Prophecy

“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Prophecy—the divine communication of God’s message to humanity through chosen messengers—stands as one of the defining features of the Abrahamic faiths, distinguishing them from philosophical systems and mystery religions. Prophecy declares that the infinite, transcendent God speaks, that history unfolds according to divine purpose, that revelation is not human speculation but heavenly disclosure, that God’s will can be known because God has made it known. The Hebrew nevi (prophet) receives nevu’ah (prophecy); the Greek prophētēs exercises prophēteia; the Arabic nabi manifests nubuwwah. Yet prophecy is not mere prediction—it is forth-telling as much as fore-telling, moral exhortation as much as future revelation, calling the people back to covenant faithfulness while pointing forward to God’s ultimate purposes. Across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, prophecy serves as the bridge between heaven and earth, the voice of the eternal breaking into time, the word that creates, judges, redeems, and transforms.

The Nature and Purpose of Prophecy

Divine Initiation

Prophecy is never human achievement but divine gift:

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

The prophet does not summon God; God summons the prophet. The initiative is always divine.

Modes of Revelation

Scripture describes various means:

Direct Speech: “The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11).

Visions and Dreams: “If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream” (Numbers 12:6).

Daniel, Ezekiel, John (Revelation) receive elaborate visions—symbolic, mysterious, requiring interpretation.

The Word: “The word of the LORD came to me, saying…” (Jeremiah 1:4).

A direct, internal communication—the prophet knows God has spoken, though the mechanism remains mysterious.

Angels: Gabriel appears to Daniel (Daniel 8:16, 9:21), to Mary (Luke 1:26), and delivers the Quran to Muhammad.

Internal Prompting: The Spirit “inspires” (ilham in Islam), guiding thoughts and words.

Forth-telling and Fore-telling

Forth-telling (speaking forth God’s message for the present):

• Calls to repentance
• Moral exhortation
• Covenant enforcement
• Exposing sin
• Declaring judgment or blessing

Most biblical prophecy is forth-telling—addressing contemporary issues, calling Israel back to Torah, condemning injustice.

Fore-telling (predicting future events):

• Messianic prophecies
• Eschatological visions
• Immediate judgments (e.g., “In three days…”)
• Long-range promises (restoration, new covenant, etc.)

Fore-telling validates the prophet—if predictions come true, the prophet speaks for God (Deuteronomy 18:22).

Prophecy in Judaism

The Prophetic Tradition

Moses: The greatest prophet—“With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD” (Numbers 12:8).

Torah comes through Mosaic prophecy, the highest form of revelation. No subsequent prophet equals Moses.

The Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings): Historical books considered prophetic because they interpret history theologically, showing God’s hand in Israel’s story.

The Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Twelve): The classical prophets who called Israel to repentance, warned of judgment, promised restoration.

The Prophetic Message

Covenant Enforcement: The prophets are covenant attorneys, prosecuting Israel for breaking the covenant:

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: ‘Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me’” (Isaiah 1:2).

Social Justice: “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

The prophets condemn oppression, exploitation, corruption—empty ritual without justice is abomination.

False Worship: Idolatry, Baal worship, syncretism—the prophets call Israel back to exclusive worship of YHWH.

Judgment and Hope: Immediate judgment (exile, destruction) is not the end. Beyond judgment lies restoration—new covenant, messianic age, return from exile, universal knowledge of God.

The Cessation of Prophecy

Rabbinic View: Prophecy ceased with the last biblical prophets—Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (around 5th century BCE):

“After the latter prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi had died, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel” (Tosefta Sotah 13:2).

The Bat Kol (Heavenly Voice): A lesser form of divine communication replaced prophecy—an audible voice from heaven, but not the same as prophetic revelation.

Reasons for Cessation:

• The canon is complete
• The Second Temple period didn’t merit prophecy
• Preparation for the Messiah, when prophecy will return

Future Resumption: Joel 2:28-29 promises: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.”

This awaits the messianic age.

