The Morning Star’s Manuscript: Why They Burned John Wycliffe’s Bones

 

I want you to visualize a scene. It is incredibly specific, and honestly, it is one of the most haunting moments in all of English history. Imagine the winter of 1428. The air is biting, the kind of cold that settles deep in your marrow. We are in Lutterworth, a small market town in Leicestershire. We’re standing in a graveyard—consecrated ground, the kind of place that is supposed to be a sanctuary of eternal rest. But on this particular day, it looks more like a construction site.

There is a team of laborers with shovels digging into the frozen earth. Standing over them is a whole retinue of high-ranking church officials. Bishop Fleming is there, presiding over the operation, his eyes fixed on the dirt. They aren't digging a fresh grave, though. They are opening an old one. They are looking for a specific skeleton, a man who has been dead for 44 years. That is nearly two generations. By this point, the flesh is long gone, and the wooden coffin has probably rotted away into nothing. They are literally sifting through the soil and roots to find the bones of a quiet Oxford professor named John Wycliffe.

Now, usually, if you have a grievance with someone, you settle it while they’re alive. Or if you’re petty, you bad-mouth them after they die. But to dig a man up four decades later implies a level of hatred that transcends death. It wasn’t just hatred, though; it was fear. This wasn't random vandalism; it was a strictly legal proceeding. Pope Martin V and the Council of Constance had issued a formal decree declaring that Wycliffe’s body had to be removed from consecrated ground because they believed it was polluting the very earth it lay in.

They find the bones. They don’t just toss them in a ditch. They build a pyre, take the skeletal remains of arguably the most brilliant theologian in England, and burn them to ash. They crush the charred bones into powder and cast the ashes into the River Swift. They wanted to delete him—physically, spiritually, and historically. They wanted to ensure no pilgrim could ever visit his grave, no shrine could ever be built. They wanted to wash him out of history.

What could a man have done to deserve being treated like a criminal nearly half a century after his funeral? Was he a murderer? Did he try to assassinate the king? No. In the eyes of the church, he did something far worse. He was a translator. His core crime, the thing that made him the "master of error" in the eyes of Rome, was that he dared to turn the Latin chains of the Bible into the English language. He believed that an English plowman should be able to read the words of Christ just as well as the Pope. And for that, they burned his bones.

---

We are talking about John Wycliffe today, a scholar from Oxford who was the "Morning Star of the Reformation."

When we zoom out from the perspective of God sitting on the throne in heaven, we can see that God was working behind the scenes to cure the "famine of the word." As the prophet Amos declared:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11 KJV).

During the Dark Ages, there was a literal famine for the Word of God. Only the priests were able to handle it, and even they often didn't know what it was actually saying because it was in a language no one spoke: Latin. Imagine going to church every week, terrified of hell, desperate for salvation, and the entire service is muttered in a language you don't speak. You are entirely dependent on what the priest tells you. If you can't understand the source code yourself, you have to trust the developer. And in the 14th century, the "developer"—the institutional church—was having serious performance issues.

The Perfect Storm of Crisis

Wycliffe wasn't attacking a strong, credible institution. He was exposing cracks that were already visible to everyone. The 14th century was a mess of institutional, spiritual, and social collapse:

1. The Western Schism (1378–1417): The papacy split. There were two Popes—one in Rome and one in Avignon—excommunicating each other. For ordinary believers, this destroyed the clarity of spiritual authority. Who do you obey when God’s representatives are calling each other heretics?
2. Systematic Corruption: The sale of indulgences became widespread—essentially paying money to reduce time in purgatory. It made salvation transactional. If you had the coin, you had the grace.
3. The Black Death (1347–1351): This plague killed nearly half the population of Europe. Bodies piled in the streets. People looked at the piles of corpses and asked, "Why is God so angry, and why can't the church fix this?"

Into this world stepped Wycliffe. He wasn't some peasant rebel with a pitchfork; he was an Oxford professor, the smartest man in England. He introduced a radical concept called Dominion by Grace. He argued that authority depends entirely on being in a state of grace. If a Pope is in mortal sin, he has no God-given authority. This was a radical inversion that echoed the words of the Psalmist:

The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner (Psalm 118:22 KJV).

Wycliffe argued that those the hierarchy rejected—the common believers—could have greater spiritual authority than the institutional church itself if they were in a state of grace. This short-circuited the middleman.

Breaking the Latin Chains

Wycliffe’s second big idea was the Sufficiency of Scripture. He argued that if the Bible is the supreme authority, it overrules the Pope, tradition, and canon law. If it’s not in the Book, you don’t have to do it. This naturally led to a revolutionary conclusion: "If the Book is the boss, I better be able to read the Book."

Translating the Bible in 1382 was an industrial undertaking. Think about the scene: vellum made from sheepskins, hand-mixed gall ink, scholars working by candlelight in drafty, cold rooms, their breath visible in the air. This was manual labor for the soul.

