Prophecy in the New Testament

I grew up in charismatic churches so listening to prophetic messages was common for me. Usually, during the singing or in between songs, someone would raise their voice and address the congregation. Frequently, exhortations would begin with, “the Lord says” then continue with quotations from the Bible.

Occasionally someone would give a prophecy to an individual regarding their life or future. During my last year in Bible college, I was attending a prayer meeting with about 30-40 students when the teacher called me to the front of the room, where a fellow student was standing. The teacher said the student had a message for me. In essence the young man said, “you will teach the Bible overseas.” I wasn’t impressed because that student had asked me about my future plans a day or two earlier and I told him the very thing he “prophesied” to me.

In recent years many so-called prophets have given political prophecies. For example, several predicted that Trump would be re-elected in 2020. When that wasn’t fulfilled, some claimed it was fulfilled, but the election was stolen. What, then, would be the point of that prophecy? The most important part was left out—Trump did not take office in 2020.

What does the New Testament say about prophecy? Does it still exist? If so, how does it work and what is its purpose?

1. The New Testament mentions male and female believers who prophesied, with some being known as prophets. 

• Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. (Acts 21:8-9 NIV)

• After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. (Acts 21:10)

• Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. (Acts 13:1)

• Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. (Acts 15:32)

2. Prophets had an important role in first-century churches. 

• And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. (1 Cor 12:28)

• So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (Eph 4:11-12)

• But he [the angel] said to me [John], “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” (Rev 22:9) This shows that John, the author of Revelation, was a prophet.

3. The purpose of prophecy is to instruct and encourage believers in their faith in Christ.

Many think prophecy is solely focused on predicting the future, but the primary purpose of New Testament prophecy is to instruct and encourage believers in the faith. Paul told the believers in Corinth: “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged” (1 Cor 14:31). This means prophecy includes both forth-telling—speaking the truth into a present situation, and foretelling—predicting the future as revealed by God. And both elements have the goal of building up believers in their faith in Christ. 

Regarding forth-telling, Paul even calls a Cretan philosopher named Epimenides a prophet because he correctly identified the character of the Cretans: “One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons’” (Ti 1:12). Notice that this has nothing to do with the future. Likewsie, a person who says, “repent, turn from idols and worship the true God” is speaking a prophetic message, which aligns with all the Hebrew prophets. In this sense, pastors who preach biblical sermons are prophesying. 

The book of Revelation is a prophecy that includes both forth-telling and foretelling. It encourages readers to worship God and the Lamb and it predicts the future: “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. . . Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy” (Rev 1:1-3).

So when testing prophecies, here is a question that must be considered: Does the so-called prophecy lead to the worship of God and the Lamb or does it lead to prostration before self-proclaimed prophets? False teaching exalts humans; true teaching humbles humans and exalts the triune God.

4. Prophecies are primarily addressed to the church—the body of believers—for the purpose of edifying all believers. 

In the New Testament prophecies are not delivered in one-on-one meetings or through private correspondence. Instead they are delivered to the assembly of believers in a specific location with the goal of building up believers in the faith.

• But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified. (1 Cor 14:3-5)

• For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. (1 Cor 14:31)

• During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:27-30)

• After delivering the apostles’ decision on circumcision, “Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers.” (Acts 15:32)

• The book of Revelation is a prophecy addressed to churches in Asia Minor: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (Rev 1:3).

Note Agabus’s prophecy in Acts 11 includes the predictive element, which inspired the disciples to provide aid to the believers in Judea.

5. When prophecies are given to individuals, they are given in a public setting with a focus on the advance of the gospel and Christian doctrine.

Barnabas and Saul (Paul) were launched onto their first missionary journey by a message from the Holy Spirit. Although the text doesn’t say, most think the message was delivered through a human spokesperson:

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3)

Setting: At least three people placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul.

Purpose: Paul and Barnabas should spread the gospel.

Paul tells Timothy that he is authorized to teach doctrine in Ephesus because of the gift he received through prophecy:

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Tim 4:13-14)

Setting: “The body of elders” laid their hands on Timothy.

Purpose: Timothy should teach and preach the Scriptures.

In Caesarea, Agabus delivered a public, auditory, and visual message to Paul, who was planning to go to Jerusalem to die “for the name of the Lord Jesus:”

Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 21:11-13)

Setting: Several people were present when Agabus used Paul’s belt to convey his message.

Purpose: Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, will be arrested in Jerusalem because of his message.

An unusual example of prophetic judgment is given in Acts 13, leading to a prominent conversion:

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. (vv. 9-12)

Setting: Barnabas, John, and Sergius Paulus witnessed Elymas’s blindness.

Purpose: Judgment on Elymas, who was opposing the gospel, leading to the conversion of the proconsul.

Again, we have no examples of one individual giving a word from the Lord to another believer in private. When prophecies are delivered to individuals in the New Testament, they are given in public with the purpose of advancing the gospel and Christian doctrine.

6. New Testament prophecies do not provide direction for general life decisions.

As previously shown, the purpose of prophecy is to build up believers in the faith and to advance the gospel. Prophecy in the New Testament does not tell believers where they should live and work, who they should marry, how many kids they will have, etc.

