A) INTRODUCTION.

B) DEFINITION OF PROPHECY.

C) PROPHETS.

D) THE PURPOSE OF PROPHECY.

 

 

A) INTRODUCTION

 

 

According to the uniform teaching of the Bible, prophecy comes from a speaker of, or a spokesperson speaking forGod.  The prophet’s words are not the production of his own spirit, but come from a Higher source.  In Hebrew, the verb “naba” means, “to prophesy.”  It carries with it the idea of someone pouring forth words with fervor or inspiration.  The noun form of this Hebrew word is “nabi,” meaning, “a spokesperson, a prophet, a person authorized to speak for another” (see Exo. 6:28-30; 7:1).

 

 

B) DEFINITION OF PROPHECY

 

 

Prophecy, or the Divine power which comes over a human being and compels him to see or to hear things which otherwise would be hidden from him, is called by various terms expressive of inspiration.  In the Scriptures, it is said that the Spirit of God has come over someone (Num. 24:2); or has fallen upon him (Eze. 11:5); or that the hand of Yahweh has come over him and laid hold of him (2Ki. 3:15; Eze. 1:3; 3:14 & 22, etcetera); or that the Holy Spirit has been put on him as a garment, i.e., has been incorporated in him (1Ch. 12:18; 2Ch. 24:20); or that the Spirit of revelation has permanently descended upon him (Num. 11:25; 2Ki. 2:15; Isa. 11:2; 61:1); or that God has given this Spirit of His (Num. 11:29; Isa. 42:1); or pours Him out upon man (Joel 2:28).

 

 

C) PROPHETS

 

 

A prophet is at the same time also, a “seer” who sees things that do not lie in the domain of natural sight; or who hears things which human ears do not ordinarily receive.  As an example, in First Samuel 9:9, we find the word “nabhi,” meaning “speaker,” and “ro’eh,” meaning “seer,” being used as synonymous terms.  Thus, Jeremiah 23:16 and Ezekiel 13:2 become particularly instructive in this regard.  In these passages a sharp distinction is made between those persons who only claim to be prophets but who prophesy “out of their own heart,” and the true prophets who declare the Word of God, which our Lord has spoken to them.

 

One of the purposes for prophecy is found in John 13:19:  “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I Am He.”  See also Isaiah 41:23; 48:5; John 14:29; 16:4.

 

With the prophet of God, the prophecy has not originated in their own reflection or calculation, nor is this prophecy the product of their own feelings, fears, or hopes.  By contrast, it comes as something extraneous to man and independent of him; it has with a Divine certainty entered the soul of the prophet.  The prophet has seen that which he prophesies, although he need not have seen it in the form of a real vision.  He can also “see” physically the words with his inner eyes (see Isa. 2:1).

 

Another means of receiving the message of our Lord is that it was not necessary that there must have been a voice, which the prophet could hear phonetically through his natural ear.  The main thing is that he must have been able sharply to distinguish the contents of This Voice from his own heart, i.e., from his personal consciousness or conceptions.  Only in this way is he capable of speaking to the people in the Name of God; and able to publish his words as that of Yahweh’s Words.  In fact, the Words burn in his soul until he utters Them (see Jer. 20:9).

 

However, the intercourse between God and Moses was ever of a particularly intimate character.  While other men of God received certain individual messages only from time to time and through the mediation of dreams, visions, and still small voices, Yahweh spoke directly to, or rather, “face to face” with Moses (Num. 12:6; Deu. 34:10).  Note: According to Exodus 33:20 Moses only saw God’s glory.

 

As far as Who gave the prophecy, consider this statement in DA:799:  “It is the voice of Christ that speaks through patriarchs and prophets, from the days of Adam even to the closing scenes of time.”

 

 

D) THE PURPOSE OF PROPHECY

 

 

To Glorify God; To Tell The Future So Mankind Can Be Prepared Or Believe Because Of The Prophecy Coming To Pass.

 

Deuteronomy 18:21-22:  “[21] And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? [22] When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

 

Ezekiel 24:24:  “Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”

 

Daniel 4:17:  “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones:  to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

 

Amos 3:7:  “ Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.”

 

John 13:19:  “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I Am He.”

 

First Corinthians 13:9:  “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.”

 

Second Peter 1:19:  “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”

 

Just A Sampling.