---

Benny Hinn..going lower
Written by Philip L. POWELL

A Call for DISCERNMENT of the teaching of the popular Healing Evangelist

The following is based on an interview by Paul Crouch (PC) with Benny Hinn (BH) on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on Monday September 13, 1999.

BENNY HINN - The Next Level

"Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbour, and says, 'I was only joking!'" Prov 26:18-19 (NKJV).

When Benny Hinn found himself in a bind over his gaffe about there being nine persons in the Trinity he said that it was only a joke. He has made many other irresponsible claims e.g. that humans were created to swim like fish and fly like birds and with a thought could move from planet to planet. When challenged as to his authority for such ridiculous claims he appealed to his Jewish origin (Hinn was born a Palestinian Arab, not a Jew) and his knowledge of Hebrew, which he clearly doesn't have. He said that the word translated to "have dominion" in the creation story means that Adam and Eve could do everything that the creatures over which they had dominion could do. So presumably they could lay eggs like hens and swarm like bees.

The teachings of Benny Hinn from the beginning of his ministry are obviously the rantings of a bafoon. His latest TV interviews however indicate that the man has gone beyond the pale; that he has indeed moved to a lower level. If you want more evidence we recommend that you contact:

Mike Openheimer
Let's Reason Ministries
administrator@letusreason.org

 Paul CROUCH (PC) is interviewing Benny HINN (BH) on TBN with Paul and Jan Crouch Sept 13, 1999:

In the opening exchanges of the interview reference is made to Kathryn Kuhlmann, who BH appeals to as a precedent for his "cursing and blessing" pronouncements at a recently held Healing Crusade in Denver, USA. He also refers to Fred Roberts, whom he calls "an apostle", as being another person who encouraged him to "speak judgment" on his opponents.

BH: - "He said you are entitled now because they blasphemed the Holy Spirit to tell God what you want to see done."

PC: - "Because they were attributing your works to the devil; exactly what they did to Jesus." - Hinn agrees.

BH: - "See the second they attribute the work of God to Satan, we, as believers step into, legally step into a place we can ask God to stop them."

PC: - "Amen!"

BH: - "William Branham was ministering one time - and this happened more than one time but I only heard about it twice - this happened; when a man came in and said - he was actually lying to William Branham - and said - he was trying to mock him - and came in and said he was sick and wanted William Branham to pray for him; and William Branham said you're not sick; you're just here to mock me; but you're gonna walk out with the same sickness you said you had … and he walked out sick!"

As the interview continues BH refers to an incident which he alleges took place under the ministry of Tommy Reed in the Philippines when God supposedly inflicted sickness upon someone who was opposing the meetings. Whether such did or didn't take place we have no means of checking. From the way BH recounts it, it's very doubtful. What is certain is that Benny Hinn is employing illegitimate fear tactics. Even worse he appeals to a biblical incident in the life of Christ in an unscriptural way. Read what Benny Hinn said in the light of Proverbs 26:18 and the couplet from poet John Dryden quoted above.

BH: - "When they said this - 'It's of the devil,' He <said>, 'Ah this is one thing I won't forgive!' He spoke there, judgement; and the judgement He spoke was eternal damnation. He said I'll forgive any sin but not this one; and there he made the clear cut. So Tommy <Reed> said to the Lord, 'All right Lord, here's what I want done". The last night of the meeting they brought this lady with arthritis on a wheelchair down <the> front. The man came back, in the back again, began to do the same thing. "This is of the devil," screaming all this stuff. And Tommy said, 'Lord now!' When he said 'now' the Lord healed the lady with, with the, with the arthritis and struck the man with her sickness, he switched sickness.

PC: - Jesus!

BH: - "He switched sicknesses and took it off the lady and hit the man with it. And the man began screaming and ran out. With ARTHRITIS."

Now pause for a moment. Ask yourself, "Are these the rantings of a man whose mind has gone, who is no longer thinking rationally? Or are they, as is being presented, the expressions of someone anointed by the Holy Spirit?" According to Benny Hinn God heals a woman in a wheel chair. In so doing He (i.e. God Almighty) "switched sickness" and brought judgment upon a poor Philippine man, who RAN out screaming with the same ARTHRITIS that had confined the woman to a wheel chair? Sounds like a double miracle with the second canceling out the reality of the first. Now that really does stretch credulity.

