In Part 2 of “What is the Definition of Prophecy, Prophecies and Prophesying, we are going to explain and answer it’s meaning as a verb or noun? Let’s dive right in!

Prophesy

The word prophesy, with the last two letters sy, is pronounced like sigh—prof-e-sigh, and it is a verb. It can refer to foretelling the future or to bringing forth what is already written in Scripture.

To prophesy can also mean:

“To interpret or explain Scripture.”

according to The New WEBSTER Encyclopedic DICTIONARY of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Are there still Prophets today?

The Bible teaches us that most prophets were men, but there were also some women who were prompted by God, such as Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Anna, and the four daughters of Philip the evangelist. (Exodus15:20; Judges 4:4; Kings 22:14; Luke 2:36; Acts 21:9).
Some people incorrectly interpret this historical fact to say that we have women prophets even today. However, not only are there no women foretelling God’s future events—neither are there any men doing so. The reason for this is that all of God’s intended information for us to be aware of … is already in the Bible.

Major and Minor Prophets

In the Old Testament there were four Major Prophets and twelve Minor Prophets, and their Books bear their names in the last part of the Old Testament:

The four Major Prophets’ Books appear in this order:

Isaiah, Jeremiah (who also wrote Lamentations), Ezekiel, and Daniel.

The twelve Minor Prophets were

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

These twelve plus the four Major Prophets with Jeremiah’s Book of Lamentations make up the last seventeen Books of the Old Testament.

True Prophets and False Prophets

There were true prophets and false prophets throughout the Scriptures, but the ones who were inspired by our God to prophesy future events, did so with many of their prophecies so far having later been fulfilled.

Approximately thirty-seven years before it happened, the Lord Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed. Indeed it came to pass in the year AD 70.

There are prophecies yet to be fulfilled which will begin with the Rapture and then go into the end times.

Prophecy fulfilled

Some claim that the most recent fulfillment was in 1948, less than seventy-five years ago. This was the year, on May 14, when the United States recognized Israel’s national sovereignty, and, the next year, a United Nations resolution recognized Israel as, once again, a sovereign nation. They base this assertion upon the following verse:

Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth [give birth] in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed [suffered in pains of labor], she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:8 KJV)

When one considers the Holocaust of the earlier 1940’s and then Israel’s sovereignty occurring only three years after the end of World War II, this Isaiah prophecy can certainly warrant a person to seek the truth. However, the verse does not specify the timing with precise dating, so discernment tells us that we should probably not be dogmatic about it.

False Prophets

In the Old Testament, the LORD God is quoted informing us of false prophets:

Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto a false vision and divination [Pagan fortune telling], and a thing of nought [worthless thing], and the deceit of their heart. (Jeremiah 14:14 KJV)

IF there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou has not known, and let us serve them, Thou shalt not hearken [listen] unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth [is testing] you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3 KJV)

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:22 KJV)

True Prophets

True prophets in the Old and New Testaments not only foretold things to come, but also spoke the written Word of God, as do trustworthy brothers in Christ who bring forth the Word today.

It should be stressed once more:

there are no more future prophecies to be prophesied.

The completed Bible has all the prophecies that God has supernaturally instructed. We should exercise discernment and listen to His wisdom.

Prophecy – Rapture

Therefore, all prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled with the exception of the end times prophecies. Going into more detail; again these prophecies will be fulfilled! When? The end times predictions will begin when Christ returns to the air to gather His Church-believers in the air. This event is given a traditional name: the “Rapture”.  So, as of today, the end times are still in the future. (Unless the Rapture happens before the author has time to finish writing right now). The end times could begin at any moment though. In fact it could happen before reading the next sentence. If not, it could be before the sentence after that.

Date of the Rapture

The Lord Jesus tells us that only His Father knows when the Father will send Him back for His Second Coming to earth. But the Rapture—that is when Jesus comes to the clouds to gather believers in the air—is based upon a seven-year troublesome episode called the Tribulation which takes place prior to His Second Coming to earth.

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matthew 24:36 KJV)

And he [Jesus] said unto them [His eleven apostles whom He had chosen] (Acts 1:2),
It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power [authority]. (Acts 1:7-8 KJV)

The believers will not be subjected to the wrath of God in this seven-year Tribulation, because the Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation period.

The Next Prophecy to be Fulfilled

The Rapture is the next prophecy to be fulfilled. The Rapture will be followed by the Tribulation period. Matthew 24:36 refers to the Second Coming of Christ when He returns to this earth. Since we know He will return at the end of the last half of the seven-year Tribulation—a three and one-half year period called the Great Tribulation—it would seem reasonable to say that the Father’s timing also applies to the Rapture since it will take place just before the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period.

This concludes our answer on “What is the Meaning of Prophecy, Prophecies and Prophesying.”

---

Want to read Part 1 of this post?

What is the Meaning of Prophecy, Prophecies and Prophesying (Part 1)

---

For further study on Jesus’ next coming and the signs of the time check out our 3-in-1 Study Guide:
“Digging Deep into the Revelation of Jesus Christ”.
It’s a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone striving to understand the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

This study guide for the Book of Revelation is revolutionary and unique.
On each page it contains:
-the original scripture,
-the commentary on that scripture,
-the actual Bible verses referenced in the commentary, and
-the commentary on these references in 4 columns side by side.
Through the format and contents, the reader is able to find comprehensive information in a few minutes versus spending an hour looking up cross-references to find meaning in challenging text.
For someone studying Revelation, this one reference saves time and enhances understanding without making the mistake of translating scripture. This enables the reader to make his/her own conclusions about the meaning in the Word as inspired by God.