By Fr George Nkeze Jingwa
Jesus tells us “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). In today’s age, the age of Information Technology (IT) in which we are bombarded with all kinds of information and teachings via Television or Internet, it is sometimes a difficult task to find our way in our search for the truth and life.
Non-Catholic perspectives may also confuse as you find so many churches in our cities and neighbourhood with all kinds of teachings and practices. Molyko, for example, has more than 100 churches. In the face of all this, Catholic Christians have an obligation to be informed about what their faith teaches with regard to what they may hear, see or read about. One of the areas that I would address as Spiritual Director of the Members of the Intercessors of the Paschal Lamb Molyko (IPALAC, is our understanding of the concept of who a prophet is and the meaning and implications of biblical prophecy.
This topic comes up because today you find a lot of men and women purporting that they are prophets or prophetesses with special powers, inviting people to come to them for consultation, prayers and healings. Some of them have TV stations such as “Prophet Joshua’s” Emmanuel TV. The question is “Are these men and women genuine Prophets in the biblical sense of the word? (See Mk 8:27-28; Lk 7:16; Lk 4:24).
Who are prophets and what is their calling Card based on following the Biblical tradition? A close study of the prophets in the Bible and the Life of Jesus, who was not only a Prophet but God’s Son, points to the fact that most so-called prophets in our cities and neighbourhoods today do not deserve the prophet title. They should be called diviners, fortune tellers, seers, soothsayers and oracle givers based on what they do and teach.
The Bible will be used to justify this conclusion. 2 Tim 4:16-17 reads, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work”. (2 Tim 4:16-17)
The above biblical quote presents the main arguments why the teachings and practices of the so-called prophets in our society or those that we watch on TV such as Emmanuel TV, are not only contrary to Catholic teaching and practice, but above all contrary to the Biblical tradition.
Catholics who want to know more about their faith are invited to watch EWTN which is an approved and legitimate Catholic Channel that teaches true Catholic Doctrine. Either “Prophet Joshua’s” Emmanuel TV or Pastor Chris’ TV in South Africa, are not Catholic Channels, hence do not teach and practice the Catholic Doctrine.
Concept of Biblical Prophecy distorted
The Hebrew word for “prophet” is “navi” (in the plural “n’vi-im”), which means “to speak for someone else”. That is why the prophet’s calling card or their most often used expression to introduce a prophecy is “Thus says the Lord”. All prophetic events are referred to God as the source and initiator; the “I” who calls, questions, demands, and acts. A prophet does not find God in his mind as object, but finds himself as an object in God’s mind. “Know thy God” (1Chro. 28:9) rather than “Know thyself” is the categorical imperative of the prophet. There is no self-understanding without God-understanding. Accordingly, a prophet is a messenger of God (Hag. 1:13) and witnesses to the things of God. In speaking, he reveals God. This is where his authority lies – his words reveal God. This understanding of a prophet from the biblical tradition as a messenger of God differentiates him from fortune tellers , oracle givers, seers, and ecstatic.
The so-called prophets in our towns and neighbourhoods and those we watch on Television like “Prophet Joshua” tell people’s fortunes, give oracles and claim they are seers. At their prayer services, you would notice that they take the role of seers and announce what they have seen and ask people to come to them so that they can set them free or reveal to them their fortune. Their real spiritual status should be that of Diviners and not be confused with that of a prophet as expressed in the Bible.
Diviners, seers or fortune tellers condemned by Yahweh (See Deut. 18:9-15)
Seers, diviners and oracle tellers are people who claim they have special powers and can see things which normal human beings cannot because of their nature. Because of their status, they are considered more exalted than all those who come to them to know what is going on in their lives. Watch Emmanuel TV with a critical mind, for instance, and you will not deny that the utterances and practices of the “man of God” are those of a fortune teller or diviner. This is contrary to the role of prophets in the Bible.
