Prophecies are common in the Bible, yet the term 'prophecy' can be a bit confusing for people today. This gift of the Spirit has tripped up many followers of Jesus, so why did Paul say it should especially be desired? (1 Corinthians 14:1)
(This post was originally written for GodsVerse.org - It can be read here)
Definitions - What is a prophecy in the Bible?
In order to understand what a prophecy in the Bible is, we need to first look at the word 'prophecy'.
Prophecy: Noun
"a prediction; the faculty, function, or practice of prophesying."
Prophesy: Verb
"to utter by or as if by divine inspiration; to predict with assurance or on the basis of mystic knowledge."
A prophecy is a declaration made by a human person about something they should not have insight into or knowledge of, but it was revealed to them by God. There are many prophets in the Bible. They are like God's messengers.
To prophesy (with an 's' instead of a 'c') is to share that message with someone. So, a prophet prophesies.
"Prophecy is the speaking, writing or communicating of a message from God to another person or the congregation of the church. So the inner movement of the spirit of God in an individual is then expressed to someone else." - Phylicia Masonheimer
Prophetic actions and prophetic steps
A prophetic action is something that points to the future. Sometimes, in faith, we need to take steps without seeing exactly where we are going. These are also referred to as prophetic steps. Think, for example, of how Noah built the ark before the first raindrop fell. That was a prophetic action because God gave him a message.
The prophetic is inexplicably linked with obedience. It takes courage to give someone a word; The people thought Noah was crazy for building the Ark. Sometimes God asks us to take a step in obedience before our breakthrough comes. Prophetic actions and steps show us what it looks like to practically walk out prophecy.
"For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
- 2 Peter 1:21
How prophecy differs from future telling
Prophecy is not about telling the future. Even though some people put the title 'Prophet' in front of their social media handles or on business cards and charge money to talk to you about where your life is headed - this is not the way that the Bible talks about prophecy. A prophet of God is not just a person who predicts future events before they happen, it is someone who carries God's messages.
The prophetic utterance is usually made on God's behalf and sent to people through prophetic messages. Furthermore, true prophecy is a divine word. It is for the fulfillment of God's plans and not just a great prediction about one person's life. True prophetic messages carry spiritual significance. Prophets do not just go about telling people what will happen in their lives, they point to the golden thread of God's story moving in and through different people.
However, the Bible is chock-full of examples of how God uses singular people's lives to effect a great chain of events for His glory. God is not even explicitly mentioned once in the Book of Esther, but His presence is woven throughout the story. So, God is interested in your individual story, but He has divine authority over the future of your life. That is how prophecy is different from future telling.
Prophecy in the Bible: Old Testament
How to read prophetic literature in the Bible
Talbot Davis said the Bible is a library full of books of different genres. Each book has a different author and was written at a different time for a different audience. Biblical prophecy is one such genre and it is important that we know how to read it. Like a king who sends a messenger with a royal decree about the kingdom, God has been sending His prophets with messages for His people at the right time.
While it is important to study the Bible in its genres to uncover its meaning, we will do well to remember that it is not just that... Gys van Schoor said the Bible is not a manual or a book - it is a meeting place. It is like 2 Timothy 3:6 reminds us "All Scripture is God-breathed". This is the very word of God we are dealing with and it always holds the potential to draw us closer to Him.
That is the ultimate goal of prophecy: To draw people closer into God's embrace.
Major and minor prophets from the Bible
The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel make up the major prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible. This title is given to these books, not because they are more important than the other prophetic books, but because they are longer and therefore they were arranged in a different way when the Hebrew Bible was put together. The minor prophets are the books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. (There is only one prophetic book in the New Testament, the book of Revelation.)
All of these books contain pieces of Scripture that we call "a prophecy". Some are stories with prophetic bits here or there and others have whole bulks that are just a download from Heaven penned down on the page. Even though these are the only books that fall in the genre of prophetic in the Old Testament, it's important to note that prophecy is present in other stories too.
