The Mike Bickle and IHOP Cornucopia of False Teaching, Bridal Weirdness and 24/7 Confusion
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Mike Bickle's multi-million dollar "International House of Prayer" is an outgrowth of the heretical "Latter Rain" movement that began in 1948, even though IHOP has only been an official organization since 1999. Before IHOP, there was the "Kansas City Prophets" which basically turned into IHOP. Here's a brief overview of the Latter Rain Movement and how it leads to IHOP: Latter Rain: The Spawning of Apostasy
Mike Bickle is a passionate and convincing speaker who has built a world-wide ministry based on something that seems like a great idea: 24 hour a day prayer and worship. Underneath this simple idea of praying and worshipping are a number of unorthodox, strange and unbiblical teachings. His entire ministry is built upon convincing stories of miraculous prophetic words that God supposedly gave men like Bob Jones and Paul Cain (two very influential but discredited false prophets). Some are now claiming that IHOP has become a full-fledged cult that separates young people from their families and creates zombie-like adherents. If you Google "IHOP cult" you will find many blogs written by former IHOP students and staff that are now warning others about the troubling experiences they had. And experience is what IHOP is all about. The Bible takes a back seat to the exciting and ever-changing "prophetic words" that keep IHOP followers coming back for more, but ultimately leaves them confused, hurt and, many times, angry. Of course, like any gigantic organization there are a wide variety of opinions about IHOP and there are many Christians involved that sincerely believe they are serving God. Instead of focusing on individual opinions & experiences, the links below are largely addressing the flawed teaching that comes from Mike Bickle and IHOP; this is not intended as a personal attack on the many people involved.
The following articles are written by a number of Christians from many different denominational and theological backgrounds. These various writers don't agree on every aspect of Christian doctrine, but they do all agree that Mike Bickle and IHOP's false teachings should not be ignored.
The Dangers of the International House of Prayer by CARM
What is the International House of Prayer (IHOP)? by Got Questions
Multiple Articles about Mike Bickle and IHOP by Berean Research
Multiple Articles about Mike Bickle and IHOP by Deception in the Church
The Hard Truth About Mike Bickle and IHOP on Fighting for the Faith
Bickle's Bible Botching by Spirit of Error
Is Mike Bickle Biblical? by Holy Bible Prophecy
The 2nd Coming of the "Presence" (5 Part Series) by Herescope
Kansas City Prophets Exposed-Ernie Gruen's Report "Aberrant Practices"
Mike Bickle and IHOP Resource Page (Many links/articles) by Beyond Grace
Bill Johnson, IHOP, & Ancient Heresy Reborn (Interview with Bob DeWaay) by Echo Zoe Radio
The Over-Sexualization of Christ and the Heretical Bridal Paradigm by 828 Ministries
The Fatal Flaws of the Renewal (Part 1) by Watch Your Life and Doctrine Closely
IHOP "Explain" Their Concept of the House of Prayer from the Bible by Churchwatch Central
The Apostolic and Prophetic Movement by Keith Gibson
Mike Bickle Quotes from the Zedekiah List
Chris Rosebrough Reviews Mike Bickle's Sermon "Blow the Trumpet in Zion" by Churchwatch Central
Forerunner Eschatology: Mike Bickle’s End-Time Teaching and the International House of Prayer by CRI
Bill Johnson & Mike Bickle's Mutual Admiration Society by Spirit of Error
Why I Believe IHOP is a Cult by Gospel Masquerade
Bill Johnson, IHOP and the "Passion" Translation by Spirit of Error
“For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.”
“And yet some people actually imagine that the revelation in God’s Word is not enough to meet our needs. They think that God from time to time carries on an actual conversation with them, chatting with them, satisfying their doubts, testifying to His love for them, promising them support and blessings. As a result, their emotions soar; they are full of bubbling joy that is mixed with self-confidence and a high opinion of themselves. The foundation for these feelings, however, does not lie within the Bible itself, but instead rests on the sudden creations of their imaginations. These people are clearly deluded. God’s Word is for all of us and each of us; He does not need to give particular messages to particular people.” -Jonathan Edwards
Here are some examples of the worst kind of manifestations that sometimes occur at IHOP:
Watch Mike Bickle Refute Mike Bickle!
Want to watch a man sawing off the branch he's sitting on? Here's Mike Bickle's very own youTube video where he begins by saying "anything that's not in the written Word of God I reject" but then he goes on to promote and encourage things that aren't in the written word of God:
Here he is again trying to explain why it's okay to have lots of FALSE prophecies:
Here's Bickle spending 28 minutes confusing a room full of people; this is where he explains that 80% of the manifestations and prophecies are FALSE, but that's okay:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
“An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?”
“And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken.”
“Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.”
“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”
Mike Bickle probably doesn't want you to know what his friends did at The Charismatic Day of Infamy
Mike Bickle is a key player in The New Apostolic Reformation
Here is some Shocking Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know!
For further reading and research:
Confirmation Bias: Why You Are Protecting Your False Beliefs
Assertions and Assumptions are NOT the Foundation of the Church
The Hyper-Charismatic House of Cards-Let It Fall and Be Free
Here's a great article to help you be more discerning and less gullible:
-This article by Steven Kozar