Prophecy
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
1 Corinthians 14:1
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STUDY MATERIALS PURPOSE
The purpose of these study materials is to help, strengthen and educate the Persecuted Church around the world.
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A Solid Biblical and Scriptural Viewpoint
I believe God wants to use prophecy in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ. But we need to be careful to have a solid biblical and scriptural viewpoint about the office of the prophet and the Holy Spirt’s Gift of Prophecy. These are 2 different things with 2 separate anointings. My heart is that we go after God’s Heart to love people, pray for people, move with the Holy Spirits leading and expect God to move and help people as He wills.
I will have more to share on this subject in the future.
Pastor David
Kenneth E. Hagin - Prophecy - 1977
Christ In You The Hope Of Glory - Series - Message #2 - Gloria Copeland
There will come a time when we’re right on the threshold of it. When further revelation concerning the power of God and concerning how to activate faith will come.
Truth has been revealed. Truth and light and revelation in line with God's word comes as you teach the word and as you study the word, but there will come further revelation concerning the power of the Lord to heal and concerning faith to operate that power that it will seem as though the church almost immediately will rise up as a spiritual giant and there will be a release of power in our day and in our age that man has not seen before. There will be a revelation that will cause the church to rise up it will seem as though overnight.
That these people, men on the earth will walk and talk and act like God. And they will live in the power of God, motivated by His power, motivated by His Spirit.
Some will laugh and mock and religious people and even some that have been filled with the Spirit will say, "They think they are somebody come, they think they’re God!" No their not God, they’re only children of God, agents of God, ambassadors of God who have been sent to do the works of God.
Another time:
The power of God in the Old Testament plus the multiplying of power of God in our days, that there is going to be a RELEASE of power. (It is not going to just drop on us, we have to desire it, hunger and pray for it!)
The Portland Vision - John G. Lake
May 20, 1920
(Excerpt from the Portland vision)
I discerned the heart of the angel was overburdened. In answer to this the angel said, “Human selfishness and human pride have consumed and dissipated the very glory and heavenly power that God once gave from heaven to this movement as you have beheld tonight.”
We were now at the foot of the pathway again. He took a step or two away, and in a sort of despair my heart cried out, “Angel, these are struggling for want of an ideal. What constitutes real Pentecost? What ideal should be held before the minds of men as the will of God exhibited through a movement like this?”
During all this time I had carried my Bible in my hand. Reaching for the Bible, he opened to the Book of Acts, ran his finger down over the second page, that portion where the Spirit of God came down from Heaven. Proceeding through the Book of Acts to its great outstanding revelations and phenomena, he said, “This is Pentecost as God gave it through the heart of Jesus. Strive for this. Contend for this. Teach the people to pray for this. For this, and this alone, will meet the necessity of the human heart, and this alone will have the power to overcome the forces of darkness.” When the angel was departing he said, “Pray. Pray. Pray. Teach the people to pray. Prayer and prayer alone, much prayer, persistent prayer, is the door of entrance into the heart of God.”
Prophecy - Ed Dufresne
From the book - Anointings and Mantles
There are those whom God has not set. They have set themselves and said "I am an apostle, and I am a prophet, and I am this, and I am that."
Shortly you will see some of them drop dead, even in the pulpit, because they are lying to the Holy Spirit. And because the Head of the Church never set them into the Church to walk in that office.
You'll hear it said, "My, my, you know that preacher just keeled over in the pulpit. He must have been burned out."
No, saith the Lord, you shall see some of those go off the scene who get up and absolutely lie, saying, "I am this and I am that," but I never told them that they were in those offices.
But there will be those who will walk in the mighty power of God I have set these in their offices. They are not ignorant of the things that pertain to the Spirit, and they will walk in the office that I have set them in.
And they will rise up in these last days, and they will walk in the anointing, the gifts, and the equipment of their offices. Oh, how the Body of Christ will be blessed, because they will be coming on the scene.
Yes, the fivefold ministries and those that I have set in the Church will even come into cities. The pastor will work together with them as a team, and blessings will be conferred because of their unity, saith the Lord of hosts.
The Gift of Prophecy vs. The Office of the Prophet - Kenneth Hagin
The simple gift of prophecy should not be confused with the prophetic office or with prophetic utterance that may come forth in the prophet's ministry. Paul said, "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to EDIFICATION, and EXHORTATION, and COMFORT" (1 Cor. 14:3).
Thus, we can readily see that in the simple gift of prophecy there is no revelation. The simple gift of prophecy is given for edification, exhortation, and comfort. In the office of the prophet, however we very often find that revelation or foretelling does come forth, even through the vehicle of prophecy.
It is also interesting to note the difference between prophecy in the Old Testament and prophecy in the New Testament. In the Old Testament prophecy was essentially foretelling, but in the New Testament we see that the gift of prophecy shifts strongly to forth telling. Prophesying Is More Than Preaching
Some people think that "to prophesy" means to preach. All inspired utterance is prophecy in some form or another, but the spiritual gift of prophecy isn't preaching. Sometimes there is an element of prophecy in preaching when a person is anointed by the Spirit and is inspired to say
things spontaneously that come from his spirit rather than his head. But that is only one phase of the operation of the gift of prophecy.
I have heard people say, "I was witnessing to someone about the Lord and I said things to them that were in line with the Word but that were beyond my own thinking. I didn't think it and it didn't come out of my mind. I was just inspired by the Holy Spirit to say it." That is a part of the operation of this gift of prophecy because prophecy is inspired utterance. The gift of prophecy goes beyond speaking by our own reasoning processes and intellect.
"To preach" means to proclaim, to announce, to cry, or to tell. The scriptural purpose of the gift of prophecy is different from the purpose of preaching.