Think of how Ruth told Naomi: "Where you go I'll do; Your people will be my people." That was a bold and strange decision for Ruth to make, but it led her to Boaz who led her to Yahweh, the God of the Israelites. Ruth's words towards Naomi was a prophetic declaration and, I believe, quite possibly the Spirit of God speaking through her.
Example of a prophecy
Here is an example of a prophecy from Isaiah 35:3-6:
"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;your God will come, he will come with vengeance;with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert."
Interpretation of a prophecy from the Bible: What does it say?
(vv.3-4a) "Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear"
Isaiah's prophecy that we read here is a message of hope, like many other prophecies in the Bible. He is addressing the people and essentially telling them to take heart. Isaiah was talking to the Israelites, God's chosen people.
(v.4b) "your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Isaiah promises that God will come and save His people. The Israelites expected God to come in power and vengeance, so when Jesus came in meekness and riding a donkey, those people were genuinely disappointed. That's one of the reasons why many Jews would not accept that He is the promised Savior.
(vv.5-6a) "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy."
Isaiah predicted what would happen. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy and many others by doing the healings that were predicted. The coming Kingdom of God will have no illness in it at all, but what Jesus did was already a glimpse into the Kingdom.
(v.6b) "Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert."
Jesus called Himself the "living water" and He said that whoever drinks of Him will never be thirsty again (John 7:38).
Different kinds of prophecies in the Old Testament
As alluded to earlier, prophecy took on various shapes in the Old Testament, so we need to be careful to not limit God to speak in only one way.
written prophecies
spoken prophecies
prophecies that were acted out
prophecies about persons
events prophesied
things as a prophetic image
Prophecy in the Bible: New Testament
An example of a prophet in the New Testament
As part of my Youth Ministry training, I read somewhere that we need to be more like John the Baptist and less like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
The Pied Piper is a famous tale of a magical flute player who was hired by the town of Hamelin to take care of their rat problem. The piper played his instrument and entranced the rats so that he could lead them out of the town and into the woods. When he returned to the town for his payment, they refused to pay him for his work. So, the Pied Piper played his flute again and this time he lured the children of the town away into the mountains, never to be seen again.
John the Baptist, on the other hand, is a famous figure from the Bible who came before Jesus and prepared the way for Him. He was a humble man who lived in the wilderness and survived on wild honey and locusts. Even though many people came to John to the baptised, he never charmed them or tried to be someone they'd approve of. John the Baptist famously said that he is not even worthy of tying the shoes of the One who comes after him. He continually spoke of the coming Messiah.
The point is that we are not supposed to call people to OURSELVES, we are supposed to point them to GOD. The Pied Piper entranced or enchanted the children and they followed him, but John the Baptist pointed the people to Jesus and they followed Him (Jesus) instead. In the same way, prophecy should be about God and not anything else!
How to identify false prophets
Something that is closely related here is the topic of false prophets which the Bible also speaks about a lot. The Bible is clear that there is something like a true prophet and a false prophet. 2 Peter 2:1-3 warns us against false prophecies:
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories."
How prophecy differs from the other spiritual gifts in the Bible
Prophecy is listed in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 as a spiritual gift. The concept of a spiritual gift simply means that it is a gift of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.
Prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues
In 1 Corinthians 14:1 Paul says the following:
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified." (NIV translation)
Here is a summary of the reasons why Paul says prophecy is a spiritual gift we should desire:
When you prophecy, you make sense to people.
Prophecy strengthens, encourages, and comforts.
It edifies and builds up the church (as in, the body of believers).
Prophecy for today - Is it like it was in the Bible?
Prophecy did not stop with the Old Testament prophets and it also did not stop with the New Testament prophets. God's prophets all have one thing in common: They have all shared the glory of God in their own time. God's people have the great use of prophecy as a means of divine communication of God to His people. The question is still the same as it has always been: God, what do You want to say to us today?
"I take prophecy as something that God spontaneously brings to mind in the moment. And because we are fallible in the way we perceive it and the way we think about it and the way we speak it, it does not carry that same level of infallible, Scripture-level authority." - John Piper
Can someone still prophesy today?
