Discerning False Prophecy: Part Two
Prophecies & ‘Words’
We recently began an occasional series, in which we draw focus on the global prophetic movement, and offer discernment into the level of prophetic gifting in operation. We are using, as a case study, one of the biggest names in the movement, considering the implications of our findings for the wider prophetic movement. Read Part 1 here.
Prophesying the future
One cannot help but notice the sharp contrast between the detailed, precise ‘words of knowledge’ Shawn Bolz gives his ‘targets’, in contrast to the generally vague, woolly words of prophecy for the future that he follows them up with. The emphasis at his meetings is invariably on the exactitude of his ‘words of knowledge’. These are what grip and startle his audience; these are what fully convince them that they are in the presence of a genuine prophet of God. The prophetic words that follow seem more like an add-on, superfluous words of encouragement.
The prophetic words that follow seem more like an add-on, superfluous words of encouragement.
Of course, without personally knowing those to whom the words are being directed, it is impossible to tell if Shawn’s prophetic words are accurate and actually come to pass. That said, instances have been brought to light that strongly suggest that various of his prophecies have been wrong. One YouTube clip (since removed from the website) sees Shawn pronounce physical healing for the daughter of a woman he calls out by name. The daughter’s physical disability is obvious from a Facebook photo that shows her in a wheelchair. But many years after his declaration of healing, the girl in question remained disabled and wheelchair-bound.
On another occasion, Shawn prophesied that a couple’s clothing business was going to be a real success and would help provide for their “three little girls and a boy”. But one observer noticed that sometime after the event, the couple were shutting down their business – it appears it wasn’t succeeding.
The infamous Trump Prophecy
Speaking on CBN News in early February 2020, Shawn stated that after ‘prophet’ Kim Clement claimed he had heard God saying that Donald Trump would win a second term in office, Shawn felt he needed to declare that he had been hearing this for quite some time, going on to predict that Trump “would share two terms in a row”.Shawn went on to prophesy what Trump would achieve in his second term. There would be “immigration reform”, he declared; “some more about the wall; the wall isn’t done; there’s some more things about the wall that we got distracted from”. Speaking to Fox News, he said; “There's going to be more boldness in the second term and it's going to be disruptive” … “He will be met with a lot of protests but will ultimately have a positive impact”. He would "fight for Israel until they have a lot more than what they've had".Does it truly require prophetic gifting to make these predictions? Everything Bolz prophesied was basic Trump policy that everyone already knew he would continue to pursue in a second term.
Shawn felt he needed to declare that he had been hearing this for quite some time, going on to predict that Trump “would share two terms in a row”.
Shawn was far from alone in predicting a second Trump win. Among other more well-known preachers who did so were Kris Valloton, Kat Kerr, Pat Robertson, and Jeremiah Johnson. American ‘prophets’ seemed to have been carried along by a tidal stream of Trump euphoria. Shawn was forced to apologise for getting it wrong. He claimed he was still learning, taking risks, just ‘trying this thing out’.1
The Coronavirus prophecy
Later the same month as his Trump prophecy, on Feb 28th 2020, Bolz issued another prediction of global magnitude: “The Lord has shown me the end of the coronavirus … the tide is turning now … Even now several vaccines are coming out as well as a natural dying out of the virus itself …”. The very next day, the first Covid patient in the United States died of the virus. Undaunted, Bolz declared shortly after that the Covid outbreak was “not going to be the pandemic that people are afraid of.” He further stated his belief that “there's about to be an economic upturn, not downturn”. Overall, the US economy shrank by 3.5% in 2020, its worst performance since the end of World War 2. By the end of 2020, over 350,000 people were reported to have died of Covid-19 in America alone – that figure increasing substantially the following year. Shawn has never publicly apologised for getting his Covid prophecy so spectacularly wrong. Indeed, one has to ask – what major prophecy has Shawn Bolz ever got right?2
Words of Knowledge
Shifting the focus back to Shawn’s forte – his words of knowledge – we observe that his books, especially ones that focus on words of knowledge, are packed with incredible accounts of detailed words passed on to individuals he meets in day to day life. None of Shawn’s written testimonies are verifiable, and they leave the reader wondering whether they have been exaggerated or even, in part, fabricated; or as with his more public ‘words’, whether the information was snatched from the internet.
None of Shawn’s written testimonies are verifiable, and they leave the reader wondering whether they have been exaggerated or even, in part, fabricated
The intended purpose of these books is to encourage readers to experiment with words of knowledge themselves, stepping out boldly in faith. But there is invariably such a vast gulf between his own incredible testimonies and the reader’s own experience that the latter are likely to be overwhelmed by the chasm, and rather than be encouraged by what he shares, are more likely to feel defeated and ready to give up completely.
We select a few examples from a wealth of video clips easily accessible online, which show that it would be simple for Shawn to obtain his information through non-prophetic means.
Example One: Bill Johnson
When ministering at a large gathering at Bethel Church, Redding, CA, Shawn was ‘shown’ a map and the name ‘Oak Ridge Street’. Asking if this meant anything to anybody, he immediately looked across the front row of seats, as if expecting his word to apply to someone seated there. It did – Bethel founder, Bill Johnson said his mother lived on that street (her address is not difficult to obtain online).
