Of all the books in the Bible, the books of the prophets are the most mysterious. Throughout those books, we find God speaking to His people, through the prophets. Many of the messages they present are enigmatic, requiring as much help from the Holy Spirit to understand their meaning, as the prophets themselves needed to get those messages in the first place.
Yet there is ever a question in many people’s minds about whether the prophets truly heard from God or whether they made up some of what they wrote. This question is given further impetus by the existence of “prophets” who are outside of the faith, such as the widely known “clairvoyant,” Edgar Casey. To people who don’t understand biblical prophecy, it is easy to confuse what these people do, with what God’s Holy Spirit does through His prophets.
The Many Purposes of Prophecy
By definition, prophecy is a foretelling of events that are to happen in the future. Not everything the prophets wrote is actually prophecy, by this definition, as some things they wrote about were messages that God was giving to His people in the here and now. We find an answer to this apparent discrepancy in the list of Gifts of the Spirit that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about. In that list, we find “word of wisdom” and “work of knowledge” included (1 Corinthians 12:8). So, just what are these?
- Word of Knowledge – God providing insight into things that are happening in the world around us. It takes place in the present, not the future, providing someone with information they may need.
- Word of Wisdom – Differs from a word of knowledge in that it gives God’s counsel and understanding about what the hearer should do in a given situation.
Hence, while we can say that the focus of the prophets was to provide understanding of events yet to happen in the future, they were not limited to that. There are many cases in which the prophet provided wisdom or knowledge that someone needed.
So, why would God provide this information, especially information about the future? There can be many reasons for this; but one of the principal ones is so that when those things come to pass, we will understand that it is God who has brought them to pass, rather than inventing some other understanding. God wants people, believers and unbelievers alike, to understand what He is doing. Without that understanding, those events will not have the impact that God desires for them to have and may even have an opposite effect.
Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my carved image and my molded image have commanded them.’ – Isaiah 48:5
We can see the importance of this most clearly by looking at the only book of prophecy in the New Testament, the book of Revelations. This book is filled with a detailed description of the disasters and plagues which will befall the earth in the end days. While there is a huge amount of interest in the Body of Christ in studying those events, Revelations really isn’t written for us who are living on the earth today, it’s written for those who will be living through those events. As we just read in Isaiah, it is there so that they won’t be able to give credit to their “gods,” sometimes known as “the science,” for what is happening.
God has always used His prophets to warn people about pending disasters, especially disasters brought about by their own wrong actions. When God told the Prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh, it wasn’t to try their food or tell them that He was happy with them. It was with a message of pending doom.
And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. – Jonah 3:4-6
If ever there was a right reaction to a prophetic word, this was it. These weren’t God’s people; they were an evil nation, who conquered and mistreated those they conquered. Yet they received the prophet’s message and acted on it. God gave many prophetic warnings to the people of Israel, which they didn’t respond to as well as the Ninevites did. Yet, by responding as they did, they avoided disaster.
Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. – Jonah 3:10
This brings up another important aspect to prophecy; that is, prophecy is conditional. Just because God says that He will or will not do something, doesn’t mean that it is absolutely certain. Many times, when God prophesies disaster, it is a warning. If the people turn from their wicked ways, like the people of Nineveh did, God relents from bringing that disaster about. In this, we see another purpose of prophecy, that of drawing people closer to God. Part of the prophet’s work is to call people to get closer to God.
When do Prophets Speak?
There are parts of the Body of Christ where the Holy Spirit has reinstated the office of the prophet today. This is not accepted by all denominations; but it is widely accepted by Pentecostal, Charismatic and other “Spirit filled” churches. Many look at this as a statement by God that He is pleased with the church’s spiritual growth and can now trust us with prophecy.
Sadly, this understanding goes in stark contrast with the example of scripture. We don’t find the prophets in the Bible operating in times when the people of God were obeying Him and walking in His ways; but rather, in times when they had wandered away from His ways. This is difficult to see, because the books of the prophets come after the history books, making it seem like the prophets ministered after the time of the kings. While a few did, the majority of them ministered during the time of the kings.
If one were to create a timeline of the kings of Israel and Judah, when they reigned and whether the Bible says they served God or not and then add the times when each of the Prophets ministered, as well as who they ministered to, it would be very revealing. I have created such a timeline and the thing it shows most clearly is that the Prophets were the most active in times when the people of Israel and Judah were not serving God, but had fallen into idolatry. Just as God sent Jonah to Nineveh, a pagan people, He also sent His prophets to minister to His chosen people, when they were acting like pagan people.
