Read John 11:45-12:11
Reading about the Pharisees is very rarely satisfying as they are the bad guys in the narrative of Jesus’ life. However reading about them helps us to better understand their motivations for getting Jesus killed. The Pharisees were threatened by Jesus and thought he would get the temple taken away from them by the Romans. They wanted the Temple to remain as theirs forever, as the Old Testament instructs. However, although the priests had the temple, they did not seem to be worshipping God like they were supposed to. They may have made all the right sacrifices but their hearts were not in line with God’s will and were full of sinful desires. They were willing to break the law they were supposed to instruct others in to further their own personal goals.
However, even in the midst of their wickedness God still gives the high priest Caiaphus a prophetic word. He prophesied in John 11:51-52 “that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.”
The high priest was still blessed by God to prophecy. The way that the Pharisees interpreted this prophecy is not how God meant it, but he still prophesied.
Jesus in John 12 prophesied about his death, burial, and later ascension to heaven. The gift of prophecy is found throughout the Bible in the Old and New Testaments and people can still prophecy today. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 to eagerly desire this spiritual gift so if you want to know more, ask for more, seek more, learn more and then take a step of faith to try it.
So what is prophecy? Prophecy is anything received from God and communicated to another person. This is not the same thing as the words of prophecy spoken and recorded by the prophets in the Old Testament and by John in Revelation which talk about the future as a guarantee from the Lord but rather speaking what you believe the Lord has shared with you to another person or group of people.
Prophecy has a few different uses today but it begins with strengthening, encouraging, and comforting others. Inside that primary directive as believers today we can listen to God and prophesy to others to release other spiritual gifts, activate callings, lead individuals to salvation, bring direction as to what one should do, and give strategy for spiritual warfare.
After spending time with the Lord in prayer, believers who walk in the prophetic gifting at times believe that God has shared a word with them to share with someone else.
At times this is a prophetic word about a future event but from my experience in prophetic prayer it is usually a word of wisdom or word of knowledge for another person. Also some call the sharing and teaching of God’s word through sermons another type of prophecy as preachers and teachers share what God has impressed upon them to share to their congregation or class.
Prophecy, like many other spiritual gifts, is available to us today. If you want to know more, find references in the Bible to prophecy in the New Testament and read those passages. Find some books and read and then try. Try to listen to God and share what you believe he is sharing with you to other believers. A helpful book on this matter is The Beginner's Guide to Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms, a pastor I have personally met and discussed these matters with.
