How God Communicates: Prophets

Today we move on from our lengthy (almost four months) discussion of grace.

We have taken as our curriculum the Book of Matthew, which we’ve been studying for the last 21 years. We’ve reached the 23rd chapter. We have talked about the “woes” of Jesus to the Pharisees, including his admonition that they should take more interest in the “weightier” matters of the law. We have had lengthy discussions about mercy, grace, faith, and justice. We also spent some considerable time talking about the “blind” Pharisees and what Jesus meant by “the blind leading the blind.” 

Today we’re going to discuss the final woe:

 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?  

“Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:29-36)

Verse 34 is the key text for today. It will shape our discussion for the next few weeks. To paraphrase: “I am sending,” Jesus said, “prophets, sages, and teachers.” 

Does God communicate with humankind through prophets? If so, where have all the prophets gone? What is and who is a prophet? What makes someone a prophet? When was the last time you saw a prophet? Do we even need prophets today? What good is a prophet anyway? Do prophets have any role in the digital computerized world of artificial intelligence we live in? If someone came up to you at work and said: “I’m a prophet, I have a message from God,” what would be your response? If someone stood up in church and announced: “I’m a prophet, and I have a message from the Lord,” what would you say? 

There was a time when prophets were common, plentiful, and an accepted part of cultures. Today, they are uncommon and hardly accepted. Do we need prophets today? If you met someone claiming to hear voices and claiming to talk to God, would you friend them on Facebook? 

In Biblical times, prophets were considered the intermediary between God and humankind. The prophets delivered messages from God. The ways in which God’s messages came to the prophets were quite varied. Some prophets heard a voice (see, e.g., Deuteronomy 18:15-19.) Some saw visions (Ezekiel 1 and Amos 7.) Some saw dreams as Daniel did (Daniel 7.) Others were possessed by the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 10:10-11.) The Israelite high priests had the urim and the thummim stones on their breastplates, through which they received direct communications from God for crucial decisions concerning the people. 

What makes a prophet a true prophet? What makes one a false prophet? After all, a prophet is only a prophet if recognized as such by society, by the community they are ministering to. Throughout the Old Testament, the messages of God ring out from the prophets: Calls to repentance, warnings of doom, pleadings of mercy, and grace. Different prophets, different messages, different times, different places. 

Do we need prophets today? How many? How do we get our messages from God otherwise? Might a prophet be simply a cultural phenomenon, based on religion, or language, or ethnicity? Where have all the prophets gone? 

Ray Burns wrote, in an article entitled “Do prophets still exist today?” these provocative words:

Today we are blessed not to need prophets, because we have no gaps in the understanding left to fill. Although it seems boring and unsatisfying to only have the Bible (but we would never admit to feeling that way) prophecy was not God’s ideal method of communicating his desires. We know that because he eventually closed off the need for prophecy by allowing us to have everything we need within the pages of the Bible. God’s word is complete, with his purposes for prophecy fulfilled within it. 

Do we need a modern prophet for a modern time? Should we expect a prophet to be dressed in hair skin clothing, like John the Baptist? Or could our modern prophet be dressed in a $1,000 Armani suit and shod in $800 Gucci shoes? Fortunately, it seems that just at the time we need it, prophets are making a comeback. There are an increasing number claiming to be in touch with God and getting messages from him. A fairly lengthy article in the New York Times shapes the discussion that we’re going to have in, I think, quite an effective way. 

Christian Prophets Are on the Rise. What Happens When They’re Wrong? 

They are stars within one of the fastest-growing corners of American Christianity. Now, their movement is in crisis.

By Ruth Graham

Published Feb. 11, 2021 in the New York Times

Jeremiah Johnson, a 33-year-old self-described prophet, was one of the few evangelical Christians who took Donald J. Trump’s political future seriously back in 2015.

This track record created a loyal audience of hundreds of thousands of people who follow him on social media and hang on his predictions about such topics as the coronavirus pandemic, the makeup of the Supreme Court, and the possibility of spiritual revival in America. And they took comfort ahead of the presidential election last fall when Mr. Johnson shared a prophetic dream of Mr. Trump stumbling while running the Boston Marathon, until two frail older women emerged from the crowd to help him over the finish line.

So when Joseph R. Biden Jr. was certified as the winner of the election, Mr. Johnson had to admit he had let his followers down.

“I was wrong, I am deeply sorry, and I ask for your forgiveness,” he wrote in a detailed letter he posted online. “I would like to repent for inaccurately prophesying that Donald Trump would win a second term as the President of the United States.”

