IanS:
I’m trying to find in the Bible where it indicates that the prophetic office would continue after everything was finalized with Jesus in the New Covenant. I’m looking for anything direct or implicit, New Testament or Old Testament, even Sacred Tradition.
I would be willing to discern any evidence that the prophetic office continued after Jesus, but I just don’t see it.
As I promised, I did a bit of research into the scriptures for you, and here are the results:
After Jesus had risen from the dead, and before He ascended to heaven, He commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost which He had promised them should be given to them. The reception of the Holy Ghost, which took place on the day of Pentecost, marks the most important event in the history of the Christian Church after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After they had received the Holy Ghost, the first thing that they began to do was to speak in tongues and to prophesy. Then as many were astonished at this event, Peter stood up and made this announcement:
Acts 2:
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days {i.e. in the days that Peter was speaking, after the resurrection and ascension of Christ}, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy:
So the very first thing that the disciples of Christ began to do after receiving the Holy Ghost, which in fact marks the beginning of the Church, was to prophesy. Hence the gift of prophecy is one of those special gifts of the Spirit, which Paul teaches was meant to continue in the Church:
1 Corinthians 12:
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
10 To another the working of miracles; to another
prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
This evidently teaches that the gift of prophecy is one of the gifts of the Spirit that, along with all the other gifts of the Spirit, were meant to continue in the church. You can’t arbitrarily keep some of the gifts of the Spirit, and remove others. You either accept all of them, or you don’t accept them at all. Then he continues in the same chapter to add:
1 Corinthians 12:
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily
prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all
prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
This tells us that the office of prophet, along those of teacher, Apostle and working of miracles, were meant to continue in the church. In fact, Paul considers the gift of Prophecy to be the best and most useful of the gifts of the spirit:
1 Corinthians 14:
1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may
prophesy.
3 But he that
prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that
prophesieth edifieth the church.
5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye
prophesied: for
greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
Hence Paul also writes to the Romans:
Romans 12:
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether
prophecy, let us
prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
(Continued in the next post…)
amgid