Monday, July 14, 2008

Todd Bentley and the Branham Anointing

One of the newest prosperity preachers to hit the big-time is the well-tattooed biker, Todd Bentley. His website, as the leader of the "Lakeland Revival" claims that God has released an increase of the healing anointing into Todd's life to the point where the blind see, the deaf hear, and growths dissolve as Jesus still heals every sickness and disease.

Bentley says that two months after being saved the heavens opened like a bright flash and a white dove materialized out of thin air and flew across the lake to a nearby tree. "Although it was a single dove it sounded like the flapping wings of ten thousand doves. The noise filled the sky and rumbled in my spirit. The sound of ripping, rushing. The mighty wind filled my ears. As a result I'd received not only tongues, but also an imbuement of power from on high for miracles and for signs and for wonders."

Well, the power residing in Todd Bentley is so potent that "when people visited me at my home they'd get zapped by in invisible electric force field in whatever room I was in, and then they'd bounce back." One day as he was merely walking in to his kitchen a visiting friend cried out "Your face is glowing." I guess he was kind of like Moses on the Mount. Predictably, his friend suddenly went down under the power. Like his friend, Bentley does what is called "marinating and pickling in the Holy Spirit." That has led to some amazing encounters with the netherworld. Not only did the tree of life once appear in his living room, but Bentley says "angels also started to appear during my 'soaking times.' They'd come into my bedroom as pillars of shimmering light moving to and fro."

Once he had a twenty foot tall angel in his apartment. On another occasion the presence of an angel knocked him out of his body and he had to wonder "How am I going to get back in my body?" Then he later discovered that he had his own angel. God Himself said "This is your angel, the angel from John 5. Everywhere you go the angel goes. I want you to be part of taking healing revival to the nations. I don't want you to be just having this gift of healing. I want you to be part of what has been prophesied in breaking through and seeing the fulfillment of the ultimate healing revival."

Bentley now says that even warlocks approach him in different services and describe his angel, and people say "Todd, there's an angel that follows you and I believe it's the angel and anointing that was with William Branham." I think that's pretty hilarious on the one hand while it's sad because, unfortunately, William Branham was a false teacher and Todd Bentley claims that the anointing and the mantle and the angel of William Branham are now his! Incredible! This in full view of the fact that William Branham denied the Trinity, fancied himself as the end time angel to the church of Laodicea, and prophesied that by 1977 all denominations would be consumed by the World Council of Churches under the control of the Roman Catholics, the rapture would take place, and the world would be destroyed. Supposedly this is all done now, but mystically he has the angel, the mantle and the anointing of William Branham.

He also claims the anointing of many other counterfeit revivalists. Che Ahn, for example, said "I must decrease so that you can increase."
Todd, I'm just so humbled because of what you went through, all of us have gone
through. When I think of John Arnott being rejected by his brothers in 1995. I
remember I was kicked out of two movements. But it was all part of the
preparation, the breaking for the anointing....and He's prepared you for such a
time as this. There's a Branham anointing on you. There's a double portion of
it. The Lord is raising you up. I feel like I want to just say that I must
decrease, you must increase.

I was watching a YouTube in which I saw Bentley kick a man in the gut with his knee in order to heal him of stage 4 colon cancer. When the man bent over in obvious pain from the assault, Bentley said "I had to be obedience to the Lord, sir, but I believe that colon cancer is coming right out of your body now. Now you're probably feeling a little more pain" - of course he was. He just got kicked in the gut, a guy with cancer - "but we're dealing with cancer. Sometimes it's a spirit and we're going to draw that out."

Like a host of Faith teachers before him, Bentley claims all kinds of resurrections from the dead and yet gives no details whatsoever. For Bentley the devil is in the details, and he has none.

You can hear him saying not only that angels appear to him, but Jesus Christ appears to him. He is an absolute false prophet, but unfortunately the world is falling for his ruse. If people want to know how to distinguish between counterfeit and genuine revival they need to get my book Counterfeit Revival. They'll discover that, unfortunately today people are looking for God in all the wrong places. They're going to hear in Lakeland all kinds of things, from people being resurrected from the dead - not true, no details, no descriptions - to supposedly people being pickled and marinated in the Spirit, which is the new vib. In fact, they're going to hear about vibrating in the Spirit now. This guy is an absolute phony. Unfortunately people are falling for his ruse.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I work with somebody who is involved with the teachings of Todd Bentley and the like.
She tells me that people are being raised from the dead. I tried reasoning with her, but she gets offended. It's like talking with a JW or a Mormon. Very sad.
These teachers fill the niche of emotional experiences that human nature naturally craves.
How do you talk to somebody that places experience above reason?

Austin said...

Hank,

I am deeply concerned for you... Over the years I have heard you verbally attack and bash many of God's servants. (Psalm 105:15) states..."Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." Even David refused to rise up against king Saul even though Saul did evil in the eyes of God. David understood that Saul was still God's anointed and God alone would correct the matter.