Apart from the utter stupidity of the ravings of Benny Hinn in this clearly fabricated story the really sad thing is that he appeals to scripture as a precedent. There is such a thing as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of which sin our Lord said there was no forgiveness. Seeing so many in the "Revival Now" camp are all the time appealing to this SIN as their get-out from legitimate examination and judgment, by those who seek to follow the Berean example, it behooves us to know clearly what this Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is in the Scriptural context.

Matt 12:31-32: "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is clearly a very serious matter. According to verse 22 the teaching was predicated upon a genuine healing performed by Christ, and related to exorcism. Not all sickness is sourced in demon possession but this one was:

"Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."

Following this Matthew tells us (vs 23-24):

"And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."

Mark relates something similar and gives us a deeper insight into what this sin of the Pharisees and Scribes and may be also of some of the "common' people (see the Luke reference) really was:

Mark 3:22 "And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. (v 30) …they said, He (Jesus) hath an unclean spirit."

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is ascribing the act of exorcising demons from people by the Lord Jesus Christ (Himself) to the works of the devil (Satan), while maintaining that Christ Himself is demon possessed. We may extrapolate principles from these New Testament passages and relate them to the genuine work of true Gospel preachers in our time but the application made by Benny Hinn and others like him is not legitimate biblically.

Luke sheds further light on this in citing Christ's ironic question and unavoidable conclusion to those who wrongfully accused Him:

Luke 11:19-20: "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."

The term "the finger of God" appears four times in Scripture and in only three connections. The first describes the true miracles of God as opposed to those of the Egyptian magicians - Exodus 8:19 c/f 2 Tim 3:8; the second relates to the giving of the ten commandments - Ex 31:18 and Deut 9:10; and the third to the works of Christ - Luke 11:20. The cross reference of Luke's citation is to Acts 19: 13 and is most illuminating. The Jews had their own exorcists and they were as impotent to deliver people as are their modern counter-parts in the false Signs and Wonders Movement that is headed up by such as Benny Hinn. Where are his GENUINE miracles? So far they have all fallen short in this regard.

So Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit relates to our Lord Jesus Christ and not to Benny Hinn or any self acclaimed "Anointed ONE" i.e. "christ". If you are doing what the Bible requires of you - "testing the spirits" (1 John 4); "judging righteous judgment" (John 7:24), "proving all things" (1 Thess 5:21) and generally acting as a Berean Christian should act (Acts 17:11) it is impossible for you to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. It is far more likely that men like Benny Hinn and Paul Crouch et al are themselves guilty of the blasphemy that they impute to others.

Back to the TV Interview. It gets worse and brings to light the very thing that we have anticipated and been warning about now for several years. Gullible Christians are going to be caught up in a net of deception. No wonder David Wilkerson has so strongly warned God's people to keep away from all of this nonsense.

2 Tim 3:13-17: "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

BH: - Under the anointing not one word falls to the ground.

PC: - Amen.

BH: - I am not the same man under the anointing that I am now … My children are afraid of me under the anointing. What they do not know is that I'm afraid of the anointing too. (laughter) … I'm not afraid of myself I'm afraid of what the anointing can do to me if I mistreat it. Or if I abuse it or if I misuse it.

Clearly Benny Hinn is not talking about the "anointing" as the whole of scripture portrays it and John the apostle describes it in 1 John 2:19-29. What is this anointing that he and others keep talking about? No-where in the New Testament is there any idea of ANYONE being specially anointed other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the ANOINTED ie the CHRIST (the words "anointing, christ, messiah" all derive from the same root). There is a sense in which all of God's people have a general anointing and John makes it clear that this gives us a relationship with our blessed Lord, but it never makes one higher, better, greater or more powerful than another. This is utter heresy and is part of the necessary creation of a "mystique" to silence criticism and critics. But it wont work.

