The document discusses different ways that God communicates prophetically. It defines prophets as channels of communication between God and humans. There are two essential meanings of prophesying: telling forth messages from God and foretelling future events. God's messages come from Him alone and are transmitted through inspiration of the Holy Spirit or workings of the Spirit. People can receive messages from God through Scripture, His direct voice, dreams, visions, prophecy, tongues/interpretation, angels, and inspired thought. The counsel of others can also provide guidance.

1. PROPHETS
AND PROPHESYINGS
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE
“PROPHETIC”?
CAN EVERY ONE BE “PROPHETIC”?
IF ONE IS PROPHETIC, WOULD HE BE
LIKE THE OLD TESTAMENT OR THE NEW
TESTAMENTS SAINTS?

2. DEFINITION OF TERMS:

3. PROPHET – Heb. Nabi; Greek Prophetes

4.  -- is a person who serves as a channel of
communication between the divine world to
the human world (Harper’s Bible Dictionary)
 Related word in Old Testament: a SEER – one
who sees by Divine enablement what others
cannot see, and tells it
 The Greek word “prophetes” has its KEY ROOT
WORD – “pro” – meaning BEFORE or FORTH,
which means to PUT FORTH BEFORE
ANOTHER, TO PROPOUND (Zodhiates Hebrew
Greek Study Bible)

5. PROPHESY

6.  Naba -- in Hebrew: to BUBBLE FORTH (idea of
heated water bubbling forth, or a spring bubbling
forth: connotes an INNER WORKING that is
EXTERNALLY MANIFESTING)
 PROPHETEUO in Greek – is a compound word
from prophetes (prophet) and phemi (to tell)
 PROPHESYING THEREFORE HAS TWO ESSENTIAL
OR ELEMENTAL MEANINGS:
a. TO TELL FORTH (to say what one is tasked to say)
b. TO FORE TELL (to say beforehand something before it
happens)

7. THE PROPHETIC OPERATION
 The SOURCE of the Message
 The TRANSMISSION of the Message
 The RECEPTION of the Message
 The DELIVERY of the Message

8. The SOURCE of the Message

9.  Isaiah 46:9 -- “I am God and there is no other; I
am God there is no one like me, I MAKE KNOWN
THE END FROM THE BEGINNING, and from ancient
times, what is still to come.”
 I Cor. 2:9-10 – “No eye has seen, no ear has
heard, no mind has conceived, what GOD has
prepared for them that love Him, BUT GOD HAS
REVEALED IT TO US BY HIS SPIRIT.”
 Amos 3:7 – “SURELY, the Sovereign Lord DOES
NOTHING WITHOUT REVEALING His plan to His
servants the prophets.”

10. THE TRANSMISSION OF THE MESSAGE

11.  by INSPIRATION of the Holy Spirit (of authors
of Scriptures only)
 II Pet. 1:20 “First of all, you should know that no
prophecy OF SCRIPTURES comes from one’s own
interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by
the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit,
men spoke from God.”
Note: because ONLY THE SCRIPTURE AUTHORS WERE INSPIRED
(“ALL Scriptured is inspired of God” or “breathed-out by God”, 2
Tim. 3:16), ONLY THEY NEEDED NO SCRUTINY or evaluation;
what they spoke was the WORD OF GOD

12.  I Cor. 12:1-11: NOTICE THE WORDS USED:
Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you
1CO 12:1
to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans,
somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to
mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is
speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and
no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
1CO 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same
Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same
Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same
God works all of them in all men.
1CO 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is
given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through
the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message
of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another
faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by
that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to
another prophecy, to another distinguishing between

13.  NOTICE WHAT IS GIVEN IN RELATION TO THE
REVELATION:
 -- just a “word” (KJV) of wisdom, word of knowledge
(“message” in NIV), BUT NEVER “ALL SCRIPTURE”
 BUT: this IS “given to every man to PROFIT withal” (KJV)
v. 7
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but
the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is
the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every
man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of
wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by
the same Spirit;

14.  HOW DOES IT WORK?
 The “INSPIRATION” is CONSTANT, UNCHANGING,
PERMANENT
 The “WORKINGS” is subjective, particular, specific
Example: THE BIBLE IS LIKE A
COMPASS. The NORTH remains
the SAME AND IN THE SAME
PLACE AT ALL TIMES. This is
“INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT” – the Bible.

15. THE RECEPTION OF THE MESSAGE

16.  .
1. Via His written word in the Holy Scriptures. This is
the primary way by which God speaks. His word also
provides us with a safe and strong foundation to
discern and test what we are receiving. See 2
Timothy 3:16, 17 for verification. Study John 1: 1-3
and Hebrews 1:1-3

17. 2 TIM 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
JOHN 1:1-3
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with
God in the beginning.3 Through him all things were
made; without him nothing was made that has
been made.
HEBREWS 1:1-3
1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through
the prophets at many times and in various
ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us
by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom also he made the
universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory
and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word. After

18.  .
2. Via His voice. The Holy Spirit can speak directly to
us with an inner voice or an external voice. The
inner voice is heard within your mind while the
external voice is heard physically with your ears.
See John 16:13 for verification. Study 1 Samuel 3:
1-10, 1 Kings 19:12 and Isaiah 30:12. (I Cor. 2,
Rom. 8)
JOHN 16:13
But when he, the
13
Spirit of truth, comes,
he will guide you into
all the truth. He will
not speak on his own;
he will speak only
what he hears, and he
will tell you what is

19. 3. Via Dreams that God uses to communicate with us.
See Matthew 2:13 and how Joseph was lead by
angel that appeared in a dream for verification.
(Joel 2:28)
.

