Prophecy/Prophesy

A prophecy is a special message from God spoken through a prophet usually about a future event. To prophesy means to speak that message. Sometimes God used dreams or visions to speak to a prophet. God also spoke to His prophets directly, as He did with Moses. Prophets were often unpopular, because they told of God’s judgment. Jeremiah was imprisoned several times because he courageously spoke God’s message to the people of his day. Prophets like Nathan, Elijah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel spoke to the kings of their time, often bringing messages of God’s judgment for wrongdoing.

The prophets sent by God often warned about false prophets—those who weren’t sent by God but claimed to speak for Him. Micaiah challenged the false prophets who spoke to King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat. Paul wrote about prophecy as a spiritual gift.