Visions & Prophecies
Jeff Unsworth
There are three views on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
According to scripture there are Gifts and ministries. There are nine Gifts of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
1. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
One view of these gifts is Continuation.
This view says that these nine gifts will continue until this church age is finished and the Lord Jesus comes again.
The second view is Cessationist.
This view says that these gifts were for the establishment of the church that the gifts were for the attestation of the revelation of the Word of God by the Apostles, and when the full revelation of the canon of scripture was completed, these gifts would cease. 1 Cor 13.
The third view is Partial Cessationist.
This view says that the revelatory gifts, (Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues and Knowledge) and the Power gifts, (Faith, Working of Miracles and Gifts of Healing) would cease or fade away, but that the gifts,
(Word of Wisdom and the Discerning of Spirits) will remain.
So, what about Prophecies of future things and Visions, do they still continue in today’s churches?
Can people still see into the future or can people see visions that tell the future?
According to the Continuist view, these things continue as they always did in the early church.
According to the Cessationist view, all of these gifts have ceased to be manifest in the churches.
According to Partial Cessationists, Prophetic utterances concerning future remain, either as Forthtelling, (Proclamation of the Word of God/Preaching) or (Foretelling, predicting future events).
Visions that give insight into future events or peoples lives.
In this blog, I put forward my opinion based on how I read scripture.
First of all, I am not a Continuist.
I believe it is quite clear from Paul’s writings that the revelatory gifts of the Spirit have ceased or faded away and are not needed any more in the church. The reason being that we have now the fullness of the Word of God in the Canon. There is no more revelation to be had.
Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son,
1 Cor 13: 8. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When “that”. Generally, "who" is used when referring to a person in a relative clause, such as in "the person who was late".
"That" is typically used when referring to objects, animals, or a group of people considered as a unit, like in "the dog that barked" or "the team that won".
While "who" is generally preferred, whislt "that" can be used in place of "who" in some cases, especially in informal contexts or when the sentence structure makes it more natural to use "that," such as "I saw the person that walked by".
which is perfect has come: Perfect here is Greek “Teleios”, meaning mature.
In biblical Greek, "teleios" (τÎλειος) translates to "perfect," but it's more nuanced than just meaning "without flaws." It signifies something that has fulfilled its purpose, reached maturity, or is complete. Essentially, it describes something that has reached its intended goal or achieved the state it was meant to be.
The Word of God has reached maturity, it is complete. There is no need for any more revelation from God.
However, I am not a full Cessationist.
I believe that Words of Wisdom still are manifest in the church. Wisdom comes via the knowledge gained from studying scripture and maturity in the Christian faith and is still useful in the edification and building up of the Body of Christ.
I believe that in this world of false teaching and heresy, there is still a need for the Discerning of Spirits. Distinguishing between what is the false or correct teaching of the Word of God.
I believe that what is seen as prophecy in the church is either forth telling, preaching the Word of God, or Wisdom in action. Counsel, given by the mature to the immature for guidance.
I believe that what is called “Visions” are not the same as the visions in the early church, ie Peter on the roof having the vision of the blanket filled with clean and unclean animals. At the most a vision today is a best, a sanctified imagination. Wisdom, in the form of a mental metaphor, again with the object of edification or guidance.
Vision as a Metaphor:
In this context, "vision" is used metaphorically to refer to the ability to see beyond the surface, to understand the deeper meaning or implications of a situation.
Mental Imagery:
Mental metaphors often rely on visual imagery or other abstract mental representations to convey complex ideas.
Conclusion:
Whether people still prophecy today depends on how "prophecy" is defined. Some Christians believe the gift of prophecy, as described in the Bible, is still active, while others believe it ceased with the completion of the New Testament. Regardless, many Christians today understand "prophecy" as a broader concept of speaking God's truth and encouraging others, which they believe is still relevant.
Arguments for and against the continued existence of prophecy:
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Those who believe prophecy is still active
point to scripture, like 1 Corinthians 14:1, where Paul encourages Christians to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, including prophecy. They argue that the Bible doesn't explicitly state that the gift of prophecy ceased after the New Testament was completed.
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Those who believe prophecy is not active
argue that the primary purpose of the prophets was to relay new revelations from God, which is no longer necessary now that we have the complete New Testament. They also argue that the concept of prophets as infallible and authoritative, as described in the Bible, is not reflected in modern-day prophets, according to some.
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Some believe in a more nuanced understanding of prophecy,
suggesting that while the office of a prophet in the biblical sense may be closed, Christians can still engage in prophetic speaking and encourage one another.
In summary, while the specific concept of prophecy may be debated, the idea of speaking God's truth and encouraging others remains a significant aspect of Christian faith today.
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