20. MATHEW 2:13
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‚Get up,‛ he
said, ‚take the child and his mother and escape
to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod
is going to search for the child to kill him.‛
JOEL 2:28
28 ‚And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit
on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your
old men will dream dreams, your young men
will see visions.

21. ACTS 10:10
10He became hungry and wanted
something to eat, and while the
meal was being prepared, he fell
into a trance.
4.Via Visions which can be open visions or inner
visions within your spirit. Sometimes these are
called trances in the scriptures. See Peter's
experience in Acts 10:10 for verification.

22. 5. Via Prophecy given through a person by the Holy
Spirit. See 1 Corinthians 12: 4 - 10 for verification

23.  1 CORINTHIANS 12 : 4-10
 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the
same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are
different kinds of service, but the same
Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working,
but in all of them and in everyone it is the same
God at work.
 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the
Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one
there is given through the Spirit a message of
wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by
means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by
the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by
that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous
powers, to another prophecy, to another
distinguishing between spirits, to another

24. 6. Via Other languages (tongues) and an
interpretation given by the Holy Spirit. See 1
Corinthians 12: 4 - 10 for verification.

25. ACTS 27:23
23Last night an angel of the God to
whom I belong and whom I serve
stood beside me
HEBREWS 1:7
7In speaking of the angels he says,
‚He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.‛[a]
7. Via Angelic Messengers that God sends to minister to
you. See Paul's experience in Acts 27:23 for verification.
Study Hebrews 1: 7.

26. 1CORINTHIANS 2: 13-16
13This is what we speak, not in words
taught us by human wisdom but in
words taught by the Spirit, explaining
spiritual realities with Spirit-taught
words.[a] 14 The person without the
Spirit does not accept the things that
come from the Spirit of God but
considers them foolishness, and
cannot understand them because
they are discerned only through the Spirit.
8. Via Inspired thought patterns that are internal but
given by the Holy Spirit. See 1 Corinthians 2:13 - 16 Study
also Romans 12: 1-3 and Philippians 4: 8, 9.

27.  9. Via the counsel of others. See how the apostles in
Acts 6: 1 -7 came together for counsel to address a
problem. This includes those who teach and
communicate spiritual truth to us.


28.  ACTS 6 : 1-7
 1In those days when the number of disciples was
increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them
complained against the Hebraic Jews because their
widows were being overlooked in the daily
distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all
the disciples together and said, ‚It would not be
right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of
God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and
sisters, choose seven men from among you who are
known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will
turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give
our attention to prayer and the ministry of the
word.‛ 5 This proposal pleased the whole group.
They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the
Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon,
Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to
Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles,
who prayed and laid their hands on them.7 So the

29. ACTS 16 : 6-10
6 Paul and his companions traveled
throughout the region of Phrygia
and Galatia, having been kept by the
Holy Spirit from preaching the
word in the province of Asia. 7 When
they came to the border of Mysia,
they tried to enter Bithynia, but the
Spirit of Jesus would not allow
them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia
and went down to Troas. 9 During
the night Paul had a vision of a man
of Macedonia standing and begging
him, ‚Come over to Macedonia and
help us.‛ 10 After Paul had seen the
vision, we got ready at once to
leave for Macedonia, concluding
that God had called us to preach
10. Via open or closed doors of opportunity. See Paul as he
the gospel to them.
followed the leading of the Lord through an open door in Acts 16: 6 10.

30. HEBREWS 11:7
7 By faith Noah, when
warned about things not
yet seen, in holy fear
built an ark to save his
family. By his faith he
condemned the world
and became heir of the
righteousness that is in
keeping with faith..
11. Via the evidence of historical God directed
events either through a time of blessing or a
season of judgment. See the summary of Noah's life
in Hebrews 11: 7.

31.  12. Via the experiences or testimonies of
others. See Peter's testimony before the other apostles
and how that launched a whole new dimension of
ministry in Acts 11: 1 -18.

