TODAY?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
This question has been addressed in a number of articles on my teaching platforms, including this website blog page. I have revisited this issue because of the exponential rise in the number of teachers who claim that God spoke to them on the COVID 19 pandemic before it happened.
Social media platforms are awash with articles and video clips attributed to teachers who purport to speak the mind of God during this difficult season. Some believers are confused about how to comprehend or classify these "prophets".
The only valid way to authenticate a preacher is to examine their teachings and doctrines in the light of the revelation and authority of the word of God. This is basically what the men of Berea did when Paul preached to them. They searched the Scriptures and verified the teachings of Paul and his associates against the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures (Acts 17:10-13). Paul was impressed by their diligence. This diligence should inform our pursuit for the authentication of sound doctrine in contemporary Christianity.
There is no evidence, in my view, that the gift of prophecy (foretelling) continued beyond the period described by the Book of Acts. There are several other apostolic gifts that were never replicated beyond that period. For instance, the power to raise the dead was only granted to Paul and Peter and in only one instance for each of them. Peter raised Tabitha (Acts 9:36-43) and Paul raised Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12). The two miracles were never replicated elsewhere in Scripture. Some have argued that the two incidents were meant to solidify the apostolic statures of the two men who served as principal overseers for the Jerusalem and Gentile churches, respectively.
It is instructive that the regulations for the appointment of church officers conveyed in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 do not mention the office of prophet or Apostle. No other New Testament writer besides Paul makes reference to the constitution of church offices. The Pauline writings have therefore conclusively settled the issue for the church.
The Old Testament Scripture contains the works of the prophets that God raised as His divine agents in their generations. The fact that certain prophets are mentioned only in passing implies that God did not permit their writings or accounts of their prophetic works to be part of Scripture. There are several prophets and prophetesses whose works are not captured in Scripture. For instance, we have no record of the prophetic works of Miriam, if any, yet she is described in Scripture as a prophetess (Exodus 15:20-21) and listed among the three leaders that God appointed to lead His people (Micah 6:4). Hulda, Deborah, Micaiah are examples of minor prophets that fall into the category of divine obscurity.
You will perhaps notice that despite the significance of Jesus' earthly parents in His incarnate coming, little is mentioned about His father and His mother beyond the Gospels. I believe God determined to keep the two in obscurity for His divine purposes even as Jesus grew in prominence across the pages of Scripture. The earthly parents decreased as Jesus increased.
I am further persuaded that God illuminated the work of the church fathers who compiled the Scripture books into the two cannons we have today. If we ever doubt the admissibility of this process in God's divine calendar, then we shall open the floodgates for additional Scripture writings from every Tom, Dick, and Harry!
In conclusion, my view is that the 66 Book cannon of Scripture is the final record of God's revelation to the church, having been affirmed by the Council of Carthage in 397 AD. It constitutes a living repository of God's voice to His people in all civilizations. These Scriptures are divinely sealed. There is therefore no further inspiration or prophecy that can be conveyed to the church beside what has been sealed (Rev 22:18-19). The Scriptures are not open to addition or revision and no theological works, however finely written, can oust the authority of Scripture.
Jesus taught that we shall identify or discern false teachers who claim to speak the mind of God by their fruit. Matthew 7:15-16 says "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?" The Bible contains other caveats on prophetic claims. 1 John 4:1-2 says "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (NKJV).
The mention of the fruit in this context is a metaphorical reference to moral Christian living in the light of what Scripture conveys. A teacher's way of life should be consistent with the doctrine that he proclaims. If Scripture is not the true source of his authority and conduct, his hearers should discern the gaps and ignore him.
Elsewhere in the New Testament Scriptures, we are exhorted to "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Not every teaching that flies across church pews or TV screens is necessarily approved of God. It must be open to the test of Scripture and should be discarded if it manifestly contradicts or violates it.
My view is that the gift of foretelling has been sealed in Scripture. We do not require latter-day prophets to speak into the future of the church because the Bible has sufficiently and conclusively addressed our future. The only gift of prophecy available to the church is the gift of forth-telling which concerns the articulation of the truths of Scripture with profound wisdom and clarity as they relate to our contemporary Christian living and the world to come which shall be unveiled when Christ is revealed. The gift of forth-telling is a prophetic gift exercised by Bible teachers when proclaiming the word of God in truth. This gift is only exercised in plenary when the preacher is speaking under the authority of Scripture.
