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- Herausgeber: Riaan Engelbrecht
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
In the Old Testament, the prophet would guide the king, therefore the people, by speaking the will of God, and many times the will of God will include correction, judgment and warnings. Prophets were often ignored in the Old Testament, while even back in those days among the true prophets you found many speaking deceptions and lies. Today, nothing has changed, because God does not change (Hebrews 13:8). Prophets are still called to lead the corporate church by speaking and declaring the will, the purpose and the mandate of God. What the prophet utters may contain correction or judgment, or it may speak of encouragement, direction or wisdom. Prophets still speak to nations, or even to a multitude of nations, declaring the will of God not just unto the Church but unto secular leaders as to warn, to guide, to direct and to declare the heart and mind of God. Thus from the old to the new, nothing has changed in regard to the prophet. Yet the office is often misunderstood, and also shrouded in mystery, erroneous perceptions and terrible abuse. This series divides the truth from the myriad of lies, misconceptions, fallacies and erroneous teachings regarding the prophetic.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Series of work by the same author:
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Perilous Times
In Pursuit of God
The Holy Spirit
The Disciple of God
Deliverance
Crossroads to Freedom
The Kingdom of God
The Prophetic
Apologetics
The Vine
End-Time Remnant
The Prophetic Realm
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Scriptures quotes from the New Kings James Bible, Amplified, and the New International Version.
For more free study material visit www.authorriaan.co.za
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
The Prophetic Realm
The life of a prophet
A prophet of character
The mandate and the journey
The false, the called and the commissioned
Prophetic expressions
The counterfeit prophetic movement
The false prophets who make merchandise of you
The fine line between imagination and discernment
The prophet speaks with the thunderous voice of God
A call for the prophetic to arise in the Holy Spirit
Beware the deceived prophets of God-like mentalities
Slavery that deafens the prophetic spiritually
To break down and to plant
Activation through obedience
Condition of the Word
Spirit of prophecy
The beguiling nature of the prophecy of divination
Accountability
Making room for the prophetic
A prophetic word for the prophets
Reaping the spiritual reward
The prophetic declaration of woe
The prophetic spark
What happened to accountability and testing of 'word'?
The spirit of truth and the spirit of error
Standing in the gap in these perilous hours
Establishing prophets of identity
Do not despise prophecies
Counterfeit prophetic sows foolish confusion
Exposing the counterfeit prophetic
Establishing the prophetic in God’s power
Reviving the prophetic in the end-time revival
Also By Riaan Engelbrecht
About the Author
Table of Contents
The life of a prophet
A prophet of character
The mandate and the journey
The false, the called and the commissioned
Prophetic expressions
The counterfeit prophetic movement
The false prophets who make merchandise of you
The fine line between imagination and discernment
The prophet speaks with the thunderous voice of God
A call for the prophetic to arise in the Holy Spirit
Beware the deceived prophets of God-like mentalities
Slavery that deafens the prophet spiritually
To break down and to plant
Activation through obedience
Condition of the Word
Spirit of prophecy
The beguiling nature of the prophecy of divination
Accountability
Making room for the prophetic
A prophetic word for the prophets
Reaping the spiritual reward
The prophetic declaration of woe
The prophetic spark
What happened to accountability and testing of 'word'?
The spirit of truth and the spirit of error
Standing in the gap in these perilous hours
Establishing prophets of identity
Do not despise prophecies
Counterfeit prophetic sows foolish confusion
Exposing the counterfeit prophetic
Establishing the prophetic in God’s power
Reviving the prophetic in the end-time revival
The life of a prophet
In the Old Testament, the prophet would guide the king, therefore the people, by speaking the will of God, and many times the will of God will include correction, judgement and warnings. Prophets were often ignored in the Old Testament, while even back in those days among the true prophets you found many speaking deceptions and lies. Today, nothing has changed, because God does not change (Hebrews 13:8).
Prophets are still called to lead the corporate church by speaking and declaring the will of God to the leaders (who are like the modern-day kings of old). Prophets still speak to believers. Still today what the prophet utters may contain correction or judgement, or it may speak of encouragement, direction or wisdom. Prophets still speak to nations, or even to a multitude of nations, declaring the will of God not just unto the Church but unto secular leaders as to warn, to guide, to direct and to declare the heart and mind of God. Thus from the old to the new, nothing has changed in regard to the prophet.
