Prophecy is the act of God speaking directly through a Prophet of God or a New Testament believer.
Yes, that is the traditional definition, but in Christian theology, prophecy also includes teaching and proclaiming God's truth, not just delivering direct or new revelations. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Direct Revelation (The Traditional View): God gives a specific, direct message to an individual to share with others.
Proclamation ("Forthtelling"): A prophet explains and applies existing biblical truths to a current cultural situation.
Foretelling: A prophet predicts future events through divine inspiration to reveal God's long-term plans. [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
The Christian church is sharply divided on whether direct revelation still happens today. [11]
Cessationism: This view holds that direct prophecy ceased after the New Testament was completed and the original Apostles died. Proponents believe the Bible is now the complete and final word of God. [12, 13, 14, 15, 16]
Continuationism: This view holds that all spiritual gifts, including direct prophecy, continue today. It is highly prominent in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. [17, 18, 19, 20]
Because of the risk of false teachings, Christian scripture instructs believers to test any claimed prophecy against established standards. [21, 22]
Biblical Alignment: Any new message must perfectly match the written teachings of the Bible.
Moral Character: The lifestyle and actions of the prophet must reflect Christian virtues.
Factual Accuracy: If a prophet makes a prediction about a future event, it must happen exactly as stated. [23, 24, 25, 26, 27]
If you want to explore this further, let me know:
Do you want to look at specific Bible verses about prophecy?
Are you interested in the Pentecostal movement and modern prophecy?
Would you like to see how early church history viewed prophets?
[1] https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org
[3] https://www.biblicaltheology.com
[5] https://versebyversecommentary.com
[9] https://www.issacharb7d.com
[11] https://answeringproblems.com
[12] https://g3min.org
[13] https://radical.net
[14] https://www.gods7000yearplan.com
[15] https://theology-and-life.com
[17] https://tottministries.org
[20] https://www.sowespeak.com
[22] https://www.sermonindex.net
[26] https://guardian.ng