Prophecy

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. -- 2 Peter 1:21 (ESV)

Purpose

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me

  1. to bring good news to the poor;
  2. he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
  3. to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
  4. to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor, and the day of vengeance of our God;
  5. to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion — to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
  6. that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD
  7. that he may be glorified.

-- Isaiah 61:1-3 (ESV)

In other words:

  1. To deliver news from God to those who are not able to hear him clearly like the prophet
  2. To protect those in trouble
  3. To reveal the truth or to release those who are bound by lies
  4. To proclaim who or what the LORD favor or not
  5. To give comfort or hope to the sad
  6. To release leaders that can enhance God's Kingdom
  7. To glorify the Lord GOD YHVH

Who can prophesy?

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

  • your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
  • your old men shall dream dreams,
  • and your young men shall see visions.
  • Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out My Spirit.

-- Joel 2:28-29 (ESV); Acts 2:17-18

Jesus confirms this:

Jesus answered him... "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." -- John 16:13-15 (ESV)

Warning

Prophecy is probably one of the most dangerous gifts, because false prophecy or a wrong interpretation could manipulate people to make the wrong decisions or cause massive disappointment or unnecessary condemnation.

Bible Codes, letters, numbers, symbols, signs and words could be interpreted differently especially in conjunction with the context of a situation or a person's understanding. For example for one person water could mean a good thing but for another it could mean something bad. Just because God spoke or revealed something to one person in a certain way, it does not mean that this is scientifically the way that all future prophecies should be interpreted. God is not a system. God should be seeked as a living God with a personality, emotions and reason.

Even when someone delivers a prophecy to you, you still need to find the truth from God and ask Him for the correct interpretation.

Examples

Some examples of prophecies:

  • 70 elders of Israel (Numbers 11:17-30)
  • Saul (1 Samuel 10:1-12, 1 Samuel 19:20-24)
  • Azariah the son of Oded (2 Chronicles 15:1-2)
  • Jahaziel the son of Zechariah (Levite) (2 Chronicles 20:14-15)
  • Zechariah the son of Jehoiada (2 Chronicles 24:20)
  • Micah (Micah 3:8)
  • David (Mark 12:36)
  • Zacharias (priest) (Luke 1:67)
  • Agabus (Acts 11:28, Acts 21:11)