The prophet's handbook

communicate the fullness of the gospel message His Father sent Him to preach. Luke 4:23 and 13:4 are good examples of such sermonizing. Prophets also take God’s ancient Word and apply it with ease to modern situations. Here is another capacity of their unique teaching and preaching ability. What may seem old and outdated to the typical Bible reader is not so with the prophet. This unusual minister sees past, present, and future in one sweep, looking at life through the Word of the Lord. He or she compares it to what is observed in the world around him or her to isolate the prophetic from the mundane and apply to a Bible prophecy’s fulfillment in time. To the prophet, the chariot is not merely outmoded transportation; it is a vehicle regardless of its shape and engine. Prophets can see how the ancient chariot that was used in transport or battle symbolizes today’s modern tank. Likewise the bow and arrow represent missiles to the prophet. Rigid thinkers can easily overlook the fact that they are nonetheless weapons of war and miss their use as missiles aimed at another. So when the typical saint reads Scripture, he or she gets locked into the era in which the Word is reporting, but not so the prophet. He or she sees the events that led up to the war in question, or other event, as an example for us today. Prophets identify the attitudes and conduct of the war and the way the weapons were fired, whether powered by humans or nuclear energy. For instance, it has been said that David’s stone that slew Goliath was a guided missile. David threw it, but God’s hand guided it to its target. Prophets can also take the practical and spiritual doctrines of the Lord’s Word and update them using contemporary imagery and metaphors without altering His word of truth one bit. Anointed prophetic wisdom makes hearers see how what prophets say and teach really does fit their modern situations. To the prophet, sophistication is but a remaking of the archaic. They echo Solomon’s sentiment: “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Final Notes on the Basics of Prophecy 1. Amos 3:7—Emphasis: The meaning of the word sod.

The word for the secrets God reveals to His servants the prophets. Sod distinguishes prophetic hearing from the range of spiritual