Recently, Mike Signorelli, lead pastor of V1 Church in New York City, downloaded a pair of significant prophetic words from the Lord for the body of Christ as we go further into the end times and head toward the Second Coming of Jesus.
The first spoke of the separation of vultures and eagles among the leadership in the body, and he explained that the “vultures” are feasting on “dead things,” which he believes is symbolic of dead church systems, dead ideologies, dead mindsets and dead wineskins.
The second vision God gave Signorelli, a member of the deliverance group known as The Demon Slayers, was hauntingly related to the first and warns again about false prophets and those who use the ministry for their own personal gain instead of the desire to bring lost souls into the kingdom.
“In my second vision I had, I saw that a lot of times, when people hunt big game, they’ll stuff and mount the head,” Signorelli says. “If you’ve ever been in in someone’s office, for example, they may have, like the head of a deer. Well, I walked into an office in the spiritual realm. And I saw the heads of mighty and powerful men and women of God stuffed and mounted. And I said, ‘Lord, this is such a gruesome sight, what could it possibly mean?’
“And the Lord told me that we’re coming into an era where men of God and women of God are going to use other men and women of God for personal gain, for influence, for finances, for the advancement of their career. I’m not calling it a ministry. But it’s a career and there are people that do ministry for the income, not for the outcome. There are people that do it.
“Maybe a percentage of their motive is pure, but another percentage of it is striving or their own personal strategy versus the wisdom and strategy of God. So again, I want to warn everybody just because you see someone increasing in influence, it doesn’t mean that they’ve been approved by God.
“Jesus Himself, as He was being baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit came like a dove and actually gave the words of confirmation. ‘This is My Son, in whom I’m well pleased.’ It’s possible to increase in influence and increase in popularity, but not increase in approval in favor of God, even though you may have the favor of man.”
Signorelli says God hates that behavior, and that’s why you see in the pages of the Bible, time and time again where God brings people through a long process of humility to preach His Word and to live it sincerely. Jesus Himself had more than three decades of preparation for three years of ministry.
“Beware of anybody who wants three years of preparation for three decades of success,” Signorelli says. “God is putting people through a process, and some people are trying to fast track that process through being opportunistic and using other people. So, keep your eye out. Does the minister that you follow on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube have a traceable spiritual lineage?
“In other words, can you tell me who their pastor is? Can you tell me who their apostolic oversight is? Who corrects them? Who rebukes them? Have they ever publicly apologized for something that they’ve preached previously, that they now have come into an understanding that they were either myopic, or a little off? Or [do] they demonstrate a level of humility to say, ‘I got it wrong in the past? Let me correct it.'”
A third indication of these “false prophets” and selfish leaders is their friendships—or lack of them—and their ability to stay in one place for a long period of time.
“Do you see them consistently going back to the same place as a minister, or are they always onto something new?” Signorelli asks. “Are they always obsessing over the new?”
Signorelli says that there are many teachers to choose from, and many believers subscribe to a great deal of their social media channels, which has become a popular practice. But that doesn’t mean that you, as a believer, should listen to all of them.
The apostle Paul taught a similar lesson in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 4:15:
“He [Paul] said—and this is the way he put it—you have many teachers, but you only have one spiritual father, because I brought you to the faith,” Signorelli said. “And what Paul was trying to do is help people understand that just because you can subscribe to a lot of channels on YouTube doesn’t mean you should listen to all of them. Just because you can follow a lot of people on Instagram doesn’t mean that they’re following Christ as you’re following them.
“And so I think it’s important, and I certainly hope you don’t hear any of this as me thinking that I’m better than anybody, but just know that I’ve submitted myself to a process of rebuke and correction and reproof and people getting into my business. Quite frankly, not every minister has that same standard for accountability. And that’s dangerous.
“We’re all going to be operating in some measure of error over the time serving in ministry. But the question is, are we correctable? Are we moldable? Are we teachable? Or do we operate in a rogue spirit? Or, do we operate in self-will instead of God’s will? Do we operate in a little bit of pride and rebellion and you can sense that on the life of somebody? Just be aware of vultures versus eagles, and be aware of stuffed and mounted heads of ministry leaders in this next season?”
For more of this compelling prophetic word, watch the video above. {eoa}
Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.
