Romans 12:3-8, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness." (KJV)
The Gift of Prophecy Defined
In Romans 12:6 and 1 Corinthians 12:10-28 we read of the office and of the gift of prophecy. As with many issues in Scripture, there is much controversy and confusion surrounding this gift. The most common questions asked are these: Is this a gift for the church today? Or is this a gift that ceased with the close of the Apostolic age?
Now, depending on who or what you consult, you will get quite a different answer. There are many in the church who claim the validity of the gift of prophecy today.
In Fort Collins the Prophecy Club regularly features "prophets" such as Demitre Dooduman who see visions of New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles being destroyed by atomic bombs. In fact one radio preacher identified as brother Staire claimed that on June 6, 1996 there would be widespread destruction of the United States and South America because of nuclear missiles being launched against selected targets. Another man in Ohio claims that he was told by God to squat on church property. All of these men claim that they received their messages from the Lord. All of these men claim to have heard from God.
Rodman Williams wrote in the Logos Journal:
"God does not speak. . . as authoritatively today as He spoke to the Biblical authors. But he does continue to speak (He did not stop with the close of the New Testament canon); thus, he 'moves through and beyond the records of past witness,' for he is the living God who still speaks and acts among His people." (May-June, 1977, p. 35)
There also are many in the church who have concluded that the gift of prophecy is not appropriate for this age. Over 300 years ago, the Westminster Assembly said this:
The ordinary and perpetual officers in the church are "pastors, teachers, and other church-governors, and deacons" since the extra-ordinary officers, "as apostles... and prophets," which Christ appointed for the edification of His church and for the perfecting of the saints have ceased. (quoted in The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government and of Ordination of Ministers)
Which view is correct? To which does the Scripture testify? This morning as we begin to address this question, I must emphatically state that my intention with this series is not to criticize people. If you or a friend are involved in the Pentecostal or Charismatic movement know that my intention is not to denigrate you or them! Rather, I want only to look at the validity of the gift of prophecy from the perspective of Scripture.
Now having said this, that doesn't mean that I won't make use of some quotes. To deal with this issue in an intelligible way, we must look at what is being asserted by the church today. However, the purpose of each quote will not be to vilify or exonerate a man or a movement, but simply to clarify.
Let's begin answering the question, "What does the Bible say about the gift of prophecy?" And to do that, we must begin looking at the origin of prophecy.
The Origin of Prophecy, Deuteronomy 18:16-18
Deuteronomy 18:16-18, "According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."(KJV)
The book of Deuteronomy sets in redemptive history as a series of sermons that Moses preached to the people of God just before they entered the Promised Land. In this passage, Moses instructs God's people as to whom they should follow when they enter the land.
Deuteronomy 18:14, "For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so [to do]." (KJV)
Indeed, rather than listening to Satan, God's people were to listen to God! But How? And in what form? Notice Deuteronomy 18:15:
"The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken."
This is perhaps one of the most important verses we will look at when it comes to understanding the gift or office of prophet. Biblical prophecy-the office and the gift-had its origins in the Old Testament! In fact, by the New Testament the gift of prophecy was well established. Prophecy is not a distinctly New Testament phenomenon, but one which dates back to the most ancient experiences of God's people.
When we think of prophecy as an Old Testament gift, our minds immediately think of what has been called "The Prophetic Age" of the Old Testament with Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Micah, Hosea, etc. And yet, from Deuteronomy 18 we discover that prophecy had its origins in the era of Moses! In fact, Old Testament prophecy reached its point of highest glory with Moses! (cf. Deuteronomy 34:10; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Hebrews 3:3)
Now notice something very important as to the origin of prophecy. In the days before Moses, God spoke personally to the covenantal heads of the various patriarchal families- Noah, Abram, etc. This fatherly head would then communicate the word of God to the people entrusted to his care. And yet, when we come to the time of Moses a paradigm shift occurs:
Deuteronomy 18:16-17, "According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the LORD said unto me, They have well [spoken that] which they have spoken." (KJV)
The Old Testament office of prophet began when God's people requested a substitute for themselves. Communication with God was too awesome a thing!
Exodus 19:16-19, "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that [was] in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice."(KJV)
And thus, God was "pleased" (Deuteronomy 18:17, "And the LORD said unto me, They have well [spoken that] which they have spoken") to speak to just one man with the result that as O. Palmer Robertson wrote:
The small, simple voice of the prophet [substituted] for all the awesome signs of Sinai." (The Final Word, p. 2)
As with almost every theological issue and institution in the Bible -marriage, the priesthood of the believer, salvation, the sacraments, worship, etc.-the gift and office of prophecy takes its shape not in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament! (Again, by the time of the New Testament, the office of prophet was well established!) Thus, if we are going to understand the Biblical gift of prophecy we must understand it in its original context: the Old Testament!
