Hundredfold Ministries, Int'l

When we read in Scripture that a prophet said, “The word of the Lord came to me” the question immediately arises, “How did the word come to him?” Dealing with the subject of how prophecy is received by the one who speaks it forth must of necessity be somewhat subjective. However, Scripture does give us insight. Yet, as we shall see, even in the examples we read in Scripture there is room for various interpretations.

The Prophet Receives Gods Word

To the prophet the word comes with a near irresistible force. He or she cannot rest until the word is delivered. He seems to share God's urgency and concern. Jeremiah said,

It appears that the prophet most often simply “knows” that the Lord has spoken to him and that he must convey the message. But how does God reveal to the prophet what he wants the prophet to speak forth? I list five ways found in Scripture that God uses to convey His words to the prophet.

1. God Speaks Into the Heart of the Prophet

Again and again we read “the word of the Lord came. . . .” This phrase is used 88 times in the Prophetic books of the Old Testament between its first use in Isaiah 38:4 and the last time it is used in Zechariah 7:8. The implication is simply that God spoke into the heart of the prophet. The following explanation is taken from M. Buttenwieser's writings as contained in Abraham J. Heschel's book The Prophets. 6

(In) Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Deutero-Isaiah, every one of them, there is evidence, when he spoke of revelation, meant the divine force or voice which he felt within his heart. None of them claimed anything else than the impulsion of this force, the authority of this voice. It was so simple, so elemental, so self-evident to them, that any particular explanation or demonstration would have seemed superfluous. They all refer to their inspiration

I believe Buttenwieser captures the essence of the prophet's mindset. He or she simply knows that he knows that the Lord spoke to him thus and so.

2. The Prophet Hears an Audible Voice

There are also scriptural instances in which the prophet hears an audible voice. In I Samuel, chapter three, God spoke to young Samuel in an audible voice. In Ezekiel, chapter one, Ezekiel saw a vision and states that he heard a voice. He said, “. . . I heard the voice of one speaking.” (Ez 1:28 NIV).

Of course, in the theophanic manifestations recorded in Scripture the Lord appeared in physical form and spoke directly with man. But such manifestations were confined to the Patriarchal era of the Old Testament. There was also the brief period of time immediately following our Lord Jesus' resurrection when He appeared to the Apostles and spoke with them as well as to other believers who were present. But more traditional prophetic occurrences in Scripture with an audible voice were ones with no physical manifestation of the speaker.

3. The Prophet Sees a Vision

There are many scriptural instances of God communicating to His prophets by visions. I list but a few examples:

Daniel described in great detail a prophetic vision he saw concerning the future. (Dan 10:4 through 12:13).

4. The Prophet Has a Dream

Another way God communicates to His prophets is by dreams. Daniel told of his dream in this manner: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. (Dan 7:1 NIV). 8

False prophets also have “dreams.” Here is what the Lord told Jeremiah to say:

I have a much more through discussion on dreams in Chapter 18.

5. The Prophet Has a Revelation

I define revelation as a teaching, understanding, or knowledge revealed directly to an individual from God. Webster's Dictionary defines theological revelation as God's disclosure or manifestation to man of Himself and His will. 9 A revelation is much more than a word of knowledge. Generally a word of knowledge tells the recipient a fact. It is usually very limited in scope. A revelation as used in Scripture is much larger in scope. The Apostle Paul tells us that he learned his doctrine by revelation directly from the Lord Jesus Himself. (Gal 1:12). He spoke of his revelation: “that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.” (Eph 3:3 NIV).

The Apostle John starts out the Book of Revelation by saying, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.” (Rev 1:1 NIV). Daniel received a “revelation.”

NOTE: Let me insert a strong word of caution here. The above means of receiving Divine inspiration are written to describe the manner God uses to communicate with prophets and others who are spiritually mature. Satanic/demonic forces also can use the identical means to communicate with people. Therefore anyone who has had any of the five prophetic experiences must continually submit what is received to the tests described in chapter four on judging prophecy. This continued judging of the prophetic word, however conveyed, is to insure that it is indeed God speaking.

Also let me caution you again about seeking a prophetic word. One should never set out to receive a “prophetic word” from God. We should seek guidance, assurance, confirmation and so on from God. But to willfully open ourselves up to be spoken to by a voice from the spirit realm opens us to the demonic realm as well. If God wants to convey His word prophetically to us, rest assured He will. We do not need to “do” anything to make it happen.

