False Prophet: Pat Robertson

The Bible tells Christians how to recognize false prophets. They say things that don’t come true.

As it is written in Deuteronomy 18, 20-22:

20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

So, when someone claims to speak for God, and his prophecy does not come true, that means he’s a false prophet. God ordains that false prophets should die.

He doesn’t say how.

Now, let’s take a look at Pat Robertson’s prophecies, shall we? He puts forth a series of prophecies each year.

2008:

In 2007, the stock market began its slide (it had dropped from a high of 14,093 on October 12, 2007 to 13,364 on December 28, 2007, having varied by 2,000 points during 2007), and the housing market continued its rapid descent (the boom stopping in mid-2006 in some markets, and national decline accelerating in 2007, with a national average decline of 6.9% in value, but 20% in some markets), and the price of oil skyrocketed (from $65/barrel in August 2007 to $100/barrel in December 2007) Robertson made some very “insightful” predictions:

Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, who has made predicting the future an annual tradition, predicts a recession and a major stock market upheaval are on their way for the United States.

Aside from a recession this year, Robertson suggested Wednesday that Americans will be paying much more for gas at the pump as the price of a barrel of oil rises by 50 percent in the coming months.

Specifically, he said oil would reach $150 a barrel – the price hit $100 on Wednesday – with the dollar continuing to lose value in 2008.

“I also believe the Lord was saying by 2009, maybe 2010, there’s going to be a major stock market crash,” said Robertson, who is a millionaire businessman as well as an evangelical leader.

Hmm, a millionaire businessman who makes predictions based upon the existing trends in the market. Clever, that.

I guess Robertson wanted to FINALLY get something right! Let’s look at a few of his previous predictions:

2007:

Robertson predicts a major terrorist attack(s) on US soil.

“I’m not necessarily saying it’s going to be nuclear,” he said during his news-and-talk television show “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network. “The Lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.”

Robertson said God told him during a recent prayer retreat that major cities and possibly millions of people will be affected by the attack, which should take place sometime after September.

Who could forget the late 2007 terrorist attacks, when major cities were wiped off the map! Why, millions died horribly in . . . er, wait, it’ll come to me . . . HEY! There were no terrorist attacks!

May 2006:

“If I heard the Lord right about 2006, the coasts of America will be lashed by storms,” Robertson said May 8. On Wednesday, he added, “There well may be something as bad as a tsunami in the Pacific Northwest.”

[adsense:]

Nope.

2005:

In 2005, Robertson predicted that Bush would have victory after victory in his second term. He said Social Security reform proposals would be approved and Bush would nominate conservative judges to federal courts.

Lawmakers confirmed Bush’s 2005 nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. But the president’s Social Security initiative was stalled by widespread opposition.

“I have a relatively good track record,” he said. “Sometimes I miss.”

“Sometimes I miss.” Can a prophet of the Lord miss?

What was it Deuteronomy 18 had to say? We just need verse 22a:

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken . . .

We can go back further for more of Robertson’s false prophecies.

2004:
In this January 2005 article, Robertson praises his own accurate prophesying:

On the 700 Club broadcast, Robertson touted his 2004 New Year’s prediction that President George W. Bush would win re-election by “a blowout” as an example of a past prediction that turned out to be correct. On January 2, 2004, Robertson stated: “I think George Bush is going to win in a walk. I really believe I’m hearing from the Lord it’s going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It’s shaping up that way.” As Media Matters for America has noted, Bush’s margin of victory was the smallest for a reelected incumbent president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

More from 2005:

“The vendetta against religion in America is about to end. … ‘I [God] will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly and their successors will refuse to sanction the attacks on religious faith.’”

Nope.

God’s spirit is going to be moving in dramatic power around the world. And his spirit is going to be touching the hearts of many in the Muslim world and they will be turning to the gospel, to Jesus Christ. I think many of them already are, but this is going to be an acceleration that will really amaze the world. … ‘Revival will break out throughout the Muslim world, my [God's] truth will penetrate their hearts. The hold of that falsehood that has gripped them will be broken.’”

Er, nope.

“Well, the Lord has some very encouraging news for George Bush … What I heard is that Bush is now positioned to have victory after victory and that his second term is going to be one of triumph, which is pretty strong stuff. … He’ll have Social Security reform passed. He’ll have tax reform passed. He’ll have conservative judges on the courts. And that basically he is positioned for a series of dramatic victories which I hope will hearten him and his advisers. They don’t have to be timid in this matter because the wind is blowing at his back, and he can move forward boldly and get results.”

Could he have mistaken “miserable failures” to mean “victories”? Nah.

But wait, there’s more!

Robertson sought the Republican nomination for president in 1988 and later founded the Christian Coalition, which has worked tirelessly to elect Republicans to public offices nationwide.

During the 1988 race, Robertson assured voters that God had told him he was going to win. He dropped out after placing third in the South Carolina primary with 19 percent of the vote. Not long after that, he said God had told him to run again in 1992, saying, “That is His plan for me and for this nation,” but Robertson did not seek the presidency again.

Other Robertson predictions have also fallen flat. In January of 1980, he predicted that the year would be marked by a worldwide economic depression followed by a major war in the Middle East, rioting, unrest in major Western nations and widespread starvation. On another occasion, he predicted that Russia would invade Israel in 1982 and that there would be a worldwide economic collapse in 1985. In his 1991 book, The New World Order, Robertson predicted that U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller would be elected president in 1996.

We can only wonder why God has not followed through on his own prophecy:

Deuteronomy 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

Well, I guess if we wait long enough, he will . . .

Update: Read about Robertson’s 2009 Psychic Predictions here.

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1. Pat Robertson's 2010 Predictions: Wrath, Wrath, More Wrath
2. Non-Prophet Week: AHS Student Federation raises money for charity
3. Robertson Calls Oklahoma Earthquake A Sign Of The End Times
4. Pat Robertson Implies He Was Not Qualified To Be President
5. Robertson Suggests Crack In The Washington Monument Was A Sign From God

Jean Poole

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