Whom Do We Listen To? Part 18

Whom Do We Listen To? Part 18
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Apostasy / Contemporary issues / Scripture discussion / Spiritual deception / Spiritual warfare / The church / Thought for Today / Truth telling

What do we make of Hamon’s failed prophecy regarding the timing of Christ’s return? As we saw, he recast it, saying that while his perception was off, what he was sensing was correct. He was aware of God’s moving, it was just that God was moving in a different way. God was about to birth the charismatic movement as rather than having Christ literally return to earth in 1963.

Hamon was not the first Christian leader to reinterpret a failed prophecy regarding Christ’s return. When William Miller’s predictions that Christ would return in 1844 did not materialize, Miller took the rare step of confessing that he was wrong. Subsequently, Ellen White recast that error, declared that Miller was basically correct. God had moved in 1844, that a major event in the heavenly realm had taken place: Jesus had entered the heavenly tabernacle to start cleansing it, known as the investigatory judgment, a key event prior to Christ’s return within Seventh-Day Adventist theology. According to her, while Miller’s perception was off, his underlying point of God doing something major, was correct. Her revision on how to deal with “the great disappointment,” became a key tenet of Seventh-Day Adventism.

Even in NAR terms, with Hamon, we’re not talking about a young prophet’s misstep, of learning to recognize the voice of the Lord, or learning to speak properly. As we’ve seen, NAR authors, including Hamon, are clear that a young prophet will make mistakes. We’re talking about a major series of ongoing prophecies, something even Hamon admits. As mentioned, Charisma magazine named him as the key individual in restoring the prophetic office within the church, of what would become the NAR.

On the other hand, as we are under Christ, given repentance, forgiveness and restoration are possible. One of the difficulties in writing this series of concerns especially as related to the NAR, is remembering to treat others as you’d like them to treat you. Are we, am I, willing to forgive others for their failings, as we seek forgiveness for our own shortcomings?

What makes it tougher is that Hamon is a revered father-figure within the NAR. Arguably no one has had more influence in that movement than he. Nevertheless, regarding the New Apostolic Reformation, where their new prophetic revelations are at the core of their doctrine and teaching—especially Hamon’s—false prophecy is as spiritually deadly as ever. It is made worse by Hamon’s numerous unbiblical end-times prophetic “revelations.”

Generally, one is not to question NAR apostles, prophets, or other leaders. Indeed, the raising of genuine biblical concerns is often seen as a direct attack against the movement’s leaders. That is unlike the New Testament: while a singular complaint is not to be registered against an elder or leader, if two or three come with the same concerning issue, then it needs to be researched and addressed as the situation may dictate. Sinning elders are to be publicly rebuked.

It must be mentioned that not every NAR book goes down these sorts of paths. For example, one example is a book I’ve just gone through by Cindy Jacobs, “Essential Guide to the Prophetic.” In it, she talks about how some end up becoming false prophets, the limits of biblical submission, and the importance of humility. At least in this book (I have several others by her yet to read), unlike Hamon, she does not pronounce judgments against those who reject NAR teachings and beliefs. Unfortunately, as with other NAR authors, she accepts NAR prophetic utterances as truth.

A long-term sobering possibility concerns the great falling away just before the Antichrist is revealed. We saw that the NAR recasts the 2 Thessalonians passage, that the great falling away took place 1,500 years ago. But, what might happen should end-time events not transpire according to NAR prophecies? How would adherents respond?

Overall, the wisest course is to stay away from NAR churches. If currently involved in one, get out. Return to a legitimate charismatic church. When a founding NAR prophet says pastors must ultimately submit to NAR apostolic authority and teachings, or God will judge them by causing many of them to get sick and die prematurely, be cast out of their ministry as Lucifer was, or be devoured, get out. Couple that with the movement’s numerous questionable prophecies—from the prophetic fabrications made by Shawn Bolz to failed predictions that Trump would win the 2020 election—coupled with the documented troubles within IHoPKC, and Bethel, Redding, to cite two NAR church examples, get free.

My deepest wish for NAR leaders would be for them to humble themselves and repent, to jettison their erroneous teachings and beliefs, to set aside their emphasis on signs and wonders along with their view of the exalted church in the end-times; to return Jesus to His rightful place.

Jesus is central. Our life, as Christians, is all about Jesus Christ, what He has done, what He is doing; magnifying and praising Him. It is not about signs and wonders “we” perform, prophecies and pronouncements “we” make. It is not about worldwide ministries that “we” may have, how NAR writers tend to speak of the vastness of their ministries, their giftings, their accomplishments.

It is all about Jesus.

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