While it is possible to take comfort from the words of the prophets, especially for those who are wholly committed to God, those same words are seen in a negative light, by those who aren’t truly committed to God with all their heart.
Prophecy in the New Testament
Many believers today have the idea that prophecy has changed from Old Testament times to now. They see New Testament prophecies as cute words from God, where He is basically saying “I love you and am pleased with you.” This goes against what the Bible says about prophecy. If it were so, then why would the book of Revelations, the hardest book of prophecy in the Bible, be in the New Testament?
God has not changed, nor has prophecy. Yet there are many who think that both He and prophecy have. Yet we are told that Jesus is “the same yesterday, today and always” (Hebrews 13:8). Since Jesus and God are one, that means that God doesn’t change either. So, where do these people get the idea that prophecy has changed?
But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. – 1 Corinthians 14:3
Looking at that verse, it is easy to understand how these people have come up with the understanding of prophecy they have, especially if they didn’t do an in-depth study of the words used, specifically the original words in the Greek. Looking at those gives us a different insight into the meaning of that verse. We can easily find those definitions by using Strong’s Concordance.
- Edification (Strong’s number 3619) – the act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, holiness, happiness
- Exhortation (Strong’s number 3874) – a calling near, summons, imploration, supplication, entreaty; words of appeal, containing entreaties; admonition, encouragement; persuasive discourse, stirring address, instructive, admonitory, consolatory, powerful oratory discourse 2
- Comfort (Strong’s number 3889) – any address, whether made for the purpose of persuading, or of arousing and stimulating, or of calming and consoling 2
It isn’t possible to can’t cause someone to grow in the Lord or get them to draw closer to Him by telling them that they are okay just the way they are. Strong words of encouragement are needed for that, specifically strong words that tell them they aren’t okay the way they are. This is what prophecy does, whether in the Old Testament or the New. God has not changed, nor has His message to humanity.
The greater comfort doesn’t come from God telling us that we are okay as we are, it comes from drawing near to Him. It is in His presence where we find fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Were God to try and comfort us in our current state, without trying to draw us closer, it would be nowhere near as effective. The long-term consequences could be horrible, as it could have the effect of stopping our spiritual growth.
Just How do Prophets “Hear” From God?
The New Testament speaks of the office of the prophet, as well as the gift of prophecy. While both involve prophecy, there is still a distinct difference between the two. Someone who is moving in the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:10) is operating under the guidance and anointing of the Holy Spirit in that moment, for the purpose of bringing forth that specific prophecy. They may move in that way from time to time; but they are not called to the office of the prophet.
The office of the prophet (Ephesians 4:11), is given to some people as a ministry, just as some are called to be pastors, evangelists or teachers. It is a life-long calling to fulfill that work. While people called to be prophets might also work a secular job to augment their income, just as a pastor might, their vocation and focus is prophecy.
The purpose of the prophet, just like the purpose of the other ministry gifts, is shown to us by Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians.
And He Himself (Jesus) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. – Ephesians 4:13
So, everything the prophet does, just like everything that pastors do, is for the purpose of equipping the church and building up the Body of Christ. That includes, if I have to say it, any prophetic words they give, which might seem on the surface to be negative or harsh. Ultimately, those words are given for our benefit.
All true prophets are intercessors. There is no specific verse in the Bible that says this, but we see it in the lives of the prophets themselves. Being an intercessor is an integral part of their ministry, as it allows them to draw close to God, where they can hear His voice. It is also essential, because they are communicating with God on behalf of the people. Their intercession shows that they have the well-being of the people at heart, rather than just wanting to show off, by receiving a word from God. God has no interest in supporting someone who is just showing off.
Many of us have an image of God speaking to the prophets with a big, booming voice that has a lot of reverberation in it. That’s how Hollywood has portrayed it and that image has stuck with us. But there is nothing in scripture that backs up that image. In fact, there is very little in scripture which shows us exactly how God speaks to His prophets. Nevertheless, there are examples in scripture which we can use. The first example we’ll use is from the book of Revelations.
I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” – Revelations 1:9-11
Here we see the beginning of the Apostle John receiving a vision from the Lord. Before the word “prophet” became widely used, the word that people used to refer to prophets, was “seer,” making reference to the fact that they would see things, through a vision, and then describe or write down what they saw. As we read the book of Revelations, we see this taking place, as the entire book is John describing what he saw in his vision (or perhaps a series of visions).
