The English word prophecy comes from prophéteia, meaning “the gift of communicating and enforcing revealed truth.”¹ So a prophet is someone who proclaims truth on behalf of another.

In biblical times, God spoke through handpicked prophets who delivered His messages to the people. These individuals stood in His counsel and received His word before declaring that message with precise accuracy (Jeremiah 23:18, 22). Peter described the prophets’ role this way: “No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Prophecy takes two forms. It can forthtell (explain) the present or foretell (predict) the future. Forthtelling educates, encourages, and comforts God’s people in their current circumstances (1 Corinthians 14:3). Foretelling can accomplish the same purposes, but it has to do with something that will happen in the future. Whether predictive or prescriptive, prophecy always gives glory to God, not to the prophet or anyone else.

Prophecy’s Purpose

As I understand prophecy in the Bible, it has two primary purposes. First, it prompts our obedience to the Word of God. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” When we read about Ezekiel’s prophecy of Tyre and Isaiah’s prophecy of Babylon and Jeremiah’s prophecy of Edom and Petra, we can compare those predictions to history and see that they occurred just as the prophets said they would. Biblical prophecy gives us great faith in the Bible’s authority and accuracy.

Any authentic word of prophecy will exalt the Word of God and the Son of God.

Second, prophecy enhances the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 19:10 tells us, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (emphasis added). Approximately two thousand biblical prophecies have been fulfilled throughout history while five hundred more anticipate the End Times and Christ’s return.² When we trace the remarkable detail with which biblical prophecy has predicted world events, we gain great confidence that Jesus Christ will return to this earth someday—perhaps even today! Prophecy proves Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Prophecy in Scripture

Old Testament prophets spoke against the problems of their day by receiving messages from God through dreams, visions, and verbal communication. After Israel became a monarchy, the prophets were primarily responsible for conveying God’s voice to the king. Often a prophet’s presence signaled the king’s failure. God intended the king to be His spokesman, but He appointed a prophet if the king wandered from Him.

During the New Testament era, God continued to communicate truth through prophets, including John the Baptist, John the apostle, and Jesus Christ.

Although Israel did not have a king during the New Testament era, God continued to communicate truth through prophets, including John the Baptist, John the apostle, and Jesus Christ. Unlike their predecessors, these prophets typically did not receive information through visual or verbal communication. They started with the written Word of God and applied that information to their circumstances.

The Marks of a True Prophet

When someone claims to be a prophet, we can evaluate their credentials with the help of God’s Word. Anyone with a valid message from God will bring glory to God’s Son, prompt obedience to His Word, and meet these three criteria.

1. True prophets are authentic. For a revelation to be prophetic, it must be given far enough in advance to prevent the prophet from exerting any influence upon the event. If a teacher tells their class, “There will be a test tomorrow,” they are not prophesying. They are making a true statement based on their intention to issue a test. A prophet cannot be able to manipulate circumstances so that a prophecy will come true.

2. True prophets are absolute. Prophecies that come from God are specific, and they eliminate any possibility of coincidence or guesswork. Micah 5:2 offers one example. Seven hundred years before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, Micah predicted that “the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” would come from a little Judean town named “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” Other towns were called “Bethlehem,” but only one was “Bethlehem Ephrathah” in Judea.

3. True prophets are accurate. Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says, “If you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’—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” (ESV).

Prophecy for Today

I have the name of a prophet, but I am not a prophet. I have never met one in the predictive sense of the word, nor do I expect to meet one. Scripture’s 66 books provide all the information we need to understand who God is, how we can know Him, and what He will do in the future. In fact, the Bible declares a curse on anybody who tampers with it: “If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18). God’s revelation is complete, lacking nothing. The Revelation of Jesus Christ marks the end of God’s predictive prophecies.

Scripture’s 66 books provide all the information we need to understand who God is, how we can know Him, and what He will do in the future.

Since the canon of Scripture is complete, there is no need for God to communicate new messages about the future. Why, then, would the apostle Paul encourage us to pursue the gift of prophecy by saying, “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy”? (1 Corinthians 14:1) The gift of prophecy still exists in our world, but it does not involve foretelling future events. Today, “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” (1 Corinthians 14:3, ESV).

Contemporary prophets are evangelists, teachers, and educators who have a unique ability to bring God’s Word alive and apply it to the culture. First Corinthians 14:24-25 explains, “If all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, ‘God is truly here among you’” (NLT). Chuck Swindoll is one man who, I believe, possesses the gift of prophecy. He brings God’s Word to life by making it relevant to a particular situation in a specific context.

Contemporary prophets are evangelists, teachers, and educators who have a unique ability to bring God’s Word alive and apply it to the culture.

It takes a uniquely gifted person to confront the culture for the cause of Christ—to speak out against racism, materialism, immorality, and all the issues of the day with wisdom from God’s Word. Our world is constantly at war with Christ and His Church. We need men and women who will examine their hearts to see whether God has given them this gift. If you have a heart to serve the Lord in that way, He will honor that desire and equip you. In the truest sense of the word, you can be a prophet for our times, a forthteller of God’s truth.

¹“Prophéteia,” <https://biblehub.com/greek/4394.htm>, accessed on April 22, 2022.

²Hugh Ross, “Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible,” <https://reasons.org/explore/publications/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible>, accessed on April 25, 2022.