Of all the people present, Shawn got a string of words for his long-term friend, Bill, much of which is freely available on the internet. (though Mrs Johnson doesn’t live on Oak Ridge Street, but Oak Ridge Drive – Bill didn’t correct Shawn on this). Shawn tentatively suggested his word could not pertain to Bill’s family, because he was hearing the word ‘Melvin’, whereas he knew that Bill’s dad was called Earl. When told that Mr Johnson’s full name was Melvin Earl Johnson – another detail obtainable within seconds on the internet – Shawn appeared to feign great surprise.
‘Seeing’ into heaven
Perhaps the most disturbing feature of Shawn’s words to Bill is the fact that he couches them in terms of a conversation he is ‘hearing’ that is taking place in heaven – of Kansas City Prophet, Bob Jones (who died just a few months previously) conversing with Johnson’s father; Bolz even frames his prophecy in language he believes Jones would have used. This ability to ‘see’ into heaven is not an uncommon practice for Shawn – other video clips witness him ‘seeing’, for example, a couple’s dead daughter.
Example Two: The ‘Polka duck’ prophecy
Shawn continually talks about taking risks. One example he loves referring to is when he was given the words ‘polka duck’. “Please let this mean something to somebody, God”, he prays. Lo and behold, a couple present have a business named ‘Polka Duck’. “Thank you, Jesus, it worked”, Shawn exclaims. “Do you realise how nerve-wracking it is to say ‘polka duck’?” But this is just the start of Shawn’s remarkable prophetic prowess; he proceeds to specify what the business sells – sweaters, scarves, shoes etc, and on the retail platform - ‘Etsy’.
He knows further that the husband – whose name he specifies as Matthew – has been “mining for gold but you got salt”; leading Matthew to admit he has another business called Saltmine Industries (which Shawn knows is also a clothing outlet).
In fact, a Facebook post the day prior to the conference reveals that the “CEO and founder at Polka Duck Designs” checked in to the conference with her husband, the “Proprietor at Saltmine Industries”. As ever, all the info ‘revealed’ to Shawn is easily obtainable on the internet.
Missing persons
There are a number of further features of Shawn’s ministry that suggest something is amiss. At some gatherings, he calls out names of people who aren’t present (but who had invariably enrolled at the event, having to pull out at short notice due to illness or for some other reason).
As ever, all the info ‘revealed’ to Shawn is easily obtainable on the internet.
It seems odd that Shawn should receive lengthy words for individuals not in attendance, while for many hundreds present and longing to receive a word, he has nothing to share. Did the Holy Spirit honestly reveal a flurry of exact details about someone to him, but forget to tell him that that person hadn’t actually turned up?
Spiritualising words
It’s a common tactic of Shawn’s to quote random Scripture verses to ‘spiritualise’ basic ‘words of knowledge’ he is seeking to pass on. Indeed, he does this all the time. A prominent example (at 3:04) is where he gives a couple the verse 2 Corinthians 1:2, and from it deduces that 1/02 is a significant date to them (a curious deduction). “January 2nd? Is that anything at all? Is this an anniversary maybe?” Here, Shawn seems to feign guessing. Of course, he's right - the couple's Facebook page states clearly their wedding anniversary is the 2nd of January.
Of all the things that Jan 2 could have meant – family birthdays, deaths, another significant event – he immediately assumes an anniversary. As it turns out, 2 Cor 1:2 could hardly be more mundane – part of a stock greeting from Paul to the Corinthian church. Shawn appears to be using the verse to cloak his ‘word’ with the aura of sanctity.
Overwhelming evidence
One cannot presume that correlation equals causation, ie that the fact that most of Bolz's 'words of knowlege' can be found online necessarily means that he made use of that online information. But the probability of causation rises significantly with the amount of correlation. One researcher stated that in all the Bolz videos he had watched (about 15 different prophecies, with between two-to-six ‘words of knowledge’ per prophecy), “the amount of correlation had been 100%”.
Shawn appears to be using the verse to cloak his ‘word’ with the aura of sanctity.
Another told me; “I ended up testing about 80 different prophecies; I think I found all of the information for around 78 or 79 of them online.” In like manner, I personally checked between 10 and 20 of Shawn’s videos, and was amazed how frequently I quickly found the information he relayed as ‘words of knowledge’ on people’s Facebook pages and other websites.
The evidence appears overwhelming that Shawn Bolz regularly uses the internet, and social media accounts in particular, to source his spectacularly accurate words of knowledge. In Part 3 of this series, we prove beyond all reasonable doubt that this is the case; and assessing the implications of this for the wider prophetic movement.
Endnotes
1 Many failed to apologise, transferring their clearly-intentioned prediction that Trump would win two consecutive terms to the hope he might stand again in 2024 – and win.
2 In his book ‘Translating God’, Shawn said he prophesied an earthquake in Peru in June 2001, some months before a major earthquake actually hit. Owing to the preventative measures taken as a result of his ‘word’, he says the death toll was minimal (p.75-6).
Additional Info
Author:
Tom Lennie