As we have traveled and observed the gift of prophecy
operating in the church, we have come to the conclusion that
there is a great deal of confusion, misunderstanding, lack of
teaching, and just plain bad teaching on prophecy in these last
days. Thus, in this two part teaching, we will attempt to clarify
what the prophetic word is and is not and what a prophet is and
is not.

Prophecy and the Prophetic Word:
        Let me begin by defining prophecy. Prophecy is the word of
God, usually directed at the church, about things of the Kingdom
of God. Although the Bible contains entire books of prophecy, an
excellent example of biblical prophecy is II Chronicles, twenty.
        In that chapter, King Jehoshaphat found himself surrounded
by three hostile armies. After he assembled the people of Judah
and prayed a most eloquent prayer, the Spirit of God moved on
Jahaziel, a Levite, and he prophesied:

                "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in
        Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you:
        'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast
        army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow
        march down against them. They will be climbing up by
        the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of
        the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to
        fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm
        and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah
        and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
        Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with
        you.'" (II Chron 20:15-17 NIV).

        Another example of prophecy is found in Acts, twenty-one. In
that chapter the Apostle Paul was in Caesarea on his way to
Jerusalem:

                ...a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
        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 Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner
        of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"
        (Acts 21:10-11 NIV).

These two excellent examples of prophecy from Scripture exemplify
prophecy generally, that is, God speaking to His people
concerning His acts and purposes.
        That same gift of prophecy still operates today. Please note
that no current prophecy from God will ever supercede, override
or be in conflict with the Scripture. Genuine prophecy will
always stand the test of harmony with the Scripture.
        The gift of Prophecy is one of the nine gifts of the Holy
Spirit found in I Corinthians, chapter twelve. The gift is
operative when the Holy Spirit moves on an obedient person who,
under the unction of the Spirit, speaks forth God's word. The
Apostle Peter explained the operation of this gift: For prophecy
never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God
as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (II Pet 1:21 NIV).
Prophecy may be spoken, and often is, by one who is not a called
prophet. It is important to recognize that a prophet is not
simply someone who operates the gift of prophecy - though the
prophet will certainly do that. Any Christian, under the
anointing of the Holy Spirit, may operate the gift of prophecy as
described above. Just because someone prophesies does not mean
that he is a prophet. It simply means that the Holy Spirit has
used that individual as a vessel to speak God's word. There is a
definite distinction between the prophet and one who occasionally
operates the gift of prophecy. A person may learn to operate the
gift of prophecy in a very short time - it takes years to make a
prophet.
        Now let's define what a prophet is...and is not. A prophet
is a man or woman who is called by God to be His spokesperson.
The prophet is one sent by God to speak the word of the Lord to
an individual or group of people, most often a church. A seasoned
and mature prophet is a God-called, God-trained, individual who
God has shaped and molded into a spokesperson for Himself. The
prophet does not belong to himself, he belongs first to God,
second to the church - then to himself.

The Call of a Prophet:
        Let's look at the call of two prophets in Scripture, Isaiah
and Jeremiah. Note first Isaiah's call:

                Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, "Whom
        shall I send?  And who will go for us?"  And I said,
        "Here am I. Send me!"  He said, "Go and tell this
        people:..." (Is. 6:8,9 NIV).

Here we see a clear, distinct call from God to Isaiah. There is
no mistaking the call.
        The call of God to be a prophet may be on an individual
before birth as was Jeremiah's call. His call is even more vivid
than Isaiah's:

                The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I
        formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born
        I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the
        nations."  "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know
        how to speak; I am only a child."  But the LORD said to
        me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.'  You must go to
        everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
        Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will
        rescue you," declares the LORD."  (Jer l:4-8 NIV).

        In Ephesians 4:11 and Romans 12:8, Paul lists the five
offices or calls, among them, the prophet:

                It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be
        prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be
        pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works
        of service... (Eph 4:11 NIV).

        Individuals who are called to and matured in one of these
five offices are the embodiment in their persons of the call of
God to ministry. Each is Divinely endowed with the spiritual
gifts necessary to carry out that call. For example, we see God
directing and equipping Jeremiah as a whole person in his
prophetic call:

                "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them
        whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or
        I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a
        fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to
        stand against the whole land-against the kings of
        Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the
        land. They will fight against you but will not overcome
        you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares
        the LORD. (Jer 1:17-19 NIV).