Of course, I am not suggesting that one should never make any effort to go anywhere to hear a proven, genuine prophet of God, whether he or she moves primarily in personal prophecy or corporate prophecy. It is alright to make yourself available for God to speak to you as long as you are doing all the other things God expects of us as we mature such as reading our Bible, praying, being in a solid church, and so on. (Remember chapter two on all the dangers of prophecy).

How the Word Affects the Prophet

Scripture sometimes reveals to us how the word affects the prophet himself. We are told of the reactions of some of the prophets as they receive the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah said,

. . .I am ridiculed all day long;

everyone mocks me.

Whenever I speak, I cry out

So the word of the Lord has brought me

insult and reproach all day long. (Jer 20:7-8 NIV).

Recall that in chapter three we made the distinction between the prophetic word of the moment and the word of the season. The prophet speaks forth both, usually with the same intensity. It grips him. He can't turn loose of it until it has been spoke.

One Who Operates the Gift of Prophecy

Now that we see how a prophet receives prophecy, let us contrast how prophecy is received by one who operates the gift of prophecy but who is not a called prophet. The one operating the gift of prophecy very often receives the word with much less intensity. Such prophetic words are usually spontaneous. There has usually been no long, intense dialogue with God regarding the word to be delivered.

Most often the person is in a church service. The Spirit of God begins to quicken the person's spirit, usually with a thought, or the first few words of an incomplete sentence. Or the Holy Spirit can give the gist of the entire prophecy before it is spoken. Remember, this person can hold the word and simply not speak it out. If he does, the Holy Spirit will move on and use someone else to deliver it.

Of course the different ways of receiving prophecy are not rigid. God is sovereign. He may set aside any or all of above “rules” I have set forth. Certainly He deals with each individual differently. The above are therefore to be taken as general observations and guidelines, not rigid rules.

Prophecy During Church Service

Once a person/prophet is aware that God is giving him a prophetic word, there is an excitement generated in the person's spirit. As the person/prophet begins to speak the few words there immediately begins the flow of the remaining words until the prophecy is complete. How well he or she prophesies obviously varies based on the experience and faith of the individual. Paul said, “If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” (Rom 12:6 NIV).

The matter of when to deliver a prophetic word during the church service is also critical. If the Holy Spirit is in control of the service, He will make an opportunity for the person to speak. But if “man” is running the service, there may not be a proper or good time to speak. In no case is the prophetic speaker to “force” or “push” an opening in the service. Nor should he or she interrupt one who is speaking or otherwise ministering.

Moreover, if the Holy Spirit is directing the service, the word delivered will harmonize with the content of the service. Again, however, if “man” in running the service, the word delivered may often “cut” across, or not harmonize with the rest of the service.

Paul also gave a general rule limiting the number of prophecies in a church service. He said, “two or three prophets should speak . . . .” (I Cor 14:29 NIV). I don't believe this passage contains a rule which is to be rigidly obeyed. Rather I think it sets forth a guideline for orderliness of service. Paul went on to say, “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” (v 40 NIV). Paul wisely tells us, “For God is not a god of disorder but of peace.” (v 33 NIV).

Prophets as Speakers

Prophets are often gifted speakers. Most have an ability to preach. Therefore prophetic words are often delivered from the pulpit in the form of a preached message. Seasoned, mature prophets usually speak with a powerful anointing that is easily discerned by all.

Prophets in a Counseling Setting

When a prophet is in a counseling setting, very often he or she gives a “prophetic word” to the counselee. No, it isn't usually delivered as a prophecy but it nonetheless is the word from the Lord and should be regarded as such. It takes discerning ears to recognize such counsel as the prophetic word.

Non-Verbal Prophecy

The majority of prophecy in today's church is verbal. By that I mean prophecies which are spoken forth as a “word from God” during a church service.

However, Scripture contains some instances in which God directed His prophets to act out His words in the midst of His people. It seems that God used this acting out as a means of placing emphasis on the prophetic word. Let's look at two examples from Ezekiel and Jeremiah:

I believe these non-verbal prophetic gestures are rare. They were rare in Scripture and they are very rare today. By and large, the Lord seems to use people, communicating orally to others, to deliver His words to us.
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6. Harper & Row, Publishers, Incorporated. 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, Volume II, Pg 199.

7. M. Buttenwieser, The Prophets of Israel (New York, 1914) pp 150-152.

8. Though the NIV lso uses the word "vision" in this passage, the entire verse leads the reader to conclude Daniel had a dream.

9. Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, David B. Guralnik, Editor in Chief; William Collins + World Publishing Co., Inc. 2080 West 117th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44111.