What is Prophecy?

On the Day of Pentecost, about 10 days after Jesus ascended back to heaven, 120 believers were gathered in an upper room, praying. They were waiting for the arrival of the Comforter Jesus promised would come from the Father. Jesus had emphasized that it was better for them that He left, so they could receive this Holy Spirit from heaven.

Did they know what to expect? Of course not.
But they had the Scriptures to tell them what happened in the Old Testament, when the Spirit of God fell upon various people.

In Numbers 11, God told Moses to have seventy of the elders of Israel to come gather around the Tabernacle, and He would put His Spirit upon them. And sure enough, the Spirit of God came upon those seventy elders... and how did they know? Because the seventy elders "prophesied, and did not cease."

Strangely enough, there were two men in the camp who also received the Spirit of God resting upon them, and they also "prophesied in the camp."

What was going on?
Prophecy. But what was "prophecy"?
Let's continue with the Old Testament record (which were the Scriptures of the first century church!)

1 Samuel 10 is the story of Saul being anointed to be king of Israel. In verse 6, Samuel tells him that on his way home, he would meet a company of prophets, and that Saul would be "turned into another man" as the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him, causing him to prophesy.
In 1 Samuel 19:24, much later in his life, Saul again had this happen to him. The Spirit of God "came upon him" and he prophesied and actually disrobed!

Yet, the Scriptures record this as what the Spirit of God upon him, caused him to do! Sometimes, what the Holy Spirit does, is outside of what we call "decent and in order!"

We have many instances in the Old Testament, of the Spirit of God coming upon people.
Samson, when the Spirit of God came upon him, tore a lion in half, carried heavy gates on his shoulders, caught hundreds of foxes and tied their tails together! This was not dignified, serene, self-controlled activity. Far from it!

Read the Old Testament prophets; learn of them what the Holy Spirit does, when He falls upon a human being. Such strange things! Such supernatural visitations! Such miracles!

Ezekiel, for instance, was lifted up by a lock of hair on his head and carried by the Spirit of God between earth and heaven. (Today, such an experience would be instantly labeled by most pious, self-contained Christians as "not of God.")

Isaiah was commanded by God to go completely naked for 3 years, as a sign to Israel of what their punishment would be, for their idolatry. This was the Spirit of God, folks.

This is the context in which the early church understood the term, "prophecy."
Therefore, this is the context in which WE ought to understand it.

THIS is what prophecy always was, down through the thousands of years previous to Pentecost:

Prophecy has always been speaking by supernatural utterance, as the Spirit of God takes over the tongue, and speaks forth words which do not originate in the mind of the human that is speaking. 

Now, this makes a lot of people very uncomfortable.
Why? Because they believe a Christian ought to be always carefully self-controlled.
(But the Scriptures don't actually teach this. More on that later.)

Most churches today define prophecy as "speaking unto men to edification, exhortation, and comfort."
And truly, that is part of a verse in 1 Corinthians 14.
But to use that phrase as THE definition of prophecy is grossly taking it out of context, and forcing an interpretation that does not fit the whole counsel of Scripture!

In fact, that definition is very handy for those who do not enjoy supernatural visitations that cause one to act a bit undignified... which may be the very reason the verse is used as a definition.

But we must not use Scripture to make us comfortable in our experience.
Rather, Scripture shows us what our experience ought to be!

I Corinthians 14:3 (edification, exhortation, and comfort) is not defining prophecy.
Rather, that verse describes the effects of Holy-Spirit-generated prophecy.

You see, I've heard some people (some Pentecostal and some non-Pentecostal) speaking what they thought was "prophecy" but what they spoke was not edifying, exhorting, or comforting.
All they were doing was venting out of their flesh. They felt so much better after they vented, that they were sure it had to have been from God. But the fruit of their "prophecies" sowed discord, fear, confusion and condemnation... which were all a clear sign that was no gift of prophecy from God!

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the entire church, men and women alike. God promised that "your sons and daughters shall prophesy."

Daughters?
Yes. Women prophesied in the mixed assembly, right alongside the men.
That was God's design, the day He launched the church.
If He started it that way, how can we say He disapproves of it?

It is clear the early church accepted women prophesying in the assemblies.
Paul underscored this in 1st Corinthians.
But that's another big subject, for another day.

Just remember this:
God wants to use your tongue.
He wants to edify you and those around you, by speaking through you, His own words.

In the Old Testament, this was only for a select few.
But now, it's for every Christian.

"For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted." (1Cor 14:31)