The following is an excerpt taken from the article:
Beware of False Prophets, False Prophecies, and False Visions!
Posted on March 1, 2017
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15).
Have you been troubled or puzzled by the proliferation of “new prophecies” and “new revelations and teachings” on TV, Internet websites, or social media, many which are touted as “true” visions, dreams, prophecies, and messages from Jesus Christ? While in the past false prophets had to go to great lengths to publicize their messages, today’s advances in technology allow anyone to effortlessly craft their messages, whether true or false, and at the click of a button the message will be “shared” to their clueless and gullible “followers” and forwarded further to the masses within minutes.
In the opening Scripture above, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself warned us to watch out for false prophets who appear harmless, but are actually voracious, ravaging and savage wolves. The Lord further warned that in the last days, “many” false prophets will arise and lead many people astray (Matthew 24:11). With most people nowadays oblivious to, or ignorant of, God’s Word—the Truth (John 17:17), when a lie is repeated often and long enough, they believe it is truth, and are thereby enslaved by the enemy because only God’s Truth can truly set us free (John 8:32).
False prophets and false teachers have the audacity to twist God’s word and make pronouncements that don’t have a solid Scriptural foundation, yet in both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible sternly warns against adding or deducting from the Word of God".
Dear Viewer: In the above video Troy Black, who has been proven to be a false prophet in the past endorses Jonathan Cahn's book the JOSIAH MANIFESTO ALONG WITH IT'S ANCIENT MYSTERIES as a prophetic sign of the future. He advised his viewers to filter what he is sharing through the written word of God. Well I decided to follow his advice and put his so called prophetic word through the acid test and here's what I have uncovered.
At the outset let me begin by stating the following: God may sometimes speak audibly to people. It is highly doubtful, though, that this occurs as often as some people claim it does. Again, even in the Bible, God speaking audibly is the exception, not the ordinary. If anyone claims that God has spoken to him or her, always compare what is said with what the Bible says. If God were to speak today, His words would be in full agreement with what He has said in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16–17). God does not contradict Himself.
2 Peter 1:20-21 New King James Version
knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
This brings me to a very important question: is there such a thing as ANCIENT MYSTERIES taught in the word of God by Jesus Christ or any of the biblical authors? The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! And here are the facts:
Definition of Ancient Mysteries
Secret
rituals of pagan religions, known only to select initiates who had
qualified for higher spiritual development. Such mysteries were kept
apart from popular worship, and initiates had to take a binding oath of
secrecy, so that even today our knowledge of the mysteries is partly
conjectural. Typical mystery cults were those of Eleusis in Greece from about 1500 B.C.E., in turn deriving from the mystery religions of ancient Egypt and the mysteries of Mithras, a Persian deity. Traces of Mithraism existed in Britain. Many secret societies in modern times have claimed that their rituals are a descent of an ancient tradition.
I
did an exhaustive search to see if this term ANCIENT MYSTERY is found
in the bible. Nowhere is this term found either in the Old or New
Testaments. But the Word of God uses the term Pagan/Paganism . It's a
synonymous term for what is known today as Ancient Mystery.
However I did find a list of Ancient Mystery Religions in the book "ESSENTIALS OF BIBLE HISTORY" pages 564-567 as follows:
1) THE ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES
2) THE CULT OF DIONYSUS
3) ORPHISM
4) THE CULT OF CYBELE ATTIS
5) SYRIAN MYSTERY CULTS
6) MITHRAISM
7) THE CULT OF ISIS AND SERAPIS
8) EPICUREANISM & STOICISM.
Need more evidence? At your earliest convenience watch the following 30 minute documentary video below:
Ancient Mystery Cults: The Real History of Secret Societies"
ANCIENT
MYSTERIES ARE CLASSIC NEW AGE EXPRESSIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN USED FOR
CENTURIES BY ALL OCCULT GROUPS OF FREEMASONRY, THEOSOPHY AND NEW AGE
RABBINICAL SAGES FROM THE JUDAIC BRANCH OF KABBALAH.
Ancient
Mystery is not biblically based but has a direct correlation to Ancient
pagan religions. It is obvious to me that Mr. Cahn's concept of Ancient
Mysteries has distorted & influenced his theological and critical
thinking through MYSTICAL HERMENUETICS.
Conclusion According
to the Sacred Text, the usage of MYSTERY is not a puzzle or a secret
knowledge or wisdom that leaves a person in ignorance, but a truth that
God reveals to man. It usually refers to something that man would not
normally know, but that God in his grace makes known to him cf:
Ephesians 3:4-5, Col 1:26, Rev 17:17. They
are secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous,
which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly.
Dear viewer: If Troy Black was really a true prophet of God as he claims throughout his videos, then the Spirit of God would have revealed to him the above historical and biblical facts concerning Mr. Cahn's claims of unlocking ANCIENT MYSTERIES in his latest book(books) and condemned it for what it really is; A FALLACY!
There is no doubt in my mind that this video is nothing more than a verbal ploy designed to emotionally hype your curiosity in order for Troy Black to make a sales pitch for Jonathan Cahn to his audience. And it's plausible that Mr. Cahn probably gave Troy a complementary copy in order to advertise this book in the form of a book review to his viewers. Clever plot if you ask me.
