Joseph Prince: Shepherd or Wolf? Volume 9 Prosperity Gospel Is Perverted Gospel

Joseph Prince: Shepherd or Wolf?

Volume 9: Prosperity Gospel Is Perverted Gospel

Volume 9

Prosperity Gospel Is Perverted Gospel

Volume Summary

While the Old Testament’s focus is on material prosperity, the New Testament’s focus is on adversity: suffering and persecution.

The emphasis has dramatically changed in the New Testament, from material prosperity to adversity.

While Joseph Prince boasted about the fact that when the Old Covenant people came out of Egypt, they came out with lots of silver and gold (Psa 105:37; Ex 12:35-36), the apostle Peter, a New Covenant believer, had none of them: “… Silver and gold have I none…” (Acts 3:6 KJV).

Paul’s life and ministry were also not marked by wealth but suffering and persecution.

If the apostles themselves don’t even embody the truth of the Prosperity Gospel in the New Testament scriptures that New Covenant believers are wealthy, Joseph Prince’s teaching on Prosperity Gospel is a false Gospel.

The Prosperity Gospel is Perverted Gospel!

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Contents

Chapter 1: *Debunking The Prosperity Gospel Teachings Of Joseph Prince

Chapter 2: Biblical Texts Prosperity Gospel Preachers Abused To Support Their Doctrine

Chapter 3: Our Attitude Towards The Poor Could Determine Our Eternal Destiny

Chapter 4: *Material Wealth In The Old Covenant Is Replaced By Spiritual Inheritance In the New

Chapter 5: *Biblical Evidence Discredit The Prosperity Gospel (Joseph Prince & The Toto Ticket That Won $2.8 Million)

Chapter 6: Is Healing A Core Teaching & Benefit Of The Holy Communion?

Chapter 7: Can We Have Perfect Health & Will Everyone Be Healed?

Chapter 8: *Can God Use Sickness To Discipline Us?

* Denotes Priority Reading

Chapter 1

*Debunking The Prosperity Gospel Teachings Of Joseph Prince

Preface

Don’t miss the Entire Chapter as there are lessons in it you probably have not seen before.

Note: 1 video & 2 audio clips on Joseph Prince.

“Owing to the teachings of Joseph Prince, suffering and persecution which were the norm for the early Church, have now been replaced by prosperity and blessings for the contemporary Church.” (George Ong)

Introduction

Many, including pastors and leaders whom I have talked to, have the mistaken impression that Joseph Prince’s grace theology is all about, or mainly about the Prosperity Gospel or the Health and Wealth Theology.

Not, it isn’t.

Prosperity Gospel is only one portion of it.

Joseph Prince’s Pseudo-grace doctrine is much more than that.

Most of his false grace doctrines, other than the Prosperity Gospel, is what I have written in the other nine volumes.

Note that there are about eight chapters to this topic of Prosperity Gospel.

This is only chapter 1.

Your questions that may not be answered in chapter 1 may be answered in the subsequent chapters of the topic.

My main contention with the PG doctrine is the wealth part, and as such, the bulk of the materials on it will be covered.

As for the issue of health, I have less to contend with, as healing is a legitimate ministry of the New Testament, and a big part of Jesus’ earthly ministry is in the healing of the sick.

But that doesn’t mean that every teaching of Joseph Prince on health and sickness is biblically sound.

The wealth part is dealt with in Chapters 1-5, while the health part is covered in Chapters 6-8.

I must caution you that the truths you are about to learn about the PG, from this chapter onwards, are tough truths.

Many of you will experience a feeling of unease and discomfort as you encounter these hard truths.

If you feel this way, let me assure you that you are not alone, as I do too.

But we must never allow our comfort zone to determine what we should pay attention to, or what ought to be the right interpretation to a given text.

Whether these truths are hard or easy, the word of God must be and have the final authority over our lives.

Note the Abbreviations:

PG denotes Prosperity Gospel.

PGP denotes Prosperity Gospel Preachers.

A. What Is The Prosperity Gospel?

The PG is also known as the Health and Wealth gospel.

It is also related to the ‘Word of Faith’ movement or the ‘Positive Confession’ doctrine.

It is the teaching that every believer who exercises faith will experience increases in health and wealth.

Experiencing health and wealth is the automatic right of every Christian.

The essence of this PG doctrine is that God wants every believer to be physically healthy and materially wealthy.

It is God’s will that every Christian is to be financially rich.

If you are financially poor, you are a bad testimony.

Bad health, sicknesses, and poverty for believers are curses that need to be broken.

If you are overflowing with wealth, and exuding with health, you are a good testimony.

According to the PG doctrine, wealthy and healthy Christians will attract people to come to Christ.

Many PG churches tell their people to dress well so that they can portray a picture of success.

They are told if you want to be a good testimony, you need to dress well and show the world you have made it.

I have a friend who used to attend a PG church, and one of her remarks to me was, “Wow, the people in that church really dress well.”

B. Kenneth Hagin Is Joseph Prince’s Mentor.

The more prominent of the PGP are Kenneth Hagin (deceased), Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Joseph Prince, and many others.

Joseph Prince has publicly testified that he had learned a lot from Kenneth Hagin.

In ‘Destined To Reign’, Page 271, Joseph Prince wrote:

“I give thanks to God for my roots in the ‘Word of Faith’ teachings.

It is truly on the shoulders of great men of God like Brother Kenneth E Hagin that we are able to see further into the Word of God today.

Growing up, I learned a lot about faith from Brother Hagin, who truly had a special revelation of faith from the Lord.

I deeply honor and respect him for all that he has taught me.”

Please view the 8-minute video clip to catch a glimpse of the kind of ministry that Kenneth Hagin was involved in.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xHU_eLSPx0B0UxJ6gZKZ1khOBeiYMvm3/view?usp=sharing

(Source: YouTube, Joseph Prince – False Anointing Exposed)

After watching the video, what kind of a man do you think Kenneth Hagin was?

If your verdict is negative, it is unlikely that Joseph Prince, who claimed to have learned so much from him, be beyond reproach.

You can do your own study about Kenneth Hagin and his teachings, as this chapter is not about covering every part of every issue in detail.

As far as I am concerned, Kenneth Hagin is another false prophet.

Can a false prophet in Kenneth Hagin produce a true prophet in his disciple, Joseph Prince?

C. Joseph Prince’s Straw Man Argument Strikes Again.

In ‘Unmerited Favor’, Pages 227-228, Joseph Prince wrote,

“Now, I really don’t understand why there are some believers who fight against ministries that proclaim the truth that God wants to give us success, prosperity and health.

These believers don’t realize that they are essentially fighting to remain sick and poor.

Don’t they realize that sickness and poverty belong to the realm of the curse?

Don’t they realize that Jesus has already made a way for us to live by His unmerited favor and to step into the realm of His blessings?”

Please listen to the 1-minute audio clip of Joseph Prince,

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12Krs1BtkiKwAQm-6Y6T-n5t04a1Za-dL/view?usp=sharing

(Source: Audio CD, The Covenant That Demonstrates His Wealth & Health, Disc 1 Track 4)

Joseph Prince said in the audio clip,

“Well, Pastor Prince sounds like you believe in health and wealth.

Yes, yes, yes.

You got me there, men.

I believe in health and wealth.

I’m sorry if you believe in sickness and poverty, but I believe in health and wealth.

