THE APOSTLE PAUL TEACHES extensively about spiritual gifts, and says that in the church, the body of Christ, there are “apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, and healers” (1 Cor. 12:28), and that we should “eagerly desire the greater gifts.” (1 Cor. 12:31) He goes on to say, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” (1 Cor. 14:1) Anyone who truly follows Jesus must aspire to function in the unction of the Spirit, including in the gift of prophecy.
There are two forms of prophecy, but these forms have had differing order throughout the history of the bible. One form, most common in the current age, is ‘forthtelling,’ simply speaking forth the word of God accurately—that is, to both speak and interpret the word of God specific in meaning to the time and culture in context with its historical period. From this, the principles of the transformative power of the Spirit-inspired inerrant written word of God (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17) are given application to current life circumstances by modern-day representatives of Jesus. When they are received by seeker’s hearts quickened to this word, salvation and/or sanctification flows from the Spirit of God by the medium of the articulation of an anointed speaker of God and into the souls of those who reach out to God for his purpose and presence.
The second form of prophecy, but not least in preeminence, is ‘foretelling,’ the nature of which is the prediction of future events. There are two facets to this: specific events at periods of times and places that affect certain people groups, and the apocalyptic prophecies that affect all of mankind in the phenomenon that ushers the lost into eternal hell and the saved into eternal heaven.
In the O.T. there were many prophets who displayed one or the other or both of these unctions from God, but none greater than Moses: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.” (Num. 12:6-8)
Moses spoke prophetically of Jesus superseding him: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” (Deut. 18:15) The author of the Book of Hebrews us that, “Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.” (Heb. 3:3)
In the N.T., there is no greater prophet than the Lord Jesus Christ. After Jesus raises a young man from the dead (Luke 7:14-15), the crowd, awed, says “A great prophet has appeared among us.” (Luke 7:14-15) Jesus asks his disciples who people think he is, and they name several of the prophets current in their minds. “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matt. 16:14) He then asks, “Who do you say I am?” (Matt. 16:14), and Peter responds: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:15)
Jesus is the greatest of prophets, and more than that, he is the Son of God, who knows and does the will of God far and away above all the prophets before him. In him, both ‘forthtelling’ and ‘foretelling’ are empowered at their respective highest levels. In accordance with all that had come before him, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matt. 5:17) He adds to this an insight into the source from which he fulfills his prophetic calling and purpose. “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19) The difference in the power of God working through him is orders of magnitude above the power working through the sum of all who had gone before. “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” (John 5:21)
Jesus said of John the Baptist that, “among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” (Matt. 11:11) And it is from John the Baptist that we have confirmation of the source of Jesus’ great power. “The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” (John 3:31-35)
But it is also Jesus who says, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” (Matt. 13:57) He speaks these words in his hometown, then adds “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” (Matt. 13:58)
As we “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Cor. 14:1), we will often times also, as Jesus was, as the apostles were, be rejected. The commission that Jesus gave his early disciples also applies to us: “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.” (Matt. 10:14) Such dismissal must not deter us from speaking prophecy from the source of power. Instead, “Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it.” (Matt. 10:11-13)
The greatest miracle anyone can experience is the salvation of their soul, and we have been given the prophetic power to speak forth the words that open that gateway to heaven: “There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) The power that works through us is the same power that saved us, and that power is found in and founded upon our testimony: “For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” (Rev. 19:10) Each of us is a prophet of the great prophet in this respect, and as we ‘forthtell’ the story of our own salvation, we are ‘foretelling’ that same radiant outcome to the next child of God.
Q. What is my prophetic calling and responsibility?