Prophecy Through the Revelatory Realm of Seeing and Hearing
The prophecies come to us in two ways. The first way is through the revelatory realm of seeing and hearing.
The perfect example is in the life of the Prophet Elijah:
…the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite saying: “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel… You shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD…'” (1 Kings 21:17-19).
Before Elijah met Ahab, God had revealed to him what he had to say. In this gifting, one sees and hears and then shares with the person he or she is praying with. The person shares the visions or the inspirations as the Holy Spirit gives. The revelation comes through various means by which the Holy Spirit speaks.
Example of Prophetic Gifting
The following is an example of someone who has the prophetic gift, which manifests through visions, promptings, and the voice of the Spirit. It can be called the realm of hearing and seeing.
A person once told me, “When I was attending a retreat, on the fourth day, I went for a counseling session. The person who counseled me was a lay-brother. He said, ‘Let us pray.’ He closed his eyes, prayed for some time, and then said to me, ‘I see the Lord placing the sacred Host on your tongue.’ He added, ‘You will receive water baptism, and you will be getting married to a good person…’ These things happened as they were told to me.”
Understanding the Symbols and Signs in Prophecy
In the realm of hearing and seeing, it is important to understand what the Holy Spirit is revealing. Many things shown are in symbols and signs, which may require interpretation.
For example, the Prophet Jeremiah had an experience in which the Lord showed him “a branch of an almond tree.” The Lord then revealed the meaning of that image: “I am watching over my word to perform it.” Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, it would have been impossible for Jeremiah to understand the interpretation.
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north.” Then the LORD said to me: “Out of the north disaster shall break out on all the inhabitants of the land,” (Jeremiah 1:11-14).
The Need for God’s Wisdom in Interpretation
Revelations can come through symbols, and they require the wisdom of God to understand. Some revelations can be understood clearly, but others need interpretation. Interpretations don’t come like “fast food”; we need to pay the price to walk with the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus spoke in parables, the crowds never understood them. Later, the disciples would approach Jesus for explanations of the parables. And our dear Lord would explain them to them. Interpretations were indeed given to the disciples, and they are still given to those who follow God wholeheartedly.
Prophecy Through the Utterance of the Spirit
The Manifestation of Prophecy Through Spontaneous Words
The second way prophecy comes is through the utterance of the Spirit. In this manifestation of prophecy, it will come through the utterance of spontaneous words.
Meanwhile, all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah… in the middle of the assembly… Thus says the LORD to you: “Do not fear or be dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God’s…” (2 Chronicles 20:13-15).
Here, we see spontaneous words coming out of Jahaziel’s mouth. This is a prophetic utterance through the gift of prophecy.
A modern-day example of prophetic utterance through the gift of prophecy occurs when a person with the gift starts praising God or praying in tongues, and words of prophetic utterance just flow out of his or her mouth, like:
“Hear, my son… the winds are taking you away, the winds are taking you ahead, see the direction and follow, for the Lord your God will be the Speaker, He will speak into your ears, He will whisper and take you to that desired land to that direction you have to go, my child….”
There are many examples like this in the Holy Bible.
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off, (Acts 13:1-3).
In the prophetic realm of ‘seeing and hearing,’ we ‘see’ and ‘hear.’ In the prophetic realm of utterance, you don’t ‘hear,’ but you ‘speak’ it out.
How do we stir up the prophetic gift within us? When someone approaches you for a word from the Lord, how do you receive the word in that situation? There are many ways to stir this gifting, such as singing, praise and worship, praying in tongues, praying the rosary, and more.
“But get me a musician.” And then, while the musician was playing, the power of the LORD came on him. And he said, “Thus says the LORD…,” (2 Kings 3:15-16).
