Evangelist Mario Murillo (Charisma News)
In January of 2023, Evangelist Mario Murillo made headlines when he called out the prophetic community, specifically rebuking those he identified as false prophets. You can read Mario’s blog posts regarding this here, here, and here, and also see a video interview with Mario here. It is important to note that Mario only identified a few individuals, and not the entire movement.
The prophetic word appears to have exploded in recent years –at least to those of us unfamiliar with this form of gifting. As someone who watched The 700 Club for many years I was familiar with ‘words of knowledge’, having seen these statements of healing released by Pat Robertson, or my personal favorite, Terry Meeuwsen. I also have some firsthand experience, as I have a friend who believes she was healed through a word of knowledge from The 700 Club. Regardless, we find ourselves in a confusing time regarding this sudden rise in the prophetic word.
I believe a key moment occurred at ‘The Return’ national assembly that was held on September 26, 2020.
At The Return event, a shattered clay jar in our nation’s capital announced that America was facing a time of judgement. But we also saw another message emerge, as Pastor Kent Christmas of Regeneration Nashville brought the word of revival to the congregation. When watching Kent Christmas many—including myself—were introduced for the first time to a pastor that spoke with Spirit filled prophetic power. As a participant of the live stream event, I had never before encountered someone who operated in the Spirit to the extent that they would bring their message with the statement ‘thus saith the Lord’.
It was a remarkable and powerful moment that brought me to my feet.
Pastor Kent Christmas at The Return, Sep 2020
At The Return, the global audience witnessed Pastor Kent bring the following word (Paraphrased from The Return ):
This is the hour of the church. By the end of this year the greatest outpouring you have ever seen will hit the United States of America.
Starting Jan 2021 an unprecedented move of the Holy Ghost like begin; for four years from 2021 to 2024 the last final harvest will hit His church.
I will cause the church to rise to her feat. I am coming after a generation of young people that have never been in church. I will invade the homosexual community and set them free.
The spirit of Jezebel has ruled, but a spirit of Elijah is rising. The Glory of God is about to come down upon this nation. There is a liberty I am releasing over this land; a harvest of souls, your churches will fill up, your children will praise the Lord, your bodies will be healed.
When Kent Christmas took the stage at The Return, this appears to have marked the start of a greater revealing of not only his voice, but many other prophetic voices as well.
Since that time Dutch Sheets, Timothy Dixon, Hank Kunneman, Mario Murillo, Robin Bullock, Lance Wallnau and many others, all appear to have been elevated to a higher national awareness as prophets and evangelists. Timothy Dixon for example went from a truck driver posting YouTube videos from his cab, to a known prophet in just a few months. I know I discovered Steve Shultz’ ‘Elijah Streams’, Gene Bailey’s ‘Flashpoint’ as well as the YouTube channel ‘Watchmen on the Wall’ at this time. Prophets and the prophetic word appear across all these platforms.
The interest in the prophetic word and growth that occurred even spilled over to Mario Murillo, who remarked that after 50-years he felt like an overnight success.
I followed these prophets/pastors and listened to many of their messages and prophetic words in 2021. I heard many statements involving President Trump and how he would be restored to the White House, after massive voter fraud was finally uncovered leading the courts to overturn the election. I specifically recall one statement in 2021 that President Trump should not even unpack since he would be returning to the White House so fast. These statements certainly received media attention, with one example shown in this article from Politico.
“People who have never heard of me are suddenly hearing about me in different places, and they say ‘man you just came out of nowhere’ – and I tell them ‘Yeah, I’m a 50-year overnight success’”
Mario Murillo(Encounter Today)
On July 4th, 2021 a capstone moment may have occurred.
Kent Christmas gathered seven ‘prophets’ at the ‘Let Freedom Ring’ event held at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville. Many of the above stood together – including evangelist Mario Murillo and newly revealed Prophet Timothy Dixon – on the stage in Nashville.
I watched this entire event and noted the statements regarding the restoration of President Trump. I also know that in the build-up to this event I had some expectation—again from statements of the prophets along with court cases that were in the news (that would all fail)—that the election fraud might finally be revealed and that this gathering might also be a celebration.
The July 4th gathering witnessed repeated messages regarding a new movement of God, revival, exposure of fraud and a restoration of the presidency. A couple of prophetic words that stood out regarding Trump included “What you voted for shall be restored. There will be great exposure and reversal” and “Air Force One will return with the one I have chosen”(Let Freedom Ring July 4th, 2021).