My God gives me that.

Every bit of me believes in it.

Amen.

You never find Jesus having a problem with wealth.

He went around making people healthy and wealthy, yes.

He never taught this idea of poverty is holy.”

George’s comments:

Joseph Prince is back with his straw man argument again with what he said in the following two statements:

“I’m sorry if you believe in sickness and poverty.”

“These believers don’t realize that they are essentially fighting to remain sick and poor.”

Tell me, Joseph Prince, which sane pastor and mature believer would teach that believers are fighting “to remain sick and poor”.

No true and discerning Bible teacher would do that.

Just because we oppose your PG doctrine, doesn’t mean you have to slap us with a straw man argument that we are advocating poverty or we are glorifying sickness.

Joseph Prince and the PGP give the impression that there’s no middle ground between corrupting wealth and despondent poverty.

They have ‘hidden’ many Bible passages, such as Proverbs 30:7-9, from believers.

This is a prayer of a wise man:

Prov 30:7-9 NIV

⁷“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
⁸Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.

⁹Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Both extremes of too much wealth and too little riches lead to the temptation to sin.

Interestingly, as I was reading this passage, the Holy Spirit led me to this observation that Proverbs 30:8-9 did not say, “If I love too much riches, I may disown you.”

But it says the mere fact of too much riches can be the reason for a person to disown God.

I bring this up because Joseph Prince and the PGP would always use the argument

(and many evangelical believers and pastors use that same argument too)

that it is not riches or money, but it is the love of money that is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10).

Again, Joseph Prince has only told you just half of the truth, and hidden the other half from you.

Yes, 1 Timothy 6:10 did say that, but is that what Proverbs 30:8-9 says?

No.

Proverbs 30:8-9, helps us to see another angle of the truth that there are believers (not every believer) who can forget and disown God over the mere fact that they have too much riches, and not just the love of it:

“…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ (Prov 30:8-9)

This means that while not every believer can disown God because of too much riches, many would.

Many believers, in their aim to get rich, may not have started with their love for riches.

But because the heart is deceitful above all things – as their riches grow, their love and greed for wealth would also grow – resulting in them disowning God.

Yet, Joseph Prince and the PGP don’t take cognizance of this fact and keep such truth of the scriptures hidden from the people.

They boldly and unashamedly teach that every believer has the right to get rich, and the rich would get even richer, leading those who can be stumbled over too much riches by disowning God, to their ruin and destruction.

Prov 30:8 NIV

“…give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.”

Proverbs 30:8 is probably related to Exodus 16:17-18.

Do you remember that when God provided manna in the wilderness for the Old Covenant people in Exodus chapter 16, He made sure that no one had either too much or too little (Ex 16:17-18).

Each and every one of them had just enough of their daily manna (daily bread) for their stomachs.

In the New Testament, Jesus may have Proverbs 30:7-9 in mind when He taught his disciples to ask merely for their “daily bread” (Matt 6:11; Lk 11:3; Prov 30:8).

So, Jesus is not promoting poverty as He promises to provide for our daily bread (daily needs).

Yet, at the same time, Jesus is also not promoting that every believer can and must be rich – that Joseph Prince and the PGP are pushing.

If Jesus is promoting that every believer ought to be rich, why is He just asking every believer to pray for their daily bread?

If Jesus wants every believer to get rich, He would be asking us to pray for a flashy car and a luxurious house.

But, He didn’t.

So, both extremes of poverty and prosperity are wrong.

(Prosperity isn’t wrong if God chooses to bless you with it, as He knows you can handle riches and use it, not for your own self-indulgence, but the sake of the gospel and the poor.

But it becomes wrong if you have a yearning for it, and especially if you cannot handle riches.)

So, it is Joseph Prince and the PGP who promote prosperity, and those who hold to extreme asceticism, glorifying poverty, that are rebuked by this teaching in Proverbs 30:7-9.

Joseph Prince has chosen to ignore the many biblical passages, such as Proverbs 30:8-9, that warn against the harmful effects of wealth.

You don’t hear Joseph Prince and other PGP mention such verses as Proverbs 30:7-9, do you?

It’s as if these verses are missing from their Bibles or they have psychologically ripped them off from the pages of their Bibles.

Why do we need to swing from one extreme to another when there’s a middle ground that the Bible teaches in Proverbs 30:7-9 and Matthew 6:11 (more of this would be unfolded in subsequent chapters)?

We never teach believers to fight to remain in poverty.

Joseph Prince, it is you who have falsely and deceptively accused some of that, in order to use that as an excuse to promote and push your PG doctrine.

Most true and discerning Bible teachers would always teach that whether we are rich or poor (not poverty), we ought to be contented.

But, Joseph Prince, you and the PGP are the ones who are teaching the doctrine that we must not be contented with our financial state, but we must get richer and richer, possibly, leading many to forget and disown God, and to their eternal ruin.

D. Joseph Prince Told A Lie That Jesus Has No Problems With Wealth & He Went Around Making People Wealthy.

Joseph Prince said in the audio clip,

“You never find Jesus having a problem with wealth.

He went around making people healthy and wealthy, yes.

He never taught this idea of poverty is holy.”

George’s comments:

Joseph Prince said, “He (Jesus) never taught this idea of poverty is holy,” but neither did Jesus teach that prosperity is holy too.

Many believers aren’t aware that from the overall tenor of the New Testament scriptures, Jesus had more good things to say about the poor than the rich.

This will be unveiled to you in the subsequent chapters.

Joseph Prince had told a lie when he said,

“You never find Jesus having a problem with wealth.

He went around making people healthy and wealthy, yes.”

Jesus did heal the sick on many occasions, but He didn’t go around making the people wealthy.

Instead, in many New Testament passages, He warns of the deceitfulness and covetousness of wealth.

Jesus has a problem with wealth as He has plenty to say about the dangers of wealth.

This will be covered in the subsequent chapters as I do not wish to repeat myself.

But, let me just give you a few passages to prove my point.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

“No one can serve two masters.

Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt 6:19,20,24 NIV).

Jesus goes on to make the disturbing statement,

…“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:23,25).

You seldom hear these passages being mentioned or taught by Joseph Prince and the PGP, do you?

And when they do, they may twist them to mean something that isn’t conveyed by the passage.

Instead, they give the one-sided and slanted impression that material wealth is the sure sign of God’s blessings and favour on your life.

What about passages such as these:

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Lk 12:15 NIV).

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (Lk 12:20-21 NIV).

Jesus teaches that material wealth is not blessedness but poverty, especially if wealth is accumulated for self-indulgence, and if they aren’t invested in the kingdom of God.

E. Joseph Prince Told A Second Lie That Poverty Belongs To The Realm Of The Curse.

In ‘Unmerited Favor’, Pages 227-228, Joseph Prince wrote,

“Don’t they realize that sickness and poverty belong to the realm of the curse?”

Joseph Prince, by making the above statement, only shows how ignorant and simplistic he is.

One needs to note that not all the poor in the Old Testament are cursed by God for their disobedience in Deuteronomy 28.

(I will deal with sickness in later chapters.)

There are many other reasons for poverty.

Some are poor because of their own doing – slothfulness – and they deserve it.

Others are poor not because of their own fault, but because they are exploited by the rich, and also due to natural calamities.

These people are poor, not because they are under a curse for disobeying God.

