Spirit of Prophecy
What is prophecy?
- 2 Peter 1:21 - for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit as His representative after His ascension
- John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--
- John 14:26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Prophecy is one of the gifts the Holy Spirit brings to the church until Jesus' Second Coming
- Ephesians 4:11-13 - 11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
God promises that we will not come short in the gift of prophecy (as well as the other gifts to the church)
- 1 Corinthians 1:6-7 - 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ
God's remnant church in the end time will have the spirit of prophecy
- Revelation 12:17 - And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
- Revelation 19:10 - And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Tests of a prophet
1. A genuine prophet is 100% accurate
- Jeremiah 28:9 - As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent
2. The genuine gift of prophecy always lead people to the Bible, never away from it
- Deuteronomy 13:1-4 - 1"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'--which you have not known--'and let us serve them,' 3you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
3. The genuine gift of prophecy exalts Jesus Christ and His law
- 1 John 4:2 - By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God
- Isaiah 8:20 - To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
4. Bible prophets often experience certain supernatural physical phenomena that occur during their visions
- Daniel 10:17 - For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me."
5. Jesus tells us to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit gifts of prophecy by their fruit
- Matthew 7:15-20 - 15Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
We should look for the genuine gift of prophecy in God's faithful commandment-keeping church
- 1 Corinthians 12:28 - And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 - 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies. 21Test all things; hold fast what is good.
God has given the gift of prophecy to bring blessing into our lives
- 1 Chronicles 20:20 - So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."