        In the New Testament, the prophet we know most about is John
the Baptist. He was called from before his conception to be a
prophet to proclaim the coming of Jesus.
        Note:  The call, the character and the mission of the
prophet has not changed through the centuries. One who is called
by God as a prophet today has the same call as the earliest
prophets to Israel. Scripture does not make a distinction between
New Testament and Old Testament prophets.

Prophet or Psychic?
        There are today many people who can foretell events in the
natural or see into the spiritual realm and are thought by some
to be prophets. They are not, they are psychics. A psychic has
precognitive experiences (i.e., the perception of an event before
it occurs) or the possession of other supernatural powers.
According to the dictionary a psychic is a person who is
supposedly sensitive to forces beyond the physical world. There
are some individuals today who are using psychic powers in
certain churches today to "prophecy."
        Further, these same churches are encouraging psychics to
relate false dreams and revelations. It is extremely important to
recognize that not all dreams are from the Lord. Scripture makes
it very clear that every person, prophets included, must examine
every dream and/or vision to see if it is from the Lord or some
other source. Note what the Lord told Jeremiah:

                "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy
        lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a
        dream!' How long will this continue in the hearts of
        these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of
        their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one
        another will make my people forget my name, just as
        their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. Let
        the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the
        one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has
        straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. "Is not my
        word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer
        that breaks a rock in pieces? (Jer 23:25-29 NIV).

That chapter continues with God's judgement on false oracles and
false prophets. In the spiritual realm psychics are Satan's
counterfeits for the genuine prophets of God.
        The lack of understanding of this distinction between true
prophets and those with psychic powers is causing a very serious
error to be propagated in some churches today. That error is the
assumption that anyone who gives a public utterance, speaks about
future events, or reveals unknown facts has a prophetic call from
God or is giving a prophetic word from God when he or she speaks.

Judging Prophetic Words:
        Scripture makes it clear that all prophetic words are to be
judged. (I Cor 14:29). Even the Apostle Paul, after being
supernaturally taught his doctrine by revelation from the Lord
Jesus Himself, submitted that doctrine for judgement to those who
were mature in the Lord. (see Gal 1:11-2:2.) Since the Scripture
tells us that prophecy should be judged, three immediate
questions come to mind: 1) Why?, 2) By whom?, and 3) How? We will
deal with these three questions in order.

Why Prophecy Should be Judged:
        When a prophetic word comes forth in an assembly a holy
quiet falls over the congregation. There is the ambient
assumption, particularly among young Christians, that God is
speaking to His church. But the truth is that it may not be God
who is speaking!
        The Bible teaches us that there are three sources of
prophecy: 1) the Holy Spirit (II Pet 1:21), 2) the human spirit
or soul (Jer 23:17), and 3) Satanic or demonic spirits (Jer
23:13).
        Many who hear prophetic words and do not know of these three
possible sources tend to gullibly receive every uttered word as
"from the Lord." There will always be the spiritually immature in
the church and it is for their protection that prophecy is to be
judged. All prophecy must be judged, including prophecy given in
private gatherings or over the telephone or otherwise
communicated to one individual. It must always be submitted for
judgment.

By Whom Should Prophecy be Judged?
        There are three categories of people who are responsible for
judging prophecy: prophets, pastors/elders and individual
Christians, although the primary responsibility falls on the
first two categories.
        The Apostle Paul instructs us, "Two or three prophets should
speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said." (I
Cor 14:29 NIV). Here Paul burdens the prophets primarily with
this responsibility. But the pastor and elders are also
responsible for what happens in their assembly, especially in the
absence of prophets.
        For this reason I believe that it is incumbent upon the
pastor, or whoever has control of the pulpit at the time a
prophecy comes forth, to signify to the assembly whether or not
the word spoken should be received as from the Lord. If this is
not done then every individual Christian, even the immature, must
judge for himself...and often that judgement is incorrect! When I
am in a spiritually responsible position I always comment on any
prophecy that comes forth to indicate my acceptance (or
rejection), and, if it is from God, I encourage obedience to that
prophetic word.