Many will say that the prophetic of the New Testament is different to the days of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Daniel, simply because we have a very narrow understanding of the role of the prophet. As the prophet was in the old so he is under the New Covenant. Still today, many are saying that no one should really be saying “so says the Lord”, but rather to say “that I feel led that this is what the Lord is saying ...” We are completely misunderstanding the role of the prophet.
To the matter of what is a real prophet, consider that a prophet is a spokesperson for God. The prophet admonishes, warns, confirms, encourages, intercedes, teaches and counsels. His primary function is to speak the heart, the mind and the will of God in order to bring into alignment what has been out of alignment according to God’s will, truth and Kingdom. A prophet is called to stand in the council of the Lord. He stands before the living God. Having stood before God he is sent to stand for God, before his people and speak His word. To prophesy is to communicate the mind and heart of God to a person, a group of people or a territory; therefore, prophecy is linked with the promise of God over our lives. God's promise is an announcement of His plan of salvation and blessing to His people. A promise embraces both declaration and deed.
Prophets in our time will bring the word of the Lord to the corporate church, to spiritual leaders (as Ezekiel spoke to the shepherds in Ezekiel 34) and to the believers. Prophets will give direction and vision in these situations so that God's people know what is happening, and what they should do. This speaks of wisdom, so they may know the way ahead. For example, the prophet Gad provided guidance to David and showed him how to avoid trouble. But the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth (1 Samuel 22:5).
Prophets can give direction to those who are seeking the will of God. Sometimes the prophetic word will be for the church as a whole or for the leadership of the church. The prophet thus admonishes, intercedes, teaches and counsels. He encourages, edifies and so builds and plants. Importantly he stands on the walls to see what the Lord is doing that he may call the Body as a corporate or the believer to respond. He may even call nations or secular leaders to heed the Word of God.
The office of the prophetic has often been shrouded in mystery, or it has been misinterpreted or misunderstood over many years. Truly, it is clear that for a long time the prophetic has been either shunned in the church, or it has become absolutely snowed under by misconceptions, distortions and falseness. For a long time, especially in the advent of the Roman Catholic Church, the prophetic office was completely shunned and suppressed. It sparked to life again during the early 1500s with the Reformation and gained momentum with the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. While this is all good and well, the devil also realised the dangers of the prophets taking their rightful place again. And so today we are inundated and overwhelmed by so many “prophetic” voices, yet many of these voices are not even speaking as the Lord leads.
Let us remember if the prophet does not speak completely and utterly as the Lord leads, then surely this cannot be a prophet. A prophet is one who is God’s spokesperson, and therefore a prophet must speak “thus says the Lord” for that is the role and the office of the prophet. The commissioned prophet after all should hear very clearly the voice of God and know the heart, mind and will of the Lord. For the prophet, there are no grey areas when it comes to God’s will, to His Truth or to His Ways. It is either God’s way or no way at all.
In 1 Samuel 9, we find a clear example of how a true prophet functions. This is the account of how Saul and the prophet Samuel met. At the time, Saul was looking for his father’s lost donkeys and was told in verse 6 of an honourable man of God in the city who could help him with his task. We then read (just before the actual meeting): 15 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
So here we find Samuel was in direct communication with God. He had received his command from God. We then read: 17 So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.” 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, “Please tell me, where is the seer’s house?” 19 Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?”
Finding the donkeys was not the primary objective for the meeting between Saul and Samuel, but it was for Samuel to anoint Saul as king. Samuel was completely and utterly in the will of the Lord, being constantly guided, directed and led to fulfil God’s mandate. This is the true sign of a prophet – someone who is yielded and submitted to the perfect will of the Lord. He was listening closely to God and was not distracted by the issue of the lost donkeys. God’s will was for Saul to be anointed as king, and thus set in motion the age of the kings which included the reign of David.
Samuel was thus not thinking about himself. It was not about Samuel’s agenda or his will. For the prophet, it was about God’s purpose and plan for the meeting, which was set in motion when Saul was looking for lost donkeys. So for the prophet, it is vital to always listen closely to the Lord, to yield, and to submit as the Lord leads. For the prophet, it is all about the will of the Lord.
