The Biblical Gift of Prophecy

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1 The Biblical Gift of Prophecy The Last three weeks review: 1. The ecumenical movement: The gathering is based upon the belief that there is one God. all else can be laid to the side. Since 1926 the following paragraph has been in the SDA GC Working Policy: We recognize those agencies that lift up Christ before men as a part of the divine plan for evangelization of the world, and we hold in high esteem Christian men and women in other communions who are engaged in winning souls to Christ. (Point 1 of policy No. 075 in the General Conference Working Policy: information/official-statements/documents/article/go/-/relationshipswith-other-christian-churches-and-religious-organizations) 2. The Unity of the Spirit: Doctrine must be established first before the exhortation of that doctrine. There is one faith not many in which the spirit brings us into unity. We saw that the Unity of the Spirit is the Spirit s unity and that spirit is the spirit of truth and guides one into truth and is the author of the book of truth. We saw: We are often exhorted, Be ye all of one mind, which means the same as Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace. (Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, p. 68.4) Christ calls for unity. But He does not call for us to unify on wrong practices. The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and false, misleading doctrines. He calls sin and impenitence by the right name. He does not gloss over wrongdoing with a coat of untempered mortar. I urge our brethren to unify upon a true, scriptural basis. Manuscript 10, (Selected Messages, bk. 1, p ) 3. Spiritual Gifts: Three lists: 1 Corinthians 12:8 10, 28; Romans 12:6 8; Ephesians 4:11 Biblical Gift of Prophecy!1

2 1 Corinthians 12:8 10, 28 Word of wisdom Word of knowledge Faith Gifts of healing Miracles Prophecy and prophets Discernment to judge or decide Tongues Languages Interpretation of tongues Apostles Teachers Helps (forms of assistance) Governments (forms of leadership) Romans 12:6 8 Prophecy, Ministry Teaching Exhortation (encouraging, appealing) Ephesians 4:11 Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and teachers Biblical Gift of Prophecy!2

3 Introduction to Prophets What or whom is a prophet? prophet (Heb. nabi ; Gk. prophētēs), a person who serves as a channel of communication between the human and divine worlds. (The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)... a prophet was a spokesman for God; he spake in God s name and by his authority (Ex. 7:1). He is the mouth by which God speaks to men (Jer. 1:9; Isa. 51:16), and hence what the prophet says is not of man but of God (2 Pet. 1:20, 21; comp. Heb. 3:7; Acts 4:25; 28:25) (Easton Bible Dictionary) Hebrew: נ ב יא Nabi: [naw-bee ]: Spokesperson, prophet Greek: προφήτης prophētēs [pro-fay -tace] Prophet. from a comp. of πρό pro before and φηµί phēmi to declare or say A prophet s primary function in the Old Testament was to serve as God s representative or ambassador by communicating God s word to his people. Prophets were once called a seer: 1 Samuel 9:9. A crucial characteristic of a prophet was a call from God. Attempting to prophesy without such a commission was false prophecy (Jeremiah 14:14; 17:9). A true prophet never spoke their own words or on their own authority. They were not to share personal opinions, but instead the message God himself gave them. 2 Peter 1:20, 21 Moses: Exodus 4:12; Deuteronomy 18:18 Jeremiah: Jeremiah 1:9 Ezekiel: Ezekiel 2:7 Other OT books began: Hosea 1:2; Joel 1:1; Micah 1:1; Amos 1:3 Biblical Gift of Prophecy!3

4 The prophetic office was not restricted to only men: Miriam: Exodus 15:20 Deborah: Judges 4:4 Daughters of Philip: Acts 21:8, 9 How the Word Came Audible voice: 1 Samuel 3:1 6 Visions and dreams: Numbers 12:6; Isaiah 1:1; (Ezekiel 8:1) To Elijah was entrusted the mission of delivering to Ahab Heaven's message of judgment. He did not seek to be the Lord s messenger; the word of the Lord came to him. (Prophets and Kings, p ) God s Mouthpieces A strict standard of judgment: Miracles were not the test of the prophet: Deuteronomy 13:1 3 sign אוֹת) oth) and wonders מוֹפ ת) mopheth) means miracle: Numbers 14:22 אוֹת) oth); Exodus 7:9 מוֹפ ת) mopheth) The words must come to pass: (Deuteronomy 18:22) The False prophet Hananiah: Jeremiah 28:1 17 Thus: The punishment for speaking falsely in God s name: Deuteronomy 18:20. Prophets did not just predict the future but were God s voice to: make known the holiness of God and the covenant obligations; to denounce injustice (Such as Nathan to David: 2 Samuel 12:7), idolatry, and empty ritualism; and to call God s covenant people to repentance and faithfulness. Being a prophet could be dangerous: 2 Chronicles 36:16; Luke 11:51; 2 Chronicles 24:20 22; Matthew 14:3, 10; Acts 7:52 Biblical Gift of Prophecy!4

