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» How God Communicates with His People


How God Communicates with His People

The greatest gift to fallen people is the gift of God's own Son, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The greatest words ever spoken were the words of Christ when He walked on the earth. God did not leave His children without words of life before the incarnation of the Son of God, and neither did He leave them orphans after the resurrection. Throughout the ages, God communicated His will through His servants the prophets:

Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

These prophets did not speak their own words, but revealed God's will to people:

...for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21).

Prophets, chosen by God, have been used by God since the fall (Acts 3:21).

Enoch was the first prophet mentioned in the Scriptures:

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of saints (Jude 14).

Since Enoch, there have been numerous prophets, both male and female. Some prophets were instructed by God to write His words on a scroll, and some of these writings form a part of the Scriptures. Other prophets and prophetesses are mentioned in the Bible whose writings were not taken up in the canon. Old Testament examples include Nathan, Gad, and Huldah the prophetess. How did the Early Church choose what to include in the canon?

In New Testament times, the prophets included Simeon, Anna, Agabus, Barnabas, and Philip's four daughters. God used both men and women to communicate His will to His people, and although not all the prophets' writings or sayings were included in the Bible, they are still significant messages. Neither is there any reason to argue that male prophets were in any way different from female prophets in terms of the prophetic gift. Prophetesses mentioned in the Bible include Miriam, Huldah, Deborah, Anna, and the four daughters of Philip.

Read the next article to learn some specifics about God-given prophecy