Israeli prosperity preacher Benny Hinn appears to have rejected his own theology, on a Facebook Live talk that left his congregation apparently in astonished silence. In an surprising message, Benny said, “prosperity gospel is an offence to the Lord” and vowed to “correct his theology” immediately, lest he “get to heaven and be rebuked.”

The televangelist, who is reported to be worth more than $40 million, is famous for preaching a message of “health and wealth,” in which giving money will result in getting more blessings, such as healings and miracles.

The charismatic 66-year-old has spent years appearing on television broadcasts, pleading with viewers to pledge “seed money” in order to release God’s financial blessing over their lives.

But with one astonishingly honest address, Hinn appeared to reject it all.

“Today, sadly, among a lot of circles, all you hear is how to build the flesh,” Hinn noted in a video clip that has appeared online. “It’s a feel-good message … It’s all about ‘feel good,’ ‘do good,’ all that. Make money, all the rest of it.”

Hinn added that he was “sorry to say. prosperity has gone a little crazy.”

“I’m correcting my own theology,” he declared. “And you need to all know it.”

Expanding on the reasons behind this radical change of perspective, Hinn said he “didn’t see the Bible with the same eyes as he did 20 years ago.”

The preacher added that it took him some time to muster up the courage to declare this change of heart publicly. “I didn’t want to hurt my friends, who I love, who believe things I don’t believe anymore,” he noted.

Prosperity gospel “an offense to the Lord”. But the charismatic did not stop there.

“I think it’s an offense to the Lord to say, ‘give a thousand dollars,’ I think it’s an offense to the Holy Spirit to place a price on the gospel,” he bellowed. “I’m done with it.”

“The Holy Ghost is just fed up with it,” he continued. “It hurts the gospel. I’m making this statement for the first time in my life… frankly, I don’t care what people think about me anymore.”

Hinn appeared to be on the verge of launching into a full-blown exposition of why the prosperity gospel is heresy, before hastily stopping short.

“When they invite me to telethons, I think they will not like me anymore,” he said. “Because when you look at the word of God… I’m not going to get into it right now.”

“Am I shocking you? If I hear one more time, ‘break the back of debt with $1,000!’ I’m going to rebuke them,” he continued. “I think that’s buying the gospel, that’s buying the blessing, that’s grieving the Holy Spirit.”

“Giving has become such a gimmick, it’s making me sick to my stomach,” he said. “I’ve been sick for a while, too, I just couldn’t say it. Now the lid is off,” he declared, to shouts of “freedom!” from those in attendance.

“I don’t want to get to heaven and be rebuked,” the preacher concluded. “The gospel is not for sale, blessings of God are not for sale, miracles are not for sale, prosperity is not for sale.”