Take note, prophets are both men and women. There are after all nine women in the Bible who are called true prophetesses (Hebrew "nbiyah" Greek "prophetis" meaning "inspired woman"). They are Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Isaiah's wife (Isaiah 8:3), Anna (Luke 2:36-38) and the four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8-9). So we need to understand still today a prophet is both male and female. For the sake purely for singularity, this study will speak of “he” in the context of the prophet, even though God has called many women today to also be mighty prophets in His Kingdom.
We also need to always remember that the greatest prophet that ever lived is our Lord Jesus, who is also the Son of God and God Himself. He is the Mystery revealed as the ancient of ways, for He is the Way, and He came to prophetically show us the way to the Kingdom, what is the Kingdom all about, the Truth of the Gospel and His very sacrifice on the cross was a prophetic action of death submitting to the life-giving power of the Blood of the Lamb, of sin being swept aside by grace and of a restoration of the lost, the broken, and the captive. And such a way as shown by the Lord as the Son of God and as a prophet speaks no longer of a mystery, but a yearning by the Father for the lost to be restored by the Blood of the mystery revealed so that we all - once lost - may tread the highway of joy and redemption.
Indeed, the Lord prophetically showed the way to the Kingdom to bring us back from disgrace to grace, from the abyss to glory and from death to life. For the Lord showed Moses the prophet the path to freedom and so the mystery revealed, the greatest Prophet, has revealed under the Covenant of Grace the true path of our redemption.
We find the responsibility of a prophet summed up in Ezekiel 3: Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. 4 Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them ... 10 Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. 11 And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”
Ezekiel was called to ‘eat the scroll’; meaning to digest the entire Truth of God and speak only what he has digested. This means he must not speak anything else but the Word that has been planted within him. And so the prophet must receive into his heart all that the Lord speaks and hear with his ears. This reminds of the seven letters to the churches where it is repeated in the Book of Revelations to hear what the Spirit is saying. A prophet must receive, he must listen and he must speak only as the Lord leads. A prophet speaks not his opinion, or judges not by his eyes, or by what he hears, but moves solely as the Spirit leads.
The Lord also said to "Ezekiel: 8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” A prophet therefore must never be afraid of man, or be afraid of what he must speak or do, for God shall be with His servants and messengers. Ezekiel only had to obey, trust and be faithful to the words – the scroll – he had digested.
These days the prophetic office has sadly been reduced to operating in the function of merely uttering a personal word, or meeting a personal need or want. And so, as soon as someone utters a personal word to someone, then that person has become a prophet. This is happening often, and it is allowed to take flight based of the misconceptions of what it means to be a prophet. We need to remind ourselves that a lot of times such personal word can be uttered as a result of the gift of wisdom, or knowledge or even the prophetic gift. It also can just be that the prophetic word has been uttered as the Holy Spirit moved for that singular purpose. Sadly, a lot of times such a personal word does not even come from God, never mind being a prophetic utterance.
Prophecy is, however, not solely about confirming a personal word or meeting a personal need, but it runs far deeper. While prophets are called to speak also of the future or address the past, when it is, however, not of the Lord, it becomes divination. Almost every prophet in the Old Testament appeared first as a foreteller. Through his fellowship with the eternal God, the prophet has access to the future. He is the seer who has insight into God's purposes for history. However, whatever he sees for the future is always related to the present. He warns of future judgements so that people will change their behaviour now. He speaks of future blessing to give hope for the present. This was also the case with John who wrote the Book of Revelation. The prophet speaks thus to the present, in light of the future that God has revealed to him. Daniel was such a prophet.
Let us remember God’s intention has always been for His children to hear directly from God, and to seek the Lord’s counsel and direction. This is why the Blood of the Lamb removed the veil so that we may have access to the Lord. First and foremost we must seek God to know His will and purpose for our lives. God’s desire is not for His children to be solely led by the voice of the prophetic or those who utter by a gift or by the move of the Spirit. God desires for us to hear directly from Him and to spend time with Him in intimate fellowship. The prophetic thus confirms and guides with wisdom and revelation. Yet this is a big problem in churches these days. Many are content NOT to hear directly from God, but would rather run to someone they believe can speak a word directly to them. We must first hear from God, spend time with the Lord and then allow God to confirm if so desired.