For this group of poor people, God has a great heart for them.

God demands that the rich provide for the needs of the poor and the needy.

There is a humongous amount of scriptures that prove that God is a protector of the poor in the Old Testament, and this will be elaborated in a subsequent chapter.

Next, in the Old Testament scriptures, especially Proverbs, is the recognition that there are poor people.

But whether they are poor or rich, they belong to the Lord: “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all” (Prov 22:2 NIV).

Are all the poor people cursed and out of favour with God in the Old Covenant?

No.

Are all the rich people blessed and in favour and right with God?

No.

Prov 16:8 CEV

⁸“It’s better to be honest and poor than to be dishonest and rich.”

Prov 16:19 NIV

¹⁹“Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.”

Prov 19:1 NIV

¹“Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.”

Prov 28:6 NIV

⁶“Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.”

Are the poor in the above passages reprimanded by God because they are cursed?

Joseph Prince and the PGP would do that as their PG doctrine declares that all poor people are under God’s curse.

Did the Old Testament scriptures in Proverbs curse and castigate them?

No.

On the contrary, the scriptures in the Old Testament recognise there are the honest poor (Prov 16:8) and the blameless poor (Prov 19:1; 28:6).

Not all poor people in the Old Testament are lazy or under God’s curse for their disobedience to God’s commandments.

Many are blessed by God because they are humble and blameless.

Joseph Prince, by saying that all the poor are cursed, only goes to show his insensitivity and ignorance about the issue of the poor and poverty in the Old Testament.

Joseph Prince, you’ve got to live up to your name as an excellent teacher of God’s word.

So, please do yourself a favour by reading through the Old Testament again and carefully.

F. Joseph Prince Told The Third Lie That The Gospel Of Christ Only Leads To Prosperity, Etc, & But He Didn’t Mention Anything About Adversity Which Is The Emphasis In The New Testament.

In ‘Destined To Reign’, Page 23, Joseph Prince wrote,

“Oh, so you (Joseph Prince) are one of those ‘prosperity gospel’ preachers!”

My friend, there is no such thing as a “prosperity gospel”.

There is only one gospel in the Bible and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

However, when you believe the gospel of Jesus, which is based entirely on His grace, it will result in health and prosperity.

In fact, the gospel of Jesus Christ leads to blessings, success, healing, restoration, protection, financial breakthroughs, security, peace, wholeness and MUCH MORE!”

George’s comments:

Joseph Prince, if there is no such thing as PG, then why are you so passionately preaching that prosperity and wealth, which is the covenantal right of New Covenant believers, come with the gospel?

Joseph Prince had told the third lie when he said that the gospel would bring about prosperity.

As far as I know, there isn’t anywhere in the New Testament scriptures (except for one verse which I will debunk in a subsequent chapter) that Jesus promises that the gospel will result in prosperity.

Jesus never promises His followers a rose garden of riches.

Conversely, Jesus told His followers that the gospel would lead to adversity: suffering, persecution, imprisonment, and even martyrdom.

Jesus said:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matt 5:11 NIV).

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (Matt 24:9 NIV).

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.

I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown” (Rev 2:10-11 NIV).

“Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.

Then he said to him, “Follow me” (Jn 21:18-19 NIV).

What I have listed above is just a sampling.

Why is Joseph Prince totally silent about the adversities that the gospel will bring about as foretold by Jesus?

This proves my point again and again that Joseph Prince’s gospel is the false gospel because it isn’t Jesus’ gospel.

G. Joseph Prince & The Prosperity Gospel Preachers Rely Heavily On The Old Testament To Build Their Prosperity Gospel Doctrine.

The Emphasis Of The New Testament Is Not On Wealth But Adversity.

Please listen to the 3-minute audio clip on Joseph Prince,

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aMn-NB2risHhOCHWag-WeCLdXkhj_yRi/view?usp=sharing

(Source: Audio CD, The Covenant That Demonstrates His Wealth & Health, Disc 1 Track 5)

Joseph Prince said in the audio clip,

“‘So they came out with silver and gold…’ (Psa 105:37 NKJV).

And God knew there will be some theologians that will say, if God had put, He brought them out with wealth, some theologians will say, ‘Well Pastor Prince, don’t you understand that wealth is spiritual wealth.’

But God purposely put silver and gold; there is no dispute.

Silver and gold; you cannot spiritualise.

Silver and gold; silver and gold.

So, I thank God, God foreknew that people will start saying, if wealth, you can misinterpret.

But God put silver and gold right there.

The Bible says Abraham was very rich in silver and gold.

So, God kept the covenant with Abraham.

Can you see that?

Don’t you forget for one moment that you are the seed of Abraham.”

“… Look at Isaac, Abraham’s seed.

By the way, you know that Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver and gold.

And not only that, Isaac was very rich.”

“… Then we look at Jacob.

Jacob, the grandson of Abraham had the power of prosperity because he was in covenant relationship.”

“…Then we fast forward the generations of Abraham; right down to Solomon, the son of David.

Solomon was so rich.

He was so disgustingly rich.

The Bible says, he drank from vessels of gold.

He made silver so common as the stones of Jerusalem.

He built God a house, a temple that cost; I made a study of this once, over 200 billion US dollars.

Not millions, billions.

Over 200 billion US dollars.

You know his daily expenses, his daily food, just one day, came to over 17,000 US dollars.

What did he eat?

Do you know the clothings, just the clothings of his priests were over 10 million?

That’s amazing!

What did they wear?

That’s amazing, isn’t it?

That he has so much wealth.”

“…Let me tell you this: God promised His people because of the covenant, when your herds multiply; when your silver and gold multiply.

Notice, He didn’t say, if.

If, means, it may, or it may not happen.

God says, when.

You know what when means?

It’s a matter of time.

It’s going to happen; it’s a matter of time.

Look at what God says.

God says (Deut 8:12-14),

“Don’t forget me, lest when you have eaten and are full and when you have built beautiful houses and dwelled in them;

and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; and when your heart is lifted up; and you forget the Lord your God…”

So, God didn’t want them to forget Him.

But God says, when.

That means what?

The prosperity is going to happen.

But church listen, ‘When your silver and gold is multiplied.’

It’s not, if.

You are going to be wealthy.

I prophesy to you in the name of Jesus today marks the end of your poverty mentality.

And, therefore, the end of your poverty, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not a statement; this is a prophecy.

I’m telling you this in Jesus’ name.”

George’s comments:

The chief fault of Joseph Prince is that he is mainly using the Old Covenant and the Old Covenant patriarchs, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Solomon, etc, to prove his PG doctrine.

(Joseph Prince tells you only half the story about how rich Solomon was, but he didn’t tell you how Solomon, because of his wealth, ended his life tragically. See Item L.)

Joseph Prince is utterly inconsistent.

He has always been teaching that the way God relates with the Old Covenant people is different from how He relates with the New Covenant people.

He is at pains to stress that many Old Covenant doctrines are not binding on New Covenant believers because of the finished work of the cross.

He never gets tired about making the point that the finished work of Christ has, indeed, made the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

He teaches that the God of the Old Covenant who is angry, punishes, judges, curses the Old Covenant people, will never get angry, punish and judge the New Covenant people.

But when it comes to the PG doctrine, he changes his tune entirely.

He uses many Old Covenant passages and Old Covenant characters to prove his PG theology.

