Have ever been told: “The Lord told me to tell you…” “The Lord showed me that you…” “God spoke to me about you…” “I have a message from God for you…”? I remember the first time a person came up to me and said God had told them to tell me something. This was an outspoken Christian person known for their faith and commitment. Still, I immediately wondered why God didn’t tell me Himself if He had something to say to me. Was I not listening? Was there something I was missing in my walk with the Lord or with my theology? I had not experienced this before. I was confused. I was uncomfortable because God was using a medium to contact me. Mediums are forbidden by God (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Still, this person carried considerable status in the Christian community and people would ask them about important decisions or Bible interpretation, feeling their words carried more authority than anyone else’s. It sometimes seemed they were preferred over the Bible for it was quicker and easier to ask them then study and pray. They said it was their spiritual gift. Still, it never felt right in my spirit.
Spiritual gifts are to bring unity, yet “prophecy” is one of the most divisive because of the differing ways it is interpreted and applied. Some teach that modern-day prophets exist. Others claim their role ended in the first century. What does the Bible teach?
“Prophecy” refers to speaking God’s message to His people. The Hebrew word for prophecy is ‘naba’, meaning “to speak by divine inspiration” or “to declare a message from God.” The New Testament uses the Greek word ‘propheteuo’, which means “to speak forth” or “to proclaim God’s truth.” It refers to the forth-telling of God’s will. “Pro’ means “forth” and ‘phemi’ means “to speak.” So, the basic meaning of the word is “to speak forth.” While “fore-telling” (predicting a future event) was sometimes part of what was spoken, mainly it was used for proclaiming truth divinely revealed by God. ‘Forth-telling is proclaiming God’s truth as He has revealed it. Thinking of the word “proclaim” instead of “prophecy” removes a lot of the confusion and wrong emphasis. Prophets spoke forth God’s truth, warned of the consequences of disobedience, called the people to repentance, revealed future events and offered eternal hope and encouragement.
Old Testament Prophets heard from God and repeated the message to others. Sometimes it was about a future event, but the most of the time it was a message of repentance from sin or instruction about serving God in daily life. These messages come in various forms, like visions or poems. Whenever God works, Satan counterfeits and confuses. To tell truth from false prophecy God gave guidelines. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 stipulates that false prophets who presumptuously claim to speak in the name of God are to be put to death, while genuine prophets are expected to speak only what God commands them. If a person prophesied a future event that didn’t occur, he or she would be considered false and stoned to death. This underscored the prophetic ministry’s seriousness. While we aren’t under Old Testament law today, it’s still God’s standard that anyone who speaks for Him must be 100% accurate. That applies to those who claim to be prophets today. The proof of a true prophet was and still is total accuracy to the smallest detail.
We have God’s complete written revelation today in the Bible, but that wasn’t always available. Much of it was revealed prophetically was new information for the people. Some of this was written down and comprises the Bible we have and use. Several whole books in the Bible were written by men who were regarded as prophets. In the Old Testament, prophets would address Israel’s moral condition, always related to their commitment to the Lord. The prophets pointed out specific sin and urged a repentant return to God and His blessings if they would worship Him first and follow the Laws. Prophets also spoke of future events, giving oracles regarding what God would one day do as consequence for continued sin or deliverance if the people would repent and stay faithful. As examples, Isaiah and Jeremiah warned of impending judgment for Israel’s disobedience. At the same time, they would offer hope for redemption since God would one day bring the people back. God would stay true to his covenant.
The priesthood was passed down through families in the tribe of Levi. However, prophets received direct callings from God. They didn’t seek power or personal gain but spoke God’s word with His authority. Therefore they often found themselves in trouble with human authority or the people because of their messages of sin and repentance.
Outstanding Old Testament prophets included Moses (Exodus 3-4; Deuteronomy 34:10), Elijah (1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings 2), Elisha (2 Kings 2-13), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-10), Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and many more. Most were faithful to God no matter the cost, but some, like Balaam, prostituted their gift to gain money and position (2 Peter 2:15). Satan’s counterfeiting of the gift of prophecy was not only among the Jews but also in the other nations. People outside Israel were also aware of an unseen world and sought insight from the powers around them.
The prophets spoke of God’s redemptive plan. Along with the Messiah being a suffering servant (Isaiah 53) and the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the Old Testament prophets began writing about a return to Jerusalem and a new kingdom of peace and abundance in the future.
The gift of prophecy is a special, very important enablement from God for His people. Yet it must only be used as God gives a message, never for ones’ own financial or social benefit, like with Balaam. Those who preach or proclaim the Word are to be respected and honored (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15). But they must be held accountable to the Word and never add to it or take away from it (Revelation 22:18-19). Pastors, evangelists, teachers and others practice this gift as God gives ability and insight. Thank God for these modern-day ‘prophets.’ Pray for them and listen to them. (We’ll look at Prophecy in the New Testament in the next blog.)
2 Peter 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 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.
Who have you listened to who is a faithful and gifted proclaimer of God’s truth? Thank God for them and pray that God will continue to use them and their ministry.
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India & Africa & Spanish Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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