The Spirit of Prophecy

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’” Rev. 19:10. The testimony of Jesus is the testimony of a total death to sin. The Spirit of the prophetic Word is so strong that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Everything that is built in this prophetic Spirit will remain standing—no sin can live there, and no power can overcome it.

“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all people see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the begin­ning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.” Eph. 3:8-9.

A prophet is not always an eloquent speaker, but the life he lives gives him something to say. Through his ministry he is able to bring forth the mysteries of Christ—those mysteries that have been hidden from the beginning of time. These mys­teries drive the church inward to the Spirit, water and blood. Then the prophetic Word has done its work—people are driven inward to put to death their own “I.” The teachings we have received bring the mysteries of Christ to light. They lib­erate us from sin and make us competent to become servants of God. Prophets have an especially close relationship with God. Therefore it can happen that a prophet occasionally says or does things that are rather unexpected compared to a shepherd or an evangelist. Something from God is powerfully at work in him, and it will have a good effect as long as a per­son does not despise it. His words are not always so eloquent or well-formed—they come in the instant and are driven by God. Therefore, there is a special exhortation given in 1 Thessalonians 5:20: “Do not despise prophecies.” Never ac­cuse a man who swings the Sword in the right direction, even if his blows are not all perfectly lawful.

It is easy to sense when the will of man lies behind the word that is spoken. You can hear that the speaker is a little irritated about something, something he is trying to get at. That is the will of man. It is not well-pleasing. It has the smell of sweat. “They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe them­selves with anything that causes sweat.” Ezek. 44:18. We must have linen garments—there is not to be anything that has the taste of my own ego. When the prophetic Word comes, the church will take a position of faith—dead to sin and alive to God. The whole attitude of people’s minds is guided in a good direction by this prophetic Word. These messages, driven by the Spirit, have such a powerful effect that even those who are hearing begin to prophesy. 1 Cor. 14:29. “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.” Those who have received help through these words give their own testimony of faith. That brings a powerful edifi­cation in the Spirit.

I have often noticed that even in our gatherings people sin in this area. Those who are listening often feel their hearts begin to burn when the first prophet speaks, and they get a desire to be along and to prophesy too. But those who hear often become too zealous, so they don’t give room to the sec­ond prophet. Just because I have heard something from the first prophet and have become enthusiastic about it is not nec­essarily an indication that it is my turn to serve when he is finished. The fact that I have heard something through the first prophet is an indication that I am not the second prophet, because he has also heard a message from God. In a meeting, those who hear should calm down and take careful heed to themselves and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, so that they can serve when it is their turn and fit into the meeting. In many ways a meeting can be compared to a piano concert. All the keys must be available and ready for the pianist. A person can feel that the prophetic Word is so powerful that he doesn’t have anything to add to it. Therefore he shuts down and be-come passive and is not available to present himself in obedi­ence to the promptings of the Spirit. The result is that some “notes” are not heard in the meeting, and the friends are robbed of eternal treasures because of that person’s unfaith­fulness. No one else can give precisely what you should have given in a meeting. Even the weakest members have some­thing to contribute that can be for edification through the Spirit.

It is absolutely vital that a church have one or several prophets so that it can continue to be a church in God—a church ready for the rapture. Without the work of a prophet, a church will easily degenerate into just a set of forms and be-come rich and satisfied, even though they have the right doc­trine. Do not lay your hand on a prophet of God! Those who do that will perish. The prophets are the apple of God’s eye. To come to that life has cost them much suffering, battle and pain. Their life and ministry have tremendous significance for people. Therefore, may God powerfully strengthen His prophets in life and ministry before the face of God!

“He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” Matt. 10:41. Those who receive a prophet in this way are also prophets; they recognize this Spirit, and therefore it is natural that they should receive a prophet’s re­ward.

“Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Now Elisha saw it, and he cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!’ So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.” 2 Kings 2:11-12. Elisha saw Elijah as Israel’s protector—the one who had more significance than the whole army. And that was exactly right!