🕯️ Traditions What Is Prophecy?

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The Bible’s answer
A prophecy is a message inspired by God, a divine revelation. The Bible says that prophets “spoke from God as they were moved by holy spirit.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) So a prophet is one who receives God’s message and transmits it to others.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
How did prophets receive information from God?
God used several methods to transmit his thoughts to his prophets:

• Writing. God used this method in at least one case by directly supplying to Moses the Ten Commandments in written form.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
• Oral communication through angels. For example, God used an angel to instruct Moses about the message he was to deliver to Pharaoh of Egypt. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) When precise wording was crucial, God directed angels to dictate his message, as he did when he told Moses: “Write down these words, because in accordance with these words, I am making a covenant with you and with Israel.”—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
• Visions. These were sometimes given while the prophet was awake and fully conscious. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) Some were so vivid that the recipient participated in them. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) At other times, visions were conveyed while the recipient was in a trance. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) God also transmitted his message by dreams while the prophet slept.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
• Mental guidance. God guided the thoughts of his prophets to convey his message. This is the sense of the Bible’s statement: “All Scripture is inspired of God.” The phrase “inspired of God” can also be rendered “God-breathed.” (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.; The Emphasised Bible) God used his holy spirit, or active force, to “breathe” his ideas into the minds of his servants. The message was God’s, but the prophet selected the wording.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..

Does prophecy always involve foretelling the future?
No, Bible prophecy is not limited to foretelling the future. However, most messages from God relate to the future, even if only indirectly. For example, God’s prophets repeatedly warned the ancient Israelites about their evil ways. Those warnings described the future blessings if the people would heed the warning, as well as the future calamity if they refused. (You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.) The actual outcome depended on the course that the Israelites chose to follow.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Examples of Bible prophecies not involving predictions

• On one occasion when the Israelites asked God for help, he sent a prophet to explain that because they had refused to obey God’s commands, He had not helped them.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
• When You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., he revealed things about her past that he could have known only by divine revelation. She recognized him as a prophet even though he had made no You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
• At You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., his enemies covered his face, hit him, and then said: “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” They were not calling for Jesus to foretell the future but for him to identify by divine power who had hit him.—You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..