People are curious by nature! We just want to know, right? We look at things in our world and we wonder… Is Jesus coming today? What’s going to happen? What does God have to say about our future? Here’s the thing… there are multitudes (and I mean multitudes) of people who have come out of the woodwork to help people in their curiosity. They claim to have a special word from God. They tell people what they want to know… all in the “name” of Jesus. Many of them call themselves prophets. Or they simply do what the Old Testament prophets did. So, the question becomes… Is the office of prophet continuing today? I would say NO. But I would say that the ministry of prophet is very much alive in the 21st century Church.
Let me explain by first examining the office of prophet in the Old Testament. First, prophets were chosen by God Himself and carried out three specific missions for God: 1) To speak for God! This was how they knew what God was saying because they didn’t have the completed Word of God. 2) To warn God’s people of their sin. If you don’t stop sinning, God says this. And 3) To prophecy the future! They prophesied about the coming Messiah, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end time events, among so many more things. They often received their revelation through dreams, visions, angels, etc.
So, is this office still in effect today? NO! Our key verse in Hebrews says that in this day, God speaks to us through His Son, or the Word of God. The last words in Revelation says that anyone who adds to or subtracts from the Word of God will be cursed (Revelation 22:18-19). Hence, anything we need to know about the future God has already said. I’ve witnessed many people claim a word from God through visions, dreams, and revelation. They may not call themselves prophets but they are doing exactly what the Old Testament prophets were called to do. Here’s the thing… these people cannot be trusted. We should stay away from them. If they can’t back up their revelation from Scripture, then they are not from God.
So then, what do I mean that the ministry of prophet is still alive today? Pastors, teachers, evangelists, and leaders who speak the Word of God into people are carrying out the ministry of prophets. They base everything they teach on the Word of God. God says this… and this is where it’s written. These ministers of the gospel might tell us what the future holds by relaying Scripture to us. We can know certain things about the end days because it’s been written down for us. Other things, we just don’t know. And those continuing the ministry of prophecy will call out sin. They will warn of the consequences of sin. They will tell people to repent.
With this said, we must be very careful. I wouldn’t listen to or follow someone who claims to have a word from God without backing up their claims with Scripture. And I surely wouldn’t listen to anyone who makes claims based on their visions and dreams. The people we should listen to today are those who correctly handle the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) and those who base everything they say on the Word of God. But remember, Satan knows Scripture better than we do. And he will use people to twist it, read into it, or take away from it. What they say sounds REALLY good. It sounds right. So, we must constantly ask God for discernment. We must test everything we hear by the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 John 4:1). Let this encourage you today.