Elsewhere in the New Testament Scriptures, we are exhorted to "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Not every teaching that flies across church pews or TV screens is necessarily approved of God. It must be open to the test of Scripture and should be discarded if it manifestly contradicts or violates it.
My view is that the gift of foretelling has been sealed in Scripture. We do not require latter-day prophets to speak into the future of the church because the Bible has sufficiently and conclusively addressed our future. The only gift of prophecy available to the church is the gift of forth-telling which concerns the articulation of the truths of Scripture with profound wisdom and clarity as they relate to our contemporary Christian living and the world to come which shall be unveiled when Christ is revealed. The gift of forth-telling is a prophetic gift exercised by Bible teachers when proclaiming the word of God in truth. This gift is only exercised in plenary when the preacher is speaking under the authority of Scripture.
I am hesitant to classify gifted Bible teacher as prophets because I find no authority in the New Testament Scripture for arriving at that conclusion. These ministers are best designated as diligent and faithful teachers of Scripture. Paul counted himself among these teachers whose diligence and accountability standards on doctrine is ranked higher by God than that of the ordinary believer (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; James 3:1).
Notice further that when Miriam and Aaron questioned the prophetic authority of Moses, Miriam was slapped with leprosy, forcing the children of Israel to pitch camp for seven days to await her recovery. She was punished by God because as a prophetess she ought to have understood the mind of God on the authority of Moses (Numbers 12). Aaron was spared perhaps because he expressed remorse and more significantly because he perhaps ranked prophetically lower than his two siblings on God's divine order at this point in time.
There is no evidence, in my view, that the gift of prophecy (foretelling) continued beyond the period described by the Book of Acts. There are several other apostolic gifts that were never replicated beyond that period. For instance, the power to raise the dead was only granted to Paul and Peter and in only one instance for each of them. Peter raised Tabitha (Acts 9:36-43) and Paul raised Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12). The two miracles were never replicated elsewhere in Scripture. Some have argued that the two incidents were meant to solidify the apostolic statures of the two men who served as principal overseers for the Jerusalem and Gentile churches, respectively.
It is instructive that the regulations for the appointment of church officers conveyed in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 do not mention the office of prophet or Apostle. No other New Testament writer besides Paul makes reference to the constitution of church offices. The Pauline writings have therefore conclusively settled the issue for the church.
The Old Testament Scripture contains the works of the prophets that God raised as His divine agents in their generations. The fact that certain prophets are mentioned only in passing implies that God did not permit their writings or accounts of their prophetic works to be part of Scripture. There are several prophets and prophetesses whose works are not captured in Scripture. For instance, we have no record of the prophetic works of Miriam, if any, yet she is described in Scripture as a prophetess (Exodus 15:20-21) and listed among the three leaders that God appointed to lead His people (Micah 6:4). Hulda, Deborah, Micaiah are examples of minor prophets that fall into the category of divine obscurity.
You will perhaps notice that despite the significance of Jesus' earthly parents in His incarnate coming, little is mentioned about His father and His mother beyond the Gospels. I believe God determined to keep the two in obscurity for His divine purposes even as Jesus grew in prominence across the pages of Scripture. The earthly parents decreased as Jesus increased.
I am further persuaded that God illuminated the work of the church fathers who compiled the Scripture books into the two cannons we have today. If we ever doubt the admissibility of this process in God's divine calendar, then we shall open the floodgates for additional Scripture writings from every Tom, Dick, and Harry!
In conclusion, my view is that the 66 Book cannon of Scripture is the final record of God's revelation to the church, having been affirmed by the Council of Carthage in 397 AD. It constitutes a living repository of God's voice to His people in all civilizations. These Scriptures are divinely sealed. There is therefore no further inspiration or prophecy that can be conveyed to the church beside what has been sealed (Rev 22:18-19). The Scriptures are not open to addition or revision and no theological works, however finely written, can oust the authority of Scripture.
Hebrews 1;1-2 says God spoke to us in the past through the prophets but has spoken to us in these last days by His Son. The words of Scripture convey the mind of Christ and of God and are the final record of God's divine inspiration for us. If God has spoken to us through Christ, no prophet comes after Christ. He is the final prophet to His church and to all humanity. His atoning works of the cross are final. His voice is indelibly framed in the Scriptures.
There are therefore no living prophets today. Any claim to prophetic illumination or inspiration outside the revelation and authority of the sealed Scriptures is decidedly false and should be rejected by all Bible-centered Christian communities.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
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