The devil has thus used this opportunity to sow confusion and chaos, for the simple reason that so many within the church are not grounded in the Word, or have a real relationship with God, never mind being led by the Spirit of the Lord. If you, therefore, do not know the Word, how can you test what is spoken? If you are not led by the Spirit, how can you know when someone is speaking or not speaking in the Spirit? If you know not the Lord intimately, how can you know how He moves or speaks? Therefore we sit in this state of apostasy in our churches, because we do not know God, move in His Spirit or know His Word. In this environment of ignorance which is not bliss, the enemy moves and acts, confusing and sowing deception. Yet, the devil is not stopped, because there is generally a great lack of discernment in churches.
Remember, when a personal word is given, it confirms and affirms. Personal prophecy must be treated with caution. The gift of prophecy is not generally directive so it is dangerous to make life-changing decisions on the basis of a prophecy uttered by a person who has not been recognised as a prophet or who has not the gift. Prophets will sometimes give direction, but generally, this should come as a confirmation of something that God has already spoken to the person concerned. God wants to lead his people by His Spirit. He desires that every believer should learn to hear the Spirit's voice. A message from a prophet should normally come as a confirmation of something that the Spirit has already spoken.
Getting confirmation from a prophet before we act can be really encouraging, but we need to be very careful. A personal prophecy can be misleading if we have allowed our own plans and desires to control our thinking. Ezekiel gives a surprising warning about this. When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry (Ezekiel 14:4). If a person has let something that they want to do become an idol of their heart, God may prophesy to them what they want to hear. If the person acts on the prophecy, it will lead to disaster. God does this to reveal the idol and recapture the person's heart. This means that we must be careful with personal prophecy. If a prophecy confirms what we want to do, it may just be a sign that we have made our own plans into an "idol in our hearts".
The reality is that even though under the New Covenant God speaks to all man (those willing to listen), the office of the prophet has never vanished or has it become diminished in importance. The importance of the prophetic is underlined in 1 Corinthians 14 when Paul weighed up prophecy versus speaking in tongues: "14 Pursue [this] love [with eagerness, make it your goal], yet earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual gifts [to be used by believers for the benefit of the church], but especially that you may prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people]. 2 For one who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to people but to God; for no one understands him or catches his meaning, but by the Spirit he speaks mysteries [secret truths, hidden things]. 3 But [on the other hand] the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification [to promote their spiritual growth] and [speaks words of] encouragement [to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God] and [speaks words of] consolation [to compassionately comfort them]. 4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church [promotes growth in spiritual wisdom, devotion, holiness, and joy]. 5 Now I wish that all of you spoke in unknown tongues, but even more [I wish] that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater [and more useful] than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he translates or explains [what he says], so that the church may be edified [instructed, improved, strengthened]."
It is because of the perception that prophets deal primarily with a personal word of clarification, direction, or even telling the future that many believe this office is no longer valid, considering we are called to first and foremost listen to God. Indeed, it is true God longs to speak to us personally, but this does not negate the office of the prophet, for the true role of the prophet is far more than just speaking a personal word into someone’s life. Yet, this is how the prophetic is perceived. A prophetic word uttered is seen as a means to a quick fix, and so people seek out prophets to find a word for a situation, an answer to a decision, a solution to a crisis, an utterance for breakthrough or an impartation for self-empowerment. This is indeed what the prophetic has been reduced to and how so many understand the prophetic. People might as well consult mediums or spiritists if that is their motivation and goal for seeking out the prophetic.
One can seek solutions or answers by simply consulting with God on a personal level, yet believers are simply too spiritually lethargic to spend time with God in fellowship to listen, to heed and to pay attention. And so they would rather seek out a “prophet”, because “surely they will have the answer” and they can speak something that “will change the situation or bring about change”. Is this really what the prophetic has been reduced to? Unfortunately yes, and this is why the prophetic is no longer regarded as the voice of God to lead the Body of Christ in the will, purpose and mandate of God. Prophets are treated like soothsayers, and people with supposed magical gifts to provide personal revelations.
