Do we need prophets, today?

[Ronald David Bruno]

I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, I just don't see certain ones demonstrated with precison like prophecy in the sense of a revelation from God, " thus says the Lord on Sept 11, 2001 the twin towers in NYC will fall", or a warning to the Jews, " thus says the Lord, flee from Germany, otherwise Hitler will gather you into camps and you will suffer and die."
Once scripture was finished I would say this kind of revelation ceased. There is no doubtntuat God gives us warnings not to do this or go down this path, but specifics like prophetic scripture in Revelation about the Church and world
... I haven't seen it. The Bible is sufficient and God personally guides us and speaks to us and through us to give messages to others.
By 95 AD, all the Apostles were dead except John in Patmus. Yet he was given word for word instructions to write seven letters to the churches. If Apostleship and the Prophets ordained by God did not end with him, why didn't God just send a new Apostle to those towns? Those Apostles had a specific mission, they had clout, were know and trusted and finished their race. Every gifted preacher after them taught and spoke the words of the Bible already given, nothing new. There is no new revelation. We know how the story ends.
My Pastor said he had the gift of prophecy, tongues. I also noticed the gift and word itself had a different definition, "to speak forth the word of God into someone's life or a congregation".
It wasnt, "thus says the Lord dbent with details".
I went to a Four Square church for 12 years and they teach that the gifts of the spirit are used. People exercise their gifts and the Church flourished, grew and they did start many Hope Chapels.
So knce un awhile members approached me saying, "God spoke to my heart about you ... and wanted me to give you this or that ..." Okay. Sure, that could be real and helpful. But sometimes it may have been just their opinions given to you about an issue you had previously discussed with them. Fortunately they never said, "God gave me a vision of you moving to Sudan and starting a mission". Wait a minute now .... why didn't he tell me that?

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

There are prophesies that are for an immediate future and others for a distant.

And you assumed I didnt know that so you went off on mission to inform me.
I've studied Revelation and all relevant end time prophecies for a long time, and I've always been drawn to future prophecies more so than anything else. I probably visit the Eschatology section more than any.

 

[Enoch111]

I probably visit the Eschatology section more than any.

So would it be fair to prophesy that you will continue to do so?

 

[Waiting on him]

Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

The prophets were right all along in that Trump would be the winner,

You still think they were legitimate prophecies? A winner actually takes possession of the presidency, Trump did not, Biden and his cohorts stole it and took possession. They won, Trump lost.
This one particular prophet, Asian guy, doubled down in his prediction and claimed that Trump would regain the office after a couple of months, after which this "Military Tribunal" would arrest hundreds first, and then give Trump possesion. This same scenario was echoed on several sites. It didn't happen. It was a false prophecy. I wanted to believe It, we all did. A very brilliant trap we fell into, to placate us, keep us hanging while defusing us. We were being told what we wanted to hear, a story where justice would prevail - enacted by God.
But really, this was not God's plan for Trump to be president. You must realize that He actually intended Biden to be president. Why? Because this is part of the Great Tribulation or at least the beginning of sorrows. The One World Government is prophecied, the Antichrist will take over and this was one necessay piece of the puzzle that leads to the Second Coming.
There is another way to look at that scenario. God did not speak to these self proclaimed prophets, but allowed them to spread false hopes to defuse us, protect us from revolting and getting ourselves killed. Imagine what could have happened if none of these false prophecies or fictional propaganda wasn't spread? We could have waged a Civil War - which many expected. We didnt have a Civil War and we are alive. God is Sovereign!

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

So would it be fair to prophesy that you will continue to do so?

I wouldn't do such a thing, it would be going against God's will if He chose to take me home today before I had a chance to open the His Book again.
I can say that if Iive another day, that likely the Lord will direct me to more study, but that is an act of His guidance, not a prophetic word of God.

 

[Heart2Soul]

And you assumed I didnt know that so you went off on mission to inform me.
I've studied Revelation and all relevant end time prophecies for a long time, and I've always been drawn to future prophecies more so than anything else. I probably visit the Eschatology section more than any.

Well aren't you quite the defender of your knowledge of the scripture! And very quick to let everyone know...
So if you took my response as an attack against your knowledge of scripture I have to correct you and say it was intended as an extension of what you posted....for the sake of other members who may not have understood.

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

Well aren't you quite the defender of your knowledge of the scripture! And very quick to let everyone know...
So if you took my response as an attack against your knowledge of scripture I have to correct you and say it was intended as an extension of what you posted....for the sake of other members who may not have understood.

Okay, if you say so ... just seems like you were trying to correct me and disagree that Prophets were tested and subject to being stoned to death.
And it is acceptable for me to be corrected. I am wrong at times. I could be wrong about whether real prophets exist. I am like doubting Thomas in some respects - show me, when, where ... I question everything. I have analytical mind and skeptical about things until God shows me. In addition to this, I haven't seen people being resurrected from the dead or healed of leprosy, blindness, lifelong disabilities, but it doesn't mean they haven't happened. God heals. I have heard of the word of knowledge being exercised, just never witnessed it myself. I know little and in part.