5 New Testament Prophecy John was a prophet: Luke 1:76; Matthew 11:9 Jesus claimed to be: Matthew 13:57 On the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:17, 18 from Joel 2. Prophetic ministry in the early church was widespread and diverse. A band of prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch, Acts 11:27, 28. Prophets were active in the churches at: Antioch: Acts 13:1 Tyre: Acts 21:4 Caesarea, where the four daughters of Philip prophesied: Acts 21:8, 9. Prophecy, one of the gifts of the Spirit designed for edifying the body of Christ, was also utilized in several churches: Rome: Romans 12:6 Corinth: 1 Corinthians 12:7 11; 14:1 40 Ephesus: Ephesians. 2:20; 4:11 Thessalonica: 1 Thessalonians 5:19 22 The Gift of Prophecy to continue: Ephesians 4:11 13, Revelation 12:17; 19:10; 16:4 6 Ellen White: When Elder Campbell asked her if she had any light as to whether she would live till Jesus returned, she replied that she had no light on the matter. When he expressed his concern as to the welfare of the cause in her absence, she quietly replied, The Lord is perfectly able to take care of His cause. He then asked whether in the event she was called to her rest, another would be raised up to take her place. Several of her books were lying on the writing table attached to her chair. Campbell reports that she spread her hands over them, and said that in those books was outlined the information needed by Biblical Gift of Prophecy!5

6 our people for the rest of the journey. She chose to go no further in comment regarding a possible successor. DF 108, M. N. Campbell, Report of an Interview With Sister White, Feb. 3, {6BIO 404.3} This is true of the Bible too 2 Timothy 3:15-17 There will be those who will claim to have visions. When God gives you clear evidence that the vision is from Him, you may accept it, but do not accept it on any other evidence; for people are going to be led more and more astray in foreign countries and in America. (The Review and Herald, May 25, 1905, see also Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 72.2) Gift of Prophecy 1 Corinthians 14:1 all encouraged but not are call: 1 Corinthians 12:29 31 God dispenses His gifts as it pleases Him. He bestows one gift upon one, and another gift upon another, but all for the good of the whole body. (Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p ) The primary purpose: 1 Corinthians 14:3, 4 God dispenses His gifts as it pleases Him. He bestows one gift upon one, and another gift upon another, but all for the good of the whole body. (Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p ) Prophecy brings conviction to sinners: 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25 Paul envisions those who prophecy as teachers:1 Corinthians 14:31 Luke describes situations in which prophecy serves to provide divine direction for ministry (Acts 13:1 3) as well as to issue warnings to God s people (Acts 21:4, 10 14). In the New Testament, those claiming to be prophets must be subject to the final authority of the apostles (1 Corinthians 14:36 38, 32). Biblical Gift of Prophecy!6

7 36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 cif anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. (ESV) Prophet to be Tested Prophecy is a great and wonderful gift to the church. But just as there are false apostles and teachers there are false prophets. Christians are not to gullibly embrace all who claim to have the prophet gift. As noted 1 Corinthians 14:32. John says to test the prophets: 1 John 4:1; 2 John Notice the focus is on the incarnation and the sonship of Jesus. These are so important that it helps to explain Revelation 19:10. In other words, all true prophecy is from Jesus and bears witness to Jesus Christ. Prophetic revelation is not only rooted in the gospel of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; its ultimate aim or primary focus is also to bear witness to the person of the incarnate Son of God. Prophecy, therefore, is fundamentally Christ-centered. 1 Thessalonians 5:20 Anna Rice Phillips Anna Rice Phillips ( ) was a claimed new prophetess, who was supported by W. W. Prescott and others. From Ogden, Utah, she first claimed visions in 1891, and in April, 1894, Adventist minister A.T. Jones presented Anna Phillips's testimonies as a genuine manifestation of the spirit of prophecy. However the next day he got a letter from Ellen White which convinced the church she was sincere yet mistaken. Anna Phillips repudiated her experience and became a trusted Bible worker. ( Prophecy_in_the_Seventh-day_Adventist_Church) Biblical Gift of Prophecy!7