In the 613 Laws of Moses, we find the following laws regarding prophecy: To heed the call of every prophet in each generation, provided that he neither adds to nor takes away from the Torah (Deuteronomy 18:15), not to prophesy falsely (Deuteronomy 18:20) and not to refrain from putting a false prophet to death nor to be in fear of him (Deuteronomy 18:22). It says in "1 Thessalonian 5: 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil."
As in the days of the old to the days of the new, prophecy must not be despised. And still today, prophets are called to uphold God’s Truth, the order of His Kingdom and His Ways. A prophet absolutely loves the Truth of God. He adores the Kingdom and will stay obedient to God to speak the Truth of God, for in the Truth lie liberty and blessing. On the flip side of the coin, we must remain mindful, aware and beware of the false word, and those who are dealing falsely.
We need to understand God does not change and He will never change. He still uses the prophets to exhort, to lead, to guide, to strengthen, to correct, to shift, to align, to plant, to tear down, to pull down, to restore and to speak judgement. This is why still today the Church must listen to the true prophet, for he or she will speak the heart of God, the mind and the will of God for it shall be a word of intent and purpose to the glory of the Kingdom and not man.
He may speak to the Bride or the believer, or to nations or to secular kinds, either way, he or she speaks as the Lord leads. Still today, prophets are called to neither add nor take away from Scriptures (Old or New Testament), or to twist what God says or to distort the Word be it Logos or Rhema. Prophets today should still be held accountable for every word spoken, for truly true prophesy is all about glorifying God.
The Law of Moses spoke of putting to death a false prophet. Under the New Covenant, we shall not go to such extremes, but it shows you how serious God is about those who speak falsely or who deem themselves to be a prophet but speak not by God’s authority. When a prophet truly moves in the will of God, in God’s Truth, in God’s Spirit, and moves in the office of the prophet to the glory of God, then such a prophet will speak or act in the complete and utter authority of God and the Kingdom. So what a prophet says will be, and what action is taken, it shall be.
It says in "Deuteronomy 18: 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
The test for the true prophet is that they are known by their fruit, after all, a true prophet should always be led by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God changes one’s character and brings the prophet into alignment with the character of God. After all, he speaks on behalf of God."
According to Deuteronomy 18, a prophet must also be speaking Truth, which is weighed against the Scripture, and what he says must come to pass, unless there are conditions. So a prophet walks in Truth, in character, and to the glory of God.
Whatever the prophet is called to do, he does it in the office of the prophet. This is very important to understand. The prophet is not operating at times in the prophetic and other times not. No, the prophet is ALWAYS a prophet because of his mandate and calling. So if the prophet serves, he does it so in the authority of the office. If he teaches, he does so as a prophet. If the prophet counsels and encourages, it is done as a prophet. The Word says God does nothing without speaking to His prophets. The prophet knows the heart and mind of God in a certain way and seeks to guide and steer according to the Lord’s will. Yes, there is a great mystery in the prophetic, for in the prophetic lies the authority to shift, to align and to bring about what God is saying. And this is not always done through mere words, but even actions. The prophet discerns, he knows and sees – speaking not only of what will happen but also what needs to be done.
2 Kings 13: 14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”
Even at the point of death, Elisha remained a prophet, for if you are a prophet, then this is who you are. When you wake up, you a prophet and when you sleep, you are a prophet. So Elisha remained true to who he is and acted in the office when he spoke to Joash the king of Israel. And sadly, the king failed to obey the prophet’s call. Indeed, the ways of the prophet are many times mysterious and make no sense. It says in "Ecclesiastes 11: 5: As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything."
A true prophet never fears man, for a true prophet is convicted by God, and walks only in the path and the way of God. 1 Kings 18:4 tells us, "When Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them in groups of fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water." Glory dwellers don't hide in caves. True prophets of God do not hide from man or the devil. A true prophet is convicted of his path, his purpose and his mission, and thus in the power of God will endure it all for the sake of God and the eternal Kingdom. True prophets will not back down. They will not hide. They will not cower. They will refuse to give up. This is because a prophet by nature is one who is determined, convicted and led by the power of God to speak God’s will and God’s glory. A prophet finds his strength in God and does not heed or obey the words of man as primary instruction. No, God is the final instruction of the prophet. God‘s words is all that a prophet lives by and obeys with all that he has. This is what a true prophet is. Not a cave-dweller but someone who dwells in the presence of the Almighty.
