Approximately 26.8% of the Bible is prophecy. What exactly is Prophecy and what is its purpose? A prophecy is a message inspired by God, or a Divine Revelation. A Prophet is a person who receives God’s messages and then delivers them to other people. The Bible says that prophets spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20, 21). The Holy Spirit is God’s Divine Spirit that came upon people in the Old Testament and now indwells all believers in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah (Acts 2:38).
In the New Testament, The Holy Spirit gives the gift of prophecy to some believers to make God’s heart known and to edify the church (People of God). This gift is for the benefit of both believers and unbelievers and is a sign that God is truly among His church (1 Corinthians 14:22-25). Regarding “the Church”, God is speaking of a community of Believers, not a building or a denomination.
Old Testament Prophets received messages from God in many ways.
- God can deliver messages to people through writing, like the ten commandments.
- God often used oral communication through Angels to deliver His Messages.
- God also uses dreams and visions to deliver prophetic messages. A vision is delivered when a Prophet is fully awake. (Isaiah 1:1; Habakkuk 1:1) Some were so vivid that the recipient participated in them. At other times, visions were conveyed while the recipient was in a trance. (Acts 10:10, 11; 22:17-21)
- God also transmitted his messages by dreams while the prophet slept.—Daniel 7:1; Acts 16:9, 10.
- God can also use His Holy Spirit to “breathe” His Ideas into the minds of His Servants.
Although many prophecies predict the future, there are instances where messages are delivered for other purposes. The ultimate purpose of the Prophetic Revelation is to offer proof that the Triune God, YHWH, YESHUA, the Ruach Hakodesh, is the ONLY Divine Creator who is both Omniscient and Omnipotent. Fulfilled prophecy authenticates the Word of God. Prophecy can warn of danger, it can be a call to repentance, it can reveal both truth and deception. Prophecy is exciting and can be likened to digging for hidden treasure.
Proverbs 25:2: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
We are living in a Prophetic Season, so it’s important to try to understand the messages that YHWH has given us in His Word about these last days. The ultimate message of Prophecy is REDEMPTION, YHWH SAVES! God’s primary purpose of prophecy is to reveal HIMSELF to His Creation in such a way that we will recognize who HE is and invite HIM into our hearts.