How Should Prophecy be Judged?
        God is so faithful! He has not left us without guidance on
this question. From my observation, there is a wave of prophecy
sweeping across much of the American church today that is not
being properly judged. For all the comments I hear regarding
judging of these words, the judgement criteria seems to be
whether or not the word prophesied comes to pass. As I understand
the Bible, whether or not a prophesied word comes to pass is not
the final criteria for judging prophecy.
        There are at least three segments of Scripture that help us
determine the validity of prophecy. Let's look at them:

                "You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when
        a message has not been spoken by the LORD?' If what a
        prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take
        place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not
        spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not
        be afraid of him." (Deut 18:21-22 NIV).

Here, the judgement criteria is simple: if it doesn't come true,
God didn't speak it.
        Let's look at another passage of Scripture:

                "If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams,
        appears among you and announces to you a miraculous
        sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he
        has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us follow
        other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us
        worship them.' you must not listen to the words of that
        prophet or dreamer..." (Deut 13:1-3 NIV).

        Here the judgement criteria becomes more specific. Note that
the criteria is not only whether it comes to pass but the
direction the speaker is attempting to lead the people. If it is
away from God it is not of the Lord. Thus, the judgement criteria
for prophecy is not whether it comes to pass, but rather, what is 
the source of the prophecy? Where did it come from? Did it come
from the 1) Tree of Life (God), 2) a "dead" tree (i.e. the human
soul or spirit), or, 3) The Tree of Death (satanic/demonic)?
        I relate the source of prophecy to the basic choices given
Adam in the Garden of Eden - partake of the Tree of Life and
live, or the Tree of Death (i.e., Knowledge of Good and Evil) and
die. The third source is what I call a "dead tree" which is
prophecy out of the speaker's own soul or spirit. Only God can
produce life.
        An excellent example of judging the source of a prophetic
utterance is provided us by the Apostle Paul. He and Silas were
holding meetings in Philippi. Each day, as they passed through
the market place on the way to their meetings, a woman followed
them shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who
are telling you the way to be saved."
        But the Scripture says that Paul was troubled by hearing her
day after day. Why? Was it because of what she said? No, for
every word she spoke was the absolute truth! Paul was troubled
because the source of her information was demonic. He ultimately
cast the source (demon) out of her! (see Acts 16:16-18.) So we
see that even the test of a prophetic word being Scripturally
accurate cannot be the final test.
        The question must be asked again, "How then can we tell the
source of a prophetic word?" James 3:13-18 speaks to the
question:

                "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him
        show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility
        that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and
        selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it
        or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down
        from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
        For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you
        find disorder and every evil practice.
                "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of
        all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive,
        full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
        Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of
        righteousness." (Jas 3:13-18 NIV).

        Examine carefully every prophetic word. What is the prophecy
producing? What is its fruit? Is it producing confusion,
bitterness, envy, selfish ambition, boasting or denying the
truth? Or is it peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful
and full of good fruit? Is it impartial and sincere - does it
"raise a harvest of righteousness"?
        As James tells us, if the fruit is of the former, it is
earthly (of the human soul or spirit) and unspiritual, or it is
of the devil - The Tree of Death. But if its fruit is of the
latter, it comes from God, the Tree of Life.
        Looking back to Deuteronomy, chapter thirteen, there is one
more question that must be asked: Why would God allow a false
prophet to come into His church? Because:

                ...the Lord your God is testing you to find out
        whether you love him with all your heart and with all
        your soul. (Deut 13:3 NIV).

Now we know not only that there are false prophets in the church,
we also know why they are there. They are there to test our
hearts.

