Why Did Kim Clement Die Early?

I’m troubled. With seemingly no regard for a grieving family, opportunists and speculators are flooding social media with opinions about why Kim Clement passed away. 

And many are doing it in the name of prophecy.

Where’s the respect?

Some are claiming Kim waged illegal spiritual warfare, which opened the door to his death. The irony here is that some of these same voices oppose anyone who believes spiritual warfare is real, yet they are essentially declaring a principality murdered him. In other words, these voices are contradicting themselves in the name of Jesus.

Kim’s death was a tremendous loss to the body of Christ. Hi prophetic ministry, often accompanied by music, impacted nations. He faced plenty of persecution in his day and endured it all. Some considered him a type of Elijah in the prophetic community. He was controversial and plenty accurate. He prophesied Donald Trump’s rise long before others re-prophesied his utterance.

Cindy Jacobs told me: “Kim Clement was one of the most anointed prophetic psalmist that I have ever known. As I heard of his passing, I had a vision of him in heaven. He was leading the song of the nations with tens of thousands of voices. As they sang, new sounds were released into the earth, and they were then sung on earth. The great cloud of witnesses is rejoicing today that he has come home to release his voice into these new songs.”

Amen, Cindy.

What I’m seeing is far too much parroting and presumption in the prophetic, and this at a time when the true prophets are seeing mass attack—even unto death. 

Anybody can miss it. But the presumption concerns me.

What does it mean to presume? And what exactly is presumption? When you presume, you form an opinion from little or no evidence. Presumption also means to take as true or as fact without actual proof. Presumptuous could also mean “to overstep due bounds” and “to take liberties.” Those definitions outline some critical prophetic do’s and don’ts we’ll discuss so we can steer clear of this poisonous pitfall.

First, we must be clear there is no room for personal opinion in the prophetic. Our proof must come from the Holy Spirit, not our own spirits or some other spirit. As mouthpieces for God, others take our words and insights seriously, and we cannot abuse the grace people perceive on our lives. 

I learned that lesson with humility on the way to a conference in the Midwest about a decade ago. I was sitting in the airport with a friend, having a bite to eat as we waited for the plane to reach the gate. We were talking about various issues, including the change in European government in the wake of what some call the revived Roman Empire (the European Union). 

I mentioned that the anti-Christ spirit was alive and well in the earth and speculated—I was just speculating, mind you—that the literal Antichrist could be rising to power in this generation. Some in the end-time prophecy camp have suggested the Antichrist would rise up from the European Union, so the speculative conversation wasn’t entirely out of left field. But it wasn’t the Spirit of God showing me that, either. I was just thinking out loud. And that’s when the correction came. 

My friend warned me to be careful not to make any presumptions. Because of the prophetic gift I carry, such discussions could sway people to believe my musings, which, again, did not come from the Spirit of God. In other words, I was talking about possibilities, but prophets should be careful who is listening, because we could cause some to stumble in what they mistakenly believe is a Spirit-inspired utterance. Prophets need to be careful with their words at all times.

What’s perhaps even more dangerous than public musings is the trap of filtering prophetic utterances through our own biases. In doing so, we may not only mislead our hearers but downright deceive them. What would cause the prophet to think anyone wants his opinion, anyway? The function of the prophet is to reveal the mind and will of God, not the mind and will of the prophet. There is a time for us to offer trusted opinions of wisdom, but it’s not in the same instance as we utter “thus saith the Lord.”

Doubtless, God hates presumption—and He has good reason. There are several variations of the Greek word that means “presume.” Typically, it portrays insolence (insultingly contemptuous speech or conduct), pride, arrogance or audacity (bold or arrogant disregard for normal restraints). Considering that the Lord includes a proud look and a false witness among the His seven abominations, presumption is not something to be taken lightly.

In fact, while the King James version of the Bible only mentions the words “presume,” “presumed,” “presumptuous” and “presumptuously” 11 times, the act almost always leads to the death. Indeed, there are few things worse than a presumptuous prophet. Deut. 18:20 declares, “The prophet, who presumes to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.” 

Mercy! Of course, we are living in a time of grace, and even the most presumptuous prophet probably won’t be struck dead for this sin. Jesus died for the sin of the world, including our occasional presumptions. But we must ask ourselves what is happening inside of us, in our spirits, when we presume? Selah.

The prophetic ministry is not an experiment in spirituality. It’s not a Holy-Ghost guessing game. Prophets should be statesmen. A U.S. ambassador to China would not presume to speak on behalf of the president just because a roundtable of delegates expected him to deliver some governmental wisdom. The ambassador could cause a war with his words if he speaks out of order. 

Likewise, a prophet should not presume to speak on behalf of Jesus just because a congregation of priests and kings expects him to deliver some deep prophecy. The prophet can cause strife, division or other ill side effects if he presumes to speak without permission from the Spirit. The answer to presumption is the same answer Nancy Reagan offered a fifth-grade girl in a California school who asked, “What do you do if somebody offers you drugs?” Reagan told her: “Just say no.” 

If someone is pressuring you to prophesy, just say no. If you don’t have a word, then keep your mouth shut and keep God happy. It’s not about pleasing man; it’s about pleasing God. God hates presumption. {eoa}

The Lord told me He is releasing the angels of abundant harvest. Charisma House has partnered with me to release strategic teaching on this revelation. Visit angelsprophecy.com for more information.