The first version, the Early Version (EV), was led by Nicholas of Hereford. He was a true believer but terrified of the text. He did a rigid word-for-word translation that made English sound like Yoda-speak. There is a famous moment in a manuscript known as Bodley 959. Nicholas is translating the book of Baruch. He reaches chapter 3, verse 20, and the sentence just stops mid-stream. The rest of the page is blank. Why? Because Nicholas was summoned to London to answer for heresy. He had to run for his life, leaving the Word unfinished on the page.

Eventually, John Purvey, Wycliffe’s secretary, took over. He produced the Later Version (LV) around 1388, which used a "sense-for-sense" philosophy. It actually flowed. It sounded like the language of the people. And once the floodgates were open, the church couldn't shut them.

---

Personal Reflections

When I look at Wycliffe’s life, I’m reminded of my own journey and the things I’ve written about in my book, OPEN YOUR EYES: MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY. I’ve often talked about the need to have our eyes opened to the spiritual reality around us. Wycliffe was trying to open the eyes of an entire nation.

I’ve had moments where I realized I was relying on "experts" or "tradition" instead of the direct Word of God. It’s easy to let someone else do the heavy lifting of spiritual discernment. But Jesus calls us to a personal, vibrant relationship. Wycliffe saw that the "famine of the word" was keeping people in spiritual bondage.

I think about the Lollards—those "poor priests" who followed Wycliffe. They didn't have fancy cathedrals. They wore simple russet robes, went barefoot, and walked from village to village. They would meet in secret barns, huddled together by the light of a single lantern, and read these forbidden English pages. They were so hungry for the Truth that they would trade a whole load of hay just to borrow a few pages of the Gospel for an hour.

How often do I take for granted the Bible sitting on my nightstand? How often do we scroll past a verse on our phones without letting it sink in? These people risked being burned at the stake just to hear "Blessed are the poor in spirit" in their own tongue. It makes me wonder: Have we lost the reverence for the text that Wycliffe sacrificed his reputation and life to give us?

---

Biblical References

Wycliffe's entire life was a testament to the belief that the Word of God cannot be bound. The religious authorities of his day tried to lock the Bible in a "dead" language, but they forgot that the Word is living and powerful. Wycliffe knew that for the common man to truly follow Christ, he had to know what Christ actually said.

The authorities were terrified because they knew that once a man reads the Bible for himself, the monopoly of the priesthood is over. Wycliffe was standing on the truth found in the New Testament, where we are told:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

The church wanted to do the "dividing" for the people, but Wycliffe wanted the plowman to be the "workman." He wanted the average person to be able to test the spirits and see if what they were being told matched the Master's voice. He believed in the promise that:

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isaiah 40:8 KJV).

Even when they burned his bones and scattered them in the water, they couldn't touch the Word he had unleashed.

---

Key Takeaways

• The Word is for Everyone: Wycliffe believed that no hierarchy should stand between a believer and the Scriptures.
• Dominion is by Grace: Authority isn't just about an office or a title; it’s about a right relationship with God.
• Sacrifice for Truth: The English Bible we enjoy today was paid for with the blood and bones of those who refused to let the "famine of the word" continue.
• Language Matters: Wycliffe helped mold the English language to be a vessel for the Gospel, giving us many of the theological terms we still use today.

---

Conclusion and Call to Action

The attempt to erase John Wycliffe backfired poetically. As the historian Thomas Fuller famously wrote: "The Swift bore them to the Avon, the Avon to the Severn, the Severn to the narrow seas, the seas into the main ocean. And thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the emblem of his doctrine, which now is dispersed all the world over."

You cannot burn an idea whose time has come, especially when that idea is the Word of the Living God. Wycliffe was the Morning Star—not the sun itself, but the star that shines most brightly just before the dawn of the Reformation.

We live in a world of information abundance. We have the "source code" in our pockets. My challenge to you today is this: Don't let the abundance lead to apathy. Don't let the availability lead to a new kind of famine—one where we have the words but not the heart to hear them.

If you want to dive deeper into the supernatural reality of a life lived for Christ, check out my books like Overcoming Night Terror: Making the Demons Leave or explore more episodes here at ConradRocks.net.

Would you like to stay updated on more "rocks of revelation"? Please subscribe to the podcast or leave a comment below and let me know how the Word has changed your life!

---

Action Items

• Read the Word for Yourself: Commit to reading a chapter of the Bible today without relying on a commentary or a teacher's interpretation first. Let the Holy Spirit speak directly to you.
• Treasure the Access: Take a moment to thank God for the fact that you can read the Bible in your own language without fear of the stake.
• Share the Light: Find one person today to share a "rock of revelation" with—a verse or a truth that has helped you in your spiritual journey.
• Study the History: Look up the "Lollards" or Jan Hus to see how the flame Wycliffe lit continued to spread across the world.
• Examine Your "Dominion": Ask yourself if you are operating out of a "state of grace" in your daily life and relationships.