Screen capture of Dutch Sheets, Robin Bullock, Hank Kunneman, Kent Christmas, Timothy Dixon, Todd Coconato, Mario Murillo on stage at ‘Let Freedom Ring’ Nashville, July 4th, 2021 (Let Freedom Ring July 4th, 2021))
But the restoration of President Trump did not occur.
The secular media has also watched the current prophets – who are typically labeled ‘The Trump Prophets’ –and certainly enjoyed pointing out the failure of statements to come true, as illustrated in this Newsweek article from 2022. In addition—even before Mario Murillo stepped forward in 2023—Christian scholar Michael Brown weighed in on the failure of prophetic statements – first in December of 2020 in response to the election of Joe Biden, and then again in November of 2021 after Trump was not returned to office. The Newsweek article included this quote from Michael Brown regarding the Trump prophecies, when he said it “was the largest-scale deception I’ve seen in 49 years of following Jesus” (Dunn).
Over time I began to keep prophetic statements at arm’s length and am now very wary of programs featuring prophets. I am left wondering what we are supposed to take away from all of this. I know I often recall with trepidation the night in late in 2021 when I opened the Bible and found myself staring at this verse:
Jeremiah 23:21: “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.
I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.”
But still, I struggle with accepting that this is what we are seeing in our day. I recall how I felt watching Kent Christmas preach at The Return—it remains hard for me to believe that I was not seeing the Holy Spirit at work. We also know that Mario Murillo did not rebuke the prophetic word in its entirety. And we should remember that the Old Testament shows us how harshly God condemns those who speak a word that has not come from Him, and those on the national stage are well aware of this.
Perhaps we can find more grace for all of this in the writings of Paul, when he states that “For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:9-10) and also “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:11-12).
It is also possible that many may be in error regarding dreams if they are simply reporting anything that they see occurring in the night, regardless of the strength of imagery or repetition. We know for example that Joseph told Pharaoh regarding his dreams about a coming famine, that the “the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass” (Genesis 41:25-32). I know that Satan has made his presence known in my own dreams on occasion—so it is not as if he does not have the power to influence our nights.
However, in 2023 I would encounter a sobering message from Pastor Carter Conlon.
At the heart of Pastor Conlon’s sermon (that he recorded in 2014). was this statement: “The last stage before the judgement of God comes on a nation is the rise of smooth-talking prophets.” He stated that the rise of prophets, as shown in the Old Testament accounts regarding God’s judgement of Israel, is the final sign to appear prior to destruction.
Carter Conlon points us to the four hundred prophets of King Ahab in the northern kingdom of Israel, who prophesied success as he contemplated war. However, Jehoshaphat king of the southern kingdom of Judah called for additional council from Micaiah where we learn that God had allowed a lying spirit to speak through the four-hundred prophets, in order to lead Ahab into disaster (2 Chronicles 18:1-34).
Video: June 15, 2014 – Carter Conlon – The Future is Already Written
And we see in Jeremiah 23 God extensive condemnation of the prophets before the fall of the southern kingdom, that includes this passage:
Jeremiah 23:30-32: “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” says the Lord, “who steal My words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets,” says the Lord, “who use their tongues and say, ‘He says.’ Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord, “and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,” says the Lord.
Pastor Conlon’s warning that the rise of prophets is the last stage before God’s judgement falls on a nation is truly alarming—given the failed prophecies of the last few years.
But the Bible also tells us that when God is about to act, He does nothing without first revealing his intentions to His prophets:
Amos 3:7: Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets
So it is with hope that we may yet look for a word from God’s servants. Still, I wonder if our search for the prophetic has been taken advantage of by the enemy. Have we erred in looking too much for signs and wonders, instead of more heavily relying on God’s Word?
For now, it remains a question.
Regardless, we are living in a time when prophetic voices have arisen…and in many cases these voices have been in error. The rebuke of the prophets by Mario Murillo in 2023 was an important moment that should not be forgotten; nor should the 2014 message from Carter Conlon. As we struggle to understand this current time, we should note the Kent Christmas moment at The Return, the corresponding rise of the prophets, and the rebuke of Mario Murillo as important milestones in the timeline of End Time events.
But one thing still stands out in the statements of the prophets—often we find the prediction of one final spiritual revival, and we remain hopeful that this prophecy will be fulfilled.
Evangelist Mario Murillo has indeed reported signs of revival occurring in the land, as he brings God’s Word to tent meetings across the country.
Next – Chapter 20: The Last Great Revival