When you say things like...

"Well, if nobody else is willing to say it - and I don't care how many Heathers stop supporting this ministry - I'm going to continue saying what I'm saying. Todd Bentley is a spiritual fraud." (Hank)

You are verbally attacking and rising up against God's anointed. That concerns me! You could justify you actions by saying... "He is not anointed by God!" But is that our place to judge?

Please repent and ask God to forgive you.

By the way I attended the Lakeland Revival for a few nights and heard Todd Bentley speak. What kind of a spiritual fraud takes an offering at 11:30 p.m. after more than 5,000- 6,000 people left the stadium? And what kind of fraud preaches Good News of Salvation and healing? I saw first hand the revival in Lakeland and that is why I am concerned for you Hank Hanegraff.

P.S. My Dad was miraculously healed of a totally destroyed rotator cuff while watching the Lakeland revival on GOD TV in Pennsylvania. I would like to see you tell him that Todd Bentley is a spiritual fraud.

Anonymous said...

I am very astonished that nobody seems to notice that Todd Bentley sees himself as the new Christ, and so do the "apostles" and "prophets" who "commissioned" him on 23 June.

"Psalms 2 - I tell you, I heard the Lord say it to me this way tonight: 'I wonna decree Psalms 2:
(reads verses 1-6 and continues:)
"Something is being set, a kingship. 'I have set my king on my holy hill in Zion and I will now declare the decree' - what was the decree? - Vers 8: 'Ask of me and I will give you the nations.' "
This King in Psalm 2 is no other than Jesus!

You cite Che Ahn in your article: 'He also claims the anointing of many other counterfeit revivalists. Che Ahn, for example, said "I must decrease so that you can increase."'
This is what John the Baptist said to JESUS. (So, how does Che Ahn see Todd?)

On the same evening, there was a "prophetic word" from somebody called George (introduced as "Georgian"?) Banov from Eastern Europe; he used two Messianic prophetic scriptures claiming God told him these were for Bentley.

Banov cites Isaiah 53:4-6, then, referring to v.10, he goes on: "And yet, it pleased the Lord to bruise him and in his presence there is fullness of joy and pleasure for evermore. And God is releasing his pleasure of what he did to Jesus upon you, Todd. And the second anointing that he wants to release upon you is in Psalm 45 [v.7], but it's also in Hebr.1:9: "Because you have loved righteousness and you have delighted in integrity and virtue and uprightness in heart and thought and action and you have hated injustice and iniquity; therefore God, your God has anointed you with the oil of exultant joy and gladness above and beyond your companions. " - This again is all about Jesus!! And Todd has earned it now for himself by living righteously??

Listen to what Todd says at the end of this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRJX55HkY1k - Todd's heart totally pure (the Lord told him?)? This contradicts everything the Bible says about the heart of man. Jesus is the ONLY one of whom this can be said.

I heard Todd cry out repeatedly, "This is the ark!" , and I've read in Spurgeon's Morning & Evening writings since: "Reader, can you find rest apart from the ark, Christ Jesus?"


The fact that people are being healed, even using the name of Jesus, can't be the proof that this is from God ("...done signs and wonders in my name, and I don't know you"; "false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if possible, even the elect"). Todd says for instance that God has told him in one of his visitations that there had been enough preaching about Jesus, people already believed in Jesus, now was the time for them to believe in the supernatural, to hear about the angels.

There are healing powers in the occult - e.g. in Kundalini Yoga. Have a look at comparisons between what you see here and Kundalini (at youtube, also information on the internet).
On the "commissioning" evening, again, there was a "prophecy" from Stacey Campbell. This shocked me deeply when I first saw it and still does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjl5wKso9eU
This is absolutely frightening - with those present blessing what she is doing. Her head is being flung from side to side so fast that you can't see her face while she is speaking, her words mixed with a terrible "Sh-sh-sh---Sh-sh-sh---Sh-sh-sh". She stops manifesting whenever she reads from the Bible (!). Kundalini - the "Serpent Power".

Bentley is mocking the Holy Spirit, e.g. in his "baptism" ceremony:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnXMMp-0yG0

The following video shows a church in England that has got the "impartation" (but you'd better not watch this late at night, it's extremely upsetting):
Bentley Tour: UK church
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5L_AT5v53k&NR=1
To me this sounds like hell.

We know of churches in England that have stopped preaching and watch the "Revival" instead.

My feelings about all this are the same as David Wilkerson's in 2000:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=VgYtobeizJw

Anonymous said...

Thank God for you,Hank.Thank God SOMEONE is not afraid to speak out!

Anonymous said...

It's so frustrating to hear people trying to protect this heretic by saying"Dont touch God's anointed","You will blaspheme the Holy Spirit!""you are a Pharisee,Jezebel,judgemental person.etc.He is NOT God's anointed,this is not the Holy Spirit,and we are called to use discernment and compare what we see to the Scriptures.How can people be such blind sheep?