Chapter 4
MODES OF PROPHECY
By
The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze
INTRODUCTION
God speaks to man in various ways. However, it is quite unfortunate that majority of the people do not understand when He speaks. Job said it correctly,
For God speaketh once, yea twice (during the day),
yet man perceiveth it not (man does not pay attention). Job 33:14-17
Even among those that understand, only few are aware of the diverse ways in which God speaks to His people. The ways by which God speaks to man are called “modes of prophecy.” They include:
1. Vision
2. Dream
3. Trance
4. Bible casting
5. Inspiration
6. Spiritual Possession
7. Signs and Wonders
8. Casting of Lot
9. Use of Urim and Thummin
10. Induction
11. Counsel
12. Natural Events.
Usually, the problem is not in God speaking to man. The problem is man’s inability to receive the message, and where he has received it, his inability to interpret or refusal to accept it.
VISION
This is the ability to see things with the third eyes. The third eye is a spiritual eye. It can see spiritual things which the physical eyes cannot see. Daniel as a prophet was a visioner, just like Ezekiel, Balaam and Zechariah.
DREAM
This is the ability to receive spiritual message while sleeping. The Bible contains several messages received as dreams: Joseph was foretold that he would become a ruler Genesis. 37:5-10; the message of deliverance of Jesus from Herod was given to Joseph in a dream, Matthew 2:13-23; and Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of his power, fame, and banishment and re-instatement. Daniel 2 and 4
For God speaketh once, yea twice (during the day), yet man perceiveth it not (man does not pay attention). (Therefore,) In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose (that He may provide guidance), and hide pride from man (safe keep man from Satan). Job 33:14-17
TRANCE
Trance is a sleep-like condition in which a person receives message. It can happen at any time when one is wide awake. All of a sudden, it seems as if you are over-shadowed by sleep, which vanishes at the end of the message. It is at the end of the trance that the person regains full consciousness and realizes what happened. Example is found in the Bible,
“…… and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like………..” Acts 10:9-22
BIBLE CASTING
This is the opening of the Bible to any portion, without bias, in order to know the will of God or receive a message. This mode is quite effective. It is used to confirm message from God. Some close their eyes while casting the Bible; some do not. Either way works, provided that it is done without bias.
For example, a man decided to engage in a business. Therefore he prayed. At the end of the prayer, he closed his eyes and cast the Bible. He got the portion which reads:
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house the Lord forever” Psalm 23:6
This means that he will prosper in business and that God is in support of his decision.
Assuming the quotation was
7 Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
Isaiah 1:7
This means that the business pursuit will not be successful. Even if he engages in it and attain success, something will cause him not to reap the fruit of his labour. If at all he is going into the business, he must pray very well.
INSPIRATION
Inspiration is the flow of divine message from the heart of God to the heart of all living things. By it, people know facts, ideas and solutions without being told. When it happens, people say “it occurred to my mind ……” Jesus confirmed this mode in Matthew.
19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Matthew, 10:19-20
SPIRITUAL POSSESSION
This is the coming down of the spirit of God upon a person. The person may act or speak, without knowing what he is doing. An example is found in 2 Chronicles.
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you:’ Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you."
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.
2 Chronicles 20:13-19
It was spiritual possession that took place on the Pentecost day, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit.
1When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4
Spiritual possession does not only bring about prophecy. It moved Jesus to rejoice often; it made Saul to make himself naked; it empowered Samson to kill thousands; it makes people to see, hear or feel, as may be necessary.
SIGNS AND WONDERS
Signs and wonders are happenings by which God confirms His wills and words. Hence, signs are prophecies or prophetic. God gave Hezekiah a sign to confirm that he will heal Hezekiah and lengthen his life.
7 Then Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah,” What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?"
9 Then Isaiah said,” This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?"
10 And Hezekiah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees."
11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20:7-11
Gideon used it to confirm that God has sent him to deliver Israelites from Midianites.
36 So Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said — 37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said." 38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God,"Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew." 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
Judges 6:36-40
CASTING OF LOT
Casting of lot is an act of chance, a sure sign, by which God proves prophesy. It was by casting lot that God led the Israelites to discover Achan and his crime, Joshua7. It was by lot that sailors found out that Jonah was the cause of a raging storm which threatened to drown them.
4 But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.
5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.
6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish."
7 And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him,” Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"
9 So he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?" — for the sea was growing more tempestuous.
12 And he said to them,” Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me."
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You." 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows. Jonah 1:4-16
The apostles used casting of lot to replace Judas with Matthias.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry."
…
20 "For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
'Let his dwelling place be desolate,
And let no one live in it';
and, ‘Let another take his office.'
21 "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place." 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Acts 1:15-26
USE OF URIM AND THUMMIN
This is a special instrument used by the priests of God to ascertain divine will and to prophesy. This is in line with God’s directive:
And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
Levictus 8:8
And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. Numbers 27:21
COUNSEL
A Counsellor is a gifted adviser. He is usually moved by the spirit of God to speak and advise, rightly. They are among the imperceptible prophets. Ahithophel was a good example.
And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom. 2 Samuel 16:23
INDUCTION
Induction is the natural ability of a thing to experience what is happening to another thing, without touching the other thing. Hence, some ministers say that they have magnetic spirit. They know who is sick by feeling sickness; they know who has contacted poison by feeling the effects on their own legs. They know who has chest pain by feeling chest pain on coming near the person.
NATURAL EVENTS
The events of life are determined and regulated by natural laws which are God’s will in creation. We learn the laws and facts through experience. Hence, experience is the best teacher. Ps 19: 1-4 testifies of this point.
1The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Psalms 19:1-6
Jesus confirmed prophecy through events.
54 Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time? Luke 12:54-56
Other Ways Of Getting Prophetic Messages
They include:
- Give people prayer, and ask them to come back later, after doing the prayer. While they are doing the prayer, God may reveal more things about them.
- Ask them to narrate their own messages – dreams, visions, trances, etc – and interpret the messages for them. This practice is very important because God reveals to every person everything about the person’s life, even before the age of 12/18 years, or from time to time.
- Ask them to narrate messages already given to them by other ministers. You can do this after giving your own messages.
- When they speak, observe them silently. You shall learn certain things from their body movements.
- Write the name of a person in a piece of paper, and then hold it for a while in your hand. Remark and use the messages that come to your mind/heart while you hold the paper.