The Prophecy Series: The Limitations of Prophecy Part 2
THIS IS PART OF AN ONGOING SERIES ON THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
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Prophecy can speak to the past, present, or future, and can be limited by the degree of what is revealed.
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 14, a fascinating statement is made about the nature of prophecy. Speaking of unbelievers that would be the recipients of a prophetic word, Paul states:
I Corinthians 14:24-25 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.
To this, Gregory the Great, the sixth-century teacher and church leader states:
Gregory makes a key observation about the nature of prophecy in looking at this passage. It is a mistake to define prophetic utterances as those saying which predict future events when, very clearly, the prophetic utterance here has nothing to do with future events. Rather, what is revealed is the secrets of the heart.
When the full scope of prophetic revelation is taken into account, the definition of prophecy speaking to future events must be done away with. Gregory the Great’s definition of prophecy can rightly be applied here:
Prophecy is not something concerned with time, but with the truth.
He goes on to state:
John Paul Jackson has said that the gift of prophesy is the ability to receive revelation, not the revelation itself. This seems to square with the historic understanding in regards to the gift of prophecy. John Paul went on to liken the gift of prophecy to a satellite receiving dish (which, of course, is not a metaphor you will find in the 6th century writings). The satellite receives the signal, the signal is the revelation. It is then imperative that the satellite (the gifted individual) would turn to the correct frequency (meaning God).
Prophecy is not the foretelling of future events, but the revealing of hidden truths that only God knows.
One truth may be hidden in the heart of the person God has put in front of you, another truth may be hidden in time.
Isaiah demonstrates the broad scope of prophetic ministry when, as a prophet speaking on behalf of the Lord, he says:
Isaiah 48:3-6:
“I have declared the former things from the beginning; They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. Because I knew that you were obstinate, And your neck was an iron sinew, And your brow bronze, Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.’ “You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them.”
This prophetic utterance runs the gamut when it comes to past, present, and future revelation. Here is a breakdown:
Declaring former things (past)
Suddenly, I did them (present)
I knew you were obstinate (present)
Even from the beginning, I declared (future)
Before it came to pass I proclaimed (future)
I made you hear new things (future)
Even hidden things (past)
You did not know (past & present)
When we look at the nuts and bolts of a prophetic utterance we see something that is not just concerned with future predictions. Many today seem convinced that prophetic ministry is meant to accurately predict the future, but this is just not the case time and time again in scripture. In this passage from Isaiah, the whole reason given for each “tense” of prophetic ministry (past, present, future) is found in verse 5:
Isaiah 48:5:
…Lest you should say, “My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.”
The entire thrust of what God spoke through Isaiah was that the nation would be able to see what they had worshipped was not God.
The whole purpose of prophetic ministry is to reveal the nature and heart of God
The metric for success is then not the accurate revealing of future or even present events. The metric for success is the presence of God. This is explicitly stated in 1 Corinthians 14:24-25:
“But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.”
The response is important. It is all centred on the presence of God and revealing the heart of the Father.