In the Bible prophets are always servants of God whose vocation is to cry out to God on behalf of the poor and marginalized. (Amos 3:7; Jeremiah 25:4; 26:5). T.B Joshua acts and does things as a fortune teller or diviner. Such a practice is detestable to Yahweh as we read in Deut. 18:9-15.The devil has power to make true utterances. They were the first to reveal Jesus’ identity (See Mark 1:23-27). Just because an utterance is true does not make it divine. It could be from the devil. The Devil quoted the Scriptures to distract Jesus from his mission. (Matthew 4:1-11). Let us not forget the consequences of dealing with the evil one—The Principle of Compensation must always take its course. Any service offered must be repaid double.
False Prophets in the Bible (“Nebiim”)
Nebiim is the name given to false prophets in the Old Testament. In the scriptures, we find kings who surrounded themselves with false prophets attached to the temple. These false prophets were devoid of divine inspiration. Instead, they uttered visions of their minds, as we are told. They flattered kings and gave them a sense of security. Instead of being free and defiant, the nebiim became professionals, amenable to the wishes of the court (1Kings 18:19-40; 2kings 10:19).
The true prophets of Yahweh raised their voices against these “nebiim” again and again, charging that they “divine for money”; they “cry Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouth…yet they lean upon the Lord and say, Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us” (Micah 3:5, 11).
True prophets condemned the nebiim (Hosea 4:5, 8-10; 6:9); Isaiah 28:7-8; Jeremiah 23:13-16; Lamentations 4:13; Jer. 6:13-14; 5:13). Watch Emmanuel TV and you will see that the teachings and practices of TB Joshua are not that of a true prophet but those of a false prophet – a Nebiim.
Kinds of prophets
Modern biblical experts identify three kinds of prophets. First, the individual chosen, sent, and compelled to speak in the name of God. Watch Emmanuel TV. ”The Man of God” generally speaks about himself and his powers and not on God’s behalf. He points to himself and does not point to God as we see in the life of the true Prophet like John the Baptist who was a true messenger of God – “Behold, the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:35-36). So in this light he does not meet this criterion.
The Second Prophet is the Scripture – that is the word of God.
Prophets must bring to the people all what Christ said and did. T.B Joshua presents a distorted account of God’s word. Joshua promises people riches, position, good health, victory and material things. His ministry revolves around cures and miracles. In the Bible prophets never reduced Christianity to miracles and healing. They preached about the cross, justice, mercy, salvation and love of God and love of neighbour. A prophet calls the community to repentance and to believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ. At the end of his mission on earth, Christ commissioned the apostles, the true prophets, to teach all that he had commanded them to teach and not to pick and choose what is pleasing to them. ( Matt. 28:19-20).
The third kind of prophet is the poor. The poor are the “crucified people” whom the world tends to ignore. By their lives they tell us about God, prick our consciences and remind us every day of our need to overcome greed and selfishness. Helping the poor through charitable means does not make one a prophet of the poor. The prophet of the poor is one who preaches and lives the life of Christ Crucified. True prophets talk about the destitute, who the rich and the powerful oppress and marginalise. “The Man of God” is a philanthropist who does a lot of charity but not a prophet of the poor in the true sense of the word. A true prophet preaches prosperity to the rich in order to help the poor. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is an example of a prophet who met this criterion when she challenged the people of India in a radical way by taking care of the poor and marginalised. Her teaching and lifestyle showed that she was a true prophet of Justice and of the poor.
A prophet’s spirituality
A prophet’s spirituality is based on three principles: prophecy – the message and the honor of the name of God through justice and peace. A prophet is intent only on stopping us, if only momentarily, so that God’s word can censure us, threaten us, and call us to repentance and conversion.
Prophets are God’s witnesses in the world for truth and against those who disobey the word of God – Prophets live for one thing: the word of God. A prophet is a truth-teller. He uses the power of God to shatter the silence that surrounds injustice.
The third principle is pity or the overflowing of compassion and mercy. T.B Joshua hardly shows compassion to those who worship in his Church. He brings people to public ridicule by obliging them to confess in public. Christ never did that. To the woman who was brought to him to have committed adultery, Christ restored her to life again and never brought her to public ridicule and shame. (Jn 8:1-11)
Media experts will tell you that Emmanuel TV does a lot of manipulation and it is sad that many Cameroonians are not very versed with the world of Virtual Reality. They consider everything they see as “Gospel truth”. Most of these channels survive through deception and falsehood which is contrary to what a true prophet does. People are sometimes forced to admit guilt for crimes they have not committed.
