Who Is Jesse Duplantis? Televangelist Wants Donations To Buy $54 Million Jet

Louisiana-based televangelist Jesse Duplantis raised eyebrows Tuesday when he said God told him he needs a new jet. Famous for preaching the “prosperity gospel,” Duplantis asked his followers from across the globe to send him donations to buy a jet costing $54 million.

With his private jet now 12 years old, he has his eyes set on The Falcon 7X, a three-engine plane capable of carrying 12 to 16 passengers at the speed of up to 700 miles per hour.

He told his followers if Jesus sets his foot on Earth today, he wouldn’t be riding on a donkey, but instead, “He’d be in an airplane preaching the gospel flying all over the world.”

Duplantis also added God told him, “I want you to believe in me for a Falcon 7X.”

However, when he worried about the price, God said, “Jesse, I didn’t ask you to pay for it, I asked you to believe for it,” Duplantis added.

Duplantis, who runs a Christian ministry, claimed he bought jets in 1994, 2004, and 2006 “for God.”

“I used them — and just burning them up for the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, some people believe that preachers shouldn’t have jets. I really believe preachers ought to go on every available voice, every available outlet to get this gospel preached to the world,” he said, reported Slate.

"I like all people to know exactly what I'm doing in this ministry; we don't hide nothing whatsoever at all. … I can't live long enough to travel by car, or by ship, or by train, but I can do it by an airplane. ... I don't want to learn how to fly it, I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."

The 68-year-old New Orleans native who began preaching in 1976 is credited with 11 books and a film.

According to his Amazon author biography, he is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, which includes a weekly television program that reached 106 million American households. Duplantis and his wife also founded the Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, in 1997.

In his “prosperity gospel,” he preaches giving money to pastors and their ministries is a sort of investment and missionaries have encouraged their flocks to invest heavily in aviation.

He regularly preaches to his audience on Trinity Broadcasting Network that God blesses people who please him with material wealth.

Duplantis biography claimed, "It is his mission to reach every soul of the 7 billion people that now inhabit the Earth, making sure that each one has an opportunity to know the real Jesus — approachable, personable, compassionate, and full of joy-the way that he knows Jesus."

The televangelist was investigated in 2010 for a $3 million tax-free house serving as a church rectory that was paid for through non-taxable donations as legally he was not permitted to take the donations for personal use.

His flight records show he took thousands of trips on his private planes. He also defended the use of jets on a Trinity Broadcasting Network show in 2015.