not given specific details in every instance, but the context in all the examples that Prince gives is that of control/possession as in δαιμονίζομαι, demoniac.
Further weight is added to the argument against Prince's eisegesis, in that the New Testament gives no example of a Christian having been inhabited by a demon, or having a demon "cast out”. In fact such a thing is an impossibility since Christ has delivered genuine converts to Christianity from the domain of darkness and transferred them to the kingdom of his beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13). Furthermore, true believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. (1 John 4:4). A Christian may be tempted, deceived and harassed by a demon/demons from without, but he/she does not need to be “delivered” by some strange occult formula based on spurious translations from the Greek invented by Derek Prince!
δαιμονίζομαι; 1 aorist passive participle δαιμονισθείς; (δαίμων); to be under the power of a demon: ἄλλος κατ' ἄλλην δαιμονίζεται τυχην, Philemon 1 in Stobaeus, ecl. phys. 1, p. 196; of the insane, Plutarch, symp. 7, 5, 4, and in other later authors. In the N. T. δαιμονιζόμενοι are persons afflicted with especially severe diseases, either bodily or mental (such as paralysis, blindness, deafness, loss of speech, epilepsy, melancholy, insanity, etc.), whose bodies in the opinion of the Jews demons (see δαιμόνιον) had entered, and so held possession of them as not only to afflict them with ills, but also to dethrone the reason and take its place themselves; accordingly, the possessed were accustomed to express the mind and consciousness of the demons dwelling in them; and their cure was thought to require the expulsion of the demon — (but on this subject see B. D. American edition under the word Demoniacs and references there; Weiss, Leben Jesu, book iii., chapter 6): Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:16, 28, 33; Matthew 9:32; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 15:22; Mark 1:32; Mark 5:15; John 10:21; δαιμονισθείς, that had been possessed by a demon (demons), Mark 5:18; Luke 8:36. They are said also to be ὀχλούμενοι ὑπό or ἀπό πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, Luke 6:18 (T Tr WH ἐνοχλούμενοι); Acts 5:16; καταδυναστευόμενοι ὑπό τοῦ διαβόλου, i. e. by his ministers, the demons, Acts 10:38. {3}
Ancestral Curses?
Prince claimed that many Christians come under generational curses, "going back hundreds or even thousands of years". {8} This outrageous claim is completely demolished by the scriptures:
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.. (Deuteronomy 7:9 cf. Deuteronomy 5:9-10).
Those who have not accepted Jesus Christ may very well be under an ancestral curse/curses, but even if this is the case, God's mercy is such that retrospective curses are not effective for more than three or four generations, much less thousands of years! A generation in human terms typically ranges from 22 to 32 years.{9} An ancestral curse is therefore not effectual for longer than 128 years at the most (Numbers 14:18).
..for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.. (Deuteronomy 5:9 cf. Exodus 34:7).
Curses apply to those that hate God, not to Christians!Prince argued not from the scriptures, which are silent on the matter, rather he brought examples from his own subjective experience and various "words from the Lord", in order to attach believers to the various Old Testament curses laid out in Deuteronomy. The Deuteronomy curses were pronounced by the Levitical priests and were to be set up on Mount Ebal after the Israelites had entered the promised land. The future curses pronounced were the inevitable result turning away from God and breaking the law of Moses. Moses made no reference either to residual curses left from the time the Israelites spent in slavery in Egypt, or the generation that sinned and died in the wilderness. (Numbers 32:13; Hebrews 3:17). I am referring to types and shadows in the OT (I Corinthians 10:11),i.e. Egypt is a type of sin; Pharaoh is a type of Satan. Deliverance from Egypt was complete once Israel came through the Red Sea: For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. (Exodus 14:13).
