Both the nature and duration of the prophecy remain controversial issues among evangelicals. That is, there is no consensus regarding (1) what the prophets were doing when they prophesied and (2) whether or not the gift of prophecy remains active throughout the church age. This debate is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon; therefore, this article aims to briefly explore both the nature and duration of prophecy from a cessationist perspective.
Scholars continue to debate the nature of the prophecy. Some describe prophecy as the gift of inspired interpretation of the Scriptures; while others affirm that it refers to the act of preaching. Today, a popular position defines prophecy as the act of declaring in fallible human language what God has brought to mind. While each of these proposals has been ably defended, none adequately summarizes the biblical teaching on the essence of prophetic activity.
Old Testament
In the Old Testament, a prophet was a man or woman called by God to communicate his words to his people. Since Israel could not bear to hear the voice of the Lord directly (Ex 20:18-19), God established the prophetic office as a response to their request that the divine word reach them through human mediation (Dt 18 :16-18). As such, while OT prophets had secondary functions (such as intercession; see Gen 20:7; Ex 32:30-31; Nm 14:17-19; 1 Sam 12:23; 1 Kings 13:6; Jr 27:18, 37:3), their primary function was to act as spokespersons on behalf of the Lord. This role is well illustrated by the task given to Aaron in Ex 7. God assigned Aaron to be the prophet of Moses; as such, Aaron had to communicate to Pharaoh what Moses had transmitted to him. Just as Aaron was called to speak the words of Moses to Pharaoh, so the prophets were called by God to speak only his word to his people (Deut 18:18-20).
Given this description, it should come as no surprise that the OT describes prophecy as an act of intelligible communication. Thus, for example, when God commanded the prophets to prophesy, they were told to proclaim the words the Lord had given them (see Jer 19:14-15, 25:30a, 26:12; Ez 3:17, 6 :2b, 11:4-12, 13:2b, 20:46-48; 21:2b; Am 7:14-17). Furthermore, when they receive their prophetic commission, the prophets are commanded to take the words of God and announce them to his people (see Is 6:8-9; Jr 1:4-8; Ez 2:8-3:4 ). Also, those who opposed the prophets did so because they heard the words of their prophecies (Jer 20:1-2, 26:7-11, 26:20-23; Am 7:10). In fact, even the “prophetic” activity of the false prophets involved verbal communication (Deut 13:2, 18:20-22; 1 Kings 22:10-12; Jer 23:16). Although the prophets occasionally employed acts of signs (Is 20:1-3; Ez 4:1-13, 5:1-6, 24:15-24; Hos 1:2), even these were accompanied by divine words to reveal its meaning. Therefore, it seems best to understand OT prophecy to refer to the communication of God’s words in spoken or written form.
In addition to being communicative acts, genuine OT prophecies always had divine authority. Those who prophesied did so by the power of the Spirit of God (Num 11:24-29; Jl 2:28; 2 Pet 1:20-21) and spoke the very words that God had put in their mouths. (Deut 18:18; 1 Kings 22:14; Jer 1:7-10; Ez 3:4, 3:10-11, 3:17). As a result, the genuine prophecies were not mere human words, but the very words of God. That’s why prophets often introduced their speeches (or their books) with statements like “thus saith the Lord,” “an oracle from the Lord,” or “hear the word of the Lord.” Furthermore, since true OT prophecy referred to the communication of God’s words with the power of the Spirit, those to whom God’s prophets addressed were expected to receive their messages with reverence and trust (Deut 18: fifteen). Refusing to pay attention to the words of the prophets was tantamount to despising God’s own word; therefore, those who did not heed YHWH’s prophets were subject to divine judgment (Deut 18:19; 1 Kings 13:4, 20:35-36; 2 Kings 17:13a; Isa 30:8-14; Jer 29:17-19, 35:15-17, 36:27-31; 43:9-22, 44:4-6; Zec 1:4).
It should be noted, however, that not all scholars conceive of Old Testament prophecy as fully authoritative. On the contrary, some believe that OT prophecy was a mixed phenomenon; as such, even genuine prophecy could contain errors and did not always guarantee absolute obedience. Some appeal to Numbers 12:6-8, stating that the text distinguishes between infallible prophecy and fallible prophecy. Others claim that the “group of prophets” in 1 Sam 10:5-10 and 19:20 are to be understood as members of the fallible class of prophets. Still others argue that prophets whose words are never recorded in Scripture should be regarded as less authoritatively prophesied. Upon analysis, however, one finds that the exegetical basis for this perspective is limited at best. Regarding Numbers 12, it is not entirely evident that the passage has two types of prophecy in view; instead, the text simply distinguishes Moses from all other prophets. Furthermore, since God revealed himself to the canonical prophets through visions, one cannot read Num 12:6 as referring to fallible prophecy without also questioning its authority (See Is 1:1, 2:1, 6 :1-7 ; Jer 1:11-14, Ez 1:1, 8:3, 40:2; Am 1:1-2, 7:1-9, 8:1-3, 9:1b; Abd 1 :1; Mi 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zec 1:7-11, 2:1-5, 3:1b, 4:1b, 5:1b, 6:1b). Similarly, texts like 1 Sam 10 and 19 simply do not address the issue of prophetic authority. In fact, the passages that refer to these prophetic groups say very little about them; therefore, one must resort to an argument from silence if one wants to see these texts as evidence of fallible prophecy. Finally, those who advocate less authoritative prophecy on the grounds of canon exclusion mistakenly confuse authority with canonicity. While the two concepts are related, they are not identical: prophetic words that were not recorded for posterity could very well have been fully authoritative for their original audiences.