If you begin to fear man, you end up pleasing man. A prophet of God is not called to please man but only to please God. Those who are not true prophets flatter people in authority with prophetic words that bring them personal advancement. 1 Kings 22:6-12 says, "Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, approximately four hundred men, and said to them, 'Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I wait?' And they said, 'Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.' But Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can ask?' "And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we can inquire of the Lord. But I hate him because he never prophesies good for me, but always evil.' And Jehoshaphat said, 'Let not the king say so.' Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, 'Quickly, bring Micaiah son of Imlah.' "The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah each put on his robes and sat on his throne at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made horns of iron and said, 'Thus says the Lord: With these you shall push the Arameans until you have consumed them.' All the prophets prophesied similarly, saying, 'Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.'"
Here we find that Micaiah offered a true word of the Lord and went to prison for it. That speaks of conviction and fearing not man but only fearing God. A true prophet will never seek to please man or entertain man’s wishes or desires or needs. A true prophet only speaks what God says.
Prophets ultimately know the heart and mind of God. They discern and they take note. And so some prophets are also described at times as watchmen or men of vision who stand on the walls of the ‘City of God’ – the Church - to see what God is doing. They look into the distance to see what is coming. They often see a long way ahead. Ezekiel for example was called to be a watchman.
Ezekiel 33: 1-11 The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.' "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself. "Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: "Our offences and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?" ' Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
The prophet was called a watchman because he functioned in the spiritual realm just as the literal watchmen did in the natural realm. The natural watchmen were stationed at specific posts on the walls of the city that gave them the visibility to watch for the king or other members of the nobility to announce their coming. They were also to look for enemies from without, or disorder arising within the city, or camp of Israel. And yes, Ezekiel 34 highlights how imperative it is for the prophet to speak regarding what the Lord reveals or show, and the prophet must speak and obey as the Spirit leads.
In Ezekiel 8 we read of how Ezekiel is ‘taken’ supernaturally into the sanctuary of the temple: 5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance. 6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” Ezekiel was told by the Lord to open his eyes and to “see”, therefore to discern, to take note, and to behold. This is the general call of any prophet. The prophet ultimately can ‘see’, thus discern anything and everything that is opposed to God, that serves as a threat against God’s Church and that which is acting as a threat against God’s order, truth and way. The prophet “sees” the move of God in nations, and God’s plan for societies, and how cultural shifts threaten the truth of God in the minds of man.
And as the prophet discerns and ‘see’, even seeing what is happening in the spiritual, the prophet will then by the leading of the Holy Spirit address such a manner, be it a warning, be it a correction, judgment or decelerations of advice or a word of wisdom. When Paul was going up to Jerusalem the prophet Agabus warned him of the danger that he would face there (Acts 21:10,11). God often prepares his people in this way. The prophet is a watchman, who warns God's people of coming trouble. Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground where no snare has been set? Does a trap spring up from the earth when there is nothing to catch? When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets (Amos 3:5-7).
Therefore, with spiritual sight, a prophet must walk by discernment so that he could explain what God is doing and how he will work through these events to bring change. A prophet not only deals with speaking things and declaring God’s will, but the prophet can at times have insight into the implementation of strategies. Thus, without the true prophetic, the Church can easily become spiritually blind, even though the Church is not led solely by the prophetic, but primarily by the Lord and by the Scriptures. As an eye, a prophet explains the plan and purpose of God and tells people what God will do in the future. It says in Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets. Indeed, a prophet listens and heeds the Word of God, and turns people from their evil ways back to God that they might be saved.
It is not just about the prophet who needs to discern, since the devil prowls around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), thus calling us to be sober and alert. Every believer who is a worshipper in spirit and truth should be discerning and taking note of threats facing them, facing the Church or facing the Kingdom of God. In Acts 4, the believers cried out to the Lord: “29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word ...” There was a plea for the Lord to behold the threats because the believers had also discerned such dangers and perils. In John 3, the Lord spoke to Nicodemus and said to him in verse3 “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. When we are thus led by the Spirit of God, therefore led in wisdom, knowledge, power and strength, we shall observe, we shall discern, we shall “see” the manifestation of the Kingdom and we shall recognise the attacks and the perils. We shall “see” our own shortcomings and failures by the conviction of the Spirit of the Lord.