He relies heavily on Old Testament foundations.

He teaches that just as God has blessed the Old Covenant people with health and wealth, He will do the same with New Covenant people.

So, Joseph Prince, I am getting all confused by you – are we in the Old Covenant or the New Covenant?

Joseph Prince, by using the Old Covenant principles, is effectively saying we, the New Covenant believers are still under the Old Covenant.

Do you see how inconsistent and self-contradictory Joseph Prince is?

Joseph Prince, since you always talk about how the New Covenant has come about because of the finished work of Christ, please get back to the New Covenant and build your theology of PG purely with New Covenant scriptures.

On the one hand, Joseph Prince says that many Old Covenant scriptures are not binding on New Covenant believers, and so our priority and focus should be the New Covenant scriptures.

On the other hand, when it suits his agenda to support his grace theology, such as the PG doctrine, he selectively harks back to the Old Covenant passages.

Joseph Prince will selectively pick and choose the passages in the scriptures, as long as they support his doctrine.

Joseph Prince, what is happening to your doctrine?

I thought you are always saying we are New Covenant believers, and many of the teachings under the Old Covenant don’t apply to us and are not binding on us.

Why do you now switch to the Old Covenant just to obtain doctrinal support for your PG doctrine?

Joseph Prince and the PGP base their PG doctrine on Old Testament foundations and not the New.

They based their doctrine mainly on the Old Testament, which God promises prosperity to the nation of Israel if they obey Him.

But this promise of prosperity and wealth was never repeated in the New Testament to the corporate church or any individual believer.

The PG is erroneous as there is a difference between the Old Testament and the New with regards to wealth.

While the Old Testament’s focus is on material prosperity, the New Testament’s focus is not on material prosperity, but adversity: suffering and persecution.

Friends, the truth is, the emphasis has dramatically changed in the New Testament from material prosperity to adversity.

I’ll just show you one example:

1 Tim 6:7-10 NIV

⁷“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

⁹Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

More evidence of the fact that riches are no longer the emphasis in the New Testament, and in fact, it is discouraged and warned against, will be unfolded in the subsequent chapters.

The teaching of the New Testament is not about getting rich, but how, through adversity, believers can be strengthened in their faith.

Sir Francis Bacon wrote:

“Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New.”

Joseph Prince and the PGP frequently preach on prosperity, but they hardly/never preach on self-denial, carrying the cross (Mk 8:34) and suffering.

Most PGP, such as Joseph Prince, teaches against suffering.

Some hide their true stand by not overtly speaking against suffering.

But if one were to examine their teaching priority, nothing is preached about suffering.

By their silence, they are sending the message that suffering is not what they believe in, and that’s why they don’t talk about it.

What is worse is that they keep emphasising about the PG doctrine.

Hence, they are giving a distorted and a false picture, that Christianity is just about prosperity and nothing about adversity, such as suffering and persecution.

The New Testament emphasises adversity, such as suffering and persecution, much more than it does on prosperity.

But Joseph Prince and the PGP won’t tell you that.

Let me give you just a sampling of the New Testament passages that focus on adversity, such as, suffering and persecution:

Jesus warned that believers are bound to face with persecution,

“…‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also…” (Jn 15:20 NIV).

Paul alerted that tribulations are to be expected in their entering of the kingdom of God,

“…We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22 NKJV).

Paul reminded the believers in Rome that suffering is part and parcel in their journey to eternal inheritance,

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom 8:17-18 NIV).

Paul warned that persecution is the price of godliness,

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12 NIV).

Peter warned believers not to be surprised by suffering as it is the typical experience to be encountered by believers,

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Pet 4:12-14 NIV).

Remember, the above scriptures are just a sampling.

Since suffering and persecution permeates the New Testament, every pastor is responsible for making this clear to their flock.

Ignorance on the part of believers would only be to their detriment.

Joseph Prince and the PG preachers who teach against suffering are not only giving a distorted and a false impression about the Christian Faith, but they are also not preparing their followers for persecution.

When persecution hits the church, their hands will be stained with the blood of their followers who may deny Christ, as Christ will deny them (Matt 10:33).

The sin that Joseph Prince and PGP commit is that they deliberately leave out the adversity part of Christianity in their teaching.

What ought to be emphasised in the New Testament, such as suffering and persecution, they kept totally silent.

What is not emphasised in the New Testament – wealth; Joseph Prince and the PGP are passionately promoting it.

What is worse is that the New Testament contains many warnings against the temptations of wealth and riches.

Joseph Prince may say to George,

“George, are you blind to the plenty of promises of wealth for people in the Old Testament?”

George would say to Joseph Prince,

“In the same vein, are you blind to the many passages in the New Testament that warn us against wealth and possessions?

Obviously, you have not been reading the New Testament?

If you have, you must be half asleep when you read it.

Let’s give you the benefit of the doubt that you know your New Testament – so tell me, is the emphasis on wealth and possessions the same in the New Testament as in the Old?”

H. New Covenant Believers Inherit The Spiritual Blessings Of Salvation, Not The Material Blessings Of Wealth: Galatians 3:8-14.

Joseph Prince said in the audio clip,

“The Bible says Abraham was very rich in silver and gold.

So, God kept the covenant with Abraham.

Can you see that?

Don’t you forget for one moment that you are the seed of Abraham.”

George’s comments:

Joseph Prince and the PGP teach that the Abrahamic covenant includes, not just the spiritual blessings, but also the material blessings of Abraham.

Since New Covenant believers are Abraham’s spiritual children, they have inherited not just the spiritual blessings, but also the financial blessings of the covenant.

Kenneth Copeland, one of the key leaders in the PG, wrote,

“Since God’s Covenant has been established and prosperity is a provision of this covenant, you need to realize that prosperity belongs to you now!”

The PGP teach that every New Covenant believer has the covenantal right to be wealthy because we have inherited the covenantal blessings of Abraham that is promised to us.

According to their teaching, the covenantal blessings do not only include salvation, but it would also include Abraham’s wealth.

The argument is that since Abraham is wealthy, so are we.

Joseph Prince and the PGP also based their doctrine on Galatians 3:14.

Gal 3:14 NIV

¹⁴“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

They argue that since the blessing of Abraham has come to the Gentiles, the New Covenant believers, through Christ, have inherited both the spiritual and material blessings.

But the context did not clearly state that it was the financial or the material blessings that we have inherited.

These PGP have hidden something from you.

They ignored the second half of Galatians 3:14: “…that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Paul, who wrote Galatians, was referring to the spiritual blessing of salvation, not the material blessing of wealth.

What is clear in the context of Galatians 3:14 is the inheritance of spiritual blessings:

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Gal 3:14 NIV).

Paul is clearly reminding the Galatians of the spiritual blessing of salvation, “so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit,” (Gal 3:14) and not the material blessing of wealth.

If one looks at the bigger context in Galatians 3:8-14 in which Galatians 3:14 is set, there is no doubt that it is spiritual blessing, and not material blessing that Paul is referring to.

Gal 3:8-14 NIV

⁸Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

⁹So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

¹⁰For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

¹¹Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”

¹²The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”

¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

¹⁴He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

The dominant focus of Paul was to indicate that the Gentiles, just as the Jews, now have the privilege to be saved by faith in Jesus.

The word faith (marked in purple) was repeated five times in Galatians 3:8-14.