From here the TV interview goes to a level which can only be described as horrific and occultic. TBN screens a video recorded at Denver when Benny Hinn pronounced blessings on those who support him and curses on those who oppose:

BH: - I've been preaching 25 years almost I've never seen the anointing as frightening as I saw in Denver Friday night . and so when you hear me in just a little bit give blessings and cursings and basically all I say each, any who attack this anointing, I speak a judgement on them.

According to an eye witness account: "In the recent Denver crusade Hinn became a different person under the influence of the "anointing" unlike anything seen before. So much so, that his voice changed to a "growl". He was telling the people to raise their hands and exalt the master Jesus. It was obvious that he was not talking about the Jesus of the Bible. He also cursed all, who would raise their hands against his ministry in word or deed." Here are some extracts from the video recording of what happened at Denver.

BH: "My skin is about to explode. Your body will tinkle from the top to the bottom. Lift your voices. Lift your hands and ask him for it… People of God be healed! People of the lord be delivered! Rise up out of your sickness and jump into the river of healing and be healed, in Jesus' name. Take your seats this is just the beginning of the service." Hinn then brings up a man claiming two thirds of his heart is dead. "He's barely been able to walk." Hinn growls, "The glory! The glory, if I don't release it I'll blow up. If I don't release the anointing I'll blow up. I got to release it on somebody."

"Take you seats this is just the beginning of the service." Hinn growls, "The glory, the glory! If I don't release it I'll blow up. If I don't release the anointing I'll blow up. I got to release it on somebody. The demon must to the name of the master Jesus ..... Yes lord I'll do it! I place a curse on every man and woman that will stretch his hand against this anointing I curse that man who dares to speak a word against this ministry. But any man, any woman that raises his or her hand in blessing towards this ministry, I bless that man. I bless that home. I bless that family. Any man, any woman, any person that raises his tongue in blessing toward this work, raises his tongue in blessing toward this anointing, raises his tongue in blessing toward this servant of the Lord, I bless them.

I bless the work of your hands. I bless your life with his mighty power. I bless your home with divine protection. I bless your children with long life and I bless you <with> length of days. I bless you with healing. I bless you with prosperity. I bless you with the very presence of Almighty God. I, a servant, bless you in the name of the one I serve. I bless <your> people tonight in Denver. Lift your hands and receive the blessing.

I rarely ever do what I'm doing now. This is the Holy Ghost on me telling me to do this. I bless you; I bless your homes, your life, your future, your children. May every attack of Satan be destroyed. May every plan of hell be destroyed against you (change of voice) and every plan of God be established in Jesus name. Amen, amen."

Benny Hinn's recent programmes, seen on TV in Hawaii, reveal new programming styles with interviews and crusade clips with Hinn consistently changing his tune and a dangerous trend toward Catholic type worship and ecumenical unity.

A number of third wave charismatics, key players in today's revivalism were guests on Hinn's programme over recent weeks - Kenneth Copeland, Rod Parsley, Joyce Meyers and Rodney Howard-Browne. Hinn clearly is assuming the apostolic father figure of the healing ministry picking up the mantle where, not Kathryn Kuhlmann, but William Branham left off.

Here's just one extract from one of the TV programmes to let you see where things are heading. Sounds a bit like a Jimmy Bakker re-run. This is with Benny Hinn (BH) and Rod Parsley (RP) on This Is Your Day, August 24, 1999:

RP: "The healing ministry is almost dead. When you look at who's out there praying for the sick today, there's not many!" (This is false. There are more healing ministries today then there ever were.) "And the Lord said to me to build a healing center a healing and prayer center that people can come to, 24 hours a day, any day of the week, and be prayed for and get healed. And I did not really know what the Lord would show me, but as time went on I began to get the picture much clearer. Jan 3^rd the year 2000 we break ground for that Healing Center in Dallas Texas. It's going to have Healing Gardens with Healing Statues of Biblical Healing saints from the Old Testament. Its going to have a Healing Fountain an Eternal Healing Fire. It's going to have places where people can come to and be prayed for in a Healing Cathedral and Chapels in it. Think about a place that will be staffed with partners God anointed partners. They will be there volunteering where people can come 24 hours a day and be prayed for. So no one will have to wait for a crusade. Yes I will continue to have crusades; yes I will continue to travel; but what wonderful thing it would be when Gods people can come to a place like that. It's going to be built with Jerusalem rock. It's going to look like Jerusalem and the Lord gave us property a mile and a half from the Dallas Stadium right on highway 114…

Saints we have to preserve that anointing; whether it's the anointing that’s on Rod and your building a place now expanding your own ministry"

Rod Parsley then prayed showing how little he understands about the true Biblical anointing.