As already stated, Prince goes back thousands of years, not three or four generations. Secondly, we are speaking specifically about curses upon the Israelites, not NT believers. Thirdly, all who rely on works of the law are under a curse - this obviously excludes NT believers. (Galatians 3:10). At Sinai, Moses sprinkled the blood of animals on the altar and upon the people who entered into covenant with God. (Exodus 24: 3-8). Once the Israelites entered into the covenant at Sinai, what God required was obedience. Since we are to make parallels with the Israelites as believers, then we must concede that once the Israelites came out of Egypt, ancestral curses were non existent. The New Testament identifies the problem: their hearts turned back to Egypt (Acts 7:9; cf. Deuteronomy 30:17). Similarly if we disobey the Law of Christ i.e. the New Testament commandments (John 13:34), then inevitably, there will be consequences (1 Corinthians 10:11). Notice that the key is obedience, forgetting those things that lie behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.(Philippians 3:13). When we do fail for any reason, then we need to repent. The unbiblical machinations of Derek Prince threaten to undermine faith and destroy our peace in Christ and cause us go backwards into bondage, curses, death and darkness! Satan is in the business of sowing doubt and unbelief! God has not placed heavy burdens upon believers concerning the effect of sins committed in past generations! On the contrary! THE TRUTH: Anyone who has genuine faith in Jesus Christ is transformed into a new creation upon conversion: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4 cf. Isaiah 43:18; Ezekiel 36:26). If any ancestral curses did exist before we were converted, the moment we were born again they were obliterated.. we passed from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18). Believers have no remit to go digging around in the past looking for ancestral curses! Jesus Christ has blessed true believers with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3 cf. Philippians 3:13). Can a person be blessed and cursed at the same time? The flesh and the world also play their part when Christians experience problems, but ancestral curses are never given as a cause for difficulties in the New Testament. (Luke 4:18; John 8:32-36; Romans 8:2).
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— (Galatians 3:13).
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Can those who have become righteous through Christ's obedience be under a curse?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.. (Ephesians 1:3). Can Christians be blessed and cursed at the same time?
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:10-14)
The question of ancestral curses is completely demolished when we realise that under the new covenant Christians follow Jesus Christ and that He superseded the Law. We should understand that God calls believers to faithfully follow His Word, and that there are consequences, even curses for apostasy and disobedience. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9). Ironically, in preaching a gospel contrary to the scriptures, Prince himself would have been under a self inflicted curse.
Prince's false teachings are aimed at seriously undermining the faith of Christians. Just as those who infiltrated the church at Galatia, pseudo "deliverance ministries" come to spy out the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into bondage.(Galatians 2:4).
Derek Prince was either a deceiver or he had no knowledge of the subject in which professed to be an "expert", as demonstrated by his inability to translate the Greek δαιμονίζομαι correctly, and his reversion to Old Testament curses which have no practical application to the new covenant. In addition, Prince's "heavy shepherding" fiasco really does highlight that he was operating in the flesh and not in the Spirit. This despicable false teacher caused devastating problems in the lives of many believers throughout his alleged "ministry". Tragically, Derek Prince Ministries continues to distribute his false teachings and trains missionaries, church leaders, and congregations through the outreaches of more than thirty DPM offices around the world. {10} Beware of these lethal false teachings. {11}
We can finally put to bed any idea that Derek Prince was a genuine bible teacher when we discover his early betrayal and his involvement with the Vatican:
Early Betrayal: In 1974 the founders of the Shepherding Movement aka the Fort Lauderdale Five (FL5) formed a secret council and an ecumenical alliance. In 1977 the FL5 secretly met Cardinal Suenens in Israel where they made a joint covert declaration to work together for the restoration of the unity of the Church. The council agreed to relate directly to Cardinal Suenens and to consult him before planning or implementing projects, evangelism, etc. In other words, the FL5 sold out and capitulated to Vatican control.
