Beni Johnson: Wakey, Wakey; Wacky Wacky

Beni Johnson, who allegedly changed her first name to “Beni” to honor heretic Benny Hinn, is the wife of Bill Johnson–the leader of the Bethel Redding cult.

One of Beni’s popular skits is “Wakey, Wakey.” It appears Beni first made known her unbiblical, extra-revelatory, communication with angels in a blog article titled: Wakey Wakey. Beni has since taken her story on the road, which includes the below performance during the 2009 Bethel School of Worship.

Seeing and/or communicating with angels is nothing new in Charismania–especially among those involved in any one of a number of false revivals over the last 25 years (i.e. Toronto Blessing, Brownsville Revival, Pensacola Outpouring, Lakeland Revival, etc.), as well as one of today’s false spiritual movements, the New Apostolic Reformation.

Tragically, Beni’s popular story, like much of Bethel Redding’s teachings, has at least one striking similarity to every godless worldview, including the societal push to legitimize same-sex unions–no objective standard. Beni does not subscribe to any real, objective, and authoritative standard for right or wrong, truth or error. Having rejected the Word of God as the final authority and arbitrator for discerning right from wrong and truth from error, the authority to which Beni subscribe’s is her own subjective views of reality. Whatever comes into her mind (whether she believe it is true, or she known it is a lie) she deems authoritative. Sadly, whatever comes out of her mouth is heard and perceived as authoritative by those who listen to her, follow her, and believer her–believe her for no other reason than “Beni said it, so it must be true.”

Members of cults are conditioned to set aside wisdom and discernment and, instead, are conditioned to trust the wisdom and discernment of the leaders of the cult–to simply take them at their word because (as members have been conditioned to believe) the leaders have a special spiritual pipeline to the supernatural realm and those who dwell there. After all, why would the leaders lie? That’s an article for another day.

Without the Word of God as her standard for truth and as the only reliable barometer for discerning what is of God and what is of Satan, or what is of her own vivid imagination, or a lie she has believed for so long she now believes it is true, Beni has hopped onto a spiritual slippery slope and invites those who listen to her to join her for the ride. Similarly, those seeking to legitimize same-sex unions have no moral standard beyond their subjective opinions and the desires of their own deprave and wicked hearts. As a result, the slippery slope of sexual immorality is long, steep, slick, and lengthening and accelerating day-by-day. And where has that downhill slope taken a fallen world thus far? Bruce (aka: Caitlyn) Jenner.

There are 282 occurrences of the word “angel” or “angels” in the Bible (ESV). I encourage you, the reader, to read the verses for yourself. You will not find a single instance, not one, that even remotely compares to Beni’s alleged encounters with the “angels” in her “Wakey, Wakey” story. You will not find a single instance in the Word of God where a person exerts authority over an angel, like waking them from a sound sleep.

While Beni’s story fits well with a theology that allows for treating angels and the Holy Spirit like divine butlers and genies in bottles, it is not compatible with the Word of God.

The argument I anticipate from Beni’s supporters and fellow spiritual practitioners is this: “Well, just because it’s not in the Bible doesn’t mean it can’t happen!”

My response: By what standard, then, do you determine if what you experienced is of the Lord, of Satan, or of your own imagination?

“Cricket. Cricket. Cricket.” Silence. That’s the typical response I receive when I ask someone to validate that their subjective experiences are of the Lord.

What Bethel Redding has trained their people to do in response to any form of scrutiny is to employ the ad hominem. “You have a religious, Pharisaical spirit.” This is one accusation, one attack against the questioner’s character made in an attempt to discredit the questioner.

Like the atheist who tries to assert any standard for morality, or the liberal progressive who tries to assert a moral justification for changing what God has defined as “marriage,” Beni Johnson and those like her have no objective, morally or spiritually binding standard to assert her stories about play time with angels to be true.

“Well, I believe it’s true!” Some will say.

Irrelevant.

It doesn’t matter what Beni and her followers believe. It doesn’t matter what I believe. What matters is whether or not what we believe is true.

And what is “truth.” Truth is that which conforms to the mind of God. Truth is whatever God says.

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

God still speaks. He speaks to His people (Christians) through the only means the listener can know with certain what he is hearing is true–the Word of God; the Bible.

Beni Johnson’s “Wakey, Wakey” story is wacky, wacky. Join me in praying Beni will repent of her unbiblical practices, which are legion, including the false practice of waking angels.