PROPHECY

"Prophecy" is a message from God; the act of bringing forth that message is "prophesying." "Prophecy" derives from a compound Greek term consisting of pro ("forth") and phemi, "to speak," hence, "to speak forth." (a) Most frequently in the Bible, prophecy, when used of righteous people, reflected a divine gift by which one brought a message from God. The message could focus on events that had occurred already. For instance, when Moses recorded the information relative to the creation of the Universe, he functioned as a "prophet" (cf. Dt. 18:15). He provided information that could not have been known naturally. Amos was acting in the role of a prophet when he spoke concerning contemporary conditions in Israel (Amos 1:1). Isaiah uttered predictive prophecy when he foretold marvelous things regarding the Messiah, who was to come centuries later (Isa. 53). Predictive prophecy is one of the amazing evidences of Bible inspiration. There are prophecies relating to: nations (Dan. 2), individuals (Isa. 44:28; 45:1), the coming Christ (Isa. 53), etc. (b) Occasionally, the term "prophesy" appears to be used simply in the sense of "teach" (2 Pet. 2:1 -- note the connective "also" between "prophets" and "teachers"), or within a context of worship (1 Kgs. 18:29; 1 Cor. 11:4-5). The person who speaks forth words of edification, consolation, and exhortation -- prophesies (1 Cor. 14:3), whether by inspiration or otherwise. (c) The Scriptures also warn of false prophets; these are those who feign to speak for God but do not (Mt. 7:16; cf. Tit. 1:12). Many, who claim to have spoken on behalf of the Lord, will hear him say -- at the time of judgment: "I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity" (Mt. 7:23).