While the OT highly regards the authority of true prophets, it also acknowledges the reality of false prophets. Fundamentally, a false prophet was someone who claimed divine approval for his words, even though neither he nor his message had been commissioned by YHWH (Deut 18:20; Jer 14:14, 23:21-22, 28: 15, 29: 8-9). According to the Old Testament, God himself allowed the presence of false prophets to test the faithfulness of his people (Dt 13: 1-3) or to bring judgment on them (1 Kings 22: 19-23; Ez 14: 9). . The Scriptures describe these false prophets as speaking from their own imagination rather than divine inspiration (Jer 23:16; Ez 13:2-3). At the same time, certain passages also reveal that evil spirits are the source of false prophecies (1 Kings 22:19-23). Already in the book of Deuteronomy, God had told Israel how they should recognize and deal with false prophets. For example, Israel was going to reject any supposed prophet who called them to follow other gods; Furthermore, such a man or woman was to be executed for inciting rebellion against the Lord (Deut 13:1-3). Furthermore, Israel was able to distinguish true from false prophets by paying attention to whether or not their predictions came to pass (Deut. 18:22; 1 Kings 22:28; Jer. 28:9). Prophets who were found to be illegitimate due to erroneous predictions would also be put to death because they had spoken presumptuously in the name of the Lord (Deut 18:20-22; Jer 28:15-17).
New Testament
An examination of the NT data regarding prophecy reveals significant continuity with the OT picture. First, the NT also treats prophecy as an act of intelligible communication. For example, the synoptic gospels refer to the words of Isaiah as an example of prophecy (Mt 13:14, 15:7; Mr 7:6). Zechariah’s speech is called a prophecy in the book of Luke (1:67-79). Although incorporating a sign act, Agabus uses words when he delivers his prophecy to Paul (Acts 21:11). Paul explicitly describes prophecy as a communicative act when he says, “He who prophesies speaks to men” (1 Cor 14:3). Most importantly, the entire book of Revelation presents itself as a prophecy (Rev 1:3, 22:18-19).
Like the OT, the NT also describes prophecy as divinely inspired. The Synoptic Gospels, along with the Book of Acts, associate prophets with miraculous activities (Mt 7:22; Mr 6:14-15; Lk 7:12-16, 24:19); Furthermore, Luke describes the prophecy itself as given with power by the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:67; Acts 2:16-17, 19:6). In fact, he goes so far as to state that, when prophesying, the prophets were speaking the very words of the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:1-2; 21:11). Paul shares similar convictions in linking prophecy to divine revelation (1 Cor 13:2, 14:29-30) and sees prophecy as a manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:7-11; cf. 14: 1; 1 Thess 4:19-20). Although Peter does not go into great length on the subject, he does affirm that the Holy Spirit himself inspired and supervised the very words of the prophets (1 Pet 1:10-11; 2 Pet 1:20-21). Lastly, John also makes similar points regarding prophecy when he describes the prophetic nature of the book of Revelation. He points out that the book’s message came to him through divine revelation when he was “in the Spirit” (Rev 1:1, 1:10). But John emphasizes the trinitarian quality of the prophecy more than his apostolic contemporaries. Thus, the book of Revelation is simultaneously his message (1:4), “the word of God” (1:2), “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:2; cf. 19:10), and “what the Holy Spirit says to the churches ”(2:11, and others).
conclusion
This brief survey demonstrates that both the NT and OT view true prophecy as coming from God. Furthermore, the NT similarly considers the messages of the prophets to be the very words of God. As such, the New Testament seems to assume that genuine prophecies always deserved complete trust and obedience. While some dispute this point, the Biblical material provides strong evidence in this direction. First, the book of Revelation itself is a testimony to the authoritative nature of New Testament prophecy. Second, since Joel probably had infallible prophecy in mind, the apostolic claim that the promise of Jl 2:28-29 has been forcefully fulfilled implies that the NT prophets ministered with full divine authority. Third, the other explicit examples of prophecy in the NT are also characterized as completely authoritative and trustworthy (see Acts 11:28, 13:1-2, Acts 21:11). Lastly, this portrayal of NT prophecy is suggested by the fact that the NT prophets served alongside the apostles…