Maimonides on Prophecy

In Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides describes eleven levels of prophecy, with Moses at the highest. Prophecy requires:

• Intellectual perfection
• Moral perfection
• Imaginative faculty
• Divine will (God may withhold prophecy even from qualified individuals)

Prophecy is natural for the perfected person unless God prevents it.

Prophecy in Christianity

Old Testament Prophecy Fulfilled

Christianity sees the Old Testament prophets pointing to Christ:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).

Messianic Prophecies:

• Virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14 → Matthew 1:23)
• Bethlehem birthplace (Micah 5:2 → Matthew 2:6)
• Ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2 → Matthew 4:15-16)
• Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53 → Christ’s passion)
• Pierced hands and feet (Psalm 22:16 → crucifixion)
• Resurrection (Psalm 16:10 → Acts 2:27-31)

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

Jesus as Prophet

The Prophet Like Moses: Deuteronomy 18:15: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”

Peter applies this to Jesus (Acts 3:22-23).

The Final Prophet: Jesus is not merely one prophet among many but the ultimate Prophet—the Word of God incarnate.

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Jesus doesn’t just convey God’s word; He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

The Spirit and Prophecy

Pentecost: Peter declares Joel’s prophecy fulfilled:

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17-18).

Prophecy is no longer limited to a few but available to all believers.

The Gift of Prophecy: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit… To one is given through the Spirit… prophecy” (1 Corinthians 12:4, 8, 10).

Paul encourages: “Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

New Testament Prophecy

Nature: New Testament prophecy builds up, encourages, and consoles the church (1 Corinthians 14:3). It is not new doctrine (the apostolic teaching is sufficient) but timely application, guidance, and encouragement.

Regulation: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29).

Prophecy is subject to testing—does it align with Scripture? Does it produce good fruit?

Cessation Debate: Cessationists: The gift of prophecy ceased with the apostolic age. The completed Scripture renders ongoing prophecy unnecessary.

“But when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:10). The “perfect” is the completed canon.

Continuationists/Charismatics: Prophecy continues today. The “perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13 is Christ’s return, not the canon. Acts describes ongoing prophecy (Acts 21:9-11).

Most agree: No new revelation can contradict or equal Scripture. Any contemporary prophecy is subordinate to God’s written Word.

Prophecy in Islam

Nubuwwah: The Institution of Prophethood

Islam has a highly developed theology of prophecy:

Why Prophets Are Necessary: Humanity needs divine guidance. Reason alone is insufficient. Prophets convey God’s will, establish law, and provide examples.

Chain of Prophets: “And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], ‘Worship Allah and avoid taghut [false deities]’” (Quran 16:36).

Allah sent prophets to every people throughout history. The Quran mentions 25 by name, but tradition speaks of 124,000 or more.

Major Prophets (Ulul-Azm):

• Noah (Nuh)
• Abraham (Ibrahim)
• Moses (Musa)
• Jesus (Isa)
• Muhammad

The Seal of the Prophets

“Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and Seal of the Prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing” (Quran 33:40).

Muhammad is Khatam an-Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets)—the final messenger. Prophethood ends with him. No prophet will come after. The Quran is the final, complete revelation.

Implications:

• The Quran is preserved perfectly (unlike previous scriptures, which Islam teaches were corrupted)
• Muhammad’s Sunnah (example) is the final prophetic model
• Claims to new prophecy after Muhammad are false (e.g., Baha’i faith, Ahmadiyya considered heretical by mainstream Islam)

Wahy: Revelation

The Quran describes how Allah communicates:

“And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger to reveal, by His permission, what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise” (Quran 42:51).

Three modes:

1. Direct inspiration (wahy): Internal, immediate
2. Speaking from behind a veil: Moses at Sinai
3. Through an angel: Gabriel (Jibril) brought the Quran to Muhammad

The Quran as Prophetic Revelation

Process: Over 23 years (610-632 CE), Gabriel delivered the Quran to Muhammad in stages.