7. Prophecies related to the future are focused on judgment, Christ’s return, and the new creation.

Many modern-day prophets love to declare worldly blessings, such as health, wealth, or an influx of people into church. In this way they are appealing to the vices of greed and materialism. The biblical authors, however, were inspired to see a much grander view of the future: divine judgment, Christ’s return, and a new heaven and a new earth. When you listen to “prophets,” ask yourself: What are they promising? How do their promises compare with New Testament promises?

Also, the New Testament contains no specific political prophecies. For example, in the world of the Roman emperors, no one predicts who would be the next emperor or when the current emperor would fall. But nowadays prophets freely proclaim who will be elected president. The focus has shifted from God’s eternal unshakable kingdom to man’s temporary sinful kingdoms.

What about the prediction of Babylon’s fall in Revelation 18? Isn’t that a political prophecy? As described in Revelation, Babylon is the epicenter of human and demonic corruption so it represents something more than one human city. The prediction, then, is a general condemnation of the world, which is rooted in deception, greed, and rebellion against God.

What about the Old Testament prophets? Political prophecies were frequently given in the Old Testament, which makes sense because, at the time, God’s people were one nation, threatened by other nations. But now under the New Covenant, God’s people are found in every nation.

8. Prophecies are not given on demand or upon request.

The New Testament does not record anyone prophesying upon request or anyone seeking a prophetic word. For instance, Agabus was known as a prophet, but we have no record of anyone asking him for a prophecy. Paul writes, “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop” (1 Cor 14:29-30). This shows that prophecies were given spontaneously—when a revelation came to a prophet.

Christian prophecy is not like a seeker visiting a mystic on a mountain to receive a life-changing oracle. That would be far too individualistic and spiritually dangerous. That would elevate a person (the prophet) to a perilous height, driving a wedge between the seeker and Christ, the one true Prophet.

9. Prophets remain in control of their normal faculties when giving a prophecy.

Prophets do not become divine puppets who are out of control. Paul teaches that Christian prophecy should be practiced in an orderly fashion: “if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn . . . ” then he says, “The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people” (1 Cor 14:32-33).

10. False prophets have always been a threat to God’s people.   

Jesus gave these warnings:

• Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. (Matt 7:15-16a)

• For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Matt 24:24)

Paul told the elders in Ephesus:

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. (Acts 20:29-31)

Six centuries before Jesus, the prophet Jeremiah said,

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 and the delusions of their own minds.” (14:14; cf. Ezek 13)

Near the end of Revelation, a false prophet is judged along with the devil and the beast:

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev 20:10)

The warning to watch out for false prophets is still in effect.

11. Prophecies must not be immediately accepted. Instead they must be tested. 

When believers instantly accept prophecies they are not following New Testament instructions:

• Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. (1 Cor 14:29)

• Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. (1 Thess 5:19-22)

• 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.” (1 Jn 4:1)

Prophecies must be tested because “many false prophets have gone out into the world.” The requirement to test means instead of “innocent until proven guilty” so-called prophets are “suspect until proven genuine.”

Listen to Christ’s commendation to the Ephesian believers: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false” (Rev 2:2).

And listen to Christ’s rebuke to the church in Thyatira: “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet” (Rev 2:20). How many churches today are tolerating false prophets?

12. Prophecies must be tested by God’s Word.

How should we test prophecies? Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matt 7:16), which means we must take time to examine the fruit. To uncover bad fruit, considering the following questions:

• Is Scripture being distorted?

• Are greed and materialism being stirred up? Many false prophets urge people to give to their ministries and promise a material blessing in return. (For more on the prosperity gospel, see this post.)

• Is the audience being pumped up with pride? (For example, we are the one true church . . . )

• Is the speaker living immorally?

• Has the speaker given false prophecies?

Conclusion

Looking over the New Testament data reveals striking differences with contemporary practice. Today, some, especially in charismatic or Pentecostal churches, think the goal of prophecy is to give individuals direction regarding marriage, career, finances, relocation, etc. Some deliver their special oracles one on one during a time of prayer or in a personal email or letter. Others declare their political prophecies on YouTube for the whole world to see. Still others repeatedly shout “the Lord says” then declare health and wealth for their church. None of this matches with what we see in the New Testament.

Here are the two key purposes of NT prophecy: (1) edification of the church (2) advance of the gospel. If someone gives you a private communication “from the Lord” regarding a decision you need to make or something that will happen in your future, you should not immediately accept it. Instead you must test it because that person could be speaking out of ignorance, pride, or a desire to manipulate. And if that person has a track record of being wrong, you must immediately reject what you hear. Also, keep in mind that this type of private communication is not found in the New Testament.

Additionally, if a pastor says, “The Lord says” or “God told me” followed by his own words—something that is not a direct quote from the Bible—run away from that church. No New Testament author speaks that way. In almost every case where New Testament authors use that phrase or similar phrases, they are simply quoting the Old Testament. (See this list.) Likewise, Paul uses a similar expression when he is quoting the words of Jesus. And by the way, even then the phrase is used sparingly. This is in sharp contrast to the dozens of times some pastors use it in one sermon.

If some of this advice seems harsh, remember that believers are required to test prophecies because “many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Notice the balance Paul strikes: “Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all” (1 Thess 5:20-21a).

Believers who are turning to “prophets” to receive special insight into the present or future are heading in the wrong direction. We don’t have to run around looking for the word of the Lord because it’s right in front of us—the Scriptures, pointing us to Christ, the final and complete Word of God.

——————–

*For the marks of a false prophet, see this post.

**For a reflection on prophecy after the New Testament era, see this post.