 

[Triumph1300]

Here is something to consider....(and there are many more):
I was reading the following statement about prophesies:

In contrast to prophecies about God’s long-range purposes, most prophecies in the Bible about his short-range purposes are conditional, whether stated as such or not.

Thus Jonah’s “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4) was not fulfilled in Jonah’s generation because Nineveh repented.

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

Here is something to consider....(and there are many more):
I was reading the following statement about prophesies:

In contrast to prophecies about God’s long-range purposes, most prophecies in the Bible about his short-range purposes are conditional, whether stated as such or not.

Thus Jonah’s “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4) was not fulfilled in Jonah’s generation because Nineveh repented.

That's a good point. They were threats, "Repent or else!"

 

[Paul Christensen]

I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, I just don't see certain ones demonstrated with precison like prophecy in the sense of a revelation from God, " thus says the Lord on Sept 11, 2001 the twin towers in NYC will fall", or a warning to the Jews, " thus says the Lord, flee from Germany, otherwise Hitler will gather you into camps and you will suffer and die."
Once scripture was finished I would say this kind of revelation ceased. There is no doubtntuat God gives us warnings not to do this or go down this path, but specifics like prophetic scripture in Revelation about the Church and world
... I haven't seen it. The Bible is sufficient and God personally guides us and speaks to us and through us to give messages to others.
By 95 AD, all the Apostles were dead except John in Patmus. Yet he was given word for word instructions to write seven letters to the churches. If Apostleship and the Prophets ordained by God did not end with him, why didn't God just send a new Apostle to those towns? Those Apostles had a specific mission, they had clout, were know and trusted and finished their race. Every gifted preacher after them taught and spoke the words of the Bible already given, nothing new. There is no new revelation. We know how the story ends.
My Pastor said he had the gift of prophecy, tongues. I also noticed the gift and word itself had a different definition, "to speak forth the word of God into someone's life or a congregation".
It wasnt, "thus says the Lord dbent with details".
I went to a Four Square church for 12 years and they teach that the gifts of the spirit are used. People exercise their gifts and the Church flourished, grew and they did start many Hope Chapels.
So knce un awhile members approached me saying, "God spoke to my heart about you ... and wanted me to give you this or that ..." Okay. Sure, that could be real and helpful. But sometimes it may have been just their opinions given to you about an issue you had previously discussed with them. Fortunately they never said, "God gave me a vision of you moving to Sudan and starting a mission". Wait a minute now .... why didn't he tell me that?

Your last sentence beautifully illustrates the misuse of the gift of the Word of Knowledge, and there are so many heart-breaking stories of people believing such trash and having their lives ruined as a result.

Nine out of every ten impressions and so called visions are from the world, flesh, or the devil. Therefore, the Apostle John is totally correct when he says that we should test every spirit and not take what anyone says to us at face value.

Even what I am saying here. Be a Berean, who searched the Scriptures daily to see if Paul's preaching was really true.

The only time I ever had a Word of Knowledge was at a Christian camp, where I had one for a young lady, not knowing that she was counselled for that very issue earlier in the day. It had a dynamic effect on her, the person who counselled her, and the rest of the group. Everyone knew that the Word of Knowledge was correct.

But if someone comes to you privately and gives you a personal prophecy, whip out your recording device before they give it, and tell them that you will submit their prophecy to the church leadership for them to evaluate. If they are offended, and try to tell you that it is blasphemy for you to record their prophecy and share it with others, then you will know that they are not inspired by the Holy Spirit, and you can give the fellow the bum's rush immediately.

False personal prophecies can be dangerous because they can contain a divination spirit that can attack you physically and spiritually.

When the gifts are genuinely manifested people are drawn to Christ, and their faith in Christ is strengthened. If the manifestation of a "gift" gives more glory to the giver, then it is false, because the whole purpose of the gifts is to glorify the grace of Christ, and to strengthen faith in Him.

This is why public tongues without interpretation is not recommended, because it puts the emphasis on the people speaking it rather than on Christ. But when there is a tongue then an interpretation pointing people to Christ, then it is being used correctly.

The reason why we don't see a lot of genuine healing in healing meetings, is that the big-name preacher is the focus, giving the impression that it is because of that big-name rooster that people can be healed. Jesus is put into the background, even though lip service is given to Him. Because Jesus doesn't share His glory with others, and that the purpose of people being miraculously healed is to draw souls to Him, He won't honour the words and promises of a big-name preacher whose intent is to improve his own reputation and finances. So if crowds flock to a healing crusade through the hero worship of a big-name personality, it would be no surprise if there are not significant healing of actual serious medical conditions at that meeting, other than the odd headache or backache. Often the fraud will try and justify the absence of healing by telling people they didn't have enough faith, or that if they believe hard enough healing will come, and to accept their healing by faith (even though the symptoms are still present). Jesus did none of that. When He healed a sick or disabled person, they were healed on the spot, no question about it. So, when Jesus heals today, healing is complete and instant and totally verified by subsequent medical tests.

 

[Triumph1300]

So, when Jesus heals today, healing is complete and instant and totally verified by subsequent medical tests.

Nice to see that after all your negative reporting about the Gifts, you still believe in healings today.
That's a miracle by it self, lol.