The generation after world War II saw the rise of the Healing
Revival. Its chief proponents were Oral Roberts, Kathryn Kuhlman,
William Branham and A.A. Allen. At the turn of this Millenium,
we are witnessing the slow ascent of the Prophetic Movement,
also known as the School of Prophets. The father of this movement
is Dr. Bill Hamon - founder of Christian International Ministries
Network. Other renowned soothsayers are Paul Cain, Bernard Jordan,
Glenn Miller, Randi and Cathy Lechner. The content in this article
is limited but I dedicate a full chapter on prophets in my book
Behind the Scenes.
In Orlando, Florida, we came in contact with this group through
Randi and Cathy Lechner. The Lechners performed at the Winter
Park Civic Center. They held their meetings three times a month,
on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But in those meetings they never ministered
together. Randi has been promoted as a prophet under the ministry
of Bill Hamon. Cathy began her prophetic ministry in a meeting
when her husband told her, "It is your turn Cathy, I want
you to prophesy to that lady." Her style has made her a
popular guest speaker, especially among women groups. We also
witnessed a performance of Bernard Jordan at Benny Hinn's church,
and attended a conference that featured Glenn Miller (he became
Bill Hamon's son-in-law after receiving a prophecy).
These seers believe that all personal prophecies are conditional.
Simply put, they teach that prophetic words may or may not come
to pass even though the Holy Spirit inspires them. Bill Hamon
argues that prophets of the Old Testament were accurate and right
because they lived under the Law. Today's prophets, Hamon says,
can be wrong because we live under the covenant of Grace. In
any case, when challenged, they will blame you for misinterpreting
their prophetic word when it doesn't come to pass - ONE STRIKE
against them. And don't get me wrong. I believe that prophecies
still have a place in God's plan today. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians,
"Despise not prophecies. Prove all things; hold fast that
which is good" (v. 20-21). And among the five ministries
for the Church, you find the office of a prophet (Ephesians 4:11).
Almighty God, Himself, established it. Yet, not all are from
Him.
The Lechners
We received over sixteen prophecies from the Lechners, and
three from Glenn Miller. These words have all been recorded on
audiotapes. First, let me explain how they operate. Like a traditional
Christian service, a sermon is preached after some praise and
worship music. Then begin the supernatural display of spiritual
gifts. For this they will either invite you up front or pick
individuals in the audience. As they minister to you, an associate
records on an audiotape the words the prophet has for you. Then
you're advised to bring the tape home, write it out, pray over
it, then show it to your pastor - if you want to.
The familiar phrase "Thus says the Lord" is profusely
used throughout their speech, which looks really spiritual. This
helps to gain their attendees' confidence. They are also particularly
strong in diagnosing the needs and wishes of the crowd. They'll
often ask if the subject is married. If the answer is negative
they'll "prophesy" that their mate is on the way. But
they won't give you any beneficial information as to when, where,
and how to recognize that person. Where's the need of such prophecy?
The first meeting we attended starred Cathy. She played piano
and led us into some songs. Then she preached. After her sermon
she said, "Anybody who wants to receive a prophecy, come
to the front now." So the four of us walked up front. To
Melanie, Nicole, and myself she said nothing too specific; although
her method of operation impressed us. For Stephan, however, she
had more inspiration. After asking him to repeat two sentences
and asking for his name [French: Stéphane], Cathy said:
"Stephan, I believe that I hear from God and I speak
the word of the Lord. I see through a glass darkly and I may
not get all of it, but I heard the Lord say: 'overseas, overseas'.
God's gonna send you back to your people, I heard God say. And
the doors will open like I said they would."
Why would the Lord reveal a word if you cannot clearly see
it? It doesn't make any sense. Then she said," I heard the
Lord say: 'overseas, overseas.' God 's gonna send you back to
your people." Our people are Canadians (just north of the
American border). Not overseas! Stephan, with his strong French
accent at the time, unintentionally misled her. Cathy mistook
him as a Frenchman! We should have started questioning that
ministry right then, but we didn't. Her performance thrilled
us so much that we accepted the whole speech. We had just been
victimized by her mesmeric spell. Two weeks later we returned
to the Winter Park Civic Center. At the end of her meeting, Cathy
addressed Melanie. First, she asked her name then said:
"Melanie, and I heard the Lord say, 'Melanie, this
is where you will find the man of God. This is where you will
find the man of God,' says the Spirit of the Lord. How old are
you? 18 Hallelujah, 18! Well you can wait a couple of
years, God. But anyway, but I heard the Lord say: 'It's in this
place, in this area.' God has got the man of God. Now Father,
all the schooling that you have left for Melanie to do, the training.
You're gonna open the door."
Well, Melanie surely found a man in Orlando who fit this description.
This man fell in love with my daughter and they got engaged after
he lied about his life and marital status. (He was a married
man and was still living with his wife!) He was a preacher
and Far East Director for Evangelist Morris Cerullo and worked
for other American ministries. He was planning to open his own
school in Asia to train Christians for the work of the ministry.
We invited him to a prophetic meeting. That day he received a
lenghty word from Randi. Did Randi rebuke his behavior or try
to warn us? Absolutely not. On the contrary, he praised him -
TWO STRIKES against them.
The Bible declares:"Also I have seen a horrible thing
in the prophets of Jerusalem.... They also strenghten the hands
of evildoers, so that no one turns back from his wickedness....
But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people
to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their
evil way and from the evil of their doings (Jer 23: 14,22).
After several years of waiting for these prophecies to be
fulfilled, we met Randi Lechner at a conference in Orlando on
May 6, 2000. We asked him to explain why he gave his blessings
to the engagement between Melanie and Raymond, and how he could
prophesy so beautiful things over him. He immediately replied,
"You must have misinterpreted the prophetic word."
(Did I not tell you they always blame the person?) We also asked
to meet him and his wife and discuss about our numerous prophecies.
He asked us to call him at his office. I did call him on May
10, but he wasn't available--although he said he would! I called
back on the 15th, and left a message. His associate called me
the next day and confirmed that Randi would call me. Christmas
is approaching and I'm still waiting for Randi to phone me. Of
course, they're not willing to help those they've misled - THREE
STRIKES - YOU'RE OUT!
And to read more about false prophecies, visit my Website
for comparison and my book Behind the Scenes.:
http://fakefaithhealers.com/