The desire to divine the future is a venerable one, fueling faith in figures from ancient Greek oracles to modern astrologists. Christianity in particular is a religion whose foundational text is filled with prophecies proven true by the end of the book. Whether the gift of prophecy continues into the present day has long been the subject of intense theological debate. But in recent years, self-described prophets have proliferated across the country, accelerating in stature over the course of the Trump era. They are stars within what is now one of the fastest-growing corners of Christianity: a loose but fervent movement led by hundreds of people who believe they can channel supernatural powers — and have special spiritual insights into world events.

Many are independent evangelists who do not lead churches or other institutions. They operate primarily online and through appearances at conferences or as guest speakers in churches, making money through book sales, donations and speaking fees. And they are part of the rising appeal of conspiracy theories in Christian settings, echoed by the popularity of QAnon among many evangelicals and a resistance to mainstream sources of information.

The prophetic imagination roams far beyond national politics. It follows the Super Bowl and the weather; it analyzes events in pop culture, like Kanye West’s recent turn toward evangelism, and global events, including a particular fascination with Israel. Many prophets caution followers against trusting what they read in the news, but in its place they offer a kind of alternative news cycle, refracting and interpreting events in the real world through a supernatural lens.

“In my lifetime — 49 years as a follower of Jesus — I’ve never seen this level of interest in prophecy,” said Michael Brown, an evangelical radio host and commentator, who believes in prophecy but has called for greater accountability when prophecies prove false. “And it’s unfortunate, because it’s an embarrassment to the movement.”

The past year has been riddled with prophecies that did not pan out. As the coronavirus swept the United States in the spring, several prophets issued public assurances that it would decline by Passover; Cindy Jacobs, one of the most influential American prophets, led a global day of prayer to “contain” the virus in March. And by the fall, so many prominent prophets had incorrectly predicted the re-election of Mr. Trump that the apologies and recriminations now constitute a crisis within the movement.: 

The backlash to Mr. Johnson’s apology was immediate. On Facebook, he reported that he received “multiple death threats and thousands upon thousands of emails from Christians saying the nastiest and most vulgar things I have ever heard toward my family and ministry.” He also said he had lost funding from donors who accused him of being “a coward, sellout, and traitor to the Holy Spirit.”  But the popularity of self-appointed prophets shows no signs of waning.: 

As denominational Christianity declines almost across the board, magnetic independent leaders have stepped into the void. “There’s this idea that you can’t trust anybody except these trusted individuals,” said Brad Christerson, a sociologist at evangelical Biola University. “It’s a symptom of our time. People don’t trust institutions, and people think that all mainstream institutions are corrupt: universities, science, government, the media. They’re searching for real sources of truth.”: 

The result is that many congregations are awash in misinformation. Almost half of Protestant pastors frequently hear members of their congregations repeating conspiracy theories about current events, according to a survey released last month by Lifeway Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Prophecy is a facet of the fast-growing charismatic Christian movement, which has an estimated half-billion followers worldwide and is characterized in part by the belief that the “gifts of the spirit,” which also include speaking in tongues and supernatural healing, continue into the present day, rather than being an artifact of biblical times.

Mr. Trump supercharged the public profile of this already ascendant stream of Christian culture. His evangelical advisory council included unprecedented numbers of charismatic leaders, including his primary faith adviser, Paula White, a charismatic pastor and televangelist. A few weeks before the 2020 election, he attended services for the third time at a “healing, prophetic” megachurch in Las Vegas, where speakers shared predictions and visions about his second term, to applause from Mr. Trump and the congregation. (The charismatic movement over all is notably multiracial, although the most successful politically oriented prophets of the Trump era were white and appealed to an audience that resembled Mr. Trump’s base.) 

Christian prophets are meeting a hunger for reassurance and clarity that can be observed in other corners of American culture. Astrology is exploding in popularity. More than 40 percent of Americans believe in psychics, according to Pew. Prophecy, similarly, is not only a predictive tool, but an analytical lens for making sense of the past and current events. The most successful prophets can connect seemingly disparate pieces of data in a grand narrative, adding new layers of interpretation as events unfold and inviting others to contribute.

In Crystal River, Fla., Scott Wallis had read Mr. Johnson’s prophecies on Facebook and was encouraged by them. He trusted Mr. Johnson in part, he said, because of two recent prophecies that had proven true, including one about the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series. (Mr. Johnson reported the prophecy two days before the team clinched the championship.)