This means the issue is about the spiritual blessing of salvation to the Gentiles that comes by faith.

This has nothing to do with inheriting the wealth of Abraham, but everything to do with inheriting the faith of Abraham.

There is nothing in the overall context of Galatians chapter 3, nor in the entire book of Galatians that talks about wealth, but everything in the context of Galatians talks about faith in Christ.

You must remember the key issue is about the Galatians, who insist on adding circumcision to their faith in Christ.

Paul would never allow them to as the gospel is at stake.

His message to them is faith in Christ is all you need.

Just as Abraham was justified by faith, so are you.

So, it is the spiritual blessing of salvation by faith that was the focus of Paul’s teachings in Galatians, and nothing about the wealth blessing that Joseph Prince and the PGP are teaching.

The blessing of Abraham of which Paul wrote in Galatians 3:14, was God’s promise to Abraham to bless all the nations in Galatians 3:8.

Paul explained this in Galatians 3:16, as the promises made to Abraham and Christ.

Gal 3:16 NKJV

¹⁶Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

Gal 3:16 NLT

¹⁶“God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.”

Galatians 3:13 states that Jesus provided that promised blessing to all the nations by being cursed by God.

How?

Jesus was cursed by dying for the sins of the world on the cross.

So the “blessing of Abraham that might come to the Gentiles” is not about God making us rich as He had to Abraham.

It is about God’s promise to Abraham to bless the Gentile nations through his seed

– and its fulfillment by Jesus through His death on the cross for them

– so that the spiritual blessings of salvation by faith can now be enjoyed by the Gentiles, besides the Jews.

I. Whether Christ Has Redeemed Believers From The Curse Of Poverty Must Be Clearly Explained.

Joseph Prince and the PGP teach that the law promised the curse of poverty to those who didn’t keep it (Deut 28:15, 30-31, 33, 38-40, 47-48, 51, 68) – which is correct under the Old Covenant.

And they teach that since Paul wrote, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law” in Galatians 3:13, any New Covenant believer who is in Christ has also been redeemed from the curse of poverty – which is probably incorrect, at least from the wrong way they have applied it.

Such exegesis is presumptuous.

There is no evidence that Paul was expounding on any explicit curses found in Deuteronomy 28 when he wrote about “the curse of the law” from which Christ redeemed us in Galatians 3:13.

One must bear in mind that the word ‘curse’ used by Paul in Galatians 3:13 is in the singular, not plural.

What Paul said was that Christ redeemed us not from the curses (plural) of the law, but the curse (singular) of the law.

This would probably mean that that the whole law would become a curse to anyone who tries to keep the law as a means of earning his salvation.

Conversely, anyone who does not try to save himself by keeping the law is redeemed from the curse of it.

If Paul teaches that Christ has redeemed us from all the devastating punishments in Deuteronomy 28, thus assuring our wealth and prosperity,

as what Joseph Prince and the PGP teach,

Paul would have contradicted himself in the other parts of the scriptures.

If Christ has come to redeem the New Covenant people of poverty and to bless us with riches,

why was Paul, a New Covenant believer himself, not the recipient of it,

when he said:“To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless” (1 Cor 4:11)?

Why did Paul write: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword” (Rom 8:35)?

Joseph Prince, you tell me,

would Paul have written those words in 1 Corinthians 4:11 and Romans 8:35,

if every New Covenant Christian, is indeed, redeemed from poverty, is blessed with riches, and exempted from suffering persecution, famine, nakedness, etc,

that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law?

If the teachings of Joseph Prince and the PGP that every New Covenant believer is redeemed from the curse of poverty,

and every one of them ought to be wealthy and prosperous is correct,

how can Paul, being a New Covenant believer himself, be hungry and thirsty, was barely clothed and homeless (1 Cor 4:11)?

Such prosperity teachings that every New Covenant believer is redeemed from the curse of poverty would also contradict the teachings of Jesus.

If what Joseph Prince teach were true that we are redeemed from the curse of poverty, and wealth is the inheritance of every believer, why would Jesus mention the following:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matt 25:34-40)

What are the lessons that we can draw from what Jesus said in Matthew 25:34-40?

First, if believers who are, indeed, redeemed from the curse of poverty and are enjoying the blessings of wealth is true,

why are there still poorer and needier New Covenant believers, who are hungry and thirsty, and who needed clothes

in Matthew 25:34-40?

Did Jesus reprimand them for remaining under the curse of poverty?

Did Jesus rebuke them, as Joseph Prince and many PGP would, for not having enough faith to pray themselves out of the curse of poverty?

No, Jesus has a great heart for the poor, and He takes care of these poor believers, by asking those who have more than these poor brethren, to take care of their needs.

Instead of looking down on our poorer brethren, or rebuking them for their lack of faith to get out of the poverty trap as Joseph Prince and the PGP would do,

Jesus teaches that believers who are richer and have more than they need, must exercise their responsibilities

to meet the needs of their poorer and suffering brethren.

The taking care of these poor believers is so important to Jesus that anyone who does will enter the kingdom of God (Matt 25:34-36 NIV).

But anyone who fails to provide for their needs will be banished to the fires of hell (Matt 25:41-43 NIV).

This is not about earning salvation through good works.

This is about the fact that the evidence of true faith must be seen in and through one’s good works.

That is why James said faith without works is useless, dead, and cannot save (Jas 2:14,17,20,26).

The wealth that God has blessed us with must not be used in a self-indulgent fashion, but they must be shared with those who are needy.

This is also true in the Old Testament.

Abraham provided employment for plenty of others that supplied their needs (Gen 14:14).

Job, too, used his wealth to care for the poor widows and orphans (Job 29:12-13; 31:16-22).

So, the attitude of Jesus towards the poor in the New Testament is totally different from that of Joseph Prince and the PGP.

For Joseph Prince, the poor are under a curse.

If the poor are under a curse, why didn’t Jesus mention it in Matthew 25:31-46 as He is speaking about them?

Instead, Jesus took special pains to make sure their needs are taken care of.

Jesus, indeed, has a great heart for the poor, and He insists that the rich must take care of the poor.

Next, Jesus Himself did not say, “Cursed are the poor,” but He says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20).

Jesus, in Luke 6:20, is not talking about the spiritually poor in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus is talking about the materially poor in Luke 6:20.

Joseph Prince has once again openly defied the teaching of Jesus.

When Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor…” (Lk 6:20), Joseph Prince has the unholy guts to defy Jesus by his teaching that every poor person is cursed by God.

Must you be reminded that I have said time and again that Joseph Prince isn’t preaching the Jesus’ Gospel but his own false gospel.

How can believers and pastors, who still try to speak up for him is just beyond my comprehension?

My last point in this section is that

even if what Joseph Prince and the PGP are right

when they teach that since Paul wrote, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law” in Galatians 3:13,

any New Covenant believer who is in Christ has also been redeemed from the curse of poverty

– they have falsely applied it.

Their definition of poverty is different from that of the scriptures.

The scriptures indicate that if one has his basic needs taken care of, such as food and clothing, one isn’t living in poverty.

That is why Proverbs says, “…but give me only my daily bread” (Prov 30:8).

That is why Jesus asks us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matt 6:11).

That is why Paul instructs, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Tim 6:9).

That is why James pleads: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (Jas 2:15-16).