8 Margaret Rowen Margaret W. Rowen claimed to receive visions, and formed an alternative short-lived church, the Reformed Seventh-day Adventist Church (not to be confused with the much more significant Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement). Rowen became an Adventist in She claimed to receive her first vision on June 22, 1916 which she shared with members of a prayer group at her South Side Los Angeles Church, gaining a small following. Several church leaders, especially Dr. Bert E. Fullmer, supported her. A periodical The Reform Advocate and Prayer Band Appeal was printed. The Southern California Conference investigated the claims, but was originally inconclusive. She authored A Stirring Message for the Time (Pasadena, California: The Grant Press, 1918). In 1918, A. G. Daniells reported the investigators had concluded her visions were not of heavenly origin. The following year Rowen, Fullmer, a physician, and at least two other ministers were disfellowshipped. In 1920, a false document was planted by Fullmer (under Rowen's directive) in the Ellen G. White Estate files in White's home. Dated 1911 and supposedly written by White, it announced Rowen as a succeeding prophetess. At its peak, the movement had around 1000 followers. Rowen gave several false predictions. Fullmer authored Bearing Witness (Los Angeles: The Reform Press, 1923). In 1925, Fullmer admitted the fraudulent letter. In the March 1926 issue of the periodical, he presented his conclusion that Rowen was a fraud. In response, she conspired to murder him the following year, but was unsuccessful. She served a one-year sentence in the San Quentin State Prison in California, by which time her movement had fallen apart. ( Final Counsel Biblical Gift of Prophecy!8

9 I have been shown many who will claim to be especially taught of God, and will attempt to lead others, and from mistaken ideas of duty they will undertake a work that God has never laid upon them. Confusion will be the result. Let everyone seek God most earnestly for himself that he may individually understand His will. (Letter 54, Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 72.1) Extra for possible afternoon dissucsion: Tests of a true prophet by Dennis Fortin (Edited) I. The Tests of a Genuine Prophet A. The Test of Agreement With Prior Revelation Isaiah 8:20 : To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 1. The test : a. The teachings of alleged new prophets must not contradict the teachings of old, validated, established prophets. b. Each succeeding new prophet s utterance must agree with cumulative messages of all the preceding prophets. c. A modern-day prophet s message must agree with Scripture. 2. Considerations to be given : a. This does not preclude the possibility of new light coming from God--information that goes beyond the earlier prophets. Biblical Gift of Prophecy!9

10 (1) Extra-biblical information in addition to that given by previous prophets is possible. (a) The New Testament gives new light not provided in the Old Testament. (b) Ellen G. White gives new light not found in the Bible. (2) Anti-biblical information that contradicts the earlier prophets is to be discarded. (a) Isaiah 8:20 says this new light is not light at all. (b) Isaiah also indicates in v.19 that light coming to mankind in a mode contrary to biblical norms, such as necromancy and spiritualism, is also considered false and to be rejected. B. The Test of Fulfillment of Prophecy: Jeremiah 28:9 : When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet know that the Lord has truly sent him. Deuteronomy 18:22 : If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. 1. The test : a. Fulfillment of predictions concerning future events. 2. Considerations to be given : a. The conditional element may qualify the application of this test: (1) Both Jeremiah and Moses mention this conditional element in the same books in which they identify fulfillment as a test. (Jer 18:6-10; 26:2-6; Deut 4:9; 8:19; 28:1,2,13-15.) (2) Other references to conditional fulfillment of predictions : Zech 6:15; 2 Chron 15:2. (See also The Role of Israel in OT Prophecy, 4BC ) Biblical Gift of Prophecy!10

