Prophecy A foretelling, a prediction, a declaration of something to come; spoken by God or someone God revealed such things to, as God

d is the only one to see the future. Prophecy can also be history, or preaching a public interpretation of scripture, encouragement or instruction. Predictive prophecies can be understood directly and literally, figuratively, or typically having a divine significance which can only be understood after Gods word or deed that has been seen. Interestingly enough, Paul did apply prophecies about literal, national Israel to the church, figuratively. Many prophecies do have an immediate application to the situation they are being used to speak to, as well as having a context that can be applied to another. The most common and well known example of this the day of Lord; this term was used to speak to the circumstances of the moment, as well as being an encouraging reminder of the final day of the Lord. The visions that the Old Testament prophets saw was something they received in vision or word; either way it was a perception that they recognized was not of their own conception but rather something that came from someplace deeper and more complex then their own mind and heart. Each of the prophets recognized and identified what they saw and were sharing came from someplace deeper or someone greater then themselves. The prophets are not limited to the Old Testament. They played a foundational role in the early church. Mary and Zechariah were moved to prophesy by an angels visit in Luke chapter one. John the Baptist prophesied about Jesus baptizing in the Spirit in Matthew 3:11. Jesus acknowledged himself to be a prophet; his miracles and discernment were prophetic and his teachings were of his own authority, not the rabbinical authority the people were accustomed to. The outpouring of Acts 2 was the fulfillment of Joels prediction that all Gods people, young and old, male and female would prophesy. These prophecies are still impacting the church today. The prophets primary function was in the worship of the church. They predicted and announced judgments, acted symbolically and received visions. Prophetic insights led to missionary efforts. Teaching and prophecy can be related; some prophets preached lengthy messages and gave exposition to biblical texts. New Testament prophecy was limited. It was to be evaluated and held in check by the congregation. The response to prophecy was not always a positive one; such as when Pauls imprisonment was predicted, those around him did not want him to go, begging him to stay. The ultimate test for any prophecy is loyalty to Christ. Prophecy is never ever a threat to threat to scriptural authority.