When you love someone with true, Biblical love, you warn them about what will kill them and lead them to hell. Love warns and seeks to turn people away from evil and harm.
But His denunciation (Jesus' denunciation of religious teachers in Matthew 23) is purely pastoral. He is not just venting, He is not just finally fed up and He is going to let them have it. Jesus is calculated and deliberate and ultimately loving in what He says in this passage. Eight times He pronounces woes on the scribes and Pharisees. Seven times He calls them hypocrites. Four times He calls them blind. Once He calls them fools. He calls them the offspring of vipers once. His words are strong. Ligon Duncan
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." Jesus (Matthew 7:15-23)
God mercifully saved Benny Hinn's nephew, Costi Hinn, out of this false prosperity non-gospel. You can read his book about this or hear his testimony here:
Pray that God would grant true repentance and saving faith to Benny Hinn as well. Pray that God would save him and Creflo Dollar, T. D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and other prosperity teachers like them. May God save them or stop them from spreading their dangerous lies and false gospel. See this interview with Costi as well:
Tim Challies warns about Benny Hinn's theology here: The False Teachers: Benny Hinn
People get up out of wheelchairs all the time at Benny Hinn crusades. I've been to 18 of them and have seen it hundreds of times. I've also followed up with many of them later. Do you know how many were truly healed? Zero. None. Costi Hinn has seen the same thing - first hand working for his uncle. He has seen many more than have I. Would you like to know how many he said were real, organic healings? Zero. None. They were all either faked (and, trust me, this happens) or psychosomatic, temporary "healings." Either Benny Hinn is lying or Costi is. Who do you suppose it is? Costi, who repented of the heresy of the Word-Faith movement and is now a pastor raising a family, or Benny Hinn who has never repented, no home church, no pastor, and is constantly telling people to give him money in exchange for financial blessings, protection from disasters, and healing from sickness and disease?
Was scrolling through some old pictures and found this one I took at a Benny Hinn conference. This young man was able-bodied until he hit a tree while skiing. Pictured with him is his mother and the personal care attendant just behind. His mother told me that she brought her son there believing God would heal him. As is the standard at his crusades, Hinn takes up the offering right before the "healing" starts. This is by design, of course. The bigger miracle you need, the bigger monetary seed you had better sow. She obviously needed quite the miracle. I watched her as she put a check in the offering plate. When it was all over, she left pushing her son out to the car. No healing. But at least Benny went home with her money - and that, of course, of everyone else there. Jude aptly describes false teachers as "caring only for themselves" (vs. 12). Anyone endorsing him shares in his sin and is in eternal peril.
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