So, every Christian has been delivered from poverty in the sense that his basic needs are met, and Christ has assured us that our basics needs will be taken care of (Matt 6:25-34).

Anyone who lives below that line of having his basic needs met would be considered as living in poverty.

But, that’s not how Joseph Prince and the PGP see it.

To them, just having our basic needs met isn’t acceptable, as they teach that every Christian must be rich; not only rich but very rich as Abraham was.

So, to them, whether they admit it or not, to be delivered from poverty means to be delivered to become rich and very rich.

Both Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings that having our daily needs met as the definition of living above poverty is nowhere in their conception.

To them, to have our daily needs of food and clothing met is as good as living in poverty.

That is why Joseph Prince and the PGP have abused Galatians 3:13

– with the teaching that since Christ has delivered you from poverty,

you must never remain in the state of just having your needs met, but you must be rich and very rich as Abraham was.

J. Joseph Prince & The Prosperity Gospel Preachers’ Selective Exegesis.

To recap, Joseph Prince and the PGP teach that “the blessing of Abraham,” in Galatians 3:14, is the promise that God will make us rich.

The reason is that since God made Abraham rich, “the blessing of Abraham” that is promised to the Gentiles, will make every New Covenant believer rich.

What this shows is that Joseph Prince and his prosperity gang are highly selective in their choice of what can be applied from the life of Abraham to New Covenant believers.

They pick and choose only the pleasant parts while leaving out the unpleasant areas.

By the same token that they teach that we will become rich as Abraham was rich, shouldn’t they also teach that we ought to live in a tent like Abraham did all of his life (Gen 12:8; 13:3, 18; 18:1-2, 6, 9-10)?

Heb 11:9 NIV

⁹“By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.”

Mind you, Abraham didn’t just live in tents for 3 months or 3 years, but for 3 generations (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), they were still living in tents (Heb 11:9).

Joseph Prince and the PGP, who want to be rich like Abraham, should honestly consider if they want to live in a tent all of their lives without electricity, air-conditioning and running water!

Why don’t Joseph Prince and the PGP teach that God will bless every New Covenant believer with a child in their old age since Abraham’s blessings are all theirs to claim?

What Joseph Prince and the PGP are ‘good’ at is selective exegesis.

They will quickly apply the feel-good and pleasant lessons while leaving out all the negative and unpleasant parts.

Second, Joseph Prince and the PGP selectively claim only the promises of prosperity and wealth of the Old Covenant people, without telling their followers that there are conditions to meet for these promises.

Only those Old Covenant people who obey God are promised wealth and prosperity (Deut 28:1-2).

Those who disobey God are cursed with sickness and poverty (Deut 28:15).

Deut 28:1-2 NIV

¹If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.

²All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

Deut 28:15 NIV

¹⁵However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:

Psa 112:1-3 NIV

¹“Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.

²Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
³Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.”

Psa 128:1-4 NIV

¹“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.
²You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
⁴ Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.”

Yes, the Old Covenant people were promised blessings of prosperity and wealth.

But such blessings aren’t unconditional.

These blessings are only promised to those who obey God’s commandments and fear Him (Deut 28:1-2; Psa 112:1-3; 128:1-4).

That being so, how can Joseph Prince and the PGP claim the promise of wealth under the Old Covenant without telling their followers that such promises require the condition of obedience and the fear of God?

And Joseph Prince and the PGP also didn’t tell their followers that disobedience to God’s commandments will bring curses of poverty and sickness on their lives.

Joseph Prince and the PGP are happily claiming the wealth promises of the Old Covenant, but are they also prepared to fulfil the conditions of the promise – to be obedient to God and to fear Him.

(The great ‘joke’ is that Joseph Prince teaches against both obedience to God’s commandments and fearing Him.)

And, in the same vein, are they also prepared to be cursed by God with sickness and poverty, if they disobey Him?

Joseph Prince will defend himself by the argument that the Mosaic Covenant about blessings and cursings in Deuteronomy 28, don’t apply to New Covenant believers, but only the Abrahamic Covenant applies to us.

Joseph Prince, it is not up to you to pick and choose.

If you want to use the Old Covenant to support your PG doctrine, then you will have to abide by the Old Covenantal framework – as the Old Covenant people are under both the Abrahamic and the Mosaic Covenants.

But what is worse is that Joseph Prince himself is using the Mosaic Covenant in Deuteronomy 28 to teach the PG doctrine to his New Covenant followers that poverty is a result of God’s curse.

But, Joseph Prince, I thought you said the Mosaic Covenant isn’t applicable to New Covenant believers?

If that is so, why are you using what you have forbidden to teach the PG doctrine to New Covenant believers?

This is another concrete example of His double-talk.

How can one who consistently double-talks be a true teacher of God’s word?

Third, Joseph Prince and the PGP only selectively transfer the wealth blessings – the wealth of Abraham, but they conveniently leave out the blessing of a piece of land.

God reaffirms his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:7; 17:8; and 22:17, including the promise of possessing the materially rich land of Canaan, and He repeats his promises again to Isaac (Gen 26:3), and to Jacob (Gen 28:13-15; 35:12).

Joseph Prince, to be consistent, you ought to tell your followers,

“Hey chaps, I’ve got good news for you.

God has not only promised to bless us with wealth, silver and gold, but He has also promised Abraham the land of Israel, and that is also our inheritance because we are Abraham’s seed.

So, you better get ready to move out of Singapore and go into Israel, and possessed the land flowing with milk and honey.”

Joseph Prince, why only pick the wealth part of the Abrahamic’s blessing and leaving out the blessing of the land?

Friends, this is nothing but selective exegesis.

Any Bible teacher who uses selective exegesis to prove his doctrine is manipulating God’s word.

No one who manipulates God’s word consistently, such as Joseph Prince, can be a true teacher of God’s word.

K. Tell Joseph Prince To Go To The Third World To Prove That His Prosperity Gospel Doctrine Really Works.

Joseph Prince said in the audio clip,

“But church listen, ‘When your silver and gold is multiplied.’

It’s not, if.

You are going to be wealthy.

I prophesy to you in the name of Jesus today marks the end of your poverty mentality.

And, therefore, the end of your poverty, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not a statement; this is a prophecy.

I’m telling you this in Jesus’ name.”

George’s comments:

Joseph Prince, can you tell me who in Singapore is suffering from poverty?

Most believers in Singapore aren’t, and so, who are you trying to kid?

You should declare such prophetic prayers against poverty to the Third World nations, and not to First World Singapore.

If you really believe in your PG doctrine, why aren’t you focussing your ministry efforts on the Third World nations such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Laos, Cambodia, etc.

These are the countries that need your secret on how to be prosperous and be healthy and wealthy and not places like America, Australia, Europe and England that you are constantly focussing your preaching efforts on.

Joseph Prince, you are wasting your time going to the First World, such as the USA and Australia – they are already prosperous and wealthy, and they have a much more advanced level of health care as compared to those in the Third World – they don’t need your PG.

The Third World nations need you and your ministry of prosperity, wealth and health much more than the USA and Australia do – so please go there.

Go and preach in Laos, Myanmar, Ethiopia, etc, and start to deliver the people there from poverty, and make them immediately wealthy.

Please go and bring your Abrahamic wealth doctrine to the Bangladeshi churches.

Why are you practising your PG theology only in the First World Singapore, America, Australia, England and Europe?

These First World nations are rich enough.

