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The prophetic voice is the oldest recorded ministry in the scriptures by which God has communicated his Word and his Will to the human spirit.

With the purpose of comprehending the extremely important function of the modern prophetic ministry, it's necessary that we look at the aforementioned ministry from the viewpoint of the Old Testament, using some of its examples describing the characteristics of the ancient Prophets. In this way, we can lay a sturdy foundation on which to begin building our knowledge of the operation of both Old Testament Prophets and those of modern times.

We'll begin by defining the terms used by the original Hebrew language to refer to the Prophets; explaining the characteristics of this ministry and the importance of distinguishing between the Logos of God and the Rhema of God; learning how to understand the term “infallibility” of the Prophets in the adequate context; and looking closer at some Biblical examples.

And finally, by analyzing the ministry of John the Baptist, we'll gain a clearer revelation of the operation, responsibility and the works entrusted by the Lord to modern-day prophets, who've been raised up by Him in these latter days.

All of this will guide us and serve as a base to increase our knowledge about prophecy and the correct operation of the prophetic ministry today.

Prophets

There are three significant Hebrew terms used to designate prophets. The most important is “Nabhi”, which translates as “Prophet,” a word derived from the root word meaning “to announce” (Exodus 7:1). 

The other two terms—used much less frequently—are “Ro'eh” (2 nd Samuel 15:27) and “Hozeh” (2 nd Chronicles 16:7), which mean “to see” and are translated as “seer”.

We also find a less-frequently used fourth term, “Man of God (Ish Elhoim), which means that the Prophet is chosen and sent by God. 1 st Samuel 9:9 we see the name “seer” changed to “Prophet.”

The work of the Prophets of the Old Testament can be summed up basically in a dual function:

• To receive the message of God via revelation.

• To declare God's message to his people.

 

The Bible reveals the existence of four different types of Prophets, which I will rank according to their order of importance. 

1. Jesus (Luke 13:33).

2. The Prophets of the Old Testament, who were entrusted with

• Receiving and listening to the message (1 st Samuel 9:15; Ezekiel 2:1-3, 8).

• Communicating the Word of God (Ezekiel 2:4-7).

• Writing them down as a testimony (Isaiah 30:8).

What we know today as the Old Testament is actually the divine revelation given to the Prophets, to which nothing can be added or taken away from.

3. The Prophets of the New Testament (Acts 21: 10, 15:32 & 11:27).

4. The Prophets in the modern age of the Church (Ephesians 4:11).

The ministry of the Prophet must not add or detract anything from the Word of God. Nevertheless, it is his or her responsibility to bring illumination and specific instruction on what's already been written in the Word in what's known as “Revelation”. The prophetic ministry was established by God during the era of the Old Testament as his primary method of communication with humanity. Just as John the Baptist (Luke 3:4) was described as the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah Jesus Christ, God today is raising up Prophets who will make way for the arrival of Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Today's Prophets are paving the way for the second coming of Christ by proclaiming a message of repentance, as well as providing revelation and understanding about the scriptures the must be fulfilled before Christ comes again.

The Apostles and Prophets of the Church have been commissioned with this same anointing and responsibility.




The Prophets activate and confirm gifts and ministries
to the members of the Church.

The Prophets and the Presbytery (Acts 13:1-2) have the divine gift of activating gifts and talents of the saints and ministries by the laying on of hands (1 st Timothy 1:18, 4:14) and prophecy, as well as revealing and confirming those who are called to one of the five-fold ministries. Christ has given to the prophets the ability of recognizing the gifts and callings that God has deposited in the life of his people. When the Prophet lays his hands on and prophesies over someone, his or her words have the creative power imparted by Christ to create and activate this person's ministry.

Prophets function within the Church in the following manner:

• They are announcers of the Word of God, full of the Holy Spirit and called by God to warn, encourage, strengthen and console.
“But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.” (1 st Corinthians 14:3). Encouragement in the original language is parakaleo-lejis , which means to call someone aside and insist that he or she follow a certain conduct.

• On occasion, they serve as seers who can predict the future (Acts 11:28). “One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.” (Acts 21: 10-11).