The Nature of Prophecy, Deuteronomy 18:18-20
Deuteronomy 18:18-20, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die." (KJV)
In its most essential form, prophecy is a vehicle of revelation. Revelation is the communication of God's word to man! The people of God, having been redeemed from slavery, were brought to God at Sinai to receive not the word's of a man, but the Word of God! And yet because of the awesome presence of God, the people asked for a mediator! A request that God was pleased to grant. Thus the "thunderous voice of God, the lightening, the fire, the smoke, the earthquake, and the peal of the trumpet were all replaced by the voice of a single Israelite speaking among his brothers." And yet, this single voice was understood to be nothing less than the Word of God- this is the essence of revelation, this is the essence of prophecy!
Let me show you this from another passage Exodus 24. In Exodus 24 we read of the actual account of God's people at Sinai. When Moses, going in the place of all the people, returned from speaking with God and conveyed the Word of the Lord to God's people, we read verse 7:
"And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient."
The nature of prophecy is one and the same as revelation-the communication of a word from God! And thus we read Deuteronomy 18:19, "And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him."
Because of the nature of Biblical prophecy - that it is the giving of God's Word - to not obey the prophetic word was to disobey God. To disobey God's Word was at the risk of judgment! This would also be the case for the prophet who exercised the gift flippantly.
Deuteronomy 18:20, "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die." (KJV)
Brothers and Sisters, in the Bible the gift of prophecy stands for nothing less than a vehicle of revelation. To misuse the gift, is to suffer the same consequence as blasphemy - which was Death!
When we look at the gift of prophecy, we discover that from the very beginning, prophecy was and is a vehicle of revelation! Or in English, the communication of God's word! This cannot be too strongly emphasized to affirm that Biblical prophecy continues in either of its basic forms - foretelling or forthtelling. When anyone expresses belief that revelation continues, or that the Word of God is not complete, or that there is still something that can be added to Scripture is to deny the truth! Often times you hear it stated that the Biblical gift of prophesying is nothing more than preaching - in fact, I have even said this from time to time. Yet, upon my study of God's Word, I retract those statements. As O. Palmer Robertson wrote:
"While a contemporary preacher may be 'prophetic' in his pulpit ministry, he is not 'prophesying' in the biblical sense..." (Ibid., pg. 4)
Now having mentioned the possibility of the misuse of the gift, God qualifies the gift of prophecy- from which we conclude something about its standard.
The Standard of Prophecy, Deuteronomy 18:21-22
Deuteronomy 18:21-22, "And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that [is] the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, [but] the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." (KJV)
These verses establish for us the standard - or measuring stick-against which one can measure the validity of this gift. That standard is nothing less than perfection - since we are talking about God's Word - the prophet must be one hundred percent accurate!
How do we know if a person truly is a prophet? Because he is correct not just fifty percent of the time, seventy-five percent of the time or even like Rush Limbaugh claims ninety-eight percent of the time, but rather he is right one hundred percent of the time. Anything less than one hundred percent of the time is proof that he is a false prophet.
Deuteronomy 18:22, "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that [is] the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, [but] the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." (KJV)
Now this just stands to reason, since a prophet is a mouthpiece of revelation of God's Word, every authentic prophetic revelation must be as true, reliable, and inerrant as Scripture itself. To have it any other way is to either make God a liar, or add to the doctrine of "Revelation" the component of error with the possibility that Scripture itself contains portions of error!
And yet, we hear a different testimony today. Those advocating the continuation of this gift have asserted that the Bible advocates a second kind of revelation, non-canonical revelation. Or simply put another way, errant revelation.
Bob Jones (not of the University) in his teaching titled The Shepherd's Rod, explains why so many modern prophecies go unfulfilled:
"[God] said, 'If I release the hundred-percent rhema [sic] right now, the accountability would be awesome and you'd have so much Ananias and Sapphiras going on that the people couldn't grow- they'd be too scared.' But He said, 'If it was on target, it would kill instead of scaring the people to repentance'. . . . That is what He told me, so I figure if I hit two-thirds of it, I'm doing pretty good."
And Mike Bickle, the pastor of Bob's church, added:
". . . when Bob first said [this] I said 'Two thirds?' He said, 'Well, that's better than it's ever been in this nation up to now. . . . That's the highest level it's ever been.' "
In other words the purveyors of this type of thought ignore the fact that when a prophecy goes unfulfilled or is even wrong by saying that this is not proof that it is false. In fact, according to Bob Jones, even if a person's prophecies are wrong one-third of the time or more, the gift of prophecy can still be claimed!
Kenneth Copeland, a self-proclaimed prophet, testified that Christ gave him this message:
"The more you get to be like Me, the more they're going to think that way of you. They crucified Me for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in Me. Hallelujah.! That's what you're doing." (Quoted in MacArthur's Charismatic Chaos, p. 57)
Copeland's "prophecy" is clearly false. Christ did claim to be God (John 8:58; Mark 14:61-64; John 6:16-18; 10:30-33). Yet, thousands continue following him as a true prophet of God! Why? Because today it is espoused that the true gift of prophecy doesn't need to be accurate one hundred percent of the time!