Armies in the Clouds: The Supernatural Warnings Before Jerusalem Fell

Introduction: More Than Just History

Friends, I want to talk about something that shakes me to my core every time I study it. We all know about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. We read about it in history books. We know the Roman legions under Titus came in, tore the city apart, and burned the magnificent Temple of Herod to the ground. It was a military, political, and cultural cataclysm that changed the world forever. It was brutal, a time of starvation, slaughter, and unimaginable horror. But what most of the history books won't tell you is what happened before the first Roman soldier ever set foot near the wall.

This wasn't just a military conquest. This was a prophetic and supernatural event. This was a judgment, foretold in chilling detail, and it was preceded by warnings so clear, so loud, and so terrifying that they were recorded not just by the Jewish people, but by their Roman conquerors.

You see, God does not bring judgment without warning. He is merciful. He is longsuffering. But He is also just. The prophet Amos tells us:

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7 KJV)

Before the flood, He gave them Noah. Before the fall of Judah to Babylon, He gave them Jeremiah. And before the final desolation of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., He gave them... well, He gave them Jesus. And when His personal warning was rejected, He sent signs in the heavens and on the earth that defied all explanation.

These accounts are not fables. They come from credible, contemporary historians. We have the testimony of Flavius Josephus, a Jewish military commander who was an eyewitness to the war and wrote "The Wars of the Jews." We also have the account of Tacitus, a cynical and unflinching Roman historian who had no love for the Jews and no reason to invent supernatural tales on their behalf. When two opposing sources record the same impossible events, we have to stop and listen.

This is the story of a city that was warned. And it's a story that has powerful, chilling echoes for us today.

The Prophecies of Jesus Himself

Before we even get to the signs recorded by the historians, we have to start with the ultimate warning. The most direct, specific, and heartbreaking prophecies came from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself, decades before the event.

The disciples, in Matthew 24, were admiring the massive stones and glorious buildings of the Temple. It was the center of their world, their faith, and their national identity. It seemed as permanent as the mountains around it. And Jesus looked at them and said something that must have sounded like absolute madness:

"...Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." (Matthew 24:2 KJV)

Can you imagine hearing that? This wasn't just a building; it was God's house. Yet Jesus, standing right there, pronounced its complete and utter demolition. He went on to describe the exact conditions that would lead to it: wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and false prophets. He warned them about the "abomination of desolation" and told them when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, they needed to flee to the mountains. (Luke 21:20).

But He also specifically prophesied the very kind of supernatural signs we're about to discuss. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus warns:

"...and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." (Luke 21:11 KJV)

He told them it was coming. He warned them what to look for. The people had the living Word of God walking among them, telling them exactly what was about to happen. His prophetic words are the foundation for understanding the signs that followed. His rejection was the reason for the judgment; the signs that followed were the final, merciful alarms before the fire.

Five Astonishing Signs of Impending Judgment

With the words of Jesus as our backdrop, let's look at the "fearful sights and great signs from heaven" that were recorded for history. These are the five most profound omens that foretold Jerusalem's fall.

1. Armies in the Clouds

This is perhaps the most spectacular and terrifying omen. Both Josephus and Tacitus record this. It wasn't a localized vision seen by one or two "mystics." It was a mass sighting, witnessed by people all across the land of Judea. Sometime before the war fully erupted, just before sunset, people looked up and were frozen in terror.

Josephus describes it this way in his "Wars of the Jews":

"...before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities."

Let that sink in. Not just shapes in the clouds, but a clear vision of armies. Chariots. Soldiers in armor. And they weren't just passing by; they were "running about" and "surrounding of cities." It was a direct, spiritual pre-enactment of the Roman siege that was to come. It was a heavenly declaration of war. Tacitus, the Roman, confirms it in his "Histories," writing of "hosts joining battle in the skies, the fiery gleam of arms."

This was a supernatural event. Today, people try to explain it away as a complex mirage, a "fata morgana." Others, in our modern context, might even point to it as some kind of UFO or interdimensional event. But those in the first century knew exactly what they were seeing. It was a sign from God. It was the spiritual realm breaking through into the physical, showing them the very judgment Jesus had promised: "Jerusalem compassed with armies." He just didn't say they would be on the ground first.

2. The Temple Foretold Its Own Demise

If the signs in the sky weren't clear enough, the Temple itself began to cry out. The very epicenter of Jewish spiritual life became the stage for a series of horrifying and inexplicable events, as if the holy sanctuary knew its own desecration was at hand.

First, there was the gate. The massive eastern gate of the Temple's inner court was a marvel of engineering, made of solid brass. Josephus records that it was so heavy it took twenty men to heave it shut and bolt it every night. One evening, around midnight, the priests and Temple watchmen were stunned to find the colossal gate had swung open entirely on its own. They ran and told their superiors. The "men of learning," the scribes and leaders, understood this was no accident. They interpreted it as a terrifying sign that the Temple's security was gone and that its gates were being supernaturally opened to its enemies.

