Editorial February 28, 1925 Issue

True Prophesying

Ella W. Hoag

PROPHESYING has been considered largely a thing of the past. Men have generally thought that the ability to prophesy had been relegated to those who lived in Bible times. They have imagined that prophesying was an especial gift, bestowed by God in those times on certain of His people, which gave them the right and power to foretell events. This power has, however, been supposed to be more or less supernatural in its nature, and mystery has often seemed to surround it in the thought of those contemplating it.

Among ancient prophets there were those who prophesied according to God's command, and others who called themselves prophets but whom He condemned; as, for instance, those of whom Jeremiah wrote, "Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart." Prophesying in those days of centuries ago was therefore of two kinds: there were those who spoke as God decreed, and those who expressed only their own evil, self-willed surmisings, but who nevertheless called these surmisings prophecies and claimed for them the authority of God, hoping and expecting they would be fulfilled.

Now the facts are that there has never been anything really mysterious about prophesying, and that it has never ceased. Mankind has always spent much of its time foretelling that which it believed would come to pass. Indeed, there are few mortals to-day who are not almost perpetually prophesying something or other. They are frequently predicting either good or evil. To-day, as in ancient times, there are those who prophesy in accordance with the law of God, and there are those who predict events in direct contradiction thereto. There have probably been few who have known that they were thus assuming the role of prophet; but have they not done this in just the degree that they have predicted either good or evil as likely to occur? How many have realized that every time one has declared for, or looked forward to, or expected an evil happening he has been joining hands with evil prophesying? While when hope has been singing in his heart in spite of clouds or storm, he has been on the side of good, predicting, expecting it to come to pass.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

True Prophesying

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access