PROPHETS

[Inquisitor]

Omegatime's Questions:

1.) "How many here went before the Lord and asked for the gift of prophecy?"
I don't recall anyone in the New Testament asking for the gift of prophecy... I only recall God giving gifts out as he sees fit.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

The church is powerless without the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

 

[Bob-Carabbio]

How many here went before the Lord and asked for the gift of prophecy?? What did you ask for?? How long ago was it?? What have you received?? Do you feel the Lord answered your prayer? and how?

PERSONALLY I hang my hat on Ps 37:5 - "Commit thy way unto the lord believe also in HIM and HE will bring it to pass". And for the last 60 years, HE HAS.

 

[Cameron143]

of scripture?

Yes, or an application for a particular person or persons.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

What can you share that nobody else has received?

I think we should be careful about adding to and taking from the words of God that his apostles and prophets set forth in the tbe earth if a “ prophet “ is telling us different things from Jesus contrary things it’s a false prophet


the gospel that Jesus preached and sent to the world for salvation is what it’s all about now. Jesus and the apostles already foretold up to the end of this world prophets today arent foretelling future events they are understanding and revealing the mysteries of the scripture that’s already there

all the information is already written if you notice Paul , Peter , john they were constantly quoting the prophets of the ot and then explaining how that had been fulfilled now

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:19-20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

awe aren’t meant to add to what’s there or remove any of it but hear and believe maybe even understand some of it Gods words are now coming to pass he’s not still adding more he’s fulfilling what he’s said all along

what jesus said in the gospel is the spirit of prophecy it’s what they were always building towards and promising

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:19-20‬ ‭KJV‬

The early church who wrote the scriptures we study and believe are part of the foundation of the kingdom of heaven we are the citizens who believe the gospel they were also part of the foundations

 

[Inquisitor]

Of course. The Gift of Prophecy is still active in 2023.

And just as it was in Paul's time there are PHONIES coming out of the woodwork.

Anybody who commits resources on the basis of an unconfirmed prophesy IS A FOOL!!!

The abundance of false prophecy during the last fifty years. The array of different interpretations of the scripture. Ten or more versions of how the end times will occur. Hundreds of Christian denominations. A million books written about Christianity.

Well, it appears that folk have not been guided by the Holy Spirit.

I believe it is very simple to see what is really going on. That is, if you can see through the fog of war.

 

[Inquisitor]

Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

Do you believe this scripture applies to our age??

Did the Holy Spirit become redundant?

 

[Inquisitor]

Whatever God wanted to reveal to men through His prophets is ALREADY embedded in Scripture. So that would apply to this age in that all we have to do is study the prophesies given in the Bible. The majority (or possibly all) those claiming to be prophets today are false prophets.

The church must have prophets.

What has already been written was the revelation of Jesus and the Church.

We the Church now have the Holy Spirit to guide us in all things.

Without the gifts and ministries given to the church, your church will be powerless and deceived.

 

[Bob-Carabbio]

Well, it appears that folk have not been guided by the Holy Spirit.

CHUCKLE!!! WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE???!! If they were, there'd be unity.

 

[maxwel]

Very analytical mind, let go of the logic for a bit. The questions asked are pertinent as we are in the end times, people are having visions and dreams, why not share? I get your point no 2. clearly is is why i do not discuss normally. I agree with point no 3., scripture is the go to for the truth. As for point no 1., why have a debate strategy? can't a few questions suffice? This is an informal forum is it not? Should we not encourage each other in faith?

Blessings.

Thank you discussing this controversial topic so politely.

"Let go of the logic for a bit."
a.) God gave humans rational (logical) minds with the expectation, and the command, to use them.
b.) God gave us scripture with the expectation, and the command, to use it.
c.) To ignore either the written scripture, or the rational minds God gave us to understand scripture, would seem to be to ignore God's commands.


God Bless.


.

 

[wattie]

Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

Do you believe this scripture applies to our age??

Well, in the New Testament.. the office of the prophet was still in action.. but the apostles and close associates who carried these gifts died and the Word of God was completed around AD 100 and also the Jewish temple was destroyed.

Now.. 1 Corinthians 12-14 obviously encourages the pursuit of spiritual gifts.. with caveats in how they should be used in a NT church.. but the question is ... did the above events of the death of the apostles.. completion of the canon and destruction of the Jewish temple fulfill/complete the purpose of tongues, prophecy and the gift of knowledge?

Because.. you don't apply everything from the NT to us today.. if there is a limitation imposed on what is being practiced. Just because something is in the NT.. doesn't mean we as christians automatically can practice it.

 

[maxwel]

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; Romans 12:6

Make love your aim, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 1 Cor 14:1

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 1 Cor 2:12

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

If you look closely at my initial post (post #13 ), you'll see these verse don't rebut anything in my initial post.

These are great verses, and I appreciate you sharing scripture, but although these verses are informative for the general topic in a general way, they don't serve as a rebuttal to anything specific that I said.


God Bless, and I hope you have a great day.

.

 

[CS1]

Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

Do you believe this scripture applies to our age??

Yes, and they are :all Found in Genesis to Rev

 

[Bob-Carabbio]

What can you share that nobody else has received?

How would I know that "Nobody Else" has what I have??