The General Council Minutes of The “Ft. Lauderdale” Elders makes very interesting reading! This document was obstructed and suppressed for a long time for obvious reasons: “The fuller picture is how these men wove themselves into a multi-apostasy which includes the RCC, the mother of whores.” {12}
The suggestion that ancestral curses have to be dealt with in an extrabiblical manner by some charismatic curse-buster or guru is to declare that the cross alone is deficient.
This post was written to further enlarge upon the ongoing discussion in the comments of my original post: DEREK PRINCE FALSE TEACHER WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING!!!
Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. (Luke 11:35)
How deceiver Derek Prince had the audacity to stand in front of born again, blood bought believers in Jesus Christ and tell them that "many" were, in all likelihood, under an ancestral curse is totally beyond me! I am writing this second post about Derek Prince because there are those who are associated with Derek Prince Ministries (DPM) who protest a little too loudly that Ido not understand Prince's teaching about curses and blessings. Very sadly, I can say that Ido understand all too well. I have re-visited this subject in order to reiterate my warnings about the deviant teachings of this man.
Derek Prince claimed to show three thingsin his ten part teaching about curses and blessings: 1,
what the symptoms are of being under a curse; 2, where curses can come
from, and 3, how to be free: How To Pass From Curse to Blessing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsOhODrm67k
Princeclaimed that many Christians come under generational curses, going back hundreds or even thousands of years.{1} According to the scriptures however, a familial curse is not effective for longer than 128 years at the most (Numbers 14:18). A generation in human terms typically ranges from 22 to 32 years.{2}
The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving
iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and
the fourth generation. (Numbers 14:18 cf. Exodus 34:7)
Derek Prince: "In my opinion it’s scarcely worth ministering in Southeast Asia if you
can’t deal with the subject of the curse because basically ninety-five
percent of all the people there are under a curse." {3}
Derek Prince: "Many here tonight are fighting something that you don't fully understand in your own life. Some kind of frustration, something that every time you are about to succeed intervenes and keeps you from success. Something that holds you back from being a complete person, from being completely free, from being able to serve the Lord the way you would wish to, from leading a life of real victory. I believe in manycases, the problem that you are fighting with, that you have never diagnosed, you have never come fully to grips with, is that there is a curse over your life."
Derek Prince's answer to generational curses: "The prayer of release from a curse". {4}
Prince's statements above are some of the most wicked deceitful words I have ever heard! Sadly he found no difficulty in finding naive believers who identified with his message. There are no shortage of Christians who find themselves struggling in their walk with the Lord and who have become the victim of Prince's false diagnosis of non-existent curses. What Prince failed to mention is the fact that it would be strange if difficulties were not the case. The scriptures are very clear that various problems will beset believers (1 Peter 4:12). Jesus warned his potential followers to count the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:27-29). The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life (Matthew 7:14; cf. Matthew 5:2-12; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Philippians 1:29; 1 Peter 4:14). The Apostle Paul confessed his struggles with the flesh:For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate (Romans 7:15-23 cf. Galatians 5:17). Paul's story is hardly one of "success" or "victory" in worldly terms; he was shipwrecked, stoned and beaten with rods three times (2 Corinthians 11:25). At one stage, Paul and his companions were so burdened beyond their strength that they despaired of life itself. (2 Corinthians 1:8). Ultimately all the disciples were martyred except John. Were they under a curse?Nowhere in the New Testament does it state that genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can be under a generational curse, and furthermore the apostles taught no such thing! I have personally known Christians who have received "prayers of release/deliverance ministry" several times, but inevitably their struggles continue, and tragically they
remain convinced that they are still under some unidentified curse, or that they have a demon. Hence many
Christians go back again and again forthis kind of "ministry" and are bound to a vicious
circle of doubt and oppression, never believing that they are quite
free, convinced that something more from
the past needs to be exposed in order to release them. The suggestion that ancestral curses have to be dealt with in an
extrabiblical manner by some curse-buster or guru is to suggest that the cross alone is in some way deficient in the area of
ancestral curses. This powerful lie from the pit of hell is so serious that it actually mounts a bid to strip the cross of Christ of its power and belies the scriptures. It is a very subtle way of making us doubt the word of
God which is exactly what Satan wants!