Please Note: I don't know exactly how much income Troy Black is currently generating from his You Tube Channel. But I do know that his channel currently has a B rating and as of this current posting 362k followers; which means that it's plausible he is generating a decent income. Is it any wonder to you dear viewer why he keeps creating videos of so called prophetic revelations anywhere between 2-3 times every week? The more viewers, followers and Ads from his sponsors, the higher the rating and the greater the cash flow.
False prophets gather crowds with the intention of manipulating or exploiting them for personal financial gain. Their motives are selfish in order to build their own kingdom rather than advancing the Kingdom of God. They use charisma, clever marketing on social media or emotional appeals to draw people in, but their focus is strictly on themselves rather than serving the needs of the people.
When a false prophet resorts to using so called prophecies as a money making scheme, it not only compromises the integrity of the Gospel of Christ but also preys on the vulnerability and desperation of those seeking divine intervention. It exploits people's faith & emotions for personal gain by profiting from their sufferings. This is a grave misuse of God's divine authority.
True ministers of the Gospel are driven by a genuine desire to serve and minister to people's needs. Their focus should be on leading others to a deeper relationship with God, not enriching themselves through manipulation. The Bible warns against false prophets who peddle God's word for personal profit, and as believers, we should be vigilant in discerning such practices.
The Bible is clear that freely we have received, and freely we should give. Jesus never charged anyone money for the miracles he performed. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and even raised the dead out of love and compassion, and not for the purpose of soliciting money. His ministry was about setting the captives free and bringing them closer to God and not making a profit from their sufferings.
Genuine prophecies come from God and they are not for sale.
(Excerpt taken from the above book From Pulpit to Profit by Jeremiah T. Zulu chapter 4).
IMPORTANT UPDATE: AS OF SEPT 2023, TROY BLACK'S NET WORTH IS NOW 5 MILLION DOLLARS.
As of May 18th, 2023 Jonathan Cahn's current net worth is approximately $3 million.
https://oneworldinformation.com/jonathan-cahn/.
Many so called prophets like Troy Black are nowadays prophesying on various social media platforms for financial gain. These You Tubers remind me of the Psychic Hot lines that were very popular during the decades of the 1980's & 1990's.They have fallen into the same sin as the False Prophet Balaam cf with Jude verse 11. Jude's letter to the church was written primarily as a warning about those who are false prophets and how the believer should respond to them. Balaam's name means devourer of the people or conqueror of the people. He represents those false prophets who fleece the flock/sheep or use the people of God for their own personal financial gain. The New Testament mentions Balaam three times, all negatively. Both Peter and Jude describe him as the personification of greed in using religion for personal gain (II Peter 2:15; Jude 11).
In the Old Testament, the actual term false prophet does not occur, but references to false prophets are evident and abundant. In the book of Jeremiah, we encounter a clear description of false prophets: “Then the LORD said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds’” (Jeremiah 14:14; see also 23:21–33; Zechariah 10:2).
The primary difference between men like Jeremiah—a true prophet of God—and false prophets was their source of information. Rather than speak the Word of the Lord, false prophets delivered messages that originated in their own hearts and minds: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD’” (Jeremiah 23:16; see also 14:14; 23:25–32; Ezekiel 13:1–7). God distances Himself from all false prophets: “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21).
Another difference between true prophets and false prophets in the Bible is motivation. True prophets are motivated by loyalty to God above all else, whereas false prophets are motivated by self-interest and a desire to be popular among the people (1 Kings 22:13–14). While Jeremiah foretold the grim truth of coming desolation upon Jerusalem (Jeremiah 4), the false prophets promised peace (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11). Naturally, the people of Judah preferred the pleasant messages of the false prophets: “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies” (Isaiah 30:10, NLT).
Often false prophets were hired for payment or spoke their messages for financial gain: “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the LORD’s support and say, ‘Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us’” (Micah 3:11; see also Nehemiah 6:12–13; Jeremiah 6:13–14; Ezekiel 13:19; 2 Peter 2:1–3).
GOD DOES NOT VALIDATE THE WORDS OF FALSE PROPHETS!
DONALD STAMPS IN THE LIFE STUDY BIBLE PAGE 1,995
WRITES:
"THE FALSE PROPHETS/TEACHERS WILL COMMERCIALIZE
THE GOSPEL, BEING EXPERTS IN GREED AND IN GETTING
MONEY FROM BELIEVERS TO ENHANCE THEIR MINISTRIES
AND AFFLUENT LIFESTYLES. BELIEVERS MUST BE AWARE
THAT ONE OF THE CHIEF METHODS OF FALSE MINISTERS IS
TO USE FEIGNED WORDS TO TELL IMPRESSIVE STORIES THAT
ARE NOT TRUE , OR TO GIVE EXAGGERATED STATISTICS IN
ORDER TO INSPIRE GOD'S PEOPLE TO GIVE MONEY. THEY
GLORIFY THEMSELVES AND ENHANCE THEIR MINISTRIES WITH
THESE FABRICATED STORIES (cf 2nd Corinthians 2:17). THUS,
THE UNWARY AND SINCERE CHILD OF GOD BECOMES AN
OBJECT OF EXPLOITATION. BECAUSE THESE MINISTERS
DEFILE GOD'S TRUTH AND PEOPLE WITH GREED AND DECEIT,
THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO ETERNAL DOOM AND
DESTRUCTION".
2 Corinthians 2:17
"You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us".