They don’t need your ministry.

With the sure promise of health and wealth in your PG doctrine, you are most needed in the Third World.

Would Joseph Prince commit to give more time to preach to the Third World nations, rather than rich America and Europe

– and would he dare to tell these village and bare-footed folks, ‘just enjoy the grace of God, you will prosper like the first world – just receive grace into your life and your suffering will stop?

Do you want to know the reason Joseph Prince is focussing on the First World instead of the Third World?

The open secret is that Joseph Prince’s PG and the health and wealth theology can only ‘work’ in the First World.

The ‘no-suffering’ and ‘you will prosper’ Pseudo-grace theology will only work in the urban First World, but it will have almost zero relevance to the rural Third World who are being persecuted for their faith.

If the Pseudo-grace theology only works in one context and doesn’t in another, its authenticity is immediately called into question.

Joseph Prince, if your theology can only work in the First World and not the Third World, then something is fundamentally wrong with your PG teaching.

No wonder you are so afraid of putting your PG to the test in the Third World nations?

No wonder Joseph Prince never goes personally to preach the PG in the Third World nations.

He’s sorely afraid that his deceptive PG doctrine would be uncovered.

Joseph Prince, even if you dare to go to the Third World nations, what message are you going to preach to them?

Are you going to tell them because of their poverty, poor health, and the prevalence of diseases, they are cursed? – Which you wouldn’t dare to even though this is what you believe in.

Or, would you be telling the people in the various Third World nations they will become prosperous, healthy and wealthy, after attending your PG conference? – Which you wouldn’t have the guts to promise that too.

You have no message to offer to them.

Jesus came to preach the gospel to the poor, but why are you focussing your preaching efforts on the rich?

If Jesus were present in our world today, I’m sure He would focus his preaching efforts on the Third World instead of the First World.

If you claim to be Christ-centred, then why are you not following the example of Jesus?

So, please don’t ‘hide with your PG doctrine’ in the First World anymore.

Go to the Third World and prove to the whole world that your PG doctrine really works there.

L. It Is Pathetic That Joseph Prince & The Prosperity Gospel Preachers Have Picked Solomon As The Role Model Of Wealth & Prosperity For Their Followers To Emulate, Given The Tragic End To Solomon’s Life.

Joseph Prince said in the audio clip,

“Solomon was so disgustingly rich.

The Bible says, he drank from vessels of gold.

He made silver so common as the stones of Jerusalem.

He built God a house, a temple that cost; I made a study of this once, over 250 billion US dollars.

Not millions, billions.

Over 200 billion US dollars.

You know his daily expenses, his daily food, just one day, came to over 17,000 US dollars.

What did he eat?

Do you know the clothings, just the clothings of his priests were over 10 million?

That’s amazing!

What did they wear?

That’s amazing, isn’t it?

That he has so much wealth.”

George’s comments:

Joseph Prince paints you only the nice bits of Solomon – about how much wealth, silver and gold King Solomon possessed.

But he has hidden something heartbreaking from you – and this is about how Solomon, the richest man in the Old Testament, ended his life.

Solomon started his life wonderfully well, but he ended his life tragically.

Solomon began his reign, full of promise, when he picked wisdom over all the other things, even wealth, that God could have given him (2 Chron 1:7-12).

And God gave him both wisdom and wealth.

How wonderful would it be if Solomon had continued to be wise?

Solomon, eventually, didn’t use the wisdom God gave him, and he became a foolish man.

His wealth got the better of him, and his wisdom fizzles out too.

He preached wisdom to many in the Book of Proverbs, but he didn’t follow it himself.

If Solomon had continued with his wise ways, he wouldn’t have made the terrible decision of having 700 mothers-in-law – half in jest!

For some men, having one mother-in-law is already one too many.

On top of the 700 wives, he had 300 concubines.

How could Solomon be wise to have married 700 wives and 300 concubines?

It’s not wisdom; it’s utter folly.

The book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon during the twilight years of his life when he was an older man.

His opening statement in the book was profoundly negative and saddening:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless” (Eccl 1:2 NIV).

I’ve personally checked that the word ‘meaningless’ was repeated 35 times in Ecclesiastes.

How pathetic it is for the so-called wisest and richest man in the then known world to get to the end of his life, and declare that life is utterly meaningless.

Solomon had all the wealth to indulge in every one of his fantasies, and he did.

The saddest thing is that the richest man in the Old Testament, with all his great wealth, came to the end of his life and said that everything is meaningless, and I gain nothing:

“Everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Eccl 2:11 NIV).

The saddest thing is to get at the end of your life, mourning over the fact that you haven’t achieved anything worthwhile.

Solomon, the richest man, had tried everything with his wealth, but at the end of his life, he came to the sad conclusion that everything is meaningless:

Eccl 2:1-11 NIV

¹I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

²“Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?”

³I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

⁴I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.

⁵I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

⁶I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.

⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

⁸I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart.

⁹I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

¹⁰I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.

¹¹Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

The lesson we could learn is the futility of acquiring riches as a means of seeking pleasure (Eccl 2:1-11).

Life was meaningless because Solomon was trying to seek after these things apart from God.

More so, some of these things he sought after were forbidden by God.

As he came to the end of his life, there are several things that he advised his readers to do, which he didn’t do.

First, as a young man, he didn’t make enough time for God.

He left God out for much of his life as a young man.

That is why at the end of Ecclesiastes, in chapter 12:1, he advised the young people:

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth…” (Eccl 12:1 NIV).

Second, what Solomon regretted most was that he had not feared God as he should as he had not obeyed God to keep His commandments:

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl 12:13-14 NIV).

Joseph Prince, given what I have written in the above about Solomon, isn’t it pathetic that you and your PG chaps have picked Solomon as the model of wealth and prosperity for your followers to emulate.

Joseph Prince, given the depressing way that Solomon had ended his life, how could you have the cheek and the nerve to pick Solomon as the example to follow in your teaching that every believer is supposed to be rich.

Solomon, is indeed, a disastrous example to follow.

Though Solomon started well, he ended his life terribly.

God had explicitly instructed him not to accumulate wealth and possessions:

“The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself… He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold” (Deut 17:16-17 NIV).

But Solomon chose to disobey God at his own peril.

It is precisely because of his wealth and prosperity that have led him astray from God.

The most important lesson Solomon had learned was that he had not feared God as he had disobeyed God’s commandments.

He teaches that we need to fear God as we will all be called to account for how we have lived the life that God has given us.

We will be called to account for whether we have kept and obeyed the commandments of God.

But, Joseph Prince, not only are you not teaching what Solomon could have learned, you teach against them.

You falsely teach that we, as New Covenant believers, must not fear God and that there are no laws or commandments that New Covenant believers must obey.

By your teaching that every Christian is entitled to be rich, which is the cause of Solomon’s downfall, and that we shouldn’t fear God or obey His commandments, your destiny and that of your followers, are unlikely to differ much from Solomon.

Solomon took 7 years to build the temple, but he took 13 years to build his own house.

1 Kgs 6:38 NASB

³⁸“In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.”

1 Kgs 7:1 NIV

¹“Now Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.”

Note that when the Bible was first written, there were no chapter and verse divisions.

These chapter and verse divisions were added at a later time.

1 Kings chapter 6, verse 38, is the last verse of chapter 6, whereas 1 Kings chapter 7, verse 1, is the first verse of chapter 7.

