Personal "Prophecy" In The Bible?
by Sandy Simpson, 2/08
The reason for this article is my contention that the modern
day "prophetic movement", better known as the Latter Rain, Third Wave or
New Apostolic Reformation, is promoting and practicing divination (personal
prophecy) rather than what the Bible defines as true prophecy.
I urge the reader to study this subject without relying on presuppositions
from the past, but rather solely on Scripture. I believe I have done
that yet am open to correction on this subject ... if you can prove to
me that personal prophecy is taught and evidenced in the Bible. But
before responding please do a thorough Bible study on this subject first.
Following are my findings on this issue.
TRUE PROPHECY
I believe there is true prophecy today (I am not a Cessationist) and it most often occurs when there has been a proper exegesis of the written Word and a Holy Spirit inspired modern day application for the Church. That is because the written Word of God is sufficient in all things (2 Tim. 3:16, John 17:17) and is alive, not dead (Heb. 4:12).
In a private sense, the indwelling Spirit also does lead the believer personally through their conscience and speaks to him or her through the Word. God has given me many verses in His Word to help me know how He wants me to live and what He has in store for me using the precepts of what has happened in the past. These He has applied to my life through the leading of the Holy Spirit and they have been tested by His Word and have proven to be true. But these leadings are usually intensely personal and are not to be shared with others unless God directs. Any leading must be tested, especially against the written Word, which is our highest authority in all matters of Faith and Practice.
In a public way in the Church, God leads men and women of God to declare (prophesy) in preaching and teaching the Word. Through those expositions, if directed by the Holy Spirit, God guides His Church today in a prophetic way. I have experienced this many times also when men and women of God were proclaiming God's Word and applying it by the Holy Spirit to modern Church issues, and many times I knew right when it happened that it was true prophecy.
Mature believers also understand that God uses the guidance of His Holy Spirit to deal with each individual Christian and that God does not need the aid of a self-declared personal divination "prophet" to do so.
You might ask, “But early Christians did give extemporaneous prophecies. What about this verse?”
1Co 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.
FALSE PROPHETS
But the modus operandi of a false prophet is stated well in Jeremiah.
Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries {Or visions, worthless divinations} and the delusions of their own minds.
I suppose a case could be made that the silence of the Bible on the subject of personal prophecy does not prove it should not be done today. But making "arguments from silence" regarding the Bible is a very dangerous thing to do. Surely the Bible would have taught Christians how to practice personal prophecy and given us numerous examples. But there are none.
It would take far too much time and paper to display all the prophecies given to Israel in all the major and minor prophet books. Since that is not the subject we are dealing with here, we will only concentrate on prophecies given to individuals in the Bible. I will list all those references following my comments. As you can see from the headings all prophecy given was concerning more than just one individual, being given because of the wider impact on Israel and/or the Church as a whole. We only find "personal prophecy" in the form of fortunetelling in certain cases in the Bible and that practice was forbidden and is to be avoided.
Jeremiah 27:9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers ...
Leviticus 19:26 ... 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.
Deuteronomy 18:10-11 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in [a] the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
1Ti 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Joshua 13:22 In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.
Divination (Greek from "seer", anglicized in the suffix -mancy, see also mania) is the attempt of ascertaining information by interpretation of omens or an alleged supernatural agency, either by or on behalf of a querent.
