A recent search of the Bible turned up several specific and many general references to the gift of prophecy. Few of these references suggested anything about the gift as an exclusive domain of selected individuals.
The exception is Scripture, such as 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul instructs the church on how to conduct peaceful and productive services, wherein some have specifically assigned roles.
But then I ran into John 16:13 (KJV), where Jesus is pointedly giving final, detailed and extensive instructions to His disciples as He stands at the threshold of His torture and execution on the cross.
“When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
After reading this great promise, we searched all translations of the Bible available online to make sure there weren’t conflicting or contrary versions of “will shew you things to come” (predictions of the future). Most used roughly the same term, but others varied slightly and we share these with you so there will be no doubt as to exactly what Jesus was/is promising.
– NTE: He will announce to you what’s to come.
– WEB: He will declare to you things that are coming.
– WE: He will tell you what is going to happen.
– YLT: and the coming things He will tell you.
– NLT: He will tell you about the future.
– DRA: and the things that are to come, He shall shew you.
– ERV: He will tell you what will happen in the future.
– TLB: He will tell you about the future.
– NABRE: He will declare to you the things that are coming.
– NIRV: And He will tell you what is still going to happen.
– AMP: He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].
– CJB: He will also announce to you the events of the future.
– CEV He will let you know what is going to happen.
Even after many readings of five owned versions of the Bible, the first of which I received in 1945 from a Long Beach, California, Sunday School teacher, I had never been captured by this particular verse. I must say I’ve never read a more astounding statement.
If I’m understanding this correctly, all of us who commune regularly with the Holy Spirit are receiving prophetic statements. If we then share what we have been told with others, we are serving the Lord as His prophet. All those filled with the Holy Spirit are potential prophets … it’s a gift for all.
We Christians, particularly in the Western World, have a (bad?) habit of treating prophecy as a special gift for a chosen few. The result has been the elevation of some to celebrity status as “true prophets” or other such accolades. And all this time, we “others” have been passing up the opportunity to serve God and to lead more fulfilling lives by passing on those things the Holy Spirit has been telling us all these centuries.
The primary requirement, of course, being that we regularly commune with the Holy Spirit in our private prayer, praise and study routines. Probably most of us “know” or “have a sense of” having heard from… or gotten a message from… the Spirit of God! But our instinct is to assume others will be skeptical of the claim, and some might even sneer or laugh. So … we hold back!
The issue posits a very complicated conundrum, because there are also people who will get an idea in their heads or imagine that they have something divine they need to share with us that definitely is not from God! Let’s be kind! We still love them, but we also somehow know they are wrong.
What is the message of real value in all this? It is two-fold.
- Over a period of more than 70 years of listening to, or reading the prophecies of celebrity prophets, I recall few of them as being memorable, and even fewer as spreading truth. The media plays a role in this that I won’t elaborate on because I want to continue as a correspondent for the few years left to me. But we should note that appealing and startling prophecy plays well with the public.
- Why don’t we test all prophetic claims by addressing them to the Ultimate Judge? He promises He will show us the things ordained to come. Ask Him to verify prophetic claims you just heard or read about. Were they true or false? Those who listen carefully and are believers are promised the answers. Look again at paragraph #3 above. It’s a divine promise!
With the Russian/Ukrainian assault moving into non-military civilian neighborhoods, the true nature of Putin’s alliance with demons is manifest. The African Sahel is afire in nearly all of its kingdoms, with horrendous acts by Islamic extremists against children as well as its usual adult targets. Israel and Iran are staring down nuclear corridors of likely war. Saudi Arabia and the Houthi insurrection has now moved into civilian regions and further strains oil prices and supplies so vital to world industry.
America is not immune, as oil prices soar and economic sanctions add to the Joe Biden recession and inflation atrocities.
Enough of that! We have more than enough fodder to occupy ourselves with discussions we should be having with our Maker.
We just need to be mindful of the promises and seek answers through the Holy Spirit. He is ready and eager to hear from us and to talk with us. His promises are divine.
After all, you too have the promised gift of prophecy. Just practice it a bit more and simply believe.
Then share what He reveals to you with your family, neighbors, friends and work mates. It’s His plan and desire for us … it’s a winning formula if we simply follow the simple instructions. {eoa}
Ron Dee Mallett studied business, journalism, economics and mass communications at Denver, Colorado (Boulder) and Stanford Universities. An Air Force veteran and former news reporter for the Denver Post and others, he also worked 20 years as a corporate executive and consultant for IBM, ITT and other multinationals. He later served as director of Shekinah jail, prison, nursing home and Mexico outreaches based in Longmont, Colorado, and follows a men’s intercession ministry called the SWAT Team (Spiritual Warfare Attack Team). At age 84, he remains an active columnist for Charisma and other media outlets.
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