Let me read once again this passage and listen to the standard when it comes to the accuracy of the prophet's message:
Deuteronomy 18:22, "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that [is] the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, [but] the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." (KJV)
The standard of Biblical prophecy is that it must be one hundred percent accurate. Anything less is to testify that the prophet is not a prophet of God. The words of the prophet are false.
Now because of prophecy's nature and standard, we are not shocked to discover that God has established a deterrence to the abuse or misuse of the gift of prophecy.
God's Protection of Prophecy, Deuteronomy 18:20 - 22
Deuteronomy 18:20 -22, "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that [is] the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, [but] the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."(KJV)
What does "presumptuously" mean? (verse 20) According to verse 22, it simply means to not have your prophecy be accurate. Death is the Biblical punishment for all prophets who have been shown to be false!
Now the question raised at this point is, "Why?" "Why such a stiff penalty?" The only answer is because of what is at stake.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5, "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn [you] away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee." (KJV)
Once again, understand the setting. In his sermon contained in Deuteronomy, Moses describes a scene in which a prophet rises up from among God's people and what he prophesies is attested to by signs and yet he prophesies falsely. Upon a reading of these verses, Moses makes it sound as if the words of this false-prophet are blatantly and obviously wrong. And yet, from the warnings of other passages (i.e., Matthew 24:11; Mark 13:22) we know that this is not the case. Satan's messengers have always been deceptive. And God's children were to be very careful when it came to following a prophet - lest they follow Satan! In this setting of error there is but one penalty for that false prophet: DEATH!
To guard this sacred and holy office, God set up the fence of death to all who would say "Thus saith the Lord" falsely! As we begin analyzing the gift of prophecy from Scripture, we observe that its roots go back to the Old Testament. The Old Testament establishes the foundation upon which we must derive our theology of prophecy. Prophecy is ever and always revelatory- i.e., a proclamation of the Word of God. It is always to be one hundred percent accurate. Its penalty for misuse or falsehood was death!
Now brothers and sisters, there is a lot of talk about the continuation of this gift in our day. In fact there are whole denominations who have been founded on this supposition: the gift of prophecy continues today. Even in our own denomination there is confusion as to the relevancy of this gift today.
If we believe that the Biblical gift of prophecy is still operative today then we must also believe that the Bible you hold in your hand is not complete or sufficient! Is God still speaking new revelation to us? Is God still adding to His Word? Or Is God's Word complete? The conclusion at which we arrive from just this treatment on the Biblical gift of prophecy is that the gift is not applicable today - it passed away with the close of the apostolic age!
That is why as a denomination we have professed this:
"[That] ...those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people [through those revelatory organs who occupied the extraordinary offices of apostle and prophet have] ceased." (WCF I, i)
Now I have no doubt that there are some listening to me who are saying to themselves, "How unkind." "How unloving." While it is true that often I can be an unloving and mean person, I beg to differ with all who say that to warn of error is in itself unloving. In our comfortable and safe world in which we live under the assumption that the gift of prophecy is passed away we are tempted to say, "What's so bad about brothers and sisters in the Lord saying that the gift continues?" "What's the harm?" "Why be so critical?" "Why not live and let live?"
Brothers and sisters there is great danger and harm in any theological system that believes in the continuation of the gift of prophecy. It is a slippery slope. To believe in the continuation of prophecy is to believe in the continuation of revelation - the giving of God's Word. To believe in the continuation of revelation is to believe in the insufficiency of Christ and the Scripture. To believe in the continuation of prophecy is to believe that what you hold in your hand is not complete; there is more needed. To believe in the insufficiency of Christ and the Scriptures is to reject portions of God's word. And to reject portions of God's word is to eventually reject God's word completely.
The following letter was written by a person claiming to have been given the gift of prophecy:
"I do not feel the need for study of the Scriptures, for I know Jesus as He has revealed Himself to me within; and as He dwells in me, there is the Word.
"I go to scripture, and scripture is vital and necessary- but neither central nor crucial, for I have Him- rather He has me. Scriptures are a secondary source.
"Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit the Word in me (the very spiritual body of Jesus Christ) is primary. I say this as a living experience out of what he has given me to say." (Quoted in MacArthur's Charismatic Chaos, pg. 84)
Lest you think that this person who has gone over-board, I ask you if the gift of prophecy is still operative today then what is it to discount this man's prophetic Word? (As extreme as it may sound.) Is there really a difference between the assertion of this letter and any who say, "God told me to do such and such?"- a difference in degrees perhaps, but not in content!
Conclusion
One of the definitions of the Church as found in Ephesians 1 is that she is a group of people called by God under His Word. (Ephesians. 1:7-9a) Let us be careful that in our attempt to protect a tool of revelation that we not reject God's Revelation itself! In the words of Paul, let us "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." ( 2 Timothy 2:15)
To any who may be angry or upset on account of this sermon, let me encourage you do not be angry about what I have said. I have not attacked you. Rather, be like the Bereans, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11, KJV)
If the message preached today is not correct, you have an obligation based on Scripture to reject this message! If it is true, you have an obligation to - I will let you finish the sentence.
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