Did you know that Prophecy is a large and growing religious movement in many parts of the world. I think this is partly because of modern communication, including the Internet. People everywhere can get their message out, and we can listen, easily. I am not a prophet with a special message about our future, but I prophesy that prophecy will grow in our modern society. It is becoming a big social movement.

Brace yourself.

We all know the word “prophet.” In the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, we have many prophetic messages. Apparently, in ancient Israel, a prophet was like a person with a profession. There were schools of prophets, and we have an account of a dramatic showdown between prophets from two different religions, each with its own God (1 Kings chapter 18). It’s an interesting story, with clear winners and losers. 

In the New Testament, we also have the book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse. I like that word Apocalypse. If we remove the first three letters, and we almost have “calypso” that popular dance from places like Jamaica, where the dancer bends or folds to fit under a horizontal rod. Believe it or not, that is related to the word Apocalypse in the Bible. In biblical Greek, “apo” can be translated as removal or separation, so we have a cover removed by folding. The cover is peeled back to show what is hidden underneath, and that is the ‘revelation’. 

I like that little piece of trivia.

Since Bible times, we have had many prophets. The founder of Islam is called the Prophet Muhammad and Muslims say he is the seal of the prophets, the last one. The religion of Islam teaches that leaders like Jesus were also prophets, but they believe that their prophet is the final one, and the most important. Also, the founder of the Mormon religion and many leaders in that group are described as prophets. Many religious movements describe their important people as prophets.

In modern times, we have many people who describe themselves as prophets, people who speak with a special message from God. This is a large social movement in places like Nigeria, and it is a growing trend in other places. There is an organized event, the “Global Prophetic Summit” and they have a promotional video, if you are interested:

I can predict something in our future; prophecy. This is a growing social movement, and it is already much larger than most of us know. This is not really my prediction for the future, it is already happening, but most of us don’t know about it. I predict that his modern prophetic movement will become an important part of religion, for many more people. It is probably in our future.

I guess that’s my prophecy.

Also, I should say that probably many of the modern prophets have something important to tell us, and if we know that is true, we should listen to those voices.

A prophet in the Bible told us that in the last days, prophecy would be very common:

I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. (Joel 2: 28 and 29) 

So, if this prediction is correct, what does that mean for us? What is our future?

I don’t describe myself as a prophet, but I am writing as a Christian, and I believe every Christian has something to say, a message. It clear to all of us, that we can make choices about how we will live our lives, and those choices will lead us into our future, good or bad. By that standard, my mother was a prophet. She warned us, in our family, about life choices that could take us into good or bad places, and she was usually correct. And sometimes I listened.

I’m sure we’ve all had conversations like “If you keep doing that …”

Prophets typically tell us about our future, and we build that future with the things that we choose and do, the way we decide to live our lives. That’s where we get the expression “prophets of doom.” In my experience, it’s useful to think about important choices, before I commit myself. If I put enough thought into an option, I might see a future that I don’t want. That is a good lesson in moral choices.

One problem that I see, with modern prophecy, is our love of entertainment. I believe that many people want to hear truth from an entertaining and exciting speaker. The problem is with the audience more than with the speaker. 

We easily lose sight of the spiritual power of any believer who knows God. 

Jesus warned us about the people that I call “entertainment prophets.” who really give their own message, for their own purposes:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7: 15 to 20)

That’s where we get the expression “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

We also have the expression “every tree bears fruit’ and that includes you and me; we are those trees. In the right place and at the right time, we all have something important to say. If we don’t have a gift of prophecy, we still have a responsibility. There is a time and a place for each one of us to speak and act.

Welcome to the school of the prophets.