1Jo 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Prophecies Given To Leaders Of Nations
Exodus 4:22, 7:17, 11:4, 5:1, 32:27; Numbers 23:26, 24:13
Prophecies Given To Leaders Of Israel
Exodus 8:1, 8:20; Joshua 7:13, 24:2; Judges 6:8; 1 Samuel 10:18, 15:2, 2:27; 2 Samuel 7:5, 7:8, 12:11, 15:2, 24:12; 1 Kings 12:24, 13:2, 13:21, 20:13, 20:14, 20:28, 20:42, 21:19, 21:23, 22:11; 2 Kings 1:4, 1:6, 1:16, 2:21, 3:16, 3:17, 4:43, 7:1, 9:3, 9:12, 19:6, 19:32, 20:1, 22:16; 1 Chronicles 17:4, 21:10, 21:11; 2 Chronicles 11:4, 12:5, 18:10, 20:15, 34:24; Joshua 7:13, 24:2; Judges 6:8
Prophecies Given To Israel As A Whole (Often Given To Leaders Of Israel)
Numbers 21:14, 32:27; Joshua 22:16; Psalms 68:22; 110:1; Isaiah 3:16, 7:7, 16:14, 18:4, 21:6, 21:16, 28:16, 29:13, 31:4, 37:6, 37:33, 38:1, 42:5, 43:1, 43:14, 43:16, 44:2, 44:6, 44:24, 45:1, 45:11, 45:14, 45:18, 48:17, 49:5, 49:7, 49:8, 49:22, 49:25, 50:1, 51:22, 52:3, 52:4, 56:1, 56:4, 65:8, 65:13, 66:1, 66:12; Jeremiah 2:5, 4:3, 4:27, 6:16, 6:21, 6:22, 7:20, 8:4, 9:23, 10:1, 10:2, 10:18, 11:11, 11:21, 12:14, 13:9, 13:13, 14:10, 14:15, 15:2, 15:19, 16:3, 16:5, 17:5, 17:21, 18:11, 18:13, 19:1, 20:4, 21:8, 21:12, 22:1, 22:3, 22:6, 22:11, 22:18, 22:30, 23:17, 23:38, 26:2, 26:4, 27:16, 28:11, 28:13, 28:16, 29:10, 29:16, 29:31, 29:32, 30:5, 30:12, 30:18, 31:2, 31:7, 31:15, 31:16, 31:35, 31:37, 32:3, 32:28, 32:42, 33:2, 33:10, 33:17, 33:20, 33:25, 34:2, 34:4, 34:17, 36:29, 36:30, 37:9, 38:2, 38:3, 42:4, 44:30, 45:4, 47:2, 48:40, 49:1, 49:12, 49:28, 51:1, 51:36; Ezekiel 2:4, 3:11, 3:27, 5:5, 5:7, 5:8, 6:3, 6:11, 7:2, 7:5, 11:5, 11:7, 11:16, 11:17, 12:10, 12:19, 12:23, 12:28, 13:3, 13:8, 13:13, 13:18, 13:20, 14:4, 14:6, 14:21, 15:6, 16:3, 16:36, 16:59, 17:3, 17:9, 17:19, 17:22, 20:3, 20:5, 20:27, 20:30, 20:39, 20:47, 21:3, 21:9, 21:24, 21:26, 21:28, 22:3, 22:19, 22:28, 23:22, 23:28, 23:32, 23:35, 23:46, 24:3, 24:6, 24:9, 24:21, 25:3, 25:6, 25:12, 25:13, 25:15, 25:16, 26:3, 26:7, 26:15, 26:19, 27:3, 28:2, 28:6, 28:12, 28:22, 28:25, 29:3, 29:8, 29:13, 29:19, 30:2, 30:6, 30:10, 30:13, 30:22, 31:10, 32:3, 32:11, 33:25, 33:27, 34:2, 34:10, 34:11, 34:17, 34:20, 35:3, 35:14, 36:2, 36:3, 36:4, 36:5, 36:6, 36:7, 36:13, 36:22, 36:33, 36:37, 37:5, 37:9, 37:12, 37:19, 37:21, 38:3, 38:10, 38:14, 38:17, 39:1, 39:17, 39:25, 43:18, 44:6, 44:9, 45:9, 45:18, 46:1, 46:16, 47:13, Amos 1:3, 1:6, 1:9, 1:11, 1:13, 2:1, 2:4, 2:6, 3:11, 3:12, 5:3, 5:4, 7:17; Obadiah 1:1; Micah 2:3, 3:5, 6:1; Zechariah 1:16, 8:3; Malachi 1:2
The Lord Speaking Directly To Major Characters and Leaders
