What is prophecy?
Prophecy is divine truth revealed through the activity of God. It is the product of the self-revelation of God to human beings and through them to the nations. The task of the biblical prophets was to declare publicly the word of God that had been revealed to them. They were the mouthpiece of God.Moses and Aaron
This is well illustrated through the arrangement that God initiated between Moses and Aaron when Moses protested that he was unable to speak to the people. God’s response was:
You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. (Ex 4:15-16)
A Common Error
The popular view of prophecy is foretelling the future, but this formed only a small part of the ministry of the prophets in the Bible. Their main task was declaring the word of God for their generation. This sometimes meant looking ahead and foreseeing the future with either warnings or messages of encouragement.
God’s Nature and Purposes
God used the biblical prophets to reveal his nature and purposes. Through Isaiah, God said, “I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no Saviour. I have revealed, and saved, and proclaimed” (Isa 43:11-12). This self revelation of God to human beings was completed through Jesus the Messiah whose mission was summarised by the Apostle John:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
New Testament Prophecy
In the New Testament prophecy did not add to the revelation of God but it guided the mission of the Church. It was recognised both as a Ministry and as a Gift, or manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The Ministry was exercised by individuals recognised by the churches, often as an itinerant ministry: whereas the gift could be exercised by any believer receiving a revelation within the local church and sharing it with others in times of prayer and worship (the contrast between the Gift and the Ministry can be seen in Acts 21:9-10).
Today prophecy is used in much the same way as in the New Testament Church: for giving guidance to the local congregation, or bringing a word from God to the wider Church in order to enable the Church to be the prophet to the nation. For biblical guidance on how to weigh and test prophecies, see here. Prophecy Today.