For Mr. Wallis, a pastor and prophet himself, it made perfect sense that God would be involved in the outcome of the American election, just as he is involved in every human life. “Some people, like deists, believe God created the earth but abandoned the people and left them alone,” Mr. Wallis said. “I don’t believe that.” When a friend prophesied to him in 2014 that he would soon marry, he did not even have a girlfriend, but he was married by the end of the year.

The internet has made it much easier for prophets to disseminate their visions, with many more outlets at their disposal: social media, podcasts, books and a traditional media ecosystem that remains largely under the radar even to many other evangelicals. An appearance on “It’s Supernatural!,” an interview show hosted by the octogenarian televangelist Sid Roth, can be career-making for prophets. So can an endorsement from the venerable Elijah List newsletter, which claims 240,000 subscribers. Charisma magazine and the Christian Broadcasting Network both cover prophetic predictions as news.

Jennifer Eivaz, who calls herself “the Praying Prophet,” realized in college that she could hear God’s voice in a way she could “prove out.” When she and her husband started to lead a church in Central California, she would have dreams and receive specific information about people who attended. She was careful not to scare people, she said, often opting to check in with them rather than launch into specific predictions or insights into their lives.

She also started recording training videos on prayer and prophecy, which caught the eye of Steve Shultz, who had founded The Elijah List and invited her to contribute. As her profile rose, she became an internationally sought-after conference speaker at events with names like the Inner Healing and Deliverance Institute and the Prophetic Wisdom & Prayer conference, where believers pay to gather for music, prophecy and inspiration.

Ms. Eivaz occasionally offers public prophecies about national or international events. In May 2015, she announced that the years long drought in California was over and that “the rains are coming back.” The message tied together the biblical prophet Elijah’s experience on Mount Carmel; Ms. Eivaz’s recent trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.; a vision of a mother bear fighting for her cubs; the California state flag; and Gov. Gavin Newsom. (The drought did not formally end until 2017, although the state experienced unusually high rainfall over the summer of 2015.)

But those kinds of visions come to her only once every year or two, she said. She has watched with alarm as predictive prophecies like these have come to dominate the prophetic movement. “It’s like fact-shopping,” she said, adding that social media rewards “buzz and sensationalism” over wisdom, and pressures independent prophets especially to churn out fresh predictions every few days.

Mike Killion, who was a charter-bus driver in North Carolina until the pandemic dried up his business, pays attention to what he calls “synchronicities,” and others might call coincidences. He believes God is intimately involved in world events, and closely attuned to the prayers of his people.

If Mr. Killion’s phone is on the table and he mentions wanting to go on a cruise, for example, the phone “hears” him and starts offering advertisements for cruises, he said. “God works the same way,” he explained. “He’s listening to everything you say.”

Prophets are not always right about every prediction, Mr. Killion said, and they are certainly not always right immediately. “There’s this idea that prophets have to be right all the time, and have to be right next week,” said Mr. Killion, “when there are prophets in the Bible who had prophecies who weren’t fulfilled in their lifetimes.”

Mr. Killion scoffed at Mr. Johnson for walking back his prophecy about Mr. Trump’s 2020 victory. “Jeremiah Johnson should have kept his mouth shut,” he said a few days before Mr. Biden’s inauguration. “It still may happen.”

Mr. Johnson, for his part, appears to remain chastened. This week, he began a new YouTube series titled “I Was Wrong,” in which he plans to survey what the prophetic movement is, and where, in his view, it has gone awry.

So there you have it, the fastest growing corner of Christianity: The prophetic voice, the prophet’s call. “I am sending you prophets,” Jesus said, “and sages and teachers.” What do you make of all this? Today we’re beginning a study on how God communicates with humankind. Does our country need a prophet now? Can prophets be validated as God’s messengers? Is there any accountability for a prophet? Is prophecy overrated? Are prophecy and prophets overvalued? 

Pastor Giddi: Jesus clearly states that there will be prophets in the end days. But he cautioned us about false prophets. But how can we differentiate between a false prophet and a true prophet? Surely, we must turn to the word of God. The last part of 2 Chronicles 20:20 says: “Believe in your God, and you shall be established; believe in His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 

So certainly there will be prophets, no doubt, and there will be more false prophets, as Jesus has warned us. It is only by seeing them through the lens, and in the light, of the Word of God that we will find out whether they are true or false prophets. But surely, there will be prophets.