32. ACTS 11: 1-18
1The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard
that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So
when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised
believers criticized him 3 and said, ‚You went into the
house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.‛ 4 Starting
from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 ‚I
was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a
vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down
from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to
where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed
animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and
birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill
and eat.’8 ‚I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or
unclean has ever entered my mouth.’9 ‚The voice spoke
from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure
that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times,
and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.11 ‚Right then
three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea

33. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in
his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is
called Peter.14 He will bring you a message
through which you and all your household will
be saved.’
15 ‚As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on
them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then
I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John
baptized with[a] water, but you will be baptized
with[b] the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the
same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord
Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand
in God’s way?‛
18 When they heard this, they had no further
objections and praised God, saying, ‚So then, even

34. MARK 16:17-20
17 And these signs will
accompany those who believe: In
my name they will drive out
demons; they will speak in new
tongues; 18 they will pick up
snakes with their hands; and
when they drink deadly poison,
it will not hurt them at all;
they will place their hands on
sick people, and they will get
well.‛19 After the Lord Jesus
had spoken to them, he was
taken up into heaven and he sat
at the right hand of God. 20 Then
the disciples went out and
13. Via supernaturaland the wonders and
preached everywhere, signs,
miracles done to meet peoples needs and lead them into
Lord worked with them and
relationship with God. These supernatural events confirm
confirmed his word by the signs
that God is speaking. See Mark 16: 17 - 20.
that accompanied it.

35.  14. Via supernatural manifestations of God's direct
Presence. See the burning bush encounter that God
engaged Moses with in Exodus chapter 3.

36. ROMANS 1:18-20
18 The wrath of God is being
revealed from heaven against
all the godlessness and
wickedness of people, who
suppress the truth by their
wickedness, 19 since what may be
known about God is plain to
them, because God has made it
plain to them. 20 For since the
creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities—his eternal
power and divine nature—have
been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been that creation itself speaks
15. Via Creation. We are told
made, so that people are Jesus used many spiritual
to us of God's attributes.
without excuse.
parables to illustrate what God was saying and how God
speaks. See Romans 1: 18 - 20

37.  ROMANS 1 : 18-20
 The wrath of God is being revealed from
heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of people, who suppress the
truth by their wickedness, 19 since what
may be known about God is plain to
them, because God has made it plain to
them.20 For since the creation of the
world God’s invisible qualities—his
eternal power and divine nature—have
been clearly seen, being understood
from what has been made, so that
people are without excuse.

38. THE PROPHETIC OPERATION
THE DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE

39.  The Person delivering:
 Through the PROPHET (one who occupies the
office)
 Through the exercise of a GIFT OF
PROPHESYING (either through a prophet or one who
does not hold the office of a prophet but who operates in
the gift)
 Or Through a PROPHETIC UTTERANCE
(message delivered by one prompted by the Holy Spirit at
that moment only, though the messenger does not occupy
the office of the prophet or does not necessarily have the
gift of prophesying)

40. PROPHETIC BENCHMARKS
IN THE BIBLE
1. MANHOOD (or WOMANHOOD)
 Gen. 1:26-27 God makes a man/woman first before giving
ministry
 Rom. 8:29 Man apart from position, message or ministry
 Heb. 2:6,10 Personality evaluating person not performance
 I Tim. 2:5 Jesus manhood 30 years, 3 ½ ministry, ration
10:1

41. 2. MINISTRY
2 Cor. 6:3 No offense to ministry; I Cor. 2:4-5 – power and
demonstration
Matt. 7:15-21 By their fruits you shall know them – anointing,
results
Deut. 18:22 Prophecies or preaching are productive – proven,
pure, positive

42. 3. MESSAGE
Eph. 4:15 Speak the truth in love; present-truth, life-giving
I Tim 4:2 Message Scriptural, “full gospel”, doctrinally and
spiritually right
Mark 16:60 God confirms His Word – not person, pride or
reputation

43. 4. MATURITY
James 3:17 Right attitude; maturity in human relations; heavenly
wisdom
Gal. 5:22 Fruit of the Spirit; Christlike character, dependable,
steadfast Heb. 5:14, 2 Tim 2:15 (KJV), 3:14-17, Soaking in the
Word (solid food)
I Cor. 13 Not childish; disposition of love

44. 5. MARRIAGE
I Tim. 3:2,5 Scripturally in order
1 Pet. 3:1,7 Priorities straight – God, wife and family, ministry
Eph. 5:22-23 Marriage exemplify Christ relationship with church

45. 6. METHODS
Titus 1:16 Rigidly righteous, ethical, honest, integrity – upright
Rom. 1:18 Not manipulating or deceptive
Rom. 3:7-8 Good end results do not justify unscriptural methods

46. 7. MANNERS
Tit. 1:7; 3:1,2 Unselfish, polite, kind, gentlemanly or lady-like,
discreet
Eph. 4:29; 5:4 propriety in speech, in words and mannerisms

47. 8. MONEY
I Tim. 3:6 not money-interested; does not approve dishonest
methods
I Tim. 6:5-17, Luke 12-15 is not materialistic; simple and content

48. 9. MORALITY
I Cor. 6:9-18 Virtuous, pure and proper relationships, Col. 3:5
Eph. 5:3 Biblically pure in sexual attitude and action, I Cor. 5:11
Matt. 5:28 Pure thought life

49. 10. MOTIVE
Matt. 6:1 to serve or to be seen? Personal desire or God’s desire?
I Cor. 16:15 True Motivation: to minister or be ministered?
Prov. 16:2 to herald the truth or just be heard by man?
I Cor. 13 motivated by love for the brethren, or fame, name or
recognition?