Prophecy IX

Chances are there were individuals in Joel’s time who rolled their eyes and proceeded to say something snarky about how what Joel had prophesied was nothing more than wishful thinking. Everyone knows God doesn’t do that; I mean, could you imagine sons and daughters, men and women, old and young, prophesying, having visions, and having dreams? Why, that’s unheard of. We know how things work. Whenever needed, God raises up a prophet; they prophesy, we ignore it because we don’t like what they have to say, and inevitably what they prophesy comes to pass because we refuse to heed the warning. That’s what we’re used to, and God can only do what we are comfortable with. Anything beyond that is suspect. Sound familiar? It should. People are people, and the way they react to new information that takes them out of their comfort zone doesn’t change from generation to generation.

There were likely scoffers in Joel’s day who became more vocal and belligerent the more time passed, and there was no evident outpouring. Sons and daughters weren’t prophesying, young men weren’t seeing visions, the old weren’t having dreams, there was no increase in prophecy, and the passing of time only emboldened them in their renunciations. Five centuries is a long time to wait for the fulfillment of a prophecy, at least to man, but to God it’s mere moments. To put it in context, the least time that could have passed between Joel’s prophecy and its fulfillment was twice as long as America has been a nation.

Another thing that few take into account is that the prophecy itself survived and was circulated by word of mouth for all that time, so that when it was fulfilled, Peter could harken back to it and confirm its fulfillment. There was no database with all the prophecies prophets had uttered over time; no mass pamphlets were printed; you couldn’t just log on to a website and access it for a small fee. Joel’s prophecy survived through the centuries because God willed it.

Nathan the prophet wrote an entire book that has been lost to time. It’s mentioned twice in First Chronicles and Second Chronicles, but as far as what it contained, we will never know. We can debate whether Joel was a more prominent figure than Nathan, and when allowing for their influence during the time they lived, it’s not a stretch to conclude they were on equal footing, even though Nathan had access to the king, while Joel never mentions any.

What’s the point? The point is simple, really, that God, in His sovereignty, established what would remain and be remembered from generation to generation, and what would be lost to time. He established what would be included within the canon of Scripture, and what would be left out. For anyone to insist that something that shouldn’t be within the pages of Scripture somehow made its way in, or that something which should be included was somehow left out, is to question both the sovereignty and omnipotence of the God we serve.

1 Corinthians 14:1-5, “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks in tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”

Does this mean that everyone who desires to prophesy will prophesy? It is, after all, what Paul instructed: to desire spiritual gifts, especially that we might prophesy. The short answer is no. Not everyone who desires to prophesy will prophesy, because, ultimately, God is the gift-giver, and He chooses whom He endows with that specific gift. In modern terms, you don’t get every job you apply for, and you may not get the position you desire even if you get hired.

Desiring to prophesy is biblical, and Paul even encourages it, but we must ask ourselves why we desire it. Is it to speak edification, exhortation, and comfort, or because the one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues? God already knows the answer. He knows the intent behind the desire, and if it is to glorify self rather than Him, if it is to see ourselves superior in some way, though we may desire it, because it will be detrimental to our spiritual growth, God will say no.

You can’t bribe, coerce, threaten, or purchase your way to prophecy. It is God, via the Holy Spirit, who chooses specific servants for specific tasks, then equips them with the gifting necessary to carry out said task. The one thing incumbent upon us is to keep ourselves pure and undefiled, walk humbly with our Lord, serve Him in spirit and in truth, and be willing to serve in a greater capacity if He so chooses.

What we must likewise be aware of is that with a greater calling comes greater responsibility, as well as a bigger bullseye painted on our back. The devil doesn’t bother those already doing his will. He leaves those spreading deception, false doctrine, or false prophecy to their devices, knowing that they’re doing his bidding. He targets those who desire to serve, obey, and follow Jesus, not out of ulterior motives or vested interests, but because they’ve surrendered their lives to Him in their entirety. The enemy attempts to disspirit, dishearten, and destroy the faithful, not those who sow division and confusion, because they help achieve his end goal: a weakened, divided, distracted, and compromised church.  

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.