In order to promote his deviant teaching about ancestral curses, Derek
Prince used examples of his own spiritual experiences and various "words from the Lord" which he then tied into Old Testament curses. In this specific teaching on YouTube, he spends some time on the twelve curses listed in Deuteronomy 27. These curses were
pronounced by the Levitical priests and were to
be set up on Mount Ebal once the Israelites had entered the promised land. The curses
would be the inevitable result turning away from God and breaking the law of Moses. Prince suggests
that these particular curses may be affecting people in his audience,
but this is ridiculous. Firstly, we are going back thousands of years,
not three or four generations; secondly, we are speaking specifically about
curses upon the Israelites, and thirdly, the new birth is required (John 3:18), all who rely on works of the law are under a curse (Galatians 3:10). At Sinai, Moses sprinkled the blood of animals on
the altar and upon the people who entered into covenant with God (Exodus
24: 3-8). Once the Israelites entered into the covenant at Sinai,
what God required was obedience. God gave no special "prayer of release from an ancestral curse" to Moses and the Israelites in relation to their 400 years spent in Egypt and similarly noneis
required for Christians. Since we are to make parallels with the Israelites as
believers, then we must see that once the Israelites came out of Egypt, generational curses were not an issue. The New Testament identifies the problem: their hearts
turned back to Egypt (Acts 7:9; cf. Deuteronomy 30:17). Similarly if we disobey the commandments
in the New Testament (John 13:34), then inevitably, there will be consequences (1 Corinthians 10:11). Notice that the key is obedience, forgetting those
things that lie behind and straining forward to what lies ahead
(Philippians 3:13). When we do fail for any reason, then we need to repent. If any
ancestral sins did exist before we were converted, the moment we were born again we became anew creation
in Christ, the old has passed away; behold, the new has come (1 Corinthians 5:17). We passed from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to
God (Acts 26:18). The teachings of Derek Prince would destroy our peace in Christ and cause us go
backwards, denying what the Lord has achieved on the cross into
bondage, curses, death and darkness! Ironically, in preaching a gospel contrary to the scriptures, Prince
would have been under a self inflicted curse himself (Galatians 1:8-9).
An important example is Jesus' letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 which identify various critical problems within certain congregations. The remedy was/is repentance (Revelation 2:5, 16, 21, 22). The consequences of remaining unrepentant are dire indeed, but note that nothing morethanrepentance is needed to restore a right relationship to God. To pray a "prayer of release from a curse"
is extrabiblical. Do we really want to be guilty of going beyond what is written and adding to the
scriptures (1 Corinthians 1:19; Revelation 22:18; Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6)?
THE TRUTH is that anyone coming to faith in Jesus Christ is transformed into a new creation upon conversion: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4
cf. Isaiah 43:18; Ezekiel 36:26). Believers have no remit to go digging
around in the past looking for curses, to do such a thing is sinful! Jesus Christ has blessed true believers with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3 cf. Philippians 3:13). Can someone be blessed and cursed at the same time? We can blame
the oppression of Satan, the flesh or the world for our difficulties,
but never an ancestral curse (Luke 4:18; John 8:32-36; Romans 8:2). The
Apostle Paul taught that our way of thinking needs to be renewed in
order to come into agreement with the Word of God (Romans 12:12;
Ephesians 4:23 cf. Romans 6:4; Colossians 3:10 cf. 1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 9:14).
Derek Prince: "Men representing God are authorised to curse things."
