Does “prophecy” always involve the miraculous?
Question:
I was wondering if you could tell me if there are any New Testament examples of "prophesy" or "prophesying" being uninspired? Our preacher said that whenever you see the word "prophesy" or "prophesying" is always referring to the miraculous or inspired. Are there any examples in the New Testament that show these words meaning teaching or speaking forth without speaking an inspired message?
Answer:
Any reference to false prophets would be an example of uninspired prophesying.
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (I John 4:1).
I suspect that what your preacher meant is that the claim of prophesying implies the miraculous, which is true. False prophets are claiming to have messages from God when they do not. But teaching God's Word when the person is not inspired is called teaching or preaching.