If you read these two verses, seamlessly, without the chapter and verse divisions – you can feel the contrast, straightaway – that Solomon took twice the time to build his house as compared to the temple.

Hence, you know where his heart is really in.

He was probably more passionate about building his own house than God’s temple.

Joseph Prince said in the audio clip,

“Solomon was so disgustingly rich.

The Bible says, he drank from vessels of gold.

He made silver so common as the stones of Jerusalem.

He built God a house, a temple that cost; I made a study of this once, over 250 billion US dollars.

Not millions, billions.

Over 200 billion US dollars.

You know his daily expenses, his daily food, just one day, came to over 17,000 US dollars.

What did he eat?

Do you know the clothings, just the clothings of his priests were over 10 million?

That’s amazing!

What did they wear?

That’s amazing, isn’t it?

That he has so much wealth.”

Joseph Prince, let me ask you – can New Covenant believers justify such amassing of wealth by Solomon given the command of Jesus not to lay up treasures on earth (Lk 12:33)?

In the next few chapters, I will unload more evidence from the New Testament scriptures that there is no justification, whatsoever, for Joseph Prince to justify the amassing of such wealth for New Covenant believers.

Although God blessed Solomon with riches, He wanted Solomon to use his wisdom to utilise his wealth to serve Him and others.

That is why God commanded Solomon to build a great temple for His glory.

But at the same time, God forbade Solomon to accumulate horses, wives, gold, or silver for himself, but he disobeyed God (Deut 17:14-20; 1 Kgs 4:26; 10:26-27; 11:1-3).

Deut 17:16-17 NIV

¹⁶The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”

¹⁷He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

1 Kgs 4:26 NIV

²⁶“Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.”

1 Kgs 10:26-27 NIV

²⁶“Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

²⁷The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.”

1 Kings 11:1-13 gives a depressing commentary and a summary about the life of Solomon:

1 Kgs 11:1-13 NIV

¹King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.

² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

³He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

⁵He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.

⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

⁷On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.

⁸ He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

⁹The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

¹⁰Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.

¹¹ So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.

¹²Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

¹³Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Solomon’s hundreds of wives turned his heart away from God, and he became an idolator (1 Kgs 11:4-10).

Could Solomon have supported the 700 wives and 300 concubines if not for his great wealth?

Definitely not.

No poor man can be a womanizer.

It takes a rich man to womanise.

Solomon was a womanizer because he was wealthy.

So, in a real sense, his wealth was the root cause that brought about all the rest of his sins.

It was his wealth that brought about his downfall.

He didn’t use his wealth to love his neighbour as himself.

Instead, he used his wealth in self-indulgence to build the biggest harem in all of history.

Wealth is at the root cause of Solomon’s ‘women problem’, which in turn is the cause of his idolatry.

It was Solomon’s wealth that made him an idolator.

Solomon would have used his wealth for the benefit of others, especially the poorer people in his kingdom.

But Solomon indulged his wealth on himself.

He disobeyed God by acquiring great numbers of horses and accumulating large amounts of gold and silver for himself.

By having 1,000 women all to himself, he has effectively robbed one thousand men of the opportunity to marry.

Given the depressing way that Solomon had messed up his life, it is totally irresponsible and insensible for Joseph Prince and many PGP to hold up wealthy Solomon as a role model for every believer who wants to get rich.

What kind of example is Solomon?

Yes, he is a wealthy man, but he is also a selfish, self-indulging, super-womaniser and gross idolator.

He has probably broken the Guinness book of records by having the most number of women in a person’s life.

Joseph Prince, let me ask you – is our goal to be like wealthy, self-indulgent, idolatrous and womanising Solomon or to be like Paul and Christ, who both exemplified a disapproving attitude towards covetousness, money and wealth (Lk 12:15,20,21; 1 Tim 6:6-10)?

Someone said about Solomon: “The world’s wisest man became the world’s greatest fool.”

Solomon, who began well, turned evil.

In the eyes of God, Solomon was not a godly but an evil king.

Solomon became an idol worshipper, promoted idol worship, did evil and disobeyed the commandments of God:

⁵“He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites” (1 Kgs 11:5).

⁶“So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord…” (1 Kgs 11:6).

⁷“On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites” (1 Kgs 11:7).

⁸“He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods” (1 Kgs 11:8).

⁹The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel… (1 Kgs 11:9).

¹⁰Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. (1 Kgs 11:10).

God was so angry with Solomon that He broke the kingdom into two (after his death):

“So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates” (1 Kgs 11:11).

When God has to invoke such severe punishment on Solomon by breaking the kingdom apart, it just goes to show the evil that Solomon had perpetrated against God.

With Solomon’s own admission that he had failed God (Ecclesiastes)

and God’s hopeless opinion about Solomon’s character and His severe judgement on Him,

how Joseph Prince and PGP can ever hail Solomon be our role model is beyond comprehension.

But why did Joseph Prince and the PGP hail Solomon as an excellent example to follow? – Only because Solomon was disgustingly rich.

Joseph Prince and the PGP are so blinded by riches that they failed to see that on the whole, Solomon was an evil king, who disobeyed God and became an idol worshipper.

Joseph Prince specialises in telling you just one half of the truth that Solomon was rich.

But he has hidden the other more crucial half of the truth that he had disobeyed God in Deuteronomy 17:16-17, and that Solomon did evil, became an idol worshipper as he was led into idolatry by his wives in 1 Kings 11:1-13.

Most of all, Joseph Prince has hidden and kept the most crucial lesson that Solomon could have learned in the concluding part of Ecclesiastes, in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, from you.

Eccl 12:13-14 NIV

¹³“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Solomon, indeed, had a great start, but a tragic ending.

He inherited the expanded kingdom of His father, David.

He had the privilege of building the Temple of God.

When the temple was dedicated, the glory of the Lord (smoke) filled the temple.

He was given wisdom by God, and he became the wisest man in the then known world.

But the wisest man became the most foolish man when he allowed wealth and women to lead him astray from God.

It is my personal opinion that Solomon is not in heaven but hell.

And I do not say this gleefully, but sadly.

I am totally aware that if I am wrong, Solomon will give me no peace and no sleep when I meet him in glory.

I believe it is no accident or coincidence that the two kings, King Saul, and King Solomon, were left out in the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.

Many of you may say, “How can a man who wrote three books of the Bible (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Songs of Solomon) be in hell?”

Well, if God can use the donkey to talk, and anoint King Cyprus, an unbeliever, for setting His people free from their exile, He can use anything or anyone to achieve His purposes.

The only proviso is if Solomon had, indeed, repented of his evil, his disobedience to God and his idolatry.

Even if the worst sinner, who commits the greatest sin, truly repents, God will never cast him away and will embrace him with His loving arms of forgiveness.

But there is no indication in the scriptures that Solomon had repented.

If Solomon’s regret in his later life is similar to Judas Iscariot’s remorse, and if he didn’t finally repent, then, from the authority of scriptures, I have every right to say that he isn’t in heaven because of what Jesus said, “… But unless you repent, you too will all perish… But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Lk 13:3,5).

If that is so, how could Joseph Prince and the PGP ever use Solomon as the role model for New Covenant believers to follow?

Isn’t it obvious that Joseph Prince and the PGP are blinded by the same riches in the same way as Solomon was?