“Did you hear that [name withheld] said ‘God told him’ Trump was going to be president?!” I tried to put on my poker face (spoiler alert: I don’t have a poker face) as I listened to the mocking tone from my unbelieving friend. Multiple pastors and ministry leaders “prophesied” a Trump victory in 2020, which turned out to be a “false prophecy,” to use the scriptural evaluation.

The result was extensive mockery of those predictions and a huge embarrassment for the Church at large. Given that it’s an election year once again, it might be prudent to take a look at the prophetic utterance.

In “Prophets Among Us,” I focused on the New Testament aspect of prophecy as explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians, which deals with the “forthtelling” aspect of the gift. Now, I want to focus on the “foretelling” aspect of the gift of prophecy.

There is a line of thought among some that the spiritual gifts, as demonstrated in the New Testament, are no longer operative because we have the Bible and the organized Church. They use 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 as their proof: “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” (ESV)

Any right-thinking individual will realize that the Church, while being the Bride of Christ, is nothing close to “the perfect” described in this passage. That will only happen when the Bride is joined to the Bridegroom in heaven.

The Church was given these gifts to empower her to take the Gospel into all the world. Jesus hinted at this gift in the Upper Room discourse when He said this to His disciples: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)

It takes quite a bit of linguistic gymnastics to turn “things that are to come” into anything other than a future event—something that has not yet transpired. Agabus was depicted as a “prophet” in the Book of Acts. In Acts 11, he predicted a coming famine, and in Acts 21, he predicted Paul’s impending arrest when he returned to Jerusalem.

While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.‘“ (Acts 21:10-11)

Both of his predictions came to pass.

God does not take lightly those who proclaim, "Thus saith the Lord,” and then proclaim a false message. “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:20) The passage goes on to state the way to know the true prophet from the false is whether or not it comes to pass.

Sometime over the last 2,000 years, we stopped stoning false prophets, so there isn’t much of a disincentive — in this life, anyway — for those who make false prophetic statements. We should not, however, dismiss the gift or devalue its benefit to the Church.

The church in Jerusalem benefited from Agabus’s prediction of the impending famine and received relief through the Gentile churches. Paul also benefited from knowing what was ahead as he steadfastly purposed to go to Jerusalem.

Being faithful as a prophet is a tough job in this day and age. Scripture tells us that most prophets were martyred not because their message was false but because the people disliked it. Jesus, the greatest prophet, attested to this when He stated, “It cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33), knowing the fate that awaited Him there.

A.W. Tozer spoke of the need for the prophets:

If not the greatest need, then surely one of the greatest is for the appearance of Christian leaders with prophetic vision. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist. Unless they come soon, it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come, we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy. But the cross is always the harbinger of the resurrection. (We Travel An Appointed Way)

Send the prophets, Lord!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!