Second, there was the light. During one of the holy feasts, in the dead of night, a brilliant light suddenly erupted around the altar and the sanctuary. It wasn't a fire; it was a pure, divine-style light, so bright that for half an hour, the Temple was illuminated as if it were broad daylight. Again, the leaders didn't see this as a blessing. They saw it as a warning, a final, "fearful sight" meant to get their attention.

Most chilling of all was the voice. At the feast of Pentecost, as the priests were performing their nightly duties in the inner court, they first felt a quaking, a tremor in the ground. Then they heard a great, rushing noise. This was followed by a sound that Josephus describes as a great multitude of voices, all crying out in unison one phrase: "Let us remove hence."

Tacitus records the same event: "a voice of more than mortal tone was heard to cry that the Gods were departing."

This gives me chills. This is the "Ichabod" moment... "the glory has departed." This is a terrifying parallel to the prophet Ezekiel's vision, generations earlier, when he watched the glory of the Lord literally lift up from the first Temple and depart from the city because of its sin (Ezekiel 10). Now, it was happening again. The spiritual guardians, the angelic protection, the very presence of God that had inhabited that holy place, were announcing their departure. The Temple was being left empty, a hollow shell, vulnerable to the physical destruction that would soon follow. God was moving out.

3. The Impossible Omen: A Heifer and a Lamb

Of all the signs, this one is perhaps the most symbolically profound. It's a biological impossibility, an undeniable miracle that screamed a specific theological message.

As recorded by Josephus, during one of the festivals, a priest was leading a heifer to the altar to be sacrificed. This was a normal part of the Temple ritual. But in the middle of the Temple court, in full view of everyone, the cow stopped and went into labor. What happened next was shocking. The heifer did not give birth to a calf.

It gave birth to a lamb.

A cow giving birth to a lamb is a complete perversion of nature. It cannot happen. But it did. And the spiritual significance was deafening. The Temple system was built on prescribed sacrifices... a bullock for this, a goat for that. The heifer itself was on its way to be sacrificed according to the old Law. But in its place, a lamb appeared... the ultimate sacrificial animal. The symbol of innocence, atonement, and the Passover.

This was God supernaturally screaming at them: "Your sacrifices are over! Your rituals are empty! The true Lamb has already come!"

Decades earlier, John the Baptist had pointed at Jesus and declared, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29 KJV). Jesus, the final and perfect sacrifice, had been offered. This supernatural birth in the Temple court was a surreal, divine sign that the old system was finished. The sacrifice of a heifer was now pointless, because God Himself had provided the Lamb. They were still trying to sacrifice bulls and goats, and God sent them a sign that the age of the Lamb had come, and they had missed it.

4. The Forty-Year Warning

While the most dramatic signs appeared just before the war, other sources tell us the warnings had been accumulating for decades. The Jewish Talmud, compiled centuries later but recording ancient traditions, suggests that the "check engine light" for the Temple had been on for 40 years.

Think about that. 40 years. In the Bible, 40 is always the number of testing, probation, and trial. The rain fell for 40 days. Moses was on the mount 40 days. Israel wandered for 40 years. Jesus was tempted for 40 days. And here, we see a 40-year period of warning leading up to 70 A.D.

Now, do the math. If the destruction was in 70 A.D., what happened 40 years earlier, around 30 A.D.?

The crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

This is the spiritual linchpin of the whole event. The moment the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom, the 40-year clock of judgment started ticking. That was the "point of demarcation." That was when the old covenant was fulfilled and the new was established in His blood. The Talmud records that for this 40-year period, several key miracles associated with the Day of Atonement... stopped.

For example, a scarlet thread tied to the sanctuary door, which according to tradition miraculously turned white if God had forgiven the people's sins, reportedly stopped turning white for those 40 years. For 40 years in a row, the sign of forgiveness was absent. It remained blood-red.

This wasn't a sudden judgment. This was a 40-year grace period. A 40-year opportunity for the nation to recognize the true Lamb and the new covenant. It was 40 years of God's mercy, patience, and persistent warning... all of which were ignored.

5. The Human Prophet Who Cried "Woe!"

Amidst the heavenly armies and the impossible omens, God sent one final, haunting, human warning. This story, told by Josephus, is just tragic. Four years before the war began, while Jerusalem was still at peace and prosperous, a simple farmer named Jesus, son of Ananias, came to the city for a feast.

Suddenly, as if seized by a spirit, he began to walk the streets and alleys of the city, crying out, day and night, an unceasing, terrifying lament: "A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against this whole people!"

The people were incensed. This was bad for business. It was treasonous. They arrested him and had him severely beaten. But he never defended himself. He never asked for mercy. The Roman authorities then took him and had him whipped until his bones were laid bare. He shed no tears. He begged for nothing. To each lash, his only reply was the same mournful cry, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" The Roman procurator, Albinus, finally just let him go, deeming him a madman. For seven years and five months, this man... this human echo of the prophet Jeremiah... never stopped his melancholy prophecy. He was a living, breathing sermon of the coming doom.