C-J: I would add that the Bible is very clear, in Deuteronomy and other places, that “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” A prophet can become a demigod very quickly. All he needs is one or two successes. Some people are intuitive and can connect the dots, but our reference should always be the Scriptures and waiting upon the Holy Spirit. 

And in the mouth of more than one it will be confirmed. And there will be fruit from whatever is said. Prophets were rare. They were not multimedia moguls and wealthy men who knew how to use various platforms. They were very rare, and when they came, most people weren’t happy to see them show up. 

I think it’s very important to understand that a prophet had a very important job. And that was to turn the people’s eyes back on God and bring them to surrender to the law, to those in authority, and to the norms of a culture that was there to protect people. And when people got off the sidewalk, God said, “I know you know better. Okay, now I gotta set my prophet.” 

And there were mistakes. There are still mistakes. I’ve sat in rooms where I’ve heard people with the word of knowledge. I’ve seen healings. But I don’t think that’s the church I would sign up to go into again, because even though you’re drawn in by the magic of it all, it’s a distraction. If you’re going to church to see more of that, you’re not showing up for the right reason. 

Your relationship is with God, not with humanity and their show, their performance. It’s really about our relationship with God, which begins with humbling ourselves and choosing “Thy will be done.” It’s a big mandate. It’s easy to say, but very hard to do.

Pastor Giddi: These days Christians and non-Christians are running to the prophets. People are looking for answers. But whether they are genuine answers or just the ideas of humans, they do not know the difference. Going to church to witness a miracle is not worshiping God. The devil can also perform miracles. Revelation 16:14 tells us very clearly that the spirits of the devil work miracles. Moses’ staff became a snake. Pharaoh’s magicians also became snakes. So magic or miracle is not clear evidence of God’s true prophets.

C-J: I think people who have the word of knowledge as one of the gifts, one of the fruits, of the Holy Spirit are very rare. But the people I’ve met who do have that gift are very humble and very private. They don’t get up on a platform and point somebody out. They don’t say I was right here or there. It’s a very intimate conversation saying: “I feel led to share with you” or “I sense in you” and the whole purpose is edification—to build that person up, to strengthen and encourage their faith and to let them know that they have support within a community. 

It is not about how many people you have on Facebook. It’s very, very private. As I believe the Holy Spirit is with us. Our relationship is private. We may share that relationship with others for those reasons—edification instruction—that’s one of the reasons elders are important. They’re also held in regard because of their accountability. The kid gets it wrong, you go: “Well, he’s still learning.” But an elder is held to a very high standard. They can lose their position in the community not because they were wrong but because they misled. Their whole job is to help promote unity and agreement in the messaging of “We serve one God, we are to live according to laws that keep the whole community healthy. We are to surrender what we want for the betterment of what our whole purpose is.” 

Our great commission isn’t everybody going off to another country for missionary work, it’s how we live our life where we are. People are watching us. Nobody has to wear a sign or a cross saying “I am a Christian.” But people are watching how we live, what we say or don’t say. How it’s done really is indicative of that relationship. Do we always get it right? No. But that’s part of that growing, that being and becoming, that process. 

But I’m not going to get up on a platform and say “I’ve arrived!” Especially if you’re paying me—woe be unto you! We are shown that in text over and over and over. Most of the prophets lived an isolated life, a very humble life, a life of faith. They didn’t carry a purse. All those things that we forget about… Where are the things you check off? $1,000 suit and $800 pair of shoes? Something’s wrong with this picture.

Donald: It seems to me that we can easily get confused in this conversation—and that’s why we look to prophets, because we are easily confused! The word “prophet” leads to the word “vision.” God’s vision is revealed through a prophet. Most of the people in the NYT article were charismatic. They would like to be right, as we all would, but they are not representing God’s vision—they are representing a vision so that they can lift themselves.

I don’t know about the idea of being humble. There are many prophets in the Bible, so maybe new prophets are not necessary since we have the ones in the Bible. Seventh Day Adventists feel that somewhere around 1840 a prophet arose. Was it a prophet to reveal who God is, or was that a prophet to design a church organization? I don’t know. In the 1850s, there were a number of prophets and a number of churches established based upon key people. It was unique about that time.

David: God told Job: “You cannot possibly understand me. So don’t even try.” So Job was not a prophet. He merely recited his experience of an encounter with God and putting it, as best he could, into in our terms—into English (ultimately!) But God doesn’t speak English. He doesn’t communicate in English. He communicates inside our heads with feelings that discriminate between good and evil. It comes from the Holy Spirit, not from our selves, and we can’t articulate it—at least, not very well. We try. 

