When we speak of prophecy we probably most often think of the fortelling of events under the inspiration of God. This gives rise to the question of whether or not there still exists the gift of prophecy, as it clearly did in the New Testament.

Firstly, it may be helpful to note that the larger portion of the writings of the prophets of the Old Testament were prayers, sermons and laments on the current spiritual condition of Israel, declarations of judgement of sin, calls to repentence, promises of mercy, and other teachings which could have been readily preached from what had already been revealed in the law and in God’s previous dealings with his people. Though certainly prophets did foretell events and the workings of God that were to happen in the future, this does not seem to be the larger portion of their writings.

Prophets speak, quite simply, whatever God deems best for his people to hear for the sake of the strengthening of their faith, and sometimes this involves the prediction of God’s future acts.

All the words that they spoke were parts and manifestations of the one and eternal Word of God. This Word is what brought all things into being, physical and spiritual, reveals to us the nature of God, reveals his expectations of us, his judgment for our sin, demonstrates his mercy toward us, and ultimately, that it might do all this to perfection and reunite us to God through faith in him, becomes human flesh, dies, and rises to life. This Word is eternal, and as such, predictions of the future or teachings from the past, or exhortation in the present, are all one and exist as Truth in the eternal Word. For this reason even though we are not dwelling in our new and incorruptible bodies, nor are we free from the temptation of the flesh, and though we continue to struggle with this present world and its temptations, the Apostle Paul can say that we have every spiritual blessing in Christ.

The measure of true prophecy, therefore, is not whether it accurately predicts the future (though if it does speak of the future it most certainly must be right if it is true prophecy!) but rather the measure of true prophecy is whether in all its teaching and exhortation, it builds up the body in knowledge and understanding of the eternal God as he is revealed in Christ, knitting the body together in love to reach full maturity through the effective application of the Word, that is, the gospel.