What is Prophecy? The Prophecy Candle

 The Big Idea: An explanation of prophecy especially during Advent regarding the arrival of Jesus.

What is Prophecy?

“Prophesy! Who hit you!” (Luke 22:64 HCSB) said Roman guards as Jesus was blindfolded and beaten before being hung on the cross.

People often consider prophecy in this way: as a foretelling of the future or as a special knowledge. These two verses reveal a lot about prophesy.

No prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT

Guidelines for Biblical Prophecy

• Prophecy doesn’t come from a prophet’s own understanding.
• God the Holy Spirit moved them what to write.
• Prophets spoke from God.

Prophecy is a message from God revealed to us. It is God’s Word to us. God reaches out to us because of His desire to intimately connect with us.

The Prophecy Candle of Advent

The first candle on the advent wreath is called the Prophecy Candle. It reminds us of all the passages in the Old Testament that point to the coming of Jesus as the Messiah.

There are eight verses from the Old Testament that point to Jesus’ birth in the Matthew account alone. There are many more that foretell His life and death.

An Old Man's Joy

A beautiful story from the Gospel of Luke is recorded in Luke 2:25-35. A really good devoted follower of God named Simeon spent his elderly years in Jerusalem because God revealed to him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. He was moved to go to the temple courts at the same time that Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple. Simeon scooped the babe into his arms and began to praise God with words from Isaiah 40. Mary and Joseph were amazed! Prophecy in the Word of God spoke to him and the Holy Spirit moved him. That’s prophecy in action!

Advent is a Tool

Advent is a tool to remind us of His coming. In a very real way it is about not only His first coming as the incarnate baby in the manger, but also Jesus the glorious King who will return.

Check into the prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament. His coming is more than coincidence. A great pamphlet from Rose Publishing, “100 Prophecies fulfilled by Jesus”is a great tool to study. Check out this blog from Focus on the Family too.

Dig into His amazing Word and enhance your anticipation for Christmas!

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Up Next: Notable Small Town Residents: The Bethlehem Candle
Previous post: Advent Starter Kit

Note: We have been in the process of going through a Pratical Starter Guide of Inductive Bible Study. We will resume this series in January.
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Reflect:

1. How would you describe prophecy? How do you feel about it? Does it assure you or is it a bit scary?

2. Do you think the verses could be construed as chance?

3. Why might it be it valuable to you to notice Old Testament prophecies in anticipating Christmas?