Elijah's servant needed to have his eyes opened to see the full reality of his situation. This is something we all need. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:15-17).
While all disciples need their eyes to be opened, this is critical for the prophet of the Lord, who is stationed as a watchman, as a guardian, as he is called to discern, to warn, to speak out, and to declare the will and the purpose and the intent of the Lord. Take note of Jeremiah 1 v 10: See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms ... We need to thus be reminded that a prophet functions in the Kingdom of God and not according to the kingdoms of the earth. A prophet’s action SHOULD NEVER be dictated for example by the kingdom of money (Mammon), yet this is what is happening in churches. Prophets aren’t functioning in the eternal kingdom, but have lowered themselves to become entangled with the kingdom of the earth, and thus are motivated, inspired and driven by the ways of the world. When money for example motivates and influences a prophet above the Kingdom of God then you find a very dangerous situation for a prophet no longer function in the ‘higher spiritual plateaus’ but have succumbed to the valley of distraction, spiritual shallowness and limited spiritual sight and understanding.
A prophet realises the reality and the truth of John 18:36: Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world.” The kingdoms of this world will eventually all fade and perish, for they are temporary, tangible, and mortal, yet the Kingdom of God is everlasting, eternal, spiritual and supernatural. So for the prophet, it is of utmost importance to walk in the reality of John 18, that he functions according to the Kingdom of God – a kingdom of power, of love and of peace. The prophet is called to proclaim the Kingdom of God – the culture, the truth, its ways and realities – here on earth and does so by declaring the will of the Lord. And so Matthew 6 becomes of great importance for the prophet – Lord let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Indeed, too many prophets are not truly operating in the Kingdom of God, for they have been dragged down to the kingdoms of the earth. They have therefore become disconnected from the eternal source of all wisdom and truth, floundering in the muck of religion, apostasy, tradition and selfish ambitions and desires.
It is the time for the prophet to arise again, and be like an eagle that soars higher to see, to discern and to know. For it says in Isaiah 40: But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles ... A prophet is called to be in the counsel of God, for then he shall mount up and be renewed in God’s strength. Such a prophet is not called to remain in the valley, for there he shall stumble and fall.
In the end, it is not the place of the prophet to question but to only obey. For in the act of obedience, there is authority, for the prophet is staying true to the mantle.
A prophet of character
As disciples of God, we need to grow in character. It seems many in the church just want the gifts and the calling, but they are not willing to allow God to change them so that their character glorifies Him. To grant gifts and to awaken callings is easy for the Lord, but to build character speaks of a journey and it speaks of self-sacrifice, obedience, faithfulness and a deep submission.
For the prophet, character is everything. It is built in the ‘secret place’, where we spend with God is our hiddenness. The Lord says in “Matthew 7: 15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits.”
A prophet should walk in character, thus the fruits of the Spirit. His entire life should speak about a relationship with God, for the prophet is completely and utterly committed the ways of the Lord, the Kingdom of God and the path of righteousness. Above all, a prophet walks in humility, for the prophet realises his calling comes not from himself but from God. He speaks not out of himself, and the prophet does nothing to promote, benefit or profit himself, but everything is to the glory of King and to establish the truth of the Lord. All of this takes character – therefore a journey of becoming more like the Lord.
We see for example the lack of character and integrity showed by prophets in “Jeremiah 23: 11 “For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness,” says the Lord.” And also Zephaniah 3 (NKJV) when dealing with the wickedness of Jerusalem it says in verse 4 that “her prophets are insolent, treacherous people. Insolent speaks of showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.” This is certainly not the character as shown by the true prophet of the Lord!
God is rising up true prophets – not just because they walk in spirit and truth, but because they are prophets of character. A prophet cannot speak from a place of bitterness, anger, rejection, unforgiveness or even hate. A prophet must only speak as the Lord leads. In Ezekiel 36, regarding Israel’s renewal, we read: 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My ordinances and do them.