Prophetic utterances
Prophets are typically people who can foretell the future, not as fortune tellers or diviners, but as people who have learned to read the signs of their times.
It is by focusing their attention on, and becoming fully aware of the political, social, economic, military, and religious tendencies of their time that prophets are able to see where it is all heading. (Lk. 19:43-44; Lk. 21:20 –24; Mtt. 11:4-5; Isaiah 29:18-19) A biblical analysis of prophetic utterances shows that a prophet’s fundamental experience is a fellowship with the feelings of God and sympathy with the divine “pathos”. The prophet hears God’s voice and feels his heart. The utterances of most of today’s so-called prophets are more on showing the world what powers they have. But how true are their utterances? It is all about themselves and not about God’s mercy and compassion. Catholics should consider these utterances with a grain of salt.
Confirmation of prophecy
A prophet talks about the future that God intends. They tell us about the consequences of our choices. A prophet can also be defined as a person who clearly sees what is happening at the present moment and can tell what is going to happen if nothing is done to bring about immediate and radical change. Prophecy is not confirmed by the individual. The individual confirms the message from a fortune teller or gambi man or oracle teller or seer.
Biblical prophecy is confirmed by the community which sees God’s hands in the things that are happening. For someone to stand in public and say that he or she is confirming what the prophet or “man of God” told him is not prophecy in the biblical sense of the word, but a confirmation of the diviner’s message. A confirmation of prophecy belongs to the community of believers (the Church) and there are criteria for determining whether a prophecy is from God or Satan. Peter, the first Pope, speaks about the necessity of competent assistance in the interpretation of Scripture: “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God”(2Pet. 1:20-21).
Love, Not prophecy is the Perfect Law
This is the Pauline Year. We need to study the 13th Chapter of St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians which reminds us that there are three things that last – Faith, Hope, and Love.
The greatest is love. (1Cor. 13:13) Catholics who are anxious to meet someone to tell them about their lives and future should remember that faith means surrendering to God who alone knows our future. God has a plan for all of us and we do not have to go to a fortune teller to tell us that plan. (Jer. 29:11-15).
In this same chapter, Paul reminds Christians that the Perfect Law is not prophecy but Love. He writes: “Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing” (1Cor. 13:8-9). As Catholics we are called to have faith, keep alive hope in difficult moments of suffering and illness and pain and continue to show love for God and our neighbour. Any prophet who does not preach the message of Hope, but that of elimination of all suffering and pain, which is part and parcel of human existence, is a false prophet.
Paul, a true apostle to the Gentiles, reminds us of the redemptive aspect of Suffering: “Even now I find joy in the suffering I endure for you. In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His body, the Church” (Col. 1:24). The life of Christ showed how he fought till his last on the Cross. He loaded our “burdens” on His back—sin, sickness, suffering, despair, rejection—tied them to a cross, and carried them to the top. The mountain was Calvary. Our union with Christ, who is still “touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Heb. 4:15) is what makes such identification with the problems and difficulties of others possible.
Prophet’s message – almost always messages in the plural
Prophets in scripture hardly address messages to individuals. Prophets address messages to us as members of a group, of a community, and not as singular individuals. (Lk. 21:20-24). When a prophet seeks out an individual, it is always one who has a great deal of autonomous power, such as a king, a priest, or those who hold authority or power in a society, government, or institution. . Otherwise, the message is directed to all, with no escape hatch.
Holy Water
Today it is so common to hear about “anointed water” distributed and even sold to Christians from so-called prophets. Where do they get these powers to bless water? For a Catholic, water is considered Holy or sanctified if it is blessed by a valid and ordained minister who does this in the name of God and the church. Any other water, called “anointed” water, not blessed by a valid minister is either deception or satanic by nature. Does it make sense therefore for a Catholic to get water from a non-ordained minister and call it “anointed water”? Judge for yourself!