His wailing finally ceased at the climax of the Roman siege. As he was making his rounds on the city wall, he cried out with all his strength, "Woe, woe to the city again, and to the people, and to the holy house!" Then, he added a final, personal cry: "Woe, woe to myself also!"

At that exact moment, a stone slung from a Roman siege engine struck and killed him instantly. His prophecy was fulfilled, and his painful work was done. A man named Jesus (Yeshua... "Salvation") became the final voice of "Woe."

Personal Reflections: What Does This Mean for Us Today?

So why are we talking about this? Is this just a fascinating, spooky history lesson? No. Friends, this is a pattern. This is a case study in how God deals with nations and with people. And the echoes for our own time are deafening.

We look at our world and see things that defy explanation. People are seeing strange things in the sky... call them UFOs, UAPs, whatever you want, the "armies in the clouds" phenomenon is back in the headlines. We see our own institutions, even our churches, where it feels like the "glory is departing." We see a world desperately trying to find meaning in its own sacrifices, its own rituals, its own good works, all while rejecting the one true Lamb, Jesus Christ.

Are we in our own 40-year period of warning? Are we ignoring the prophets God is sending? Are we calling the voices crying "Woe!" madmen? These signs were not subtle. They were loud, supernatural, and undeniable. They were God's mercy, giving His people one last chance to turn around, to wake up, before it was too late.

The question for us is, are we awake? Are we listening? Or are we like the populace in Jerusalem, seeing the open gate and the bright light and trying to twist it into a "happy prodigy" while the "men of learning" tremble?

Biblical References and the Ultimate Warning

The entire event is a terrifying confirmation of the words of Jesus in Matthew 24. But it also serves as a stark illustration of a principle laid out in the book of Hebrews, written to those very people in that very time period:

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27 KJV)

The people of Jerusalem had "received the knowledge of the truth." Jesus Christ Himself had walked their streets, taught in their Temple, and performed miracles. They had the ultimate truth. But as a whole, the nation wilfully rejected Him. And as Hebrews warns, there was "no more sacrifice for sins" left for them... not in their Temple, not with their cows and goats. The only thing that remained was exactly what they got: "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation."

Conclusion and Call to Action

The fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is not just ancient history. It is a prophetic, supernatural, and terrifying lesson written in blood and fire. It teaches us that God is real. The spiritual world is real. Prophecy is real. And judgment is real.

But it also teaches us that God's mercy is real. He does not desire judgment. He warns. He pleads. He sends signs in the heavens, omens on the earth, and prophets in the streets. He gives us 40-year grace periods. He gives us every possible chance to see the truth.

The truth then is the same as the truth now. The only security, the only gate that leads to safety, the only true sacrifice for sin is the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. All the armies in heaven and earth cannot save a soul or a city that has rejected Him.

Are you listening to the warnings? Are you seeing the signs of the times? Don't be like the people who ignored the alarms until the stones started to fall. The call today is the same as it was then: repent, and believe the gospel. Your only refuge is in Jesus.

I want to know what you think. Do you see parallels to our world today? What signs do you see that people are ignoring? Let me know in the comments below. And if this message resonates with you, please share it, and be sure to check out my other posts and podcast episodes at ConradRocks.Net. Thank you for reading, and God bless.

The Prophetic Pitfall: Testing the Spirits in an Age of Celebrity

Discernment Over Prophetic Hype

I remember sitting in a room with a woman who was a psychic. She charged a lot of money for her sessions, and famous people would quietly come to her for readings. There wasn't a smell of incense, but there was a power—a spirit—that was just coursing through my soul. I was writhing. I couldn't... I don't know how to explain it, but there was this energy coming through my solar plexus. It was like she was sucking information out of my soul. She started rattling off names of my relatives and friends—names she couldn't possibly have known—and details about my past and about my friends that made the hair on my arms stand up. At the time, I thought it was a "gift." I thought I was touching the divine.

She told me things about my past that were so specific I felt naked before her. I remember the rush of adrenaline, that sense of being "known" by the universe. I was hooked. I wanted more of that feeling, more of that secret knowledge. But there was a coldness behind her eyes that I didn't notice until much later. There was no love there, only information. There was no life, only a ledger of facts.

But after I met Jesus, I realized I wasn't touching heaven; I was shaking hands with a familiar spirit. When the Holy Spirit entered my life, the atmosphere changed. It wasn't about "information" anymore; it was about transformation. The "knowing" wasn't a party trick; it was a piercing light that led to repentance and a deep, abiding peace that the New Age could never mimic.

That experience taught me a hard lesson that many in the church are still struggling to learn today: information is not the same as anointing. Just because someone knows your mother's maiden name or your street address doesn't mean they are hearing from the Holy Spirit.

Lately, the body of Christ has been rocked by the controversy surrounding Bethel and the allegations involving Shawn Bolz. I’ve had many of you reaching out to me at ConradRocks.net, wondering why I’ve been quiet. The truth is, I don’t like to dance in the graveyard of gossip. I’ve seen too many ministries destroyed by "he said, she said" drama that lacks substance. I waited for actionable facts. I waited for leadership to speak.