Preservation: Unlike the Torah and Gospel (which Islam claims were altered), the Quran is preserved exactly as revealed—verbatim word of Allah in Arabic.

Inimitability (I’jaz): The Quran’s eloquence, beauty, and content prove its divine origin. Humans cannot produce anything like it (Quran 2:23).

Prophetic Characteristics

True prophets are:

• Truthful (Sidq): Never lie
• Trustworthy (Amanah): Reliable, honorable
• Conveyers (Tabligh): Faithfully deliver God’s message
• Intelligent (Fatanah): Wise, perceptive
• Sinless (‘Ismah): Protected from major sin (though not necessarily from minor errors)

Testing Prophecy: True vs. False

Judaism

Deuteronomy 18:21-22: “And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously.”

Unfulfilled predictions disqualify the prophet.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5: Even if predictions come true, if the prophet leads people away from YHWH to other gods, he is false.

Consistency with Torah: No prophet can contradict Moses.

Christianity

1 John 4:1-3: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.”

Fruit Test: “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16).

True prophets produce good fruit—love, holiness, truth.

Scripture Alignment: Prophecy cannot contradict the Bible.

Islam

Consistency with Quran: Any claimed revelation contradicting the Quran is false.

Moral Character: True prophets are models of virtue.

Miracles: Prophets perform signs (ayat) validating their message (Moses’ staff, Jesus’ healings, Muhammad’s Quran).

False Prophets

Old Testament

Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18): Opposed by Elijah, exposed as frauds.

Hananiah (Jeremiah 28): Prophesied peace when God was sending judgment. Jeremiah declared him false; Hananiah died that year.

Warning: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them” (Jeremiah 14:14).

New Testament

Jesus warned: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).

Islamic History

Musaylimah: Contemporary of Muhammad, claimed prophethood. Defeated by early Muslims.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (19th century): Founded Ahmadiyya, claiming to be a prophet. Rejected by mainstream Islam as violating the finality of Muhammad’s prophethood.

Modern Questions

Can Prophecy Still Occur?

Jewish View: Awaits messianic age.

Christian View:

• Cessationist: No, prophecy ended with the apostolic age.
• Continuationist: Yes, but subordinate to Scripture, for edification not new doctrine.
• Pentecostal/Charismatic: Yes, the Spirit actively gifts believers today.

Islamic View: No, Muhammad is the Seal. Any claim to prophethood after him is heresy.

Prophecy and Prediction

Not all prophetic future-telling has occurred. Many prophecies remain unfulfilled (in Christian/Jewish view):

• Second Coming of Christ
• Messianic kingdom and universal peace
• Resurrection of the dead

These await future fulfillment, demonstrating that God’s prophetic word spans all of history.

Significance

“Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

Prophecy declares that history is not random, that God has spoken, that divine purposes unfold through time, that revelation is possible, that humanity is not abandoned to ignorance and speculation.

Prophecy shows:

God Communicates: The infinite, transcendent God is not silent but speaks. Divine revelation is reality.

History Has Meaning: Events unfold according to divine purpose. The prophets reveal God’s plan, interpreting past, present, and future.

Moral Accountability: Prophecy calls people to account—repent, return, obey. God’s will is known; disobedience is without excuse.

Hope in Judgment: Prophetic warnings of judgment include promises of restoration. Exile ends in return, death in resurrection, present suffering in future glory.

Scripture’s Authority: Prophetic inspiration grounds the Bible’s and Quran’s authority. These are not mere human works but divine revelation.

The Supremacy of Christ: For Christianity, all prophecy culminates in Jesus—the Word made flesh, the fulfillment of all promises, the final Prophet.

Across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, prophecy bridges the gap between divine transcendence and human history. The God who spoke through Moses, Isaiah, and Muhammad is the God who continues to guide, to judge, to redeem, to promise, to fulfill. Prophecy assures that the last word belongs not to chaos, sin, or death but to the God who declares the end from the beginning and whose word never returns void.

“For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).