What is Prophetic Ministry? Is it Biblical?

Scripturally, prophecy reveals God’s will, calls his people to repentance, and foretells future events. Biblical prophecy doesn’t only predict what’s to come. At the core, it hears God’s voice and repeats his messages to the people. Prophecy serves several purposes—declaring truth, warning of consequences, and offering eternal hope. Prophets act as God’s messengers, much like angels communicate the words of God with authority. When prophets speak correctly, it is as if God were speaking. 

The Hebrew word for prophecy is naba, meaning “to speak by divine inspiration” or “to declare a message from God.” The New Testament uses the Greek word propheteuo, which translates as “to speak forth” or “to proclaim God’s truth.” 

In the Old Testament, people like Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah acted as God’s messengers, always urging Israel to follow God’s commands. Their oracles included warnings in the immediate context and the long term. Isaiah talks about the coming Messiah, and Jeremiah warns about Jerusalem’s destruction because of their idolatry and rebellion against God. The prophets cry against idolatry and injustice, calling people to repent and return to right worship of God alone in heart, word, and deed.

Prophecy also spoke of God’s redemptive plan. Along with the Messiah being a suffering servant (Isaiah 53) and the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the Old Testament prophets begin writing about a return to Jerusalem in a new kingdom of peace and abundance. This new Jerusalem included all nations.

Each of the four Gospels in the New Testament begins with a prophet, John the Baptist, who prepares the way for Jesus. John the Baptist is himself a fulfillment of Malachi in the Old Testament. The Gospel stories transition to Jesus, who also spoke prophetically through teaching and prediction. He declared the arrival and coming of God’s kingdom, predicted his death and resurrection, and warned of the end times.

Prophecy—declaring the message of God—stands at the heart of the whole Bible, a divinely inspired collection of writings. The apostles wrote about prophets in Acts and themselves guided the early church by giving messages inspired by the Spirit. The book of Revelation contains further prophetic visions about Jesus’ return and the final fulfillment of God’s eternal kingdom.

God’s thoughts and ways are so far removed from humanity that we can’t reach his heart and mind on our own, nor can we hear his voice to follow him and have a relationship with him. The Father must reveal himself willingly and intentionally to give people his messages and correction to life and salvation. Prophecy runs through the whole Bible, in one way or another, and undergirds the very authority of the written Word. It shows us his love and desire to have a real relationship with us. And it also demonstrates how he seeks to partner with humanity in his redemptive plan.

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Prophecy has a particular place of importance among Charismatic denominations, which consider it a vital part of their ministries. They believe God continues to give messages to and through his people by the Holy Spirit. In this ministry, individuals receive and share “words” from God to encourage others in the church or the community. 

Ephesians 4:11 lists the “five-fold ministry”—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Charismatics often teach how God is bringing back apostles and prophets to the church to equip all believers for ministry. These prophets offer supernatural messages that might speak specific insights to individuals, groups, or communicate future events. The prophetic ministry happens mostly during church gatherings, or special prophetic meetings. Individuals (leaders or from the congregation) can share spontaneous messages, visions, or general impressions they believe come from God. The oracles should encourage the congregation, aligning with the apostle Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 14:3. 

Prophetic practice must include learning discernment and biblical teaching. Charismatics teach how to hear and share from God’s voice. At the same time, teachers also instruct their congregations on how to “test the spirits” with the Holy Spirit, adhere to biblical doctrine, and seek wisdom from trusted Christian members. If prophetic ministry wanders from these foundations, it can become damaging and dangerous. 

Charismatics see prophetic ministry as an active and central expression of the Holy Spirit in the church, from the testimony of Scripture, all intended to give exhortation and protection to God’s church. 

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Other ancient civilizations were aware of an unseen world to some degree and sought insight from their gods, too. However, biblical prophecy worked differently and came from a different source. 

Ancient cultures like Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia used oracles, divination, and omens to understand the will of the gods in order to appease them and avoid punishment. As an example, the Oracle of Delphi gave vague messages priests would interpret based on political agendas. Babylonian priests studied the patterns of the stars or animal guts to predict future events. In general, these rituals served rulers seeking power or confirmation in their decisions, not calling a people to a moral, spiritual, good standard. 