Criteria to determine who a true prophet is
First, “By their fruits you will know them”. Truth is universal as well as particular. A rule of thumb is that any word or any prophet who makes a person feel more compassionate, more just, more truthful, more forgetful of self, and more attentive to others is a true word or a true prophet. Prophets do not witch-hunt, but most of our so-called prophets such as Joshua do. Witch-hunting causes a lot of hatred and enmity between God’s people. Seers or fortune tellers tend to divide than unite. How many families today live in constant hatred because a fortune teller said “this or that about their family”? True prophets are universally concerned with politics, economics, violence, and the victims of these realities. A true prophet’s message declares that justice is in short supply and that injustice is having its way in the world.
The second criterion is that a prophet takes sides, as God does, with victims, those who know injustice and unnecessary pain, directed by and intended by one group against another. Joshua preaches prosperity and material well-being; themes far away from biblical prophecy. Witness the life of El Salvador’s Archbishop, Oscar Romero, who was murdered because of his plea on behalf of the poor of his diocese and country, then you will understand who true prophets are in our times.
True worship for the prophets
True worship for prophets is not cures and miracles. True worship for the prophet is justice. We find our way to God by doing justice, for justice is God’s will. The biblical tradition has added another name to God’s name- righteousness and justice. It is the heart of our Christian tradition. Without it, there can be no prayer, no incense, and no cures. Without the poor, there is no closeness to God. (Prov. 24:18-19)
Prophets and healing
If one looks at the healings of Jesus, one would realise that he often told those he healed not to tell anyone. (See Mark 1:33-34; Mk. 1: 43-44). Why did Jesus restrict those he healed from publicising it? Jesus wanted people to believe that he was the Messiah because of what he said and did, not because he cured or healed them.
Jesus wanted to reveal his identity as the Messiah according to his timetable, not according to Satan’s timetable. Satan wanted people to follow Jesus around for what they could get out of him (miracles and cures), not because he was the Son of God who could truly set them free from sin’s guilt and power. Christ came primarily to save us from sin. Healing aspects are secondary. That is why, ever so often, he offered healing of sins before healing of body. (See Mark 2:1-12).
Watch Emmanuel TV. It is all publicity of cures, healings and miracles. It is a “come and receive miracle and go Christianity”. This is contrary to the Christian message. Fear, anger, prejudice, hatred, infidelity and hardness of heart are factors which prevent us from growing and blossoming to our potential. Sin deflates the energy of faith and prayer: it sucks out the vitality of hope and poisons charity. Sin paralyses. The Christian faith is not just miracles, but the fight against sin and death which Christ won for us through his passion, death and resurrection.
Centrality of worship
The Eucharist is the centre of Christian worship. Catholic worship does not revolve around an individual. Catholic worship is centred on Jesus who suffered, died and rose from the dead and gave us the sacrament of his body and blood as the sacrifice of the new covenant. Christ also handed the Church to Peter – the First Pope. (Matt. 16:17-19). There are places that the Church has approved for Christians to visit like Lourdes and Fatima. The Church has not approved what “Prophet Joshua” is doing. So, as a true Catholic who believes in the Eucharist and the Primacy of Peter, there cannot be any justification for going to Nigeria to consult the “Man of God”.
Conclusion
This presentation is meant only for Catholics who want to know the truth about their faith. We are not “judging” the so-called prophets in our towns and neighbourhood or prophet T.B Joshua or asking him to close his Church. Our aim has been to explain the truths of the Catholic Faith vis-à-vis misunderstandings which have arisen because of Catholics visiting the so-called Prophet Joshua and other prophets in our towns and neighbourhoods. It is our hope that after reading this, as a Catholic, you will be able to appreciate and understand your faith better vis-à-vis the teaching and practices of non-Catholics – TV Emmanuel being one of them. We have shown that the teachings and practices of the so-called prophets or “Man of God” are diametrically opposed not only to the Catholic teaching and practice, which is well founded in Scripture and the Church’s tradition, but also opposed to biblical tradition.
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