Modern Prophets

When I open my Bible, as I'm about to do, I expect to here from God. I never tire of reading it from cover to cover because it was given by inspiration of God. Always learning something new. A LOT of it is prophesy. Many have been fulfilled.

When I stand in front of a TV or sit reading the latest greatest prophesies of the latest apostles and prophets, you'd think that the Holy Spirit would speak to my heart like He does when I read His word. The prophets proclaim, Thus saith the Lord and some even try to duplicate Elizabethan KJ English. It never seems to be used like my Bible uses it though. It often sounds more like teenagers quoting lines from a Monty Python movie. While Others give dates that don't pan out.....again and again. Wasn't the rapture supposed to be last month, or did "God change his mind again"?
Some will make references to say that the"Last trump" is talking about the former president ushering in a spiritual landmark of all history. Maybe the mysterious "anonymous" knows.

Folks, just because someone proclaims, Thus saith the Lord, doesn't mean it's from
The LORD.
It makes the unbelievers even more sceptical than they already were when they are convinced that God's representatives talk like that and keep lying about the things of the Lord. Every time we read the OT we are reminded often what God thinks of that.
I personally caution everyone to judge those who claim to have a new Revelation to read the very end of the Book. Also read the Beginning when Eve was tempted by the serpent.

Later 🐊

Lol

I agree.
Paul mentioned that a lot. Some he even warned against by name.
Later, Jesus rebuked a Church or two about following false prophets as well.
One example is frightening. Revelation 214-16

"14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. 16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."

The gift of prophesy in the Church in the book of Acts is clear. There were many examples like when they warned Paul about what was going to happen when he went to Jerusalem. Or about a famine. And then in 1 Cor 14 when Paul talked about giving a prophesy and an unbeliever visiting their meeting falling down and declaring that God is in you of a truth because you exposed the secrets of his heart.

I don't believe that is just preaching. Now it is true that we need prophetic preachers who seek God and deliever a word that is a prophetic message from God and not just another sermon.

Prophetic gifts are utterances from the Holy Spirit power within us who fills us and gives us an unction to speak prophetically.

Even speaking in tongues is under the umbrella of prophesy in the since that it is an utterance empowered by the Holy Spirit.

When men and women who are filled with the Holy Spirit feel moved to speak to someone or about something with a sense of urgency to deliver a message that is what God is wanting them to say, they are operating in prophetic gifting.

When we encounter a man or woman of God who is living a holy, repentant, surrendered, God seeking life and they speak, we can tell that their words carry an unction and we know when a real prophet has spoken and when it is just flesh and foolishness.

Every single time I have heard someone who calls themselves a prophet what they say next is flesh and foolishness and reasonings of their own mind. They are out of their lane, trying to be something and not knowing what it is they are trying to be.

When I have heard real prophets they never called themselves that. You just stop and pay attention, and the Spirit in you says...
"that was prophetic. Listen. The Spirit is speaking through them." They don't have to announce that, you already know it.

It's really like that.

More sadness.

Ya know, it just seems to me that the supernatural gifts do not seem to be especially prevalent today. How many Christian "prophets" over the past few decades have said things that have not come to pass? What does Deuteronomy 18:20 have to say about that? What about the gift of healing? Anyone walking in a Christian's shadow and being healed of their diabetes? If I hear any of these kinds of things happening, it seems to be in third-world areas. But, in the western world? These gifts appear to be in short supply.

The people brought their sick out hoping that Peter's shadow would heal them. Peter did not tell them to do that. It was never normative and not something to be compared with the gift of prophesy that Paul wrote about and said that we could pray for.

As to comparing the Old Testament Prophets and the instructions that if their prophesy fails it is because God has not spoken to them, I suppose in principle you might be attempting to apply this but this is not comparing apples with apples since the gift of prophesy in the New Testament that is given by the Holy Spirit for edification, comfort, encouragement is not the same type of gift as an OT prophet telling people that he is God's mouth piece or that his words should be written in a book and considered the Word of God.

We have examples of NT prophets and prophesy and encouragement from Paul to pray for these gifts for the edification of the church. But I do agree that if they are foretelling events or famines then this will happen if they are hearing from the Spirit and not just making them up.

People do get healed today. Why don't we see more people getting out of wheelchairs in our churches? Probably because of doubt.

I've seen people miraculously healed.
I should publish a book on them some day. None of them were at a meeting or church service though. They were however answers to prayer and expressions of God's kindness. God's ways are different than those who have claimed to.have the gift on network tv. Their gospels are different too, I've noticed.

I wasn't comparing healing to prophecy. I was saying that supernatural gifts in general are not being seen with anywhere near the intensity we see in the NT.

(And, whether Peter called for it or not, the point is is that it happened, and we see nothing like that today.)

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. Sometimes I'm in my own head too much and fail to consider how someone else might read my words. I was comparing modern "prophets" to their (supposed) OT counterparts. They declare that such and such is going to happen, sometimes attaching a time to it, and it never materializes. And, the NT did have prophets in the OT sense. Let's not forget the last book of the Bible

I know there are some healings today. I didn't say it never happens. I said it's in "short supply".

Is it due to a lack of faith? Sometimes, I'm sure. But, it can't be in every case.

He is also our Maker, Elohim.

just making a blanket statement here:

if God did choose to send a Modern Day Prophet, it appears most of us would reject him on the basis of what has already been reasoned within this Thread.

are we walking in and with God in a place we could hear God if He said to us, this is my Prophet so listen to him?

I was simply referring to his human offices and responding to the reply you gave that he wasn't a prophet.

I am not arguing nor nit picking when I say, I was only indicating that He is the author of all prophecy for His prophets. Even in the flesh, He was well aware that He and the Father are One and let us not forget the Holy Spirit.

The latter is a wonderful mystery yet to be fully revealed, but I know what Yahweh said to Moses is a very loud dand clear hint, that being, "I will be What I will be." So having said this your understanding may be spot one.

That's a good question. I think the American church (and you could probably include the entire Western world) is in need of a great awakening period. I think all of us should be praying for that.

We have the written word of God and no longer need prophesy. What you described is not prophesy but simply using and sharing the word of God that we already know, not some new prophetic revelation. know

From the Word I do see Prophets to come. First will be the false prophet of the Beast, then the Two Witnesses who stand before God. The latter will come with much power afforded them by our Father. They will be killed in the city where our Messiah was slain and after three days laid in the square God will call them to come up to Him.

Please provide any prophets stipulated in the Word who may be said to come since John the Baptist. I do not know of any as yet., though many will have the spirit of prophecy in the Body of Jesus Yeshua, actually all who are such.

The city where our Savior was crucifed is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt. This gives impetus to meditation.

A prophet proclaims the spiritual truths of the word.If a pastor or evangelist isn't speaking of the spiritual things,they shouldn't call themselves a prophet.They're a lot of gifted pastors,evangelists proclaiming the word.But less people who are like Moses.

What do you mean? What would a prophet be like if he was like Moses?