A Christ-centered man looks to the Bible for instruction in how to live, lead, interact and influence. The Bible contains practical instruction for life, family and business. But what about the prophecy in the Bible? How should a leader read and interpret prophetic Scripture, which makes up a third of the entire book?[1]
When we think about prophecy, we generally think about someone telling what will happen in the future. The book of Revelation, for instance, is an account of the Second Coming of Christ, the end times, the destruction of all evil, and saints joining God in heaven. In the Old Testament are many prophecies of the coming Messiah, Jesus. One of the reasons we know the Bible to be true, and Jesus to be Who He says, is the fulfillment of over 300 written prophecies—many of which were shared thousands of years before His coming.[2]
The word “prophecy” literally means prediction. Generally these are considered “inspired utterances”—that is, the words come from God. An ability to relate prophecy is a New Testament spiritual gift, listed in 1 Corinthians 12:10 and Romans 12:6. In both passages, though, the description of someone with the gift of prophecy is one who will “speak forth” or “declare the divine will of God” or “make known the truth of God”. In more conservative theological circles, someone calling themselves a prophet today will likely be seen as a crackpot, or even a spiritual charlatan. Yet, prophecy appears to be a valid gift of God, and in the proper context, can be of great value to a leader.
No new revelations. Does the existence of prophecy today mean that a person is speaking out new, divine knowledge from God? Are there unknown future events that God has told the prophet exclusively, that aren’t included in the Bible? Are we to receive credible, brand new instructions to follow? Simply, no. Jude 3 tells us that we live by a faith that was once delivered to the saints.[3] That is, God is not going to reveal more refinements to the Gospel through extra-biblical revelation. In fact, the Apostles dealt with this in the early church. 2 Peter 2:1 says, “There were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you.”
We see this even today, when the TV preacher says from his gold-encrusted pulpit that “God told him he needed a new Gulfstream G650 jet.” The truth of prophecy today is that God is never going to tell any one man something that He hasn’t already said through His Word to everyone else. And God is never going to say to any one man something that is inconsistent with His Word, the Bible. No word from any man should be taken to supersede what God has said in Scripture. And since the Scriptures already relate events from the beginning to the very end of time, including a full account of the Gospel, we should disbelieve anyone who says God is telling them to prophesy “something new”.
One hint of false prophecy today is exclusivity. That is, someone says they have received an exclusive “word from God”—just for them. Or that they can disclose a word from God “just for you”. God’s Word is open and never exclusive. Consider too that God speaks through His Word. Even with Bible prophets, when God revealed information to them, they wrote it down and shared it. “It is one thing to say, ‘I had an interesting dream last night.’ However, it is quite another matter to say, ‘God gave me a dream last night, and you must obey it.’”[4] As a leader, you should be wary of any “knowledge of God” that does not come from His Word or is inconsistent with God’s Word, in any way.
Words of warning. Most biblical prophecy is not the foretelling of specific future events. What we read, over and over, are words of warning. The Bible prophets told the people of God those instructions God had already given them, along with a caution as to what would happen if they disobeyed—which they did, and often. The minor prophets—the last twelve books of the Old Testament—are especially rich in these warnings. In reading them, time and again, the prophet will say, “God said don’t do this, and you have. Now this will be the punishment.” The prophets reminded people of the words of God, the standard that God set for their leadership, and the consequences for disobedience.
God sent prophets repeatedly to warn His people. God demonstrated His standard, and His patience, through these warnings. But 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 records the people’s response: “The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.”
This is perhaps the best lesson of prophecy for today’s leader. Consider those in your life who give you caution when you pursue a dangerous path, or make ungodly decisions, or don’t hold yourself to a high moral standard. This is modern prophecy—men who would speak into your life, warning “Remember what God has said, and what the price will be for disobedience.” Don’t ignore these reminders, as the people did in 2 Chronicles. When someone like this comes into your life and leadership, value that counsel. If you don’t have a relationship like that, you already have a prophetic resource in the Word of God. The reminders and warnings God gave His people throughout the Scriptures is also given to you now to apply to your own life and leadership. Listen to godly counsel, so that “the
The prophetic voice. In the Bible, prophets spoke with God-given authority. God sometimes performed miracles through these voices so that God’s people would know the prophet spoke for Him. Elijah resurrected a window’s son who had died (Elijah 17:22-23). Moses parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-31). Daniel lived through the lion’s den (Daniel 6:10-23). The people still disobeyed God, but they understood that God was speaking through specific men these words of warning. Sometimes they also spoke words of comfort, or encouragement.
The “voice of the prophet” is still alive and well today. Consider your church pastor, who stands in the pulpit on Sunday and opens the Bible. He’ll teaching, saying, “This is what God’s Word says, and this is how we should understand and obey it. These are consequences we face for turning away from God or ignoring His instructions.” He’s fulfilling the role of the modern prophet. He speaks with godly authority because He is telling what God says in His Word.
You do not need to be a pastor to have a prophetic voice. The modern prophet is simply a man with the courage to say the hard things. It’s not a particularly easy task, because you must say things that people will not want to hear, but need to. And you will be calling out others to surrender to the will of God, to live godly lives, to turn from their sin and to raise their personal and spiritual standard. Consider that using a prophetic voice is a crucial leadership skill.[5] Sometimes leaders have prophets who speak wisdom to them, and at other times the leader is the prophet who speaks wisdom to those around him.
Early warning system. Despite all of the prophets’ warnings in the Bible, most often we read that people still disobeyed God and were punished for it. One might wonder, then, why we have all the prophets’ warnings today? After all, they made little difference in their time. But we have something different to help us heed these warnings, and that is a relationship with Jesus Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of each leader who is a believer. Today we can read the Bible prophets’ words and understand and obey God’s cautions through Jesus Christ in our lives.
A Christ-centered man looks for instruction in how to live, lead, interact and influence. The Bible contains practical instruction for life, family and business. But what about the prophecy in the Bible?