Prince: "... Cursing is part of the ministry of a man of God... men of God not only bless, they also curse....." {5}
Whom did Derek Prince expect Christians to curse? Their enemies? (Matthew 5:44; Mark 11:26; Luke 6:28), or another believer
whom we hold something against? (Matthew 18:21). Jesus Christ was quite
specific about the consequences of unforgiveness! Paul also instructed: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.(Romans
12:14, 2; 1 Corinthians 4:11-12; cf. 1 Peter 3:9; James 3:9). It is clear that followers of
Jesus Christ are never permitted to appeal to the precedent of David,
Elijah or
anyone else in the Old Testament to justify treating enemies in ways
that contradict His example and teachings.
Prince gives various examples from the Old Testament in order to justify cursing:
Joshua's curse on the man to rebuild the city
of Jericho (Joshua 6:26). Joshua's curse was fulfilled approximately
500 years later during the reign of Ahab, when Hiel, a Bethelite,
rebuilt Jericho at the cost of his firstborn and youngest sons (1 Kings
16:34). Prince wanders off into his own eisegetical interpretation,
surmising that Hiel's
sons wasted away, the cause being undiagnosed by doctors! In fact, Hiel and all Israel would undoubtedly have been aware of Joshua's curse. Actually the manner of
the fulfilment of the curse is disputed since there is some question
about
whether Hiel rebuilt Jericho in defiance of the curse, or whether his sons were intentionally sacrificed. {6}
The curse of an Old Testament prophet was an inspired prediction of punitive disaster, it did not come from the flesh. Elisha pronounced inspired judgement upon the sin of Gehazi who had lied in vain to the Holy Spirit. The apostles were also so gifted (Acts 5:1-10). We should not confuse this with modern day false "prophets" like Benny Hinn who pronounced a curse upon his detractors. {7}
The Fig Tree
When the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly,
I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do
what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this
mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:20-22)
Derek Prince: "Jesus said to them (his disciples) 'you will not only do what was done to the fig tree'... he said 'you can also speak to a mountain'..... notice He authorised themto curse things. I tell you, the power that we have, if we could but realise it, is frightening. We are really rather like Moses - You see a lot of us are like that, we are holding a staff in our hands, we don't realise that if we hold a staff in our hand it can turn into a snake."
Prince's teaching of Jesus' curse on the fig tree is immensely deceptive. There are two accounts of this event in the New Testament: Matthew 21:18-22 and Mark 11:12-14. Critically, Prince completely fails to explain that the fig tree symbolically represents Israel (Hosea 9:10; Matthew 24:32-35). Jesus' curse upon the fig tree symbolises the judgement and rejection of God and His judgement on Israel for failing to bear the fruit he required from the temple. It foreshadows the
cleansing of the temple (Mark 11:15-19) and ultimately the prophecy of its destruction.Jesus frequently used the allegory of trees and fruit (Matthew 3:10; 7:19; Luke 3:9; 13:6-9; John 15:2-6). No argument can be made that the example of the fig tree gives Christians authority to pronounce curses on individuals or things at will, especially in view of Jesus' unequivocal teaching about how we should treat our enemies. Such actions belong to the realm of witchcraft and Satanism! God alone is the One who will decide what kind
of corrective action will need to be taken with the enemies in our lives, we have no such remit!
Self Imposed Curses
Four godly men in the Old Testament are known to have had a death wish: Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), Job (Job 3:1-2), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14) and Jonah (Jonah 4:8). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul and his companions were so utterly burdened beyond their strength that they despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8). None of these men were under a curse, they undoubtedly fell temporarily into fear, exhaustion and depression at particular times. In other words, they had weaknesses like every one of us. For the Christian, the answer to depression is always to turn directly to God for the answers and for strength. Once again, we do not need to turn to some self appointed guru to obtain release from "the spirit of death" as taught by Derek Prince. Jesus Christ himself was in intense anguish in the garden of Gethsemane and was very sorrowful, even to death (Matthew 26:38). Was Jesus Christ under a curse? Genuine Christians are blessed even in times of depression and weakness. We were darkness, but now we are sons of light and are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8; Luke 16:8; John 12:36). Paul's mission to the Gentiles was to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness
to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith
in Jesus. (Acts 26:17-18). We see then that Christians are not under the power of curses in any respect once they have truly repented and are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ.
