Prophecy XVI

 Prophecy is not a weapon to be wielded by an individual, nor is it something that can be manufactured by the will or desire of man. When Paul writes to the church at Corinth insisting that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, it is within the context of church order during fellowship. He neither hints nor insinuates that prophecy has an on-off switch and that, whenever one is so inclined, he starts giving word after word at will, but rather that if one receives a message from the Lord, he can hold his tongue until the appropriate time is presented, without causing confusion or interrupting another.

Context matters. It always has, and it always will. Taking one verse out of the body text and weaving doctrine from it, outside of it, to the point that it becomes unrecognizable is not rightly dividing the Word, nor is it submitting oneself to the authority of Scripture.

I’ve heard the argument often enough that it must be addressed. Again, when Paul says that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, it’s within the context of church order and not an acknowledgment that the prophet has the authority to tap into his gift as he wills, as often as he wills, for whatever purpose he wills.

God established order in the church from the onset. When we stray beyond the boundaries of that order, confusion reigns, and everyone yells over one another just to be heard. When it comes to prophecy, the text establishes how it should be carried out within the congregation, the body of believers, or the household of faith.

1 Corinthians 14:29-32, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

One aspect of this passage that many gloss over is found in the first sentence: let the others judge once two or three have spoken. It goes without saying that the metric used for judging the words is not feelings, emotions, or personal animus, but rather Scripture, the Word of God, and whether what was spoken is in harmony with it.

We’ve come to a dangerous time in church history when, simply because someone declares themselves a prophet of the Lord, everything they say is deemed true, viable, and, by some, even sacrosanct. If something a self-proclaimed prophet says is contrary to what Scripture has already established, they’re in the wrong, always, and without fail.

Such individuals will inevitably twist Scripture to shield themselves from criticism or being called out, and the most common defense is, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” All well and good, but if a word is demonstrably contrary to what the Bible says, then whether they are God’s anointed or His prophet must be called into question and evaluated.

A false prophet cannot use that particular passage as their defense, because they are, by definition, false. They are neither God’s anointed nor His prophet. They are wolves who attempt to sow division, confusion, and doubt into the hearts of the gullible and easily swayed. One of the enemy’s most-used schemes is to use reimagined, twisted, and out-of-context Scripture passages to shield himself while undermining it and confusing those who desire to know the truth so they might be made free.

He offers freedom, wisdom, knowledge, and salvation at a discounted rate, circumventing the truth of Scripture, and by the time those looking for the easy path discover it was all an illusion and a lie, it’s too late. There is no easy path; there is no alternative to the path; there is one path, one way, one truth, and that is Jesus.

Prophecy is not a vehicle by which certain men are elevated in status; it is the word of the Lord delivered to whom He chooses, in the manner He chooses, for the purposes He chooses. I’ve often equated someone called to the ministry of the prophetic with a mailman. His sole function is to deliver the letter to the address on the envelope.

I’ve gotten lots of mail over my lifetime. Most of it is junk mail, offers for windows, doors, credit repair, loans, like most everyone else. More often than not, you already know the junk from the envelope and chuck it in the bin without even opening it. Once in a while I get an actual letter, a piece of mail that matters, but never once has my mailman come into the house, looked over my shoulder while I was reading a letter, and offered his two cents as to what the letter meant, or what he thought it was supposed to mean.

Likewise, I’ve never approached my mailman the next day, letter in hand, asking him what he thought it meant. He did his job. He delivered my correspondence, and once it was delivered, his job was done. It’s up to me to decide whether the piece of mail is junk or isn’t, and if I’ve determined it’s not, it’s my responsibility to read it and understand what it means.

Yes, corporate prophecy, or general prophecy, should be judged by the others. Judging something is markedly different from interpreting it. When you judge something, you weigh its veracity; you compare it to Scripture and see whether they align. When you interpret something, you inject your opinion and superimpose your thoughts upon something you have no right to superimpose your thoughts upon. What do you think this word means? How do you think it will come about? Where do you think we are in the timeline of what was foretold? I’ve been asked this more times than I can count, and every time I give an opinion on a matter, I make sure to preface it by saying it is just that: my opinion. It’s not my job to interpret it, nor is it my job to prattle on about what I think it means. The message was given, it was delivered, and my duty is done.

A word of warning for those who are quick to interpret prophecy and insist that this is what God meant, or this is the timeline: His thoughts are not your thoughts, and His ways are not your ways. The way we might see something playing out in our mind’s eye may well turn out to come to pass in a wholly different manner than we believed. The word of prophecy itself may be true; what was foretold may come to pass, but the way we saw it playing out by our inferences and deductions will fall short of the mark because we added to the word that was given, or took it upon ourselves to insist that we know the mind of God and the way He would bring it about.   

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.