11 (3) Jonah s prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh is a good example of the application of conditionality to prophecies. (a) The conditional element was not explicit in his oral message, but it was implicit. b. We must remember that Satan can make limited predictions concerning the immediate future. (1) In the case of king Saul, by the time he visited the witch of Endor he had so totally apostatized and had committed the unpardonable sin, that Satan had total control of the man, and could predict his immediate demise with accuracy (1 Sam 28:19). (2) Ellen G. White adds that in certain instances false prophets in her day were able to predict certain things in a very limited way, and these came to pass as predicted (2SM 76, 77, 86). (3) Nevertheless, fulfillment of prediction is a legitimate test of a prophet, but with these qualifications. C. The Test of Attitude Toward the Incarnation of Jesus: 1 John 4:2 : Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. 1. The test : a. A true prophet will declare, and not deny, both the deity and the humanity of Jesus. (1) In New Testament times, for the Greeks, it was possible to believe in the deity of Jesus yet very difficult, almost impossible, to believe in his humanity. The incarnation of a deity was a stumbling block. (2) For the Jews, it was possible to believe in Jesus humanity (he was the son of Joseph the carpenter). But it was almost impossible to believe in his deity. The deity of Jesus was a stumbling block. Biblical Gift of Prophecy!11

12 (3) So today, many emphasize Jesus humanity and reject he was the divine Son of God. Others view Jesus as divine and deemphasize his humanity. (4) The genuine prophet will support both Jesus divinity and humanity. D. The Test of Fruitage: Matthew 7:20 : Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 1. The test : a. Christians are not to be judges of motives and characters but fruit inspectors. 2. Considerations to be given: a. Areas in which this test is applied: (1) Fruitage in the prophet s own life. (2) Fruitage in the life of those who follow the alleged prophet. b. Fruit takes time to develop even in the natural world. (1) We should not be in a hurry to validate claims of alleged prophets, give plenty of time for fruit to appear. (2) Once emotion replaces sound judgment, there may be altogether too much speed, even in traveling a right road. He who travels too fast will find it perilous in more ways than one. It may not be long before he will branch off from the right road into a wrong path. (2SM 91). c. In applying this test, do not look for sinless perfection. (1) All the prophets (except Jesus) sinned, including Ellen G. White (Rom. 3:23). (2) How then can fruitage be a legitimate test? Ellen White gives a clue in Steps to Christ, pp , where she draws a distinction between individual deeds (whether Biblical Gift of Prophecy!12

13 good or bad) and the trend or direction of the total life. She says: The character [which is the fruit of a person s life] is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency [trend/direction] of the habitual words and acts. E. Additional Evidences of Authenticity of Prophetic Gift 1. The timeliness of the messages. 2. The practical nature of the messages. 3. The absolute certainty of the messages. 4. The recognition accorded by contemporaries. 5. The relation to outside influences. 6. The physical phenomena attending the visions. EGW Not Claiming to be a Prophet. On Sabbath, 1 October 1904, while preaching in the Battle Creek Tabernacle to an audience estimated at 2,500 to 3,000 people, and the next day, Sunday, speaking to about 2,000 people, she made a remark to the effect that she had never claimed to be a prophet. I have had no claims to make, only that I am instructed that I am the Lord s messenger; that He called me in my youth to be His messenger, to receive His word, and to give a clear and decided message in the name of the Lord Jesus. { 1SM 32.1} Early in my youth I was asked several times, Are you a prophet? I have ever responded, I am the Lord s messenger. I know that many have called me a prophet, but I have made no claim to this title. My Saviour declared me to be His messenger. Your work, He instructed me, is to bear My word. Strange things will arise, and in your youth I set you apart to bear the message to the erring ones, to carry the word before unbelievers, and with pen and voice to reprove from the Word actions that are not right. Exhort from the Word. I will Biblical Gift of Prophecy!13

14 make My Word open to you. It shall not be as a strange language. In the true eloquence of simplicity, with voice and pen, the messages that I give shall be heard from one who has never learned in the schools. My Spirit and My power shall be with you. { 1SM 32.2} Be not afraid of man, for My shield shall protect you. It is not you that speaketh: it is the Lord that giveth the messages of warning and reproof. Never deviate from the truth under any circumstances. Give the light I shall give you. The messages for these last days shall be written in books, and shall stand immortalized, to testify against those who have once rejoiced in the light, but who have been led to give it up because of the seductive influences of evil. { 1SM 32.3} Why have I not claimed to be a prophet? Because in these days many who boldly claim that they are prophets are a reproach to the cause of Christ; and because my work includes much more than the word prophet signifies. { 1SM 32.4} So while EGW never claimed the title of prophet she never denied the role of a prophet and in fact, she said her work included much more. Biblical Gift of Prophecy!14