In our previous post on this subject, we began to address prophecy. We addressed in terms of understanding what prophecy is (and is not). As we discussed then, there is so much confusion about what prophecy is. In short, virtually all prophecy falls into one of two categories: “forth-telling” and “foretelling.” Forth-telling in “Bible times” involved declaring God’s word, like preaching or teaching. You find an excellent example of this that parallels what good preachers and teachers do today in Nehemiah 8:1-7. You find another in Luke 18-27, notice verse 27 in particular: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Forth-telling also takes place in rare cases when a prophet declares the word of the LORD without Scripture, such as in Haggai chapter one, particularly verses 7 and 8 (and forward): ““Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.” Such instances often become Scripture, as you find if you read your Bible (carefully). And they are recorded for our hope, encouragement, and instruction (Romans 15:4). This is why we said and say, prophecy is declarative rather than predictive.
There is a second species of prophecy which is foretelling. Prophetic foretelling is declaring what the Sovereign God will bring to pass in the future. There are a number of examples of this in the Old and New Testaments. One such example is Elijah informing Ahab that God will soon send rain, ending a drought in 1 Kings 18, particularly verse 1 and verse 41: “After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab… 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” Jesus prophesied about His resurrection in John 2:19 and numerous other times did He foretell of His death and resurrection. We all know about foretelling from Daniel 9 and the book of Revelation. As we said before, such prophecies are not predictive. They are declarative, as God tells us through the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 46:10. They are fact.
God declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). God, His prophecies, and His prophets are not like a prophetic weather person trying to predict what might happen. Foretelling isn’t like some pagan astrologer trying to predict the future or a meteorologist trying to predict the weather. God’s prophecies never miss. They are accurate as they are precise. God’s prophets do not make mistakes when they foretell. Only false prophets make mistakes when they prophesy (Deuteronomy 18: 20-22). And their first mistake is claiming to speak for God in some way. If they speak for God, according to God, they will not get the prophecy wrong. And in ancient times, such prophets were to be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20). Think about that!
It’s a good thing for so many of today’s false prophets that we live in the church age. Another name for the church age is the age of grace. God has delegated capital punishment to the government. These people are safe, at least in this life. In our last post, we noted how today’s “foretellers” do so often undercover or outside the oversight of the local church. Their prophecies are vague, almost like… well… pagan witch doctors and soothsayers and astrologers of old. Their prophecies are vague, easily misinterpreted. There’s plenty of wiggle room. Or (my favorite) these false prophets will qualify their activities with a dead giveaway statement to the effect of… “well… now… I’m not a prophet but I’m sharing this dream.” Sometimes a false prophet makes a prediction, waffles, apologizes, rescinds the prediction and then rescinds what he rescinded hoping it “might come true” or “just in case it does come true. That’s not the biblical model.
A true prophet speaks clearly. There aren’t two classes of prophets and we don’t grade them on a curve:
20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22)
What is spoken is for the common good, not personal interpretation. You don’t go to a prophet to get investment or career advice. It’s not about you, it’s about the kingdom, the greater good. God doesn’t play requests and neither do His prophets. He’s not a divine D.J. or a bellman in a hotel, at your beck and call. He’s the Master, you are the slave. You might want to reflect on Luke 17:7-10 to cultivate the right mindset.
I believe that God’s word has replaced the office of prophet as it was once known. Jesus is His final word. Read and ponder Hebrews 1:1-2 sometime. Consider the declaration of 1 Corinthians 13, it’s not a question of if prophecy ceases but when. God has always severely restricted and regulated prophets and prophetic foretelling. He even warns if a prophet thinks he’s spiritual but doesn’t recognize His restrictions, the prophet is illegitimate—a false prophet (1 Corinthians 14:30-37). The Holy Spirit warns through the pend of Paul that this is the Lord’s commandment (v. 37).
Common sense tells you that just about most, if not all today’s high-profile prophets are false prophets. In fact, common sense has led to a crisis in “prophetic circles” today. Why? How? Did your local prophet predict the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic before it happened with any degree of specificity? Or did they, after the fact, point back to some nebulous prophecy? Consider all the high profile, some would say elite, so-called prophets who prophesied Donald Trump’s reelection (forget the QAnon prophets and voting machine seizures and martial law before inauguration day. You can read about the fall-out here. Then, of course, there’s this embarrassment.
Today’s prophets are more like pagan prophets of old than the prophets of the Bible. One last thought, if God has given us the revelation made sure (that’s what the Bible is) why would His word not be enough for you? After all, it is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. If you want to learn more about prophecy, we are beginning a series on the book of Revelation and prophecy near the end of May.