Has Prophecy Really Ceased ?

[tomana]

"Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy."

I know from personal experience (on the receiving end) that the type of prophecy Paul is referring
to here has not ceased. Since it is one of the spiritual gifts, as is tongues, why would tongues have
ceased but not this type of prophecy?

" Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak
to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a
sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for
believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and
outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?"

Paul said tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers so why did he tell the Church
to not use tongues when an unbeliever came into the church?

" But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to
account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will
worship God and declare that God is really among you."

Then, Paul says prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers and then tells the Church
to use prophecy (prophecy as used here is the same prophecy as used in john 4:17-19) when
unbelievers come into the church?

 

[preachinjesus]

Prophecy has not ceased.

 

[Iconoclast]

All revelatory gifts have ceased.New revelation has ceased...it has been delivered once for all time. The Holy Spirit quickens the word to believers now.

 

[awaken]

All revelatory gifts have ceased.New revelation has ceased...it has been delivered once for all time. The Holy Spirit quickens the word to believers now.

THe Holy Spirit does soooo much more! All the manifestations of the Spirit are here today and will be here as long as the church is here...until the return of Christ.

 

[Tom Butler]

A couple of questions:

Is this gift of prophecy the gift of foretelling future events, or just what? Is it the same as preaching (forth-telling)?

Can we get the names of some people who supposedly possess this gift, and a list of all their prophecies to check their accuracy?

Are any of these people with the prophetic gift Baptist?

 

[awaken]

A couple of questions:

Is this gift of prophecy the gift of foretelling future events, or just what? Is it the same as preaching (forth-telling)?

Can we get the names of some people who supposedly possess this gift, and a list of all their prophecies to check their accuracy?

Are any of these people with the prophetic gift Baptist?

The manifestation through prophecy is an inspiration gift. 1 Cor. says this is the most important gift between tongues, interpretation of tongues..it takes both of these to equal prophecy.

Prophecy is a supernatural utterance in a known tongue. Divers kinds of tongues is a supernatural utterance in an unknown tongue.

Hebrew "to prophecy" is to flow forth. It also carries with it the thought: to bubble forth like a fountain, to let drop, to lift up, to tumble forth, and to spring forth.

Greek word that translated "prophecy" means to speak for another. So "prophecy" can mean to speak for God or to be His spokesman.

We are to desire prophesy.

I do not think prophesy should be confused with the prophetic office or with prophetic utterance that may come forth in the prophet's ministry...In the simply gift of prophesy is there really revelation? I do not think so...It is given to edify, exhort and comfort. In the prophetic office, we very often find revelation or tortelling does come forth, even through the vehicle of prophecy.

There is also a difference in OT and NT..

 

[thomas15]

....Greek word that translated "prophecy" means to speak for another. So "prophecy" can mean to speak for God or to be His spokesman....

Are you God's spokesperson?

 

[Revmitchell]

The manifestation through prophecy is an inspiration gift. 1 Cor. says this is the most important gift between tongues, interpretation of tongues..it takes both of these to equal prophecy.

Prophecy is a supernatural utterance in a known tongue. Divers kinds of tongues is a supernatural utterance in an unknown tongue.

Hebrew "to prophecy" is to flow forth. It also carries with it the thought: to bubble forth like a fountain, to let drop, to lift up, to tumble forth, and to spring forth.

Greek word that translated "prophecy" means to speak for another. So "prophecy" can mean to speak for God or to be His spokesman.

We are to desire prophesy.

I do not think prophesy should be confused with the prophetic office or with prophetic utterance that may come forth in the prophet's ministry...In the simply gift of prophesy is there really revelation? I do not think so...It is given to edify, exhort and comfort. In the prophetic office, we very often find revelation or tortelling does come forth, even through the vehicle of prophecy.

There is also a difference in OT and NT..

Wow! He just kind of makes it up as he goes along.

 

[tomana]

The kind of Spirit given prophecy I was referring to was :

"But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you."

I will ask a question now :

is this conviction producing type of prophecy one of the Spiritual gifts that is said to have stopped some 1800 years or so ago ?

 

[OldRegular]

All revelatory gifts have ceased.New revelation has ceased...it has been delivered once for all time. The Holy Spirit quickens the word to believers now.

You are correct!

 

[OldRegular]

A couple of questions:

Is this gift of prophecy the gift of foretelling future events, or just what? Is it the same as preaching (forth-telling)?

Can we get the names of some people who supposedly possess this gift, and a list of all their prophecies to check their accuracy?

Are any of these people with the prophetic gift Baptist?

I hope you don't plan on holding your breath until you get an answer!

 

[tomana]

I hope you don't plan on holding your breath until you get an answer!

Q: Is this gift of prophecy the gift of foretelling future events, or just what? Is it the same as preaching (forth-telling)?

A: I gave the answer to that first question when I made the original post ... I was asking about "convicting" prophecy like that used by Jesus with the woman at Jacob's well, and what Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians 14:20-25

Q: Can we get the names of some people who supposedly possess this gift, and a list of all their prophecies to check their accuracy?