The promise that God makes to Israel, is the promise that came also into fulfilment for the Gentiles under the New Covenant. By the Blood of our Lord Jesus, our heart of stone has been removed and we have been given the heart of the Lord, thus the heart of flesh (one that can feel). The Spirit has been poured out so that we can walk by the Spirit of the Lord, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 16), we can walk in the statutes and we will keep His ordinances. This was also the crux of the Great Commission of Matthew 28, which says, “20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.”
Therefore, every disciple of God should be walking as a new creation, with a heart of flesh, and by the Spirit of the Lord in order to obey. And this is also true for the prophetic. Since a prophet deals with words, a prophet that speaks out of anger or out of unforgiveness or bitterness can cause great harm, for he then speaks out of the flesh and not the Spirit. Sure, a lot of people within the Body of Church have been hurt within the church system, and this includes prophets. Many prophets have been rejected, ridiculed, mocked or have even been spiritually abused themselves, but despite this, the prophet must never act or speak out of such emotion. This then is like fighting evil with evil, for we must be reminded of the warning in James 3 how the tongue is a fire. For it is written in this chapter: 5 In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! 6 And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell (Gehenna).
So yes, by the prophetic word, we either speak the Truth of God thus the holy fire of God and who speak profane fire that contaminates. God is looking for prophets who will speak not with words of hurt and who seek to cause harm because of personal vendettas or agendas, but prophets who speak purity, and who speak only as the Lord leads. A wounded prophet who has not grown in character is thus dangerous, for by his words he set ablaze people with hellfire.
A prophet thus needs to walk in the character of the Lord, because a prophet walks a rather lonely journey. A prophet deals many times with truths that may not be revealed, and he deals with truths that no one wishes to heed, or he deals with words of correction or judgement that brings scorn and mockery. Many times the true prophet is dealt with like a soda machine and must be ready and willing to spew out something – an utterance - at the drop of a coin. The life of a prophet is not easy. They are often misunderstood, for they may seem to be strange, weird, unflinching and even hard. The reality is that a prophet is the spokesperson for a supernatural God, and the prophet never questions or argues, but only acts.
Character is vital to wither the storms, to brave the onslaughts and to digest scrutiny. A prophet is after all constantly under attack – not just from those around him, but by the enemy, for a true prophet speaks in the authority of God and speaks the Truth of the matter that brings freedom, liberty and exhortation.
The devil wants to derail the prophet, and so often the character of the prophet will be under assault. And this assault comes in many different forms and can be spiritual, emotional and even physical. The assault can come from close to home – among friends and family – and even from believers, or from heathens or demons. Whatever the assault, the prophet will constantly face tremendous ‘storms’ to break down their faith, their courage and their conviction. Their character will be under assault, for the devil wants a prophet to give up, hide, cower and throw pity parties. Prophets are often faced with the dangers of depression, rejection, anger and disillusionment. A character that has been shaped and formed by the Lord will help and aid the prophet to weather these storms.
Consider the attack that Elijah endured at the hands of Jezebel, and the inner conflict that deals with his character that ensued.
1 Kings 19 KJV: 1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
Elijah had just tasted victory on Mount Carmel, but then despondency overwhelmed him as he considers how the prophets were slain and God’s covenant violated. We should take note that Elijah was vexed by these actions, for a prophet loves the Lord, loves the truth of the Lord and does not tolerate such wickedness. This is the character of the prophet. So Elijah was left in a state of despair, and his character was truly challenged. Yet the Lord encouraged the prophet with the following assignment in the same chapter:
15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
As we fast forward to the ministry of Jesus, He being the greatest prophet as the Son of God, spoke the following words against the religious leaders of the time in “Matthew 23: 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
Our Lord, like Elijah, was vexed by the actions of those who had slain the prophets, for this was direct rebellion against God. They, therefore, had tried to silence the voice of God. A prophet from the days of old until now has and will always be under threat and attack, and will not always be welcomed, simply because they speak the Truth of God and they do not swim with the tides of culture and tradition. So the journey of a prophet is vexing, and a challenge, for even in exhortation and praise God’s holiness, purity and truth must be declared. It can be a lonely journey, for a prophet understand and sees and knows what others at times cannot. So the prophet is in danger of taking the burden upon himself, instead of trusting in the Lord to strengthen and guide him.
We read in “2 Peter 2: Confirming One’s Calling and Election: 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