In contrast, biblical prophecy delivered clear and direct messages from God. Prophets didn’t need odd rituals to get revelation. They received direct messages from God, hearing his voice or possibly through visions or dreams. Yet even the interpretation of those visions and dreams belonged to God alone, not human will or agenda. Unlike pagan diviners, biblical prophets would confront kings and whole peoples with uncomfortable truths rather than confirming their desires, calling everyone from kings to citizens to repent. 

Also, while ancient oracles would focus only on fate or the future, often with no true moral message, biblical prophecy demanded obedience to God’s commands. Those commands transcended all human authority. Even kings had to submit to God’s law. The Lord commanded people to treat each other and foreigners with love and respect, generosity and truth. God rebuked oppression, idolatry, and corruption in all forms, warning of dire consequences for disobedience. 

Pagan oracles rarely called to a personal relationship or any future redemption and forgiveness. Biblical prophecy always promised a redemptive plan, enacted by God, despite the temporary consequences for sin. 

Ancient divination believed in many gods, each with power and their own agenda, a chaotic and unpredictable unseen realm where gods were often more corrupt than humans. Biblical prophecy declared one God, Yahweh, who controlled all things and had no equal. Yahweh is good and pure, righteous and holy, and he loves people.

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In the Old Testament, specific people among Israel were called to deliver God’s messages to his people or other nations. The priesthood was passed down through families. However, prophets received direct callings from God. They didn’t seek power or personal gain but spoke God’s word with his authority, and prophets often found themselves in trouble with authority or the people due to their messages of repentance. 

In fact, the Old Testament gives us examples of “prophets” who use the gift for personal gain. Balaam’s personal greed, using oracles for money, leads to his name being synonymous with evil and deception, even thousands of years later in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:15). 

Prophetic ministry evolved over Israel’s history. Early on, Moses became the standard of giving God’s messages and law. Later, during the time of the judges, Deborah and Samuel played a Moses-type role for a period of time, leading Israel spiritually and politically during crises. 

After Israel asked for a king and got one, prophetic ministry changed to a confrontational role. During the reign of Saul and David, Samuel acted as a priest and prophet, anointing kings and rebuking them. As the kings and nations of Israel grew more corrupt and idolatrous, Elijah emerged as the new prophetic standard, challenging the kings and people, performing miracles, and calling for repentance or suffering dire consequences. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others followed this role, even as Israel and Judah fell to Assyria and Babylon. 

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In the Old Testament, only a select few of God’s people were called to be prophets. In the New Testament, with the new covenant, God expands the prophetic gift to all believers. Through the Holy Spirit, every Christian hears the voice of God for themselves and can speak his message to others in the community and the church. 

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the believers and fulfilled Joel’s prophecy. “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). Joel’s prophecy spoke of a time when all of God’s people would participate in the prophetic, a major shift from the Old Testament model. Paul later writes about this in 1 Corinthians 14, encouraging all believers to desire the gift of prophecy, essentially hearing from God and repeating his messages to others, because it strengthens, encourages, and comforts the church. God’s word has creative power, so the ability to hear and share God’s heart leads to amazing things. The New Testament prophecy, generally, focuses more on encouragement and truth than specific future judgments and warnings. 

Another change involves how people judge real prophecy from false. In the Old Testament, the people would judge a prophet on two criteria: whether their prophecy came true or called the nation to a god other than Yahweh (Deuteronomy 18:22). A false prophet would face serious consequences, even execution. 

In the New Testament, the test of prophecy differs. Since every believer has the Spirit, the people can discern the source of prophecy, whether God or demons or man. The apostle John warns us to test the spirit to see if it’s from God, including whether the oracle affirms Jesus came as a human, because “false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 14 how the church can evaluate a prophecy, whether it is from the Spirit. Also, the New Testament doesn’t say we should ever kill prophets, only rebuke or discern their message for truth. 

While New Testament prophecy is available to all, some Christians still fill the role, even predicting future events. Agabus carries the title of prophet, and he predicts Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-11). As a real-world example, Paul affirmed the truth of this due to the Spirit within him, and the apostle made his own choice to go anyway, even though others tried to get him to avoid the persecution. Paul didn’t follow a prophet’s message just because he was a prophet. Like any gift, we must remember to participate soberly and responsibly, speaking truth in love and aligning with the Bible. 

Peace.

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