Pandemic And Presidential Prophecy - Does God Give Ministry Mulligans When Prophecy Is Wrong?

2020 was a really bad year for self-proclaimed 'Prophets' of God. There was not one 'prophet' who prophesied a legitimate warning nor predicted that a worldwide pandemic was coming. However, there were numerous 'prophets' who prophesied/predicted when the Pandemic would end after it started, and that Donald Trump would win the presidential election and serve a simultaneous second term in a "'red wave"' “landslide.” What actually happened was quite the opposite.

"Misinterpreted" dreams or "insufficient prayer" didn't cause them to be 100% wrong. Witches or the devil did not steal or thwart it, and to imply such a thing is to make them greater than God. It seems more probable, just as God has done in the past, that He gave the people the leader they wanted because they chose to believe what they were told by others rather than turn to Him (see 1 Sam 12:12-13; Ps 106:13-15; 2 Thess 2:11 11 – also 2 Chron 28:19).

The consistently inaccurate heterodox "prophetic" movement found within the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements have brought ridicule and scorn upon the Bride of Christ. It has provided legitimate fuel to the fire of cessationism, as well as confusing and angering multitudes of Born-Again Christians.

The Bible clearly defines how to expose a false Prophet/Teacher and that they must be called out and rebuked, which we will cover shortly (see 1 Tim 5:19-20). Following the biblical command, here is a short list of some who falsely prophesied about the winner of the USA presidential election in 2020 and, per the Bible, should never be trusted again to bring a true word from God - even if they offer apologies and "humble" themselves or try to obfuscate the facts with high sounding religious double-speak.

Robin Bullock, Kim Clement, Tracey Cooke, Kenneth Copeland, Tracy Eckhert, Johnny Enlow, John Hemans, Robert Henderson, Jeff Jansen, Jeremiah Johnson, Kat Kerr, Hank Kunneman, Jennifer LeClaire, Greg Locke, Mario Murilla, Francis Myles, Chuck Pierce, Pat Robertson, Sid Roth, R. Loren Sandford, Stephen Strang, Mark Taylor, Kris Vallotton, Lance Wallnau, and Paula White.

When did the church come to the point of giving 'mulligans' to those who consistently give false prophecies and are allowed to continue teaching and preaching in the church when the Bible clearly states that we are to have nothing to do with them? (Rom 16:17)

During the second half of the 20th century, teaching emerged that it was acceptable if a modern ‘prophet’ gave a word that was not 100% accurate because Old Testament Prophets/Seers only ‘received’ the word of the Lord and were His voice. It is said that this was a result of the Holy Spirit not living within them, however, prophetic people in the New Testament ‘perceive’ the word of the Lord because the Spirit of God lives in them, which leaves open the possibility of acceptable errors.

This teaching promotes the idea that the sensory ‘perception’ of what God is trying to say can confuse prophetic people as they interact daily with the ‘spirit world’ because they are a ‘spirit trying to have a temporary, human experience.’ This can result in a real Prophet of God making a mistake while prophesying and they should be given a ‘mulligan’ – a second chance - when they make a mistake.

But, what about Agabus?

The biblical example most often presented to justify that prophetic mistakes can be made is the New Testament story of Agabus, the Prophet.

“While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles'" (Acts 21:10-12 ESV)

It is suggested that Agabus was correct about the heart of what God was saying, but he got the details mixed up because later in the chapter it seems that Gentiles actually “rescued” Paul from the Jews

“Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.” (Acts 21:30 ESV)

However, upon a closer look at Acts 21:10-11, using the laws of biblical interpretation, it is discovered that the word “bind” means to prohibit, forbid, hold up, stop, or keep from happening. Also, the Greek word for “shall deliver” is “paradidomi” and means to surrender, i.e., yield up, transmit. It is translated as: betray, bring forth, cast, commit, deliver (up), give (over, up), hazard, put in prison, recommend. The word “into” is the Greek word “eis” and is very important in the sentence to understand the contextual meaning. It is a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.)