A: Sure ... Spurgeon, Whitefield, Bunyan, Edwards and all the souls it is said were convicted and turned to Christ for salvation

Q: Are any of these people with the prophetic gift Baptist?

A: they were - see answer #2

 

[OldRegular]

Q: Is this gift of prophecy the gift of foretelling future events, or just what? Is it the same as preaching (forth-telling)?

A: I gave the answer to that first question when I made the original post ... I was asking about "convicting" prophecy like that used by Jesus with the woman at Jacob's well, and what Paul is referring to in 1 Corinthians 14:20-25

Frankly the OP did not make that point clealy!

 

[Gregory Perry Sr.]

Uhhhhh....!

Wow! He just kind of makes it up as he goes along.

Uhhhhh......! Rev....don't you know??? He's Prophesying!:BangHead: :tear:Kind of sad really that inspite of the clear teaching of God's Word some just don't "get it". When the canon of scripture was complete and closed these kind of "gifts" ceased. Just a little bit of (inconvenient) Dispensational truth that these modern Charismatics deliberately choose to ignore! Blindness and false teaching is tough to overcome.

Bro.Greg

 

[awaken]

Prophesying is more than just preaching!

"To Preach" means to proclaim, to announce, to cry, or to tell. The scriptural purpose of the gift of prophecy is different from the purpose of preaching.

Prophecy is not predictions!
Prophecy is speaking unto men (1 Cor. 14:3)
To edify, exhort and comfort.

 

[John of Japan]

Hebrew "to prophecy" is to flow forth. It also carries with it the thought: to bubble forth like a fountain, to let drop, to lift up, to tumble forth, and to spring forth.

Greek word that translated "prophecy" means to speak for another. So "prophecy" can mean to speak for God or to be His spokesman.

This is an unhealthy serving of baloney. The usual Hebrew word is naba', and it does not mean to "flow forth." Here is the BDB definition:

[ )fbfn ] vb. denom. prophesy (in oldest forms, of religious ecstasy with or without song and music; later, essentially religious instruction, with occasional predictions) -- Niph. 1. prophesy under influence of divine spirit: a. in the ecstatic state, with song and music. b. the word of ' y : abs.; c. acc.; sq. la( against; unto; le) unto; against. 2. of false prophets: abs.; c. acc.; reqe$ ; reqf$al ; reqe$aB ; ' $ah y"):Bin ; c. :l ; sq. le) concerning. 3. cf. heathen prophets, la(aBaB . Hithp. 1. prophesy under influence of divine spirit: a. in the ecstatic state, with music, in frenzy; excited to violence (= (fGu$:m mad). b. apart from ecstatic state, abs., c. :l ; l( ; ' y {"$:B . 2. of heathen prophets of Baal in ecstatic state; la(aBaB . 3. of false prophets.

The Greek verb is propheteuo (profhteuw), and the BAGD definition is:

1. Proclaim a divine revelation.
2. Prophetically reveal what is hidden.
3. Fortell the future, prophesy.

As you can see, there is nothing in these definitions anything like what awaken says in his pretended expertise. Prophecy has ceased since we have the entire Word of God. Adding to the Word of God is very dangerous spiritually: "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" (Prov. 30:6).

 

[TadQueasy]

My initial reaction is to want to believe that prophecy has ceased.
But I am having a hard time seeing a Biblical case for this.
Will one of you who believes that it has ceased show me your Biblical case for it? Not your opinions, but where exactly in the Bible do you make this case. Thanks.

 

[John of Japan]

My initial reaction is to want to believe that prophecy has ceased.
But I am having a hard time seeing a Biblical case for this.
Will one of you who believes that it has ceased show me your Biblical case for it? Not your opinions, but where exactly in the Bible do you make this case. Thanks.

Prophecy (as seen in the above definitions) is revelation, or the revealing of truth from God. Rev. 22:18-19 makes it clear that the book of Revelation is the final prophecy from God, the final revelation. There is a curse for anyone adding to or subtracting from that revelation.

 

[TadQueasy]

Thanks John. But looking at Rev 22 it says nothing about Scripture as a whole. It seems rather specific as the words of "this" scroll and that it is referencing Revelation. So how do you go from that to it meaning all of Scripture?

 

[John of Japan]

Thanks John. But looking at Rev 22 it says nothing about Scripture as a whole. It seems rather specific as the words of "this" scroll and that it is referencing Revelation. So how do you go from that to it meaning all of Scripture?

The discussion here is about prophecy, not about all of Scripture. I think Rev. 22 is clear about prophecy. Discussing all of Scripture is a different subject, much broader, about the canon of Scripture.

Edited in: I mean prophecy in Revelation as foretelling prophecy, not forthtelling prophecy. In Charismatic circles, foretelling prophecy is the ruling brand, and I think Rev. 22 forbids that.