For example, Jesus didn't say that men would be saved by the foolishness of prophesying, but by the foolishness of preaching (1 Cor. 1:21). The supernatural gifts of the Spirit are given to arrest people's attention, not to save them. Even on the Day of Pentecost when people were speaking in tongues, none of those standing by listening got saved until Peter got up andpreached to them (Acts 2:14-41).
The Gift of Prophecy vs. The Office of the Prophet
As we have said, the gift of prophecy should not be confused with the prophetic office. The simple gift of prophecy has no revelation in it. Rather, it speaks unto men for their edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3); it is to edify the Church (1 Cor. 14:4).
Notice that in First Corinthians 14:1, Paul was telling the whole Church at Corinth to covet to prophesy and to desire spiritual gifts, ". . . but rather that ye may prophesy." Yet in First Corinthians 12:28, Paul said that all are not prophets. If prophesying made a person a prophet, then Paul would be contradicting himself. In other words, the fact that the gift of simple prophecy operates through a person doesn't make him a prophet.
For example, a rich man has money. Most of us have at least some money, even if it's only a few cents, but that doesn't make us rich. By the same token, a prophet would of course prophesy, but a person who prophesies wouldn't necessarily be a prophet.
Also, a prophet would have more of the gifts of the Spirit in operation than just the gift of prophecy.
He would have revelation gifts operating along with prophecy for the simple reason that Paul says in First Corinthians 14:29 and 30, "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be REVEALED to another that sitteth by [that is, another prophet], let the first hold his peace."
Here Paul is talking about revelation. "If any thing be REVEALED . . ." (v. 30). Therefore, the prophet would have other revelation gifts operating in his ministry, as well as the gift of prophecy.
To constitute standing in the office of the prophet, a person needs to have at least two of the revelation gifts operating on a continual basis in his life and ministry, plus the gift of prophecy. In other words, for a person to stand in the office of the prophet, he would need to be called to the fivefold ministry as a preacher or teacher of the Word (Eph. 4:11,12), and have two of the
three revelation gifts — the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, or the discerning of spirits ¦— plus prophecy operating consistently in his ministry.
Therefore, we should not confuse the office of the prophet with the simple gift of prophecy which we are all told to covet: "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy . . ."(1 Cor. 14:39). We can all have the gift of prophecy because God wouldn't tell us to covet something that wasn't available to us, nor to desire something that we couldn't have (1 Cor. 14:1,5,39). Yet all will not have all the gifts of the Spirit operating in their lives and ministries.
1 CORINTHIANS 14:1,5,39
1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may PROPHESY....
5 1 would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye PROPHESIED: for greater is he that PROPHESIETH than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying....
39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to PROPHESY, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
We can all prophesy, but we can't all be prophets. And although we can all prophesy, we must also realize that prophecy through the office of the prophet carries more authority than the simple gift of prophecy would operating through the laity.
New Testament Example Of the Gift of Prophecy
In Acts chapter 21, we see a scriptural illustration of some believers who had the gift of prophecy operating in their lives.
ACTS 21:8,9
8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
9 And the same man l Philip i had four daughters, virgins, WHICH DID PROPHESY.
All four of Philip's daughters had this simple gift of prophecy operating in their lives. They must have prophesied in the services held in their house because otherwise Paul and his company would not have known that they prophesied.
Philip's daughters spoke to the whole company to edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). However, when the prophet Agabus came, he had a message from the Holy Spirit on a higher order, which brought revelation.
New Testament Example of The Prophet's Ministry
ACTS 21:10,11
10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
Agabus wasn't necessarily prophesying here in the sense that we normally think of the gift of simple prophecy. He just had a message from the Holy Ghost. He had a message that had some revelation with it — the word of wisdom.
However, no definite direction was given to Paul in this message in the sense that Agabus didn't tell Paul to go or not to go to Jerusalem. That decision was left up to Paul. Agabus just told Paul what was going to happen in the near future should he go to Jerusalem.
There are two possible ways of interpreting the word of wisdom that Agabus had for Paul. One, it was a word of wisdom delivered through the vehicle of prophecy. Two, Agabus was just reporting the word of wisdom he already knew by the Spirit of God.
Therefore, we see that the prophet may prophesy, but the message he brings may not be simple prophecy at all. In other words, the message the prophet gives may come through the vehicle of prophecy (inspired utterance), but the message may actually be the revelation gifts in operation, such as the word of wisdom or the word of knowledge.
Or the prophet may just speak what he has already previously received from the Lord, reporting, "Thus saith the Lord," and the message may actually be other gifts of the Spirit in operation, such as the word of wisdom.
Therefore, in Acts 21:10,11, one of the revelation gifts — the word of wisdom — may have been manifested through the gift of prophecy. In that case, prophecy would just be the vehicle through which the word of wisdom came.
As I said, the other possibility is that when Agabus gave the word of the Lord to Paul, he was only reporting the word of wisdom he already knew by the Spirit, saying, "Thus saith the Holy Ghost," and was not literally speaking under the unction of prophecy.
King David - The Prophet
From an article by Dr John Garvey
King David does not often appear on the list of Israel’s prophets. But Peter certainly regarded him as a prophet (see Acts 2:30). In fact, there are more quotations in the New Testament from the psalms which are attributed to David than from any of the other prophets, with the exception of Isaiah.
Not only was David a prophet – he was the head of a school of prophets. In 1 Chronicles 25:1 we see that David set aside “some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.” All the men of this hereditary guild of prophets were under the supervision of their fathers, and the fathers were under the supervision of the king himself. “The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets” (1 Cor 14:32) indicates that it was not only as their king, but as their senior prophet, that David was overseer of their ministry.
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