UNDERSTANDING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORETELLING, FORTH-TELLING AND FORTUNE TELLING

-

There is so much misunderstanding in the Church today regarding the gift of prophecy. Many people believe that prophecy only refers to telling something before it happens. However, even in the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets contained as much, if not more, about the present than they did about the future.

In Hebrew, the word translated prophecy is based on the word stem nābā, which simply means “to speak by divine inspiration, either in prediction or simple discourse.” 

“Prophecies” is transliterated (i.e. brought straight over from Greek to English) from the noun prophēteia. It is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or position” and a form of the verb phēmi, meaning “to tell.” The verb form of this word can refer EITHER:

Foretelling (predicting or telling something before it happens). It seeks to predict the future. It predicts or reveals personalities, occurrences, circumstances that will happen. It also concerns the revelation of events which occurred in the past; It may also deal with present circumstances (i.e., contemporary with the prophet), or it can look forward to the future. It is often a very special gift from God and they that have this gift operate in the office of a Prophet. An example of foretelling can be seen in Acts 21:10-11 where Prophet Agabus predicted what will happen to Paul in Jerusalem. 
Acts 21:10-11 “And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.  And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles”

Another example is when Moses recorded the creation account of Genesis 1. He was given a divinely inspired account of what transpired during the first week of earth’s history even when it is obvious that he was not born when those events took place. 

                                                                              OR 

Forth-telling means inspired speaking or declaring a message to others or things. This has to do with the use of the gift of prophecy for your personal edification where you speak the word of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about you and all that concerns you. A classic example of this in scripture can be seen in the book of Ezekiel where the Prophet declared words to the dried bones.

Ezekiel 37: 4 “Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord” 

Not everyone can operate in the office of a Prophet (foretelling) but everyone can have the gift of prophecy (forth-telling).

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”


Fortune telling on the other hand is also about telling you about future. It is from the Latin word "Fortuna" which means "fate" (a predetermined course of events or destiny). It is normally only concerned with specific individuals unlike foretelling which is normally concerned with individuals as well as God's plan for nations, people or the earth. With fortune telling, your fate is sealed and there is nothing much you can do about it whereas with prophecy (foretelling and forth-telling) your destiny is not sealed and it is often conditional (example. if you don't repent or do something then an event will happen). Also, while prophecy most of the time claim to come directly from God, fortune telling does not claim to come from God rather it comes from such things as contacting spirits, worshiping the stars and the planets, reading cards etc. Its methods include use of crystal balls, horoscopes, card reading, astrology, palm reading, numerology, clairvoyance, mirror and telepathy. An example of fortune telling in the bible is shown in the book of Acts.

Act 16:16-18 "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour."

It is worthy of note that the bible clearly shows that prophecy (foretelling and forth-telling) are gifts from God through the Holy Spirit while the practice of fortune telling is forbidden by God.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13, TLB. "When you arrive in the Promised Land you must be very careful lest you be corrupted by the horrible customs of the nations now living there. For example, an Israeli who presents his child to be burned to death as a sacrifice to heathen gods, must be killed. No one may practice black magic, or call on the evil spirits for aid, or be a fortune teller, or be a serpent charmer, medium, or wizard, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone doing these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord, and it is because the nations do these things that the Lord your God will displace them. You must walk blamelessly before the Lord your God."


If you like our blog, kindly share your views, suggestions, and comments. Like our Facebook page @BibleWatch, follow us on Twitter @bible_watch and click the Subscribe button above.

Comments

  1. Unknown21/3/19 1:40 pm

    This is deep. I will have to go dig deep to catalabanoe more on this

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bishop Henderson9/10/20 6:45 pm

    Good anointed teaching, using Scriptural references to enhance understanding. Thank you and continue the good works of your calling. It is a blessing, also continue to receive the rich blessings of the Lord.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tara 8/2/21 2:15 am

    What if you were born with a gift of foretelling, but can see clearly with the use of Tarot cards? Is it still wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chuks Destiny8/2/21 8:20 am

      The use of card reading makes it fortune telling. The practice of fortune telling is forbidden by God in the bible.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHY GOD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART

-
Image
In the book of Exodus chapter 4 verse 21, God said He would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the people of Israel leave Egypt. Let's read the passage: (Exodus 4:21 KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart , that he shall not let the people go. The questions many have asked are: Why did God harden Pharaoh's heart?  Is it not unjust for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart and still punish him and Egypt for what he decided when his heart was hardened?  Would God hold Pharaoh accountable for his sins seeing that He is the one that hardened his heart? The answer to these questions can be found in God's own words in Exodus chapters 3 & 7: (Exodus 3:8 KJV) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a la
Read more

IS THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD?