Demonization
The definition the Greek word daimonizomai (δαιμονίζομαι) Strong's 1139 = possessed, or to be under the power of an evil spirit or demon - to be oppressed and possessed by a demon.{8}
Derek Prince made a very poor argument that "demon possessed" is a mistranslation of the word daimonizomai.{9} In fact, in context, those whom Jesus delivered from demons in the gospels were
manifesting actual possessione.g. Legion: Jesus commanded the unclean spirit/s to come out of the man and the demons pleaded: “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”(Mark 5:1-13). Similarly, the boy with an evil spirit that made him mute was possessed. Jesus commanded:“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again. (Mark 9:14-29). My own view is that if a demon has entered a person, if it actually dwells inside a person (Matthew 12:45) and is controlling them, then "possession" is an appropriate word. In Prince's language, there is no distinction between a Christian who is "demonised" and Legion or the boy with an evil spirit whom Jesus delivered. In Prince's thinking their condition is identical. In fact ancient Jewish writers confirm the scriptural view of demon possession as expressed by Flavius Josephus and many others.{10} Derek Prince's ideas on the subject were neither scriptural nor historical (Romans 12:3).
There is a vast difference between being oppressed from without by Satan, and being possessedor "demonized" as Prince put it. Christians have been bought with a
price (I Corinthians 7:23), they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they cannot
be indwelt by demons. Those who follow Jesus have passed from death to life (Romans 12:3; John 8:12).
I have written this post in order to repeat my dire warnings about the teachings of Derek Prince, which in my view are pure poison to true followers of Jesus Christ. My previous post covered Prince's ecumenical activities, his association with the Vatican and his leadership role within the infamous Shepherding Movement.{11} Just how many "mistakes" are we supposed to overlook in the case of this wolf in sheep's clothing? It takes rather more than intelligence and pedigree to be a true teacher and servant of the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:19; James 3:1). Below Prince admits his mistakes whilst leading the Shepherding Movement, including the sins of personal ambition and legalism. Incredibly he stated that his ministry "took off" after his disassociation from the Shepherding Movement which shattered so many lives. It may have "taken off" numerically, but ultimately it is doubtful how much fruit this man's "ministry" actually produced!
DPM always refer to "Derek's teachings", and this is precisely what they are! They are not Jesus' and the apostles teachings, and they do not pass the test of scripture (1 John 4:1; cf. Matthew 7:15, 24:11). The most deadly form of teaching is the mixture, when truth and error are combined (Deuteronomy 22:11; Hebrews 10:22). Prince's "teachings" are aired by Derek Prince Legacy Radio and iTunes. They are also aired on apostate TV channels like God TV, TBN and Revelation TV, and they are also widely available on YouTube. It seems to me that DPM have more than your freedom in view (Ezekiel 22:27)! DPM is no small operation! They operate in over 140 countries with 45 offices around the world, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom
and the United States. They boast of promoting over 50 books, 600 audio and 110 video teachings.{12} Large amounts of money are involved through donations, the sale of videotapes, literature, books, paraphernalia etc. Turnover in the UK alone stands at £811,035 {13} with donations alone totalling £876,40 in 2015.{14} To a large degree I believe that the commercial activities of DPM, rather than any love for the truth, explains the hostility that is being directed against me by various DPM associates.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives
do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
afraid. (John 14:27)
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
.....if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.(John 8:36)
If you are associated with DPM or if you earn your living from this ministry, then you need to prayerfully consider the teachings that you promote and their crippling effect upon the Body of Christ. Please do not write to me again with your "experiences" or your opinions. I am always ready to argue from the Word of God, but if you are not prepared totest the spiritsthen I have nothing to say to you (1 John 4:1; cf. John 10:13).
