The Gift of Prophecy

"To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:" ~ 1 Corinthians 12:10

In the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the gift of prophecy is mentioned many times throughout the Holy Books. During the time of the ancients, prophets were few and far between but their messages were spot on for the future events they would predict. Yet the ultimate gift of prophecy will arise during what the Christians refer to as the End Times and the Jews call the End of the Age, when many, both young and old alike, will have prophetic dreams and visions.

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:" ~ Joel 2:28

In the Old Testament, a prophet's primary function was to serve the Creator as His representative by communicating God's word to His people. Let it be noted that a true prophet never spoke on their own authority, but rather delivered the message in which the Creator imparted to them.

"Now therefore go, and I [God] will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." (Exodus 4:12) 

Yet, a holy prophet not only predicts future occurrences, but speaks of present times as well. This was quite true during the 8th century BC, when the focus of the ancient prophets message turned more toward the people during that era. 

Their primary role was to make known the holiness of God, to keep the covenant obligations intact, and to call Israel back to repentance and faithfulness. However, the ancient prophet did not forget their call to also forecast future prophecies to a world that will one day witness the "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord".

"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." ~ Isaiah 13:9

Even King Solomon, in his wisdom, warned mankind that the Great Creator would make His plan known to the whole world in regards to prophecy.

"Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you." ~ Proverbs 1:23

The divine inspiration and authority of the Old Testament seers is nowhere more clearly affirmed than in 2 Peter 1:20–21: 

“No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The ancient prophets, such as Isaiah and Ezekiel, bespoke of a glorious restoration of Israel during the End of the Age, which included a future generation being bestowed with the gift of prophecy. In reference to predicting the "gift of prophecy" during the early Christian era, Luke the Evangelist is quoted as saying, 

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:" ~ Acts 2:17 

While the early Christians were intrigued with spiritual gifts, the Apostle Paul pointed out that prophecy was a "spiritual speech" that was intended to divinely inspire through instruction, as well as strengthen others. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul wrote:

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;" ~ Romans 12:6  

In the New Testament, the Apostles reinforced the ancients predictions and made many references to gift of prophecy.

John 16:12-15 - 

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you." 

Acts 10:45-4 -   

 "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" 

Acts 2:4-8 -  

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" 

Why was the ancient period of mankind not bestowed with such an overwhelming gift of prophecy? The answer is simple:

John 7:39 -  

"He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified." 

The spiritual gift of prophecy is also listed among the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:10. The word “prophecy”, according to Greek translation, simply means to “speak forth”, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known the truth of God which is designed to influence people. Some scholars believe that many people misunderstand the "gift of prophecy" to be the ability to predict the future. While other critics state that knowing something about future happenstances may sometimes have been an aspect of the gift of prophecy, but it was primarily a gift of proclamation (forth-telling), not prediction (fore-telling).  

Rabbinic scholar Maimonides, suggested that "prophecy is, in truth and reality, an emanation sent forth by Divine Being through the medium of the Active Intellect, in the first instance to man's rational faculty, and then to his imaginative faculty."

However, the Prophet Isaiah firmly attested that what is to be revealed, will be revealed.  

"Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." ~ Isaiah 40:5  

Many biblical theologians would agree that prophecy strengthens, encourages and comforts people. It builds them up in the faith and teaches them hope. While other biblical scholars conclude that it is what we now call preaching.

               

"Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest." ~  Isaiah 32:15

(Today, the wilderness of Israel has once more become a 'fertile' field.)