Genesis 4:6, 4:9, 4:10, 4:15, 6:3, 6:7, 11:6, 13:14, 15:9, 15:13, 18:10, 18:13, 18:17, 18:20, 18:26, 25:23, 31:3; Exodus 3:7, 4:2, 4:3, 4:4, 4:6, 4:8, 4:11, 4:21, 4:27, 6:1, 6:10, 6:26, 7:1, 7:8, 7:14, 7:19, 8:1, 8:5, 8:16, 8:20, 9:1, 9:8, 9:13, 9:22, 10:1, 10:12, 10:21, 12:1, 12:43, 13:1, 14:1, 14:15, 14:26, 16:4, 16:11, 17:14, 19:9, 19:10, 19:21, 20:22, 25:1, 30:11, 30:17, 30:22, 30:34, 31:1, 32:7, 32:9, 33:1, 33:17, 33:19, 33:21, 34:1, 34:10, 34:27, 40:1, Leviticus 4:1, 5:14, 6:1, 6:8, 6:24, 7:22, 7:28, 8:1, 10:8, 11:1, 12:1, 13:1, 14:1, 14:33, 15:1, 16:2, 17:1, 18:1, 19:1, 20:1, 21:1, 21:16, 22:1, 22:17, 22:26, 23:1, 23:9, 23:23, 23:26, 23:33, 24:1, 24:13, 25:1, 27:1, Numbers 2:1, 3:5, 3:14, 3:40, 4:1, 4:17, 4:21, 5:1, 5:5, 5:11, 6:1, 6:22, 7:4, 8:1, 8:5, 8:23, 9:9, 10:1, 10:29, 11:16, 12:4, 13:1, 14:11, 14:26, 15:1, 15:17, 15:35, 15:37, 16:20, 16:23, 16:36, 16:44, 17:1, 17:10, 18:1, 18:8, 18:20, 18:25, 19:1, 20:7, 20:12, 20:23, 21:8, 21:16, 21:34, 22:35, 25:4, 25:10, 25:16, 26:1, 26:52, 27:6, 27:12, 27:18, 28:1, 31:1, 31:25, 33:50, 34:1, 34:16, 35:1, 35:9; Deuteronomy 1:42, 2:2, 2:9, 2:13, 2:17, 2:31, 3:2, 3:26, 5:28, 6:19, 9:13, 10:1, 10:11, 18:17, 31:3, 31:14, 31:16, 34:4; Joshua 1:1, 3:7, 4:1, 4:15, 5:2, 5:9, 6:2, 7:10, 8:1, 8:18, 10:8, 11:6, 13:1, 14:6, 20:1; Judges 6:18, 6:23, 6:25, 7:2, 7:4, 7:7, 7:9; 1 Samuel 3:11, 9:17, 10:22, 15:16, 16:1, 16:2, 16:4, 16:7, 16:12, 23:11, 23:12; 2 Samuel 2:, 5:2, 16:10, 21:1; 1 Kings 8:18, 9:3, 11:11, 19:11, 19:15, 22:17, 22:20; 2 Kings 1:3, 2 Kings 1:15, , 21:10, 23:27; 1 Chronicles 21:9; 2 Chronicles 6:8, 18:16, 18:19; Job 1:7, 1:8, 1:12, 2:2, 2:3, 2:6, 40:1; Isaiah 7:3, 8:1, 8:3, 20:3; Jeremiah 1:7, 1:12, 1:14, 3:6, 3:11, 9:13, 11:6, 11:9, 13:1, 13:6, 14:11, 14:14, 15:1, 15:11, 17:19, 27:2, 45:4, Ezekiel 4:13, 10:2, 11:2, 23:36, 44:2, 44:5; Hosea 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:9, 3:1; Amos 7:3, 7:6, 7:8, 8:2; Jonah 4:10; Zechariah 1:12, 3:2, 11:13, 11:15; Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 11:39, Luke 18:6, 20:42; John 11:39; Acts 2:34, 7:33, 8:26, 9:15, 22:10, 22:21
CONCLUSION
In conclusion it is clear that there is no evidence of "personal prophecy" in the Bible that did not relate to the whole of Israel and/or the Church. Those who are personal prophets today, then, should be avoided as they are actually using divination.
Jer 29:8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
1Th 5:20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.
1Co 14:29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
Mr 13:22 22 for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect. (ASV)
Matt.7:15-23 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them. "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’