Is this teaching biblical?
Steven Furtick screamed 'I am God Almighty!' from the pulpit during a sermon on Genesis 35:11. Some defenders claimed it was a slip or a contextual quote of Scripture, but critics documented a similar statement from approximately two years earlier — undermining the 'slip-up' defense. This aligns with the 'little gods' doctrine taught by Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Scripture is devastatingly clear: 'Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me' (Isaiah 43:10). The prince of Tyre was judged for making the exact same claim (Ezekiel 28:2).
What did Steven Furtick say?
"I'm in covenant with God Almighty! I am God Almighty!"
Speaker: Steven Furtick
Source: Sermon 'It's Always Been in You', Elevation Church, May 2, 2021 (Genesis 35:11)
What does Scripture actually teach?
Isaiah 43:10
"You are My witnesses," says the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me."
— NKJV
God declares absolutely that no other god exists, was formed, or ever will be. When Furtick declares 'I am God Almighty,' he claims what God says does not exist. This is not a contextual reading of Genesis 35:11 — it is a man claiming divine identity.
Ezekiel 28:2
"Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,' Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god."
— NKJV
God judged the prince of Tyre for the exact claim Furtick made from the pulpit. 'You are a man, and not a god.' The pattern in Scripture is consistent: every time a human claims to be God, judgment follows.
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