Now that Kris Vallotton has publicly addressed the four-hour confrontation and the ongoing investigation at Bethel, it’s time we have a serious talk about the state of the "prophetic" movement. We are seeing a mixture of the holy and the profane that would make the prophets of old weep. If we don't learn to discern the source, we will continue to be led astray by every wind of doctrine and every "prophetic" personality that hits the stage.

Introduction: The Seduction of the Stage and the Pain of Deception

The pain point in the church today is a desperate hunger for the supernatural that has bypassed a hunger for the Savior. We are living in a culture of "immediate gratification," and unfortunately, that has bled into our spirituality. We want a "word" but we don't want the Word. We want the shortcut to God's plan without the sacrifice of the secret place.

People are enamored with the prophetic stage, thinking it's a shortcut to influence or a way to get "lucky" with a prediction about their bank account. It's quite common to see people asking for a "word" as if seeking spiritual fortune-telling. They aren't looking for God; they are looking for a sign. They are looking for someone to tell them they are special without having to do the hard work of carrying their cross.

The agitation comes when the prophecy fails. When the "prophetic word" about that house, that spouse, or that check in the mail doesn't manifest, people don't just lose money—they lose faith. They feel betrayed by God because they couldn't tell the difference between a man's imagination and the Spirit's inspiration. They are left wandering in a desert of disillusionment because they were fed a diet of fluff instead of the meat of the Word.

The solution isn't to throw out prophecy—Paul told us to desire it—but to return to the biblical standard of what a prophet actually looks like. A real prophet isn't a psychic in a designer suit; a real prophet is a signpost pointing directly to the cross of Jesus Christ. We need to stop looking for a "word of the year" and start looking for the Word that was in the beginning with God. If the prophecy isn't the testimony of Jesus, you need to start asking questions.

The Pit, the Persecution, and the True Price of Prophecy

We have created a "prophetic" culture that looks more like a talent show than a tabernacle. Everyone wants the mantle, but nobody wants the furnace. You see someone catapulted onto a stage with lights and music, and you think, "I want that." But look at the biblical pattern.

In the scriptures, the prophetic office wasn't a career path; it was a death sentence. Do you want to go through the pit like Joseph? He had a dream from God, and it led him directly into a hole in the ground, sold out by his own brothers. The "word" didn't make his life easier; it made it harder. It tested him until the time that his word came.

Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him. (Psalm 105:19 KJV)

Are you ready to wear camel’s hair and eat locusts like Elijah? Are you prepared to be made a eunuch in a foreign land like Daniel, serving a pagan king while maintaining your holiness? True prophets in the Bible weren't celebrities; they were outcasts, martyrs, and men of sorrows who were intimately acquainted with grief. They didn't prophesy birthdays and addresses to get an offering; they prophesied repentance to a nation that wanted to kill them.

Familiar Spirits vs. The Holy Spirit: The Source Matters

The biggest deception happening right now involves "words of knowledge." Because I came out of the New Age, I have a different perspective on this than most. In the occult world, I saw mediums do the same things we see on some "prophetic" platforms today. They give addresses, birthdays, and personal details. They tell you things about your dead grandmother that make you weep.

But that isn't the Holy Spirit. The Bible warns us about "familiar spirits." The root word there is family. These spirits are assigned to families. They have been watching your bloodline for generations. They know your secrets, your sins, and your specific details.

If a "prophet" is giving you information that a demon could easily know, but there is no call to repentance, no exhortation to holiness, and no exaltation of Jesus, you are likely witnessing a psychic act dressed in "Christianese." A demon can tell you your social security number; only the Holy Spirit can tell you the condition of your soul and lead you to the feet of Jesus.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 KJV)

We have to ask ourselves: Why are we so impressed by data? If I walk into a room and tell you your phone number, does that make me holy? No. It makes me a person with access to information. But if I walk into a room and the presence of God falls so heavily that people begin to confess their sins and turn to Christ, that is the prophetic at work. This is exactly what Paul described when he wrote that if an unbeliever or unlearned person comes into the assembly and all prophesy, "the secrets of his heart [are] made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth" (1 Corinthians 14:24-25 KJV). The true prophetic doesn't just reveal information—it reveals the heart and brings people face-to-face with the living God.

The Spirit of Balaam and the Greed for Gold

Another red flag in this movement is the constant tie-in to money. Every time some of these "prophets" get on certain well-known platforms, they are selling something. It's always a $40 "prophetic activation kit" or a promise of a financial "breakthrough" if you sow a seed into their ministry right now.

I remember reading about Elisha and the Syrian general Naaman. Naaman was healed of leprosy, and he tried to give Elisha a massive gift of silver and gold. Elisha refused it. He knew it wasn't the time to receive money. But his servant, Gehazi, saw the gold and got greedy. He ran after Naaman, lied to him, and took the money.