A common misconception about God is that He stopped working when the events recorded on the last page of the Bible happened. This is just not true. The Bible does not ever claim that this is the case either. This means that, if God is still on the move today, He must still be speaking to His people. So, yes, someone can still prophesy today.
The practice of prophecy is more active among evangelical, emerging, charismatic, pentecostal, and independent churches than it is in traditional or mainstream religion. In the prior group, it is not uncommon for a church to have a prophetic ministry. Christian prophecy is still actively practiced today in the local church in some spaces. It might sound like:
"I have a word for you..."
"Here, I don't know why, but God told me to give this to you..."
"Let's sing a prophetic song to the Lord..."
"Who has a word to share with the church?"
Practical aspects of the prophetic for today
God still speaks to His children today. He is speaking to us through creation, through His Word, through music, through strangers on the street, and... through prophetic words. Many people say they want to hear from God, but they live with their ears and eyes closed to the messages He is sending their way.
But imagine if you are a little boat out on the open sea, unsure of which direction to go into. Well, how can you move unless you lift your anchor and hoist your sails? The following quote describes this very well:
"You can’t steer a still ship. Pick a direction and then let God guide your journey. Your vision may be clarified later, it may not be. You might start with one, and you might not. But, know this: time does not stand still. While anchored in indecision, you will lose lessons of what God wants you to become. If you are too set on your destination, you may run aground getting there, and lose what God wants you to become. Pick a direction and learn to navigate. Work with the currents, the weather, the sun and stars." - T. Woznek
If you desire the prophetic gifting
Hearing God's voice and getting divine messages from Him, is very possible. If you long for the prophetic gifting, as Paul admonished us to do, you can just ask God for it. He gives good gifts to His children when they ask Him for them (Matthew 7:11). But, before you do so, check your heart's intention with the following questions:
Why do you desire the gift of prophecy?
Do you realize the gift of prophecy is not to build yourself up?
How are you uniquely positioned to share God's perspective with other people?
Prophecy is basically like seeing the theme that God is busy with. Imagine if you are like at a painting while someone is busy making it. If you don't know what they're doing, it's a guessing game, like Pictionary. But, if you know what they are doing, you can see the intention behind every brushstroke. Furthermore, if you know the artist, you'll be even better at understanding what they are doing.
If you desire the prophetic gifting, begin by doing the following (after asking):
Spend time in the Word of the Lord. Knowing God's Word will help you see how He works and what He's usually busy with.
Spend time in prayer. Pray for your community, your family, your work, your church - and ask God to show you His perspective of each area.
Surrender your day before God and pray that you might be His hands and feet for the people you encounter on that day.
How to test a prophetic word that you receive from someone
It can be scary when someone gives you a 'word' that they claim is from God if you don't know what to do about it. Below is a very simple guide to help you discern whether it really is God's voice you are hearing through the person.
Does it go against the Bible?
God does not change His mind. He will not ask you to do something that does not sound like God. A good test is to run it by the fruits of the Spirit: Is the action you are considering... loving, peaceful, joyful, patient, kind, good, faithful (honest), humble, and self-controlled?
Does it go against common sense?
God created you and everything around you, so He understands how things work. If the prophecy is asking you to do something unsafe or unwise, chances are, it's not from God.
Does it go against your mentors' or parents' advice?
God placed people in your life for a reason. You do not have to walk alone. Ask a more mature believer or someone you look up to for advice on what to do.
Remember you can hear God's voice just as well as anybody else.
For example, if God is telling someone you are supposed to marry them, He will tell you too. Don't feel like you have to jump into what someone else believes they heard God say - He can speak to you too!
"Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next" - Elisabeth Elliot
_____________________
Resources:
- The T Woznek quote is from the following post: twoznek.com
- Different kinds of prophecies were obtained from christinprophecy.org
- The Phelicia Maisonheimer quote is from her podcast phyliciamasonheimer.com/what-is-biblical-prophecy/
- The following post by Christianity.com was also viewed to build on the content of this article: what-is-prophecy-meaning-of-prophesy
Comments