PAUL, in 1 Cor 14, warns that when the prophet speaks, then LET THE OTHERS JUDGE (whether the "prophecy is "Fish", or "Fowl").

I recall my wife getting a prophetic word from a minister some years back that we didn't know personally (he was a guest speaker). SO we filed it in "pending". A month later, a different minister, whom we didn't know, and not connected to the first one, gave my wife the same exact prophetic word.

THAT'S when you start taking it seriously. Most personal prophesies DIE in "pending".

 

[Aaron56]

"Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 2For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort."

And then in Ephesians...

"And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ."

Often, prophets are treated as ruling office holders. This is an Old Testament view of the prophet. Today, prophets are tasked with building up the rest of the Body so that they all may enjoy the benefits of hearing the Lord.

If, for example, the prophet understands the timing of the Lord by hearing the Lord (because he was gifted in such a manner) THEN he should teach and encourage others how to discern the Lord's timing. Because all who are in the Body of Christ have the Spirit of God in them (unlike people in the Old Testament) the prophet will primarily confirm what a believer already suspected.

This will continue "...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ" as the scriptures say.

 

[maxwel]

1 Corinthians 12:27-31
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

The church is powerless without the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

1.) I wasn't talking about "desiring gifts", but "praying" for gifts. I was addressing something very specific, PRAYER, in a response to a question by Omega. This verse you quoted does not mention praying for gifts.... so it has no relevance to my initial post.
(If we should presume that every "desire" is also a "prayer"... then all of our sinful thoughts and desires get very complicated indeed.)

2.) In context, this "desiring of gifts" is actually a BAD THING. This passage is a REBUKE BY PAUL. The people here are all coveting the best gifts, and trying to be superior to each other, and PAUL IS REBUKING THEM.
This passage is not a prescription for acquiring gifts, it is a rebuke.
(Nearly everything in 1Corinthians is a rebuke; it was a very carnal church.)

3.) You accidentally left off the end of the passage, the part that clarifies the passage as a rebuke.
1Corinthians 12:31 "But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way."



God Bless.
.

 

[Nehemiah6]

We the Church now have the Holy Spirit to guide us in all things.

But not to generate NEW prophecies.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (Rev 22:18)

What is John saying here by divine inspiration? That there should be NO ADDITIONAL prophecies after those in Revelation. The genuine apostles and prophets are all within the Bible.

 

[Fillan]

Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

Do you believe this scripture applies to our age??

Interesting Question. There is a vast amount of prophecy in the bible, much yet unfulfilled and often overlooked from pulpits. More expository preaching of the prophecies in scripture across the board would be good IMHO. Biblical prophecy is trustworthy and true. The Lord also guides us with personal words of direction, his sheep hear his voice.

But there are also many modern day 'prophets' in churches, who produce vast amounts of material they present as authoritative. For example some high profile American 'prophets' in the last few years embarrassed themselves by giving prophecies about the American election or about the soon demise of the Covid pandemic, prophecies which fell flat, indeed their only value would be to believe the opposite of what the 'prophet' was saying. One Televangelist gave a prophecy about Israel a few days before the latest war broke out, which in hindsight is cringeworthy. When I was in AOG there were many 'prophecies' given, I don't recall any coming to pass. Part of the problem is the doctrinal foundation the 'prophet' bases their messages on, if their doctrine is off then what they say will be off too.

Jesus warned us to watch out for false prophets and teachers, wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). We are also warned that in the Last Days this problem of false prophets would increase, 'perilous times will come'. The bible gives clear steps for identifying false prophets and teachers and what to do with them when they are identified, protecting the flock from wolves. Generally these biblical steps are not followed today. People who gave false prophecies last year will not be penalized this year, they will be given a platform to do so again next year. As long as they say what itching ears want to hear, the false prophets will be welcomed. But the bible also says (2 Timothy 3) that false prophets will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Doing nothing about them is not an answer. IMHO this lack of accountability highlights the low value of much of the modern day prophecies, in the realm of entertainment not truth. Precious things are not treated with such indifference.

So to answer your question I would encourage you to study your bible. There's prophetic treasure to be found there. God Bless You All

 

[Omegatime]

Visons and dreams

‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days
I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. Acts 2

Besides ThyKingdomComeSoon anyone else have a dream or vision

 

[Fillan]

Anybody who commits resources on the basis of an unconfirmed prophesy IS A FOOL!!!

Hello. I would say that someone should not be put in that position. It is the job of shepherds to guard the flock against wolves. Ezekiel chapter 34 shows how important this is to the heart of the Lord. If false prophets are allowed space in a church it is a sign of a failure of leadership. God Bless

 

[Cameron143]

of scripture?

What I actually meant was that prophesy today doesn't add to the Bible. But God still gives insight and understanding to His people from the scripture. Sometimes,as with the preacher, God should be revealing insight and understanding to share each week with the local assembly. At other times, God may give an individual a right word in season that encourages a person and provides needed direction to their life. All Christians can prophesy.
If preachers aren't sharing insight and understanding with the flock, it means they aren't regularly in God's presence receiving of the Lord. Spiritual people know the difference between having their head preached to and their hearts preached to. One satisfies the intellect; the other, the soul.