Job did a pretty good job, I think, because what he wrote resonates with what I feel in my head—not because it makes logical sense or anything like that; it simply feels right. Being a prophet and having that understanding of God is a very, very personal thing. It is not something you want to shout about because you know that you’re going to be misunderstood or there’s a risk that you can misunderstood, and that is not a good thing. So nobody should want to be a prophet. Nobody should try to be a prophet.

Don: Can I volunteer to be a prophet?

Carolyn: Do you think Noah was a prophet?

C-J: I think he was a tool. I think God used him as the instrument of his hand. I think Noah was obedient.

Pastor Giddi: The Bible calls Noah a preacher of righteousness. India is in great confusion because it has prophets from Hinduism, from Islam, and from Christianity. So many people claim to be prophets! I read somewhere that if you want to get rich quick, go to India and start a religion because it’s the land of prophets and religions. 

So we are in great confusion. And surely, as Jesus said, there will be prophets in the last days and we have to be aware of the false prophets

C-J: In the 70s (and the late 50s also) people in the Pentecostal/Baptist flavor of Christianity wanted revival, because they saw a lot of war, they saw economic tides. People were falling away from the church in traditional roles. They wanted revival and they often did it through camp meetings and music and Bible thumping, to use a phrase. 

But I think people might—might—confuse that type of mindset with the prophet, because they saw it as evangelism, a revival in people coming back to God. I think there are times and seasons when it seems like people are more receptive to the Holy Spirit moving, that intuitive thing making them feel there’s something missing. They might look for it through a series of churches or spiritual experiences, even from the far extremes, but ultimately, they’re seeking a place that will restore them in relationship, I believe.

In the 70s there was the whole Jesus movement where people were doing tarot cards and drugs and practicing Earth-based and other traditions. A lot of those people ended up coming back to the Bible. So I really believe that the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways that we cannot begin to understand. And that there do seem to be times and seasons in the community that I still keep in touch with—very foundational Pentecostal people. They believe what happened with COVID was partly calling, partly the Holy Spirit moving to bring us back into fellowship with God. 

I’m not going to weigh in on which side I fall with that but it’s easy in hindsight to say: “Oh, that’s what was happening.” But when you’re in the midst, it goes back to those guardrails. This is not a new thing. Think it not strange, these things that come upon you. This is God moving, parting the waters in another generation, if you will, whether it’s a prophet, a sign, a wonder, or a disease, we will interpret that because we’re out of relationship. 

But when we come into relationship, I think that we’re not surprised. I’m not surprised when I see God move, anymore. I just look and I smile, and I go, “Of course. There it is!”

Donald: A prophet is not a fortune teller, I think we’d all agree upon that. But a prophet can predict the future. In that regard, I wonder what is the role of a corporate church? I think we in this group tend to think that it happens in your head, that it’s a personal thing, not a community thing or a corporate thing. But what is the role of corporate? Spiritual experience? Does it need a leader? Does the leader have to be charismatic to be a prophet?

Don: What are the influences of culture on the prophetic paradigm?

Adaure: I can relate to the situation in India, having grown up in Malawi, where there is still a lot of animism. It is almost mixed into Christianity in schools, in government,… “pure” religion really isn’t a thing there. I went to a government boarding school, and we’d have pastors coming to do nights of prayer. It was almost compulsory, and everyone would be there, and there’d be exorcisms and people prophesizing and it would be very dramatic. 

I was at a point in life where I was trying to figure out what exactly I believed in. I grew up Catholic, so being thrust into this school where suddenly there’s all this going on was a little scary. Our discussion of prophets is bringing back memories I haven’t had to think about for a while. Culturally, there’s certainly this feeling of confusion resulting from animism and the belief in ancestors and their role in people’s lives alongside the belief that Jesus also exists and keeps bad things away. 

I still haven’t completely ironed it all out personally, but my sentiment would be that if the Holy Spirit is guiding us in our heads and in our hearts, then when do we need a prophet? Maybe like King Nebuchadnezzar we have dreams we would like interpreted, but basically it just goes back to wanting an understanding… which might not be possible!

Reinhard: Speaking of leaders being prophets: I don’t think in our Adventist culture the prophet is a big issue—it’s hardly mentioned. Some might call Mrs. White a prophet. Maybe the right term is “messenger of God”—someone who, from time to time, speaks of what the Holy Spirit gave them. 