Prophetic Mixture:
        When judging prophecy, one more fact or factor must be
considered which is that most all prophecy we hear today is a
"mixture." By mixture, I am referring to the three sources of
prophecy, the Divine, the human and the demonic. Hopefully, most
of the prophecy we hear today is a mixture of the Divine and
human. God speaks through a human instrument which of necessity
allows portions of the speaker's humanity to be heard in that the
speaker's perception of God's word, quality of voice, accent,
figures of speech, etc. become part of the spoken word. That is
permissible. In these instances we judge and then "eat the meat
and leave the bones."
        But there is also a mixture of the demonic and human. Demons
like to play god and, if the human vessel is not well grounded in
the Word of God and a mature Christian, he or she may, from time
to time, be duped into speaking a "prophetic word" which is false
- from the wrong source. This is particularly true if the
speaker has a strong pride and/or has an unteachable spirit.
Remember Paul and the slave girl who followed he and Silas. Such
prophecies sound good to the undiscerning ear. But to the mature,
grounded hearer, the demonic source is quickly discovered. For
this reason, those who prophesy with a demonic mixture will
seldom do so in the company of many mature Christians. They favor
private prophecy - one on one - and often caution the hearer
against submitting the prophecy for judgement saying, "Others
won't understand this word...it is only for special people.
You're special, etc., etc."
        Mixtures of human and Divine are acceptable. The more
experienced the speaker becomes at prophesying the more pure the
prophecies become - less human and more Divine. But, if any
portion of a prophecy is demonic, the entire prophecy is to be
rejected. If that kind of prophecy comes in an assembly, a public
declaration of rejection must be made. I don't believe that there
will ever be mixtures of Divine and demonic because I do not
believe that God will participate in such.
        To simplify the judging process I have diagrammed the
process in Figure 1.



        Most unfortunately, there are those in the body of Christ
today who are caught up in the excitement of foretelling natural
disasters, etc. Psychics often can see future events in the
natural realm such as earthquakes, automobile accidents, etc.
First, let me point out that the source of this kind of
"prophetic word" can certainly be demonic since this sort of
thing is worldly and Satan is the prince of this world. Further,
this kind of foretelling almost always elevates the speaker and
points away from Jesus and His purposes. I repeat, to have
psychic powers is not the same as having a prophetic call to
deliver God's word. Psychics can be wrong. God's prophetic word
is never wrong. It is the word of God concerning His kingdom and
would not and could not be wrong.
        On every occasion in Scripture where natural phenomena is
involved, it is used by the prophet as a whip to drive home the
word of God. The natural event is always secondary, or
consequential, to whatever God is telling the hearers. No natural
phenomena prophesied in Scripture is unrelated to a conditional
response to God's call or instructions. The overwhelming focus of
the prophecies is on spiritual matters such as correction,
guidance, personal and corporate sin, and the consequences of
disobedience. For example, in I Kings, chapter seventeen, Elijah
the prophet, held back rain from Israel because of King Ahab's
wickedness. If a prophecy brought forth in a church today
emphasizes natural phenomena relatively unrelated to God's
kingdom, it is error.
        Furthermore, no where in Scripture does a prophet of God
resort to psychic powers such as telling someone his birthday "to
establish his credibility." It is the genuine prophetic word from
God that lays the heart bare, not some psychic power. (See I Cor
14:24-25).

Seeking the Supernatural:
        A word of warning needs to be set forth here: While I
Corinthians 12:31 does exhort us to "...eagerly desire the
greater gifts," nowhere in Scripture are we told to seek the
supernatural. The signs and wonders, miraculous powers, visions,
etc. must come from God as we seek Him, not these things. Of
course, this is true not only for the called prophet but for
every Christian. I urge the reader of this teaching to never seek 
supernatural experiences. Why? There are two sources of
supernatural power - the Divine and the demonic. The demonic
world is eager to accommodate such persons, particularly
Christians, who are seeking supernatural experiences.
        Therefore the Christian, be he a called prophet or not, must
be content to allow the prerogative of supernatural experiences
to rest fully in God's hands. If He wants us to have supernatural
experiences, that's fine. But if not, that's fine too! If we seek
such experiences we will most certainly have them - but they will
not be from the Divine source. Do not seek supernatural powers,
seek Him who is supernatural. Don't seek gifts, seek Him who is
the Giver. Seek only Jesus; you cannot go wrong in so doing.

        In Part II of this teaching I will cover the timing and
categories of the prophetic word, the evaluation of the vessel,
the characteristics of a prophet, the role of the prophet in the
Body of Christ, and I will conclude with some general
observations of the mature prophet.



NOTE: For a thorough, detailed study on the subject of prophets
and prophecy please go to the Books page to review the book
Prophets and Prophecy in Today's Church which is offered
by Hundredfold Ministries, Int'l through this Web site.