An important part of receiving a prophetic word through visions is interpreting those visions. This can be challenging, especially to us today, as we are trying to understand descriptions that were given over 2,000 years ago. Perhaps John saw things that we consider technology today and tried to describe them in the best language that he could. We just don’t know. The “locusts” of Revelations, chapter 9 could be a type of locust that hasn’t been seen on the earth before; they could be demons; or they could be men flying helicopters, as some have surmised. Picking one of these interpretations as being true, with only the information we have available to us today, could prove to be a costly mistake.
Many of today’s prophets also receive visions from God and describe those visions. Some visions are nothing more than a “snapshot” of God showing them something, while others are more like a movie. It all depends on the message that the Holy Spirit is trying to convey.
But the Holy Spirit isn’t limited to just showing His prophets images. He is capable of speaking to them directly. But He will not speak as Hollywood supposes. The Holy Spirit isn’t seeking attention; therefore, He doesn’t use that booming voice with lots of reverb. Rather, He speaks in a still small voice, which is easy to miss, if we don’t pay attention. This is part of the reason why true prophets must pull away from others and spend time in intercession, where they can communicate directly with God.
Like many prophets, the Prophet Elijah lived in difficult times, during the reign of King Ahab, probably the most wicked king that Israel ever knew and his infamous wife, Jezebel. The queen vowed to kill Elijah, in response to Elijah killing the false prophets of Baal. Afraid for his life, Elijah fled to the wilderness and hid in a cave in the mountains, where God spoke to him.
And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”… 11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle (prayer shawl)3 and when out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13
Many would take the “signs” that appeared before that “still small voice” as God speaking to them; but Elijah, being an experienced prophet, knew that God wasn’t using those to speak to him. He waited until he heard the voice of the Lord, which was described as that “still small voice.”
God speaks with that still small voice, forcing us to listen for it. He is not broadcasting what He wants to say over the airwaves; but rather, only speaking to those who will take the time to listen. All Prophets must take that time or they will not hear from God. That is one of the things that distinguish them as prophets. As they take the time to be with God and listen to Him, they are able to be a blessing to God’s people.
Not All the Prophets Wrote
The books of prophecy in the Bible are artificially broken down into three groups: the “major prophets,” the “minor prophets,” and “the book of Revelations.” I say this is artificial because the only distinction between the major prophets and the minor prophets is how much they wrote. But the amount they wrote may have nothing to do with the impact of their ministry.
The Prophet Jonah, for example, only wrote about the part of his ministry where he first avoided traveling to Nineveh to give them a word from the Lord and then traveled there. But that is not the only work he did as a prophet. We find Jonah mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, as having given a prophecy some time before then, where God would restore a certain territory back to Israel. Why is this prophecy not included in the book of Jonah? We don’t know.
But that isn’t the only prophecy or prophet mentioned in scripture, where the prophecy is not recorded in our Bible. There are at least 30 people who are called by the title “prophet” in the Old Testament, who didn’t write one word of prophecy. Some spoke; some wrote; some did both.
How can We Know Prophets Told the Truth?
The Prophets in the Bible had a very serious responsibility, taking the place of being God’s mouthpiece, to speak to the people on His behalf. As such, God would surely put some safeguards in place, to ensure that the prophets were saying what He wanted them to say. This He did, commanding that false prophets be stoned to death. With that being the price of giving false prophecy, one would have to be crazy to try.
The passage is fairly long, so I won’t repeat it here, but it can be found in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 13, taking up most of the chapter. There were two main things that God was concerned with here; the first was that people did not listen to the words of any prophet who tried to entice the people to serve false gods. The second was that those false prophets would be put to death.
This may seem a bit harsh or overdone to some; but it really wasn’t about punishing the false prophet. Rather, it was about protecting God’s people. Just like hanging in the Old West would prevent a murderer from committing another heinous crime, stoning a false prophet to death would keep them from spreading more lies and drawing more people away from God.
God is concerned about His people. Everything having to do with the prophet and the prophet’s ministry shows this to us. Without the prophets to tell us what God is saying, there is much that we would miss. There’s also the risk that we might miss a message which is intended to save us from our own destruction. That’s ultimately the work of the prophet; protecting us from destruction. We should heed their words, both in the Old Testament and the New.