In the Bible, the prophets live mostly in the Old Testament. Islam has its Prophet Muhammad and the leader of the Mormons is called a prophet. But in the time of Jesus there was no prophet, there were only apostles whose mission was to spread the gospel until the end of the earth. Jesus even said to watch out for people who claim to be him. The Old Testament prophets were never wrong. Noah was not a prophet, but he predicted the Flood. But the consistent and true message that God communicates to men was only through prophets until Jesus changed the paradigm for how people communicate with God. 

After Jesus time, we use the Bible and the Holy Spirit as the Word of God to enlighten our minds, our thoughts, our plan. In the church organization, when are we going to make a plan or some decision we pray to God that the Holy Spirit will lead us to enlightenment or guide our leaders to act in the right way—the way God wants.

So prophets are meaningless for our church. We communicate with God through prayer, through the Holy Spirit. We know the answers—God already give the prescription in the one true Bible, which we accept by faith and behave accordingly.

Anonymous: I thank God for the Bible, because everything we need is in there. I don’t see any need for any more prophets than we already have in the Bible, because the message is the same and it works for every time and place. It’s universal. It’s the same thing, the same core, the same substance, the same message, so we don’t need any more. 

God promised that in the end time, we will have our old men prophesying and the younger men seeing visions. So I believe when God sees a need for new messages to be heard, then he will do that, for his reasons—we can have no idea what they are. As it is, throughout the generations, past and future, we have plenty of messages, we have all we need, if only we believe it and walk by it.

Felicia: I think people are hungry or thirsty and only have partial knowledge. Other people with slightly more knowledge might be taking advantage of that by calling themselves prophets and claiming to be delivering the Word.

Pastor Giddi: In Revelation 10 John is given a little book to eat. After he eats it, it would be sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach, but he must prophesy again. So I think the gift of prophecy will be continued. Even the Apostle Paul, who came after the disciples and after Jesus had ascended to heaven, talked about the gift of prophecy, and the prophets. 

I believe we need the prophets because we have to understand the prophetic message. Prophets were sent from God to turn the hearts of the people towards God, not to get popularity for themselves. The gift of prophecy will be used in the last days and is very much needed in the church. Hence, God’s asking John to prophecy again.

David: Did Ellen White, who I think Adventists consider as their founder and a prophet, consider herself a prophet? Was she referred to as a prophet in her day? If so, how did she feel? If not, how would she have felt about being called a prophet?

Don: She never made claim that she was a prophet. She considered herself and identified herself as a messenger.

Donald: She was clear that she had visions. 

Wikipedia lists Christianity, Catholicism, Jehovah’s Witness, Latter Day Saints, Adventists, Branch Davidians, along with other Christian sects and Islam and Judaism as faiths that were established by prophets. I don’t know whether Mrs. White thought of herself as a prophet but it’s clear that our church has raised her to that level.

We’ve talked about apostles, messengers of God, charismatic preachers, evangelists, and prophets. Matthew 23:34 says prophet and teacher but uses other language to describe who are the people that God was talking about. 

I’m curious to know why Carolyn asked about Noah…?

Carolyn: He always looked to the future. He had a compelling message that he wanted everyone to know—like many of the prophets. That’s why I wondered if Noah is considered also to have had prophetic skill.

Donald: I think it’s fair to say that Moses is considered a prophet. His message for the future came through God literally on a stone tablet, as we understand it. But Noah was building a boat and predicting what was to take place, but he did not garner much of a following.

Don: We have much to consider about the way in which God communicates with humankind in modern times. We will talk more about the prophetic message, about what validates a prophet, about the differences between false and true prophets, and maybe about how often a church needs a prophet to retain its prophetic reputation. Can you have a prophet every 160 years and still be a prophetic church? Or do you need a prophet more frequently than that?

Donald: Do you think the Adventist church would accept another prophet, based upon the passage of time?

Don: I don’t think there’s a chance that that would happen.

Donald: Me neither. 

Pastor Giddi: I do agree. I don’t think we need another prophet. What is needed is always revealed through the spirit of prophecy.

Don: Maybe there’s a new idea that needs to be brought forward. David, for example, wants to rewrite the Bible. We’ll talk more next week. Think about the prophetic paradigm and the cultural element that pastor Giddi and Adaure have introduced to the discussion. There are a lot of different angles to explore. 

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