-
Image
The Bible is not the Word of God, Jesus is. Talking about Jesus in John 1:1 & 14, the Bible referred him as the Word of God:  (John 1:1 KJV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (John 1:14 KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  The Bible however contains the Word of God. Notice that the Bible in addition to containing the Word of God has other words that were not from God. It is therefore more appropriate to say that the Bible contains the Word of God. 
Read more

THE CONCEPT OF SIN

-
In the New Testament, there are two key parameters for judging sin. The first one is love, the second one is faith. We will begin by taking a close look at these two parameters. Firstly, let’s read Romans Chapter 13 verse 8: (Romans 13:8-10 KJV) Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandments, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Did you read that? “He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” In other words, anything that is outside love is sin (i.e. has transgressed the law) because love is the fulfilling of the law. By walking in love, you walk in God. Secondly, I recommend you read the entire chapt
Read more

“IT IS A SIN TO PAY OR RECEIVE TITHES” — PASTOR CHRIS OJIGBANI

-
For hundreds of years, Christians incur the wrath of God by paying and receiving tithe. Though the doctrine of tithe is popular and generally accepted in Christianity, it’s a wrong doctrine. It’s actually a sin to pay tithe and it’s equally a sin to receive tithe in Christianity. The doctrine is generally accepted because of the misinterpretation of some tithe related scriptures. A misinterpretation of a scripture can lead many generations astray. In like manner, the misinterpretation of tithe related scriptures has led many Christian generations astray. Before explaining the true meaning of the scriptures, it’s important I first explain what tithe means. What is tithe? Tithe as an English word means one tenth or 10 percent. Tithe in the scripture means a mandatory 10 percent of one’s increase (Deuteronomy 14:22). How often did Israelites give Tithe? The tithe system had a seven-year cycle. The Israelites were mandated to give tithe on the first year, second year,
Read more

MEDITATION: THE BIBLE WAY OF MEDITATING

-
Image
The concept of meditation has been mostly appropriated to other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism and other eastern religions. Sadly, some Christians today have never practiced meditation the bible way, and typically when you ask some believers how many of them meditate on a regular basis, the answer is only a few.  There are many forms of meditations encompassing practices from different traditions, cultures, spiritual disciplines, and religions which are not in line with the concept of biblical meditation. Some of them include: Silent meditation which involves simply sitting in quiet without thoughts for anything. Calming meditation which involves focusing on a particular object which could be your breath, a mantra, a visualization without focus on God and His Word . Yoga meditation which may include sitting calmly on a rug, and/or listening to sonorous music. Biblical meditation is not even primarily for relaxation, although you may find it calming and comforting. It is not
Read more

IS REINCARNATION BIBLICAL? SHOULD CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION?

-
Image
What is reincarnation? Is reincarnation a Christian belief? Does the Bible teach reincarnation? Are there evidences in the Bible to support reincarnation? Several people (including many Christians) believe in reincarnation. However, the Bible does not teach reincarnation, rather it teaches resurrection from the dead. What is the difference? In reincarnation (or transmigration), the body dies and returns (i.e comes back to life again) in a different body to live on earth again. Depending on your deeds in the previous life or lives, the new body is entirely different from that of the previous life. For instance, a man could get reincarnated as a woman or an animal or a stone. On the other hand, in resurrection of the dead, the body that dies is the exact body that is raised. For the resurrection that will occur in the last day, the body is made new in the sense that it is perfected and no longer subject to frailty and death, but it is still the same body. In reincarnation, the previous m
Read more

GOD MADE ADAM BOTH MALE AND FEMALE.

-
Image
This should be obvious but it seems a lot of people are having problem with it. God made Adam male and female. In other words, when Adam was first created he was both male and female. For people that are finding it hard to accept this is what the bible says: (Genesis 1:27 KJV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 5:2 KJV) Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam , in the day when they were created. The first scripture in using the term "them" still seem to suggest that it was talking about both Adam and Eve and not only Adam at first. However the accounts in Matthew chapter 19 and Mark chapter 10 will give more insight. (Matthew 19:3 KJV) The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? (Matthew 19:4 KJV) And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read
Read more

YOU CANNOT PRAY TO JESUS IN THE NAME OF JESUS

-
It does not have any spiritual meaning. This could be why most prayers are not answered. You cannot ask or pray to Jesus in the name of Jesus. Stop praying such prayers: "Jesus I come to you in the name of Jesus" You can only pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? Praying in Jesus' name means praying with His authority. It is making a demand in His stead (place); as if He is the one making it. Authority means delegated power. You cannot exercise an authority on the same person that gave it to you. Look at it this way, you cannot go to the President of your country to make a demand in the name of that President rather you can go to another President in the name of your own President. Jesus said pray to the Father in His name: John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. Verse 26 & 27 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not
Read more

JACOB DID NOT WAIT FOR 7 OR 14 YEARS BEFORE LEAH/ RACHEL WERE GIVEN TO HIM. HE TOOK BOTH WIVES IMMEDIATELY.

-
Many Christians thought that Jacob worked seven years for Laban, realized that Laban deceived him to marry Leah, and then worked seven more years before finally getting married to Rachel. However the bible shows that he took both Leah and Rachel immediately before he began serving Laban. For clarity, I advise you to read this Jacob's story in other translations of the Bible aside King James Version (KJV). Meanwhile lets look at look at some of the facts from the Bible: (Genesis 29:21 KJV) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. Please note that the 7 years of service required of Jacob were the total dowry and not the customary waiting period before a wife was given to the groom. In other words, Jacob took Leah after the customary waiting period which was a couple of days just like we read in vs 21. Notice that he said, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled" implying a certain number of d
Read more