Some years ago a very kind and sincere woman came to the General Conference headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, claiming to be a true prophet. In our dialogue I mentioned that today the word “prophet” carries different meanings but biblically it refers to someone who receives supernatural visions and dreams from God (Num. 12:6). She confirmed that this was her case indeed. Then I told her that for a true prophet the prophetic message is more important than the phenomenon of being a prophet, but for a false prophet the status of being a prophet is more important than the message itself. She seemed to agree with this distinction as well.
When I asked her what concrete message she had to share, she replied that her message was that the church should remain united. I maintained that this was a message we already know from the teachings of Jesus (John 17:20-23) and Paul (1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:11-14). Realizing that she would not go much further, I told her that one of the issues dividing the church was the matter of women’s ordination. She assured me that she had received a revelation on this matter, but that the Lord would not allow her to share it. “Then in this case,” I replied, “the revelation is no benefit to the church.”
Over the years I have met several other individuals who have tried to convince me of their prophetic gift. But even more common today are preachers who claim that the Lord revealed to them the specific message they should deliver. This phenomenon has led many people to wonder if such claims could be a fulfillment of the promise that in the last days the Lord would pour out His “Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28). So let’s highlight three basic principles that can help us to understand the fulfillment of that important promise.
Primacy of the Bible
The first basic principle to keep in mind when dealing with any supernatural revelation is the primacy of the Bible over all charismatic experiences. Regrettably, many Christians today rely on such subjective experiences without testing their legitimacy in the light of Scripture. Some even believe that whoever receives visions, dreams, or any supernatural impression of the mind is in a higher spiritual level than those who do not receive them.
Unquestionably, the Lord can and does reveal Himself in a supernatural way still today, but this should not be regarded as conclusive evidence of true spirituality. In the Bible we have examples of even wicked people who received such revelations without becoming prophets (Gen. 40; 41:1-36; Dan. 2:1-45; 4:1-27; etc.). Indeed, the highest evidence of a saving faith is to trust God’s Word without any external evidence confirming it (Heb. 11:1). To the doubting Thomas, Jesus stated, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Unquestionably, the Lord can and does reveal Himself still today, but this should not be regarded as conclusive evidence of true spirituality.
In his commentary on Genesis 40:16-19, Martin Luther stated in unambiguous terms, “I have often stated that at the beginning of my cause I always asked the Lord not to send me dreams, visions, or angels. For many fanatical spirits attacked me, one of whom boasted of dreams, another of visions, and another of revelations with which they were striving to instruct me. But I replied that I was not seeking such revelations and that if any were offered, I would put no trust in them. And I prayed ardently to God that He might give me the sure meaning and understanding of Holy Scripture. For if I have the Word, I know that I am proceeding on the right way and cannot easily be deceived or go wrong.”[1]
Prophetic Revelations
Another basic principle is the crucial task of distinguishing between the reception of supernatural revelations and the call to the prophetic office. Unfortunately, many people believe that as soon as they receive a prophetic dream or other revelation from God, they become prophets. People are even more convinced of a supposed prophetic call if the supernatural revelation unveils hidden issues and/or involves predictions that ultimately are fulfilled. But we should recognize that this is a very complex matter in which people often tend to allow experience to overrule Scripture.
If we study the Bible carefully, we can see that supernatural revelations from God were given not only to true prophets (Num. 12:6) but also to such nonprophets as Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38), to Gentiles such as the Wise Men from the East (Matt. 2:1-12), to people in a state of apostasy, such as Balaam (Num. 22:7-25, 31-35), and even to animals, such as Balaam’s donkey (Num. 22:21-30). The prophetic dreams of Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker (Gen. 40), as well as of Pharaoh himself (Gen. 41:1-36) and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:1-45; 4:1-27), did not transform them into prophets. This means that prophetic revelations do not necessarily imply a call to the prophetic office.
The prophecy of the end-time outpouring of the Holy Spirit “on all flesh” (Joel 2:28) had a partial fulfillment at the Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21) but will have a much broader fulfillment “before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31). In this prophecy, “although God’s covenant with Israel remains the frame of reference, the scope of the prophetic message transcends national and ethnic boundaries to depict a universal Day of the Lord.”[2] But this does not mean that everybody will be called to the prophetic office.
While preserving the “diversity of gifts,” in which only “some” are prophets (1 Cor. 12:4-10; Eph. 4:11), the promise of Joel 2:28-32 highlights a global outpouring of the Holy Spirit without any ethnic, gender, or age barrier or discrimination. Then, some “shall dream dreams” and others “shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). But this does not mean that everybody will become a prophet. Indeed, “there are diversities of gifts,” and the Holy Spirit distributes them “to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:4, 11). It also does not mean that all human beings will be saved, as some claim today. The text is very clear that only those who call “on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32; cf. Isa. 56:1-7).
Spiritual Humbleness
A third basic principle involves the need for the human agent to always hide himself or herself behind the biblical message being presented. Although most of these preachers do not claim to be called to the prophetic ministry or report having visions as true prophets do, they often present such spiritual experience as the primary reason for speaking on a particular topic. No doubt at all that the Lord can and does impress human minds in this way. The problem lies not so much with the phenomenon itself as with the way it is often used to achieve spiritual authority. So if the message came directly from God, then it should be accepted as almost infallible, and the preacher should never be corrected.
Biblical prophets often stated that the Lord revealed Himself to them and even spoke to them in concrete terms, but this was usually to an antagonistic or skeptical audience. Why should nonprophets do the same to receptive audiences? In many cases this kind of personal “testimony” contributes more to the spiritual celebrity of the preacher than to the trustworthiness of the message. As the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformers, we should ground the authority of our preachers today not in their charismatic experiences but rather “in their faithfulness to the Word of God.”[3]
Many years ago my brother Edgar (who was a local church elder) was convinced that an angel appeared to him at night, asking him to preach on stewardship in our home church. He made himself available to the church leaders and preached on that topic, but without ever mentioning the angel’s request. That was a valuable lesson for me! He could have impressed his audience with that incident, drawing much attention to himself. Yet he decided to allow the message to speak for itself without giving the impression that he was on a higher spiritual level.
Unfortunately, spiritual arrogance limits God’s revelation to us. If the Lord gave us prophetic dreams or visions, or sent us angels in visible form, such experiences could easily nourish our spiritual pride. We could be easily tempted to consider ourselves better Christians, sharing “testimonies” that exalt ourselves more than God and His Word. As a result, many people would be more attracted to us than to the Lord.
In a world full of spiritual “celebrities,”[4] why not humble ourselves and allow the Spirit to use us powerfully in His cause, without boasting about our own spiritual experiences and accomplishments? We can be on much safer ground by recognizing the primacy of the Bible over all charismatic experiences, distinguishing between the reception of supernatural revelations and the call to the prophetic office, and hiding ourselves behind the biblical message. Then the Holy Spirit can work more effectively through us!
[1] Martin Luther, in Luther’s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan, American Edition (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1955-1976), vol. 7, pp. 119, 120 (WA 44:387).
[2] Elias Brasil de Souza, “Joel,” in Andrews Bible Commentary: Old Testament, ed. Ángel Manuel Rodríguez (Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews University Press, 2020), p. 1083.
[3] Alister E. McGrath, Reformation Thought: An Introduction, 4th ed. (Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), p. 99.
[4] See Katelyn Beaty, Celebrities for Jesus: How Persons, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Brazos Press, 2022).