• Their mission is to reveal sin, proclaim justice, warn of upcoming judgment and ensure that the people of God refrain from worldliness and becoming lukewarm (Luke 1:14-17).

The messages of the Prophets are not to be considered infallible. Their messages are subject to the evaluation of the Church, other Prophets and the Word of God. The congregation must discern and prove if the message lines up with the Word of God (1 st Juan 4:1).

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”




The difference between prophesying and being a prophet

We need to clarify that a prophet is one of the five ministerial gifts or “callings” that extend from the mantle of Christ and that they were instituted by Him. Prophets possess the gift of prophecy, as well as other spiritual gifts that are a sign of their ministerial calling. Nevertheless, it's very important to recognize that not everyone who operates in the spiritual gift of prophecy is a prophet. This is a common misconception within the body of Christ and occurs as a consequence of placing the gift of prophecy and the office of prophecy on the same level.

Prophecy is one of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the life of any believer who's filled with the spirit “according to Christ's desire to use that person” at certain times. On the other hand, the office of prophet is not a manifestation of the Spirit but rather a ministerial calling and gift directed by Christ. It's not a sporadic gift but rather the “permanent calling” of someone called by the Lord to develop—along with the apostles—the transcendental mission of establishing foundational doctrine.

This distinction can be clearly seen in Ephesians 2:20. When this passage refers to the foundation that is supposedly Christ, it's related to the labor of the Apostles and Prophets. If we analyze this verse from the context of the original Greek, we'll be able to avoid committing a common error. The error comes from the reading of the portion of scripture that says

“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets… ”

The most common interpretation of this Biblical passage is that “the Apostles and Prophets ARE THE FOUNDATION”. If that were the case, there would be a severe contradiction between that and what the apostle Paul wrote when he said

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid,
which is Jesus Christ” (1 st Corinthians 3:11).

The text of the original Greek commented on by W.E. Vine allows us to deduce that the key proposition that facilitates the correct interpretation of Ephesians 2:20 is the word “of”. The term “of” does not modify the subject of “apostles and prophets” but rather the object, which is the “foundation”. The object of “building on” cannot be exercised by the object (foundation), but rather the subject (Apostles and Prophets).

In order to clearly visualize the text in question, it will help us to look at an easier-to-understand version of the same verse:

“…raised (the Church) upon the foundation
(Jesus Christ and his doctrine) laid down,
or placed by the Apostles and Prophets,
with Jesus Christ being the very cornerstone…”

This important clarification enables us to see that the Apostles and the Prophets are those delegated by God with authority to establish the foundation of Christ and his doctrine. In this way, the will of God is to return the Church to the its roots in which

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching…” (Acts 2:42).




Prophecy

“It's the communication of God's thoughts and intentions to mankind.”

Characteristics of the prophetic word

A true prophecy is one in which the Holy Spirit has inspired someone to relay the pure, exact words of God to an individual or a group that the Lord wants to speak to. It's delivered by the person who's prophesying “without adding or taking away anything.”

• In God's timing

• In the correct attitude and spirit

Prophecy in general is given vocally, but it can be conveyed through written text or symbols.

• The Prophet Jeremiah when he took and broke a clay jar (Jeremiah 19:1, 10-11).

• The Prophet Agabus when he took Paul's belt and tied his hands and feet with it (Acts 21:10-11).

Just as the Holy Bible is the total revelation of God's will and thoughts, the Prophetic Word is just as complete, perfect and sufficient to bring us closer to the revelation of God. Prophecy must not add or take away from the Holy Scriptures (Deuteronomy 4:2; Luke 21:33; Revelation 22:18-19). Every Prophetic Word delivered today must be in complete agreement within the context and the spirit of the Word of God.

Through the course of this study, we might ask ourselves why that prophecy is necessary in present times. For the correct answer to this question, we need to understand the significance of two important words from the Greek translated into the New Testament: Logos and Rhema .

Logos and Rhema are both translated into English as “word”, but the use of each of these terms has been chosen to express different meanings.