What happened? The leprosy of Naaman cleaved to Gehazi and his children forever (2 Kings 5 KJV). God does not take it lightly when we merchandise the anointing. When we turn the house of God into a den of thieves, we are following the "way of Balaam," who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Balaam was a man who could hear God, but his heart was for hire. He wanted the prestige and the payment. You’ll notice in the scriptures that God eventually had an angel standing in the way with a sword to stop him. If the "prophetic word" you receive is always followed by a sales pitch, you aren't in a holy service; you're in a marketplace. Jesus flipped the tables in the temple for a reason.

The Problem with Hearsay and the Need for Actionable Facts

Regarding the Shawn Bolz controversy, one thing that bothered me throughout this process was the amount of gossip. I've said it before: don't receive an accusation against an elder except on the testimony of two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19 KJV). But let me be clear—this means credible, truthful witnesses, not false witnesses, hearsay, or gossip. There's a massive difference between someone with firsthand knowledge who can testify under scrutiny and someone who "heard from someone who heard from someone." The biblical standard isn't just about the number of witnesses; it's about the integrity of those witnesses and the veracity of their testimony.

When I first heard about it, everything I heard was emotional hearsay. People were mad, people were "feeling" things, but there were no concrete facts. If there is actual criminal behavior or systemic deception, that is a matter for the court system and church leadership, not the comment section of a YouTube video.

Gossip is a distraction from your calling. It keeps you focused on the speck in your brother's eye while you have a log in your own. However, now that Kris Vallotton has publicly acknowledged there was a four-hour confrontation and an ongoing investigation, we have leadership stepping forward to address the situation. While Kris has wisely kept specific details private—likely to protect victims and avoid further harm—and while Shawn has denied the allegations, the fact that leadership is taking this seriously and investigating is significant. This isn't about having all the details made public; it's about recognizing that leadership is engaged in a process of accountability. That is the time to speak—not to tear down, but to call for truth, transparency, and proper handling of serious matters.

The Danger of Gifts Without Character: My Journey

I haven't always had perfect discernment. I’ve missed it. I’ve been in meetings where I felt the "hype" and got swept up in the emotion, only to realize later that the spirit in the room wasn't the Holy Spirit.

In my book OPEN YOUR EYES, I share about my words of knowledge gifting. For about seven to ten years, my gifts were ramped up and it felt like the heavens were wide open. I was getting words of knowledge for people everywhere I went. I could walk up to a stranger and know what they were struggling with. It was an incredible season, but it was also a dangerous one.

I began to realize that people were starting to look to me instead of looking to God. I had to pull back. I had to realize that if my gift wasn't leading people to a deeper relationship with Jesus, it was just "clanging brass." After I left Florida in 2005, that specific "flow" of words of knowledge waned quite a bit. At first, I was upset. I thought I had lost something. But Jesus corrected me. He showed me that He wanted me to focus on the Giver, not the gift.

I've had open visions, and I've seen things in the spirit that would make your skin crawl and things that would make you weep for joy. But through all of it, the lesson remains: The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I've also dealt with the darker side. I've been demonically attacked. I've faced spiritual warfare that has tested my faith and discernment. I talk about this in Overcoming Night Terror: Making the Demons Leave. One of the ways you tell the difference between the Holy Spirit and a familiar spirit is the "aftertaste." The Holy Spirit leaves a spirit of peace and a desire for holiness. A familiar spirit leaves a spirit of pride, confusion, or a craving for more "information."

I've watched a famous televangelist—one that pretty much everyone knows—prophesy "words from the Lord" for decades that never came to pass. He'd say, "The Lord told me this will happen this year," and when it didn't, he'd just move on to the next one. Yet people still called him a prophet, and what's worse, they kept coming back year after year asking for more prophecies, even though they flat-out knew he had missed them repeatedly. We have become too tolerant of failure in the prophetic. If a man says "Thus saith the Lord" and it doesn't happen, we need to stop listening to that man until there is deep repentance.

Biblical References: The Jezebel Warning and the New Testament Standard

The Lord doesn't take mixture lightly. We see this most clearly in the letter to the church at Thyatira. Jesus was speaking to a real church with real leaders, and His words were chilling:

Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. (Revelation 2:20 KJV)

Look at the characteristics of this spirit:

1. Self-Appointed: She calleth herself a prophetess. She didn't have the fruit; she just had the title.
2. Tolerated: The leadership suffered her. They let her stay because she likely brought "excitement" or "crowds" to the church.
3. Seductive: She led people into immorality and compromise.

We see this today. We see "prophets" who are living in fornication, who are greedy, or who are using their platforms to manipulate people, yet they are still given a stage because they "draw a crowd." This is the Jezebel spirit at work in the modern church. It wrecks lives, destroys marriages, and brings a reproach upon the name of Jesus.

And let's talk about what a "New Testament prophet" actually does. Many people today say, "Oh, New Testament prophets only edify, exhort, and comfort. They don't correct or predict." They point to 1 Corinthians 14:3 to limit the prophetic to "encouragement only."