"Holy Spirit of God I thank you even now your servant has been willing to conceive this child this healing center where multiplied thousands upon thousands would be healed but more than <that> where the healing ministry will be preserved. Preserved so that we will not lose our roots; so that people may know the ministry of Kathryn Kuhlmann and Amiee Semple McPhearson, A.A Allen and Jack Coe; of Oral Roberts and Lester Sumerall, God, where those anointings will be multiplied [I'm seeing this now Benny] and brought to bear in that place; multiplied by one another - Smith Wigglesworth's anointing multiplied by Oral Robert's anointing, multiplied by Kathryn Kuhlman's anointing, multiplied by Benny Hinn's anointing. And when the people come there, their faith will be at such a level that that spiritual genealogy, which you are preserving will come to bear against their need. A.A. Allen had a miracle valley. This is going to be a miracle mountain.

BH: "Whoa! This is going to be a miracle mountain."

Editorial Note: Those who are overawed by the names mentioned above may care to read Neil Richardson's Unmasked article (VANGUARD - June '99) and consider where and how many of them ended. For the record I met AA Allen just before he died of extreme alcoholism or a drug over-dose, no-one seems to be sure which. He was preaching in Stockport, Cheshire near where I was pastoring in Manchester, UK. He was a bitter man who claimed to have distributed "miracle saw-dust" from the floor of his "miracle valley" tent. Was he just someone who had missed his way or simply a man who had never discovered the true way?

I and another young AoG pastor approached him to discuss some of the outrageous things he had said during his sermon. I believe our approach was with a sincere desire to help him. He refused to talk to us and barged past using his brief case to push me aside. The following night he claimed he had been attacked the previous night by "two demons". Those two demons were David Phillips and Philip Powell. I was saddened to learn only a few months later that A.A. Allen had died in circumstances which certainly raised questions about his entire life and ministry.

That incident and A. A. Allen's life and ministry, plus the record of a number of the other "big" names mentioned above, beg a couple of questions which are troubling many with regard to the 20th century Pentecostal Revival. Was the whole thing a huge fraud? Is there ground for the claims that are coming loud and clear from the camps of the cessationists that the Pentecostal out-pouring of 1906 and the charismatic renewal of the late 50's and early 60's and the current "Toronto-Pensacola" River Revival are all branches of a tree that is rooted in deception, heresy and apostasy? These questions and others like them have occupied our thinking and that of a number of our friends for quite some time. We plan to address them in depth through our publications starting in the next issue of Vanguard with an article by Siam Bhayro on CESSATIONISM and my own article on THE GENUINE ON-GOING PERSONAL REVIVAL. We hope you stay tuned.

1 The Confusing World of Benny Hinn PFO Dec 1997 page 34

2 REPROACH OF THE SOLEMN ASSEMBLY audio tape by David Wilkerson available from CWM www.christian-witness.org

3 In it's general meaning CESSATIONISM is the belief that Supernatural Gifts are no longer available today

Written by Philip L. POWELL
philip@christian-witness.org

with data from Let Us Reason Ministries - administrator@letusreason.org
web site: http://www.letusreason.org/Pent39.htm
who provided a transcript of the actual interview.

You are directed to other information on Benny Hinn published elsewhere on this site:
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/bhinn.html
and encouraged to visit the web site of Personal Freedom Outreach
http://www.pfo.org
publishers of the book The Confusing World of Benny Hinn
http://www.pfo.org/confusin.html

This article was first published in CETF 5.2 (September '99) available from any of our CWM offices or by hyperlink to:
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/cwmv5i2.pdf
You will need Adobe Acrobat to view this file.