But let's look at what that verse actually says:

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. (1 Corinthians 14:3 KJV)

The Greek words here tell a different story:

• Edification (οἰκοδομή): "Building up"—strengthening believers in truth, not just making them feel good.
• Exhortation (παράκλησις): This includes urging, admonishing, and convicting—not just encouragement. It's the same root word used for the Holy Spirit as "Paraclete."
• Comfort (παραμυθία): Consolation through truth, not false reassurance.

Paul is describing the general function of prophecy in corporate worship, but read the rest of the chapter! In verses 24-25, prophecy convicts unbelievers of their sins and reveals "the secrets of their hearts." That's not a "feel-good" moment—that's conviction and correction.

Modern teachers have isolated verse 3 and created a "prophecy-lite" doctrine that avoids correction or prediction. But the full biblical picture—including New Testament prophets like Agabus—shows that true prophecy can include warning, correction, and prediction alongside encouragement. The Greek doesn't support a sanitized version of prophecy. It supports prophecy that builds up the body—sometimes by encouraging, sometimes by correcting, and sometimes by warning of what's to come.

But that’s not what the Bible shows us. Look at Agabus. He was a New Testament prophet. In Acts 11, he prophesied a great famine that would come upon the world—and it happened. In Acts 21, he found the Apostle Paul, took Paul’s girdle, bound his own hands and feet, and said:

Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that oweth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. (Acts 21:11 KJV)

That wasn't exactly a "positive, encouraging word." It was a warning of coming suffering. Agabus wasn't trying to make Paul feel good; he was telling Paul the truth. True prophecy often prepares us for the cross, not the couch. If the only prophets you listen to are the ones who tell you you’re going to be rich and famous, you are listening to a false gospel.

Key Takeaways for the Discerning Believer

• Prophecy must point to Jesus: The ultimate goal of any prophetic word is to reveal the heart and nature of Christ. (Revelation 19:10 KJV)
• Accuracy is non-negotiable: A prophet who is consistently wrong is not a prophet; they are a deceiver or someone speaking from their own soul.
• Character is the foundation: Miracles and "knowing things" are never an excuse for immorality, pride, or greed. God values your heart more than your "hits."
• Avoid the "Familiar" trap: Just because someone knows your past doesn't mean they are from God. Test the source. Does it lead to repentance?
• Facts over Gossip: Don't jump on every scandal bandwagon. Wait for witnesses and actionable evidence before you cast stones.

---

Conclusion and Call to Action: Returning to the Source

The Shawn Bolz situation, the Bethel investigation, the Mike Bickle tragedy—these are all wake-up calls. They are "shakings" in the body of Christ. God is shaking everything that can be shaken so that only what is of Him will remain.

It’s a call to stop being "enamored" with celebrities and start being enamored with the Word of God. We’ve turned men into idols, and God is toppling the idols. We need accountability. We need leaders who aren't afraid to have those four-hour meetings, to bring things into the light, and to say, "We were wrong."

Don't let these controversies become a distraction from your individual calling. Don't spend your days scrolling through YouTube comment sections looking for the latest gossip or drama about a ministry. That's just gossip in a modern form. Instead, get into your prayer closet. Open your Bible. Learn to recognize the Voice for yourself.

If you are struggling to discern the voices you're hearing, I invite you to go back to the basics. I’ve written about this in my books and spoken about it in many podcasts. We have to know where the information is coming from.

What is your experience? Have you ever been "prophesied" to by someone who turned out to be off-track? How did you handle it? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.

If this post challenged you or helped you, please consider subscribing to the newsletter at ConradRocks.net and following the podcast. We need to stand together in truth in these last days.

---

Action Items for Spiritual Discernment

• Audit your "Prophetic Diet": Look at the ministries and influencers you follow. Do they emphasize money and "fortune-telling," or do they emphasize the Lordship of Jesus and the need for holiness? If they don't produce the fruit of the Spirit, hit the "unfollow" button.
• Study the "Old Paths": Read the books of 1 & 2 Kings, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. See what biblical prophets actually did. They didn't live in palaces; they often lived in caves. They didn't seek the favor of kings; they sought the favor of God.
• Pray for the Gift of Discernment: Explicitly ask the Holy Spirit to give you the gift of "discerning of spirits" (1 Corinthians 12:10 KJV). This isn't just "having a bad feeling"; it is a supernatural ability to see the source of a spirit.
• Verify before you Amplify: If you hear a rumor or a scandal, don't share it until you have seen evidence or a public statement from the leadership involved. Be a person of truth, not a person of gossip.
• Practice Contentment in Silence: Stop seeking a "word" from a person for one month. Instead, seek the Voice of God through the Scriptures alone. If you can't hear God without a middleman, you are in a dangerous place.
• Read the Canon: Pick up a copy of OPEN YOUR EYES or Overcoming Night Terror to learn more about the reality of the spiritual realm and how to protect yourself from deception.

Stay tuned, stay grounded, and keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the only One who will never let you down.

If you liked this post, you may really like Exploring the Four Main Sources of Spiritual Information