When you come across the term in sci-fi and fantasy, “prophecies” almost exclusively refer to foretellings of future events. The message itself originates from a god-like entity and they’re talked about as if they’re unchangeable and requiring fulfillment. They usually rely heavily on the themes of fate and destiny.The biblical definition of prophecy is a lot simpler. It’s a message from God, communicated to a human prophet, who shares it with the intended audience. That’s it. The definition stops there. However, there are many different types of prophecies. More than you might think.Prophecies foretell future events; they come to bring God's people to repentance and forewarning of judgments as well as rebukes. Today, a majority of prophecies come to edify and restore the soul of man.

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WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR

PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE?

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Human beings—even God’s chosen people in the Bible—aren’t perfect. They (and we) possess a tendency toward selfishness or tunnel vision, and some situations call for additional insight or a good old-fashioned wake-up call. Throughout the life of the Israelites, prophets spoke forth the word of God as the prophet served as the vocal cords if your will of the Will of God. Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, or Shavuot, God would inhabit His people through in dwelling Holy Spirit. But the Prophetic office remains an operational expression of the KIngdom. Looking at the many, many prophecies throughout the history depicted in Scripture, here are the primary reasons for these messages from God, through humans, to humans.

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TO WARN OF POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES (AND HOPEFULLY INSPIRE CHANGE)

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There are several prophecies of this type throughout the Bible. Some can be looked at as “predictive,” as they explain the consequences in store unless there’s a change in behavior.

However, in these cases, keep in mind God doesn’t want any of these prophecies to come true. The whole point is to bring attention to a problem, explain its consequences and repercussions, and leave the prophecy recipient(s) with a more informed choice of how to proceed with their lives. God actually explains this to his prophet Jeremiah:

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“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ... ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, and if that nation ... turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.  And the instant I speak concerning a nation or kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight and does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.’” (Jeremiah 18:5-10, NKJV, my emphasis added).

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One example of this is in 1 Samuel 2-3. The High Priest of the time, Eli, had already heard a message from God about what would happen if his wayward sons’ behavior wasn’t appropriately addressed. If he continued to let them regularly commit adultery and manipulate the ceremonial sacrificial system in their favor, their lives and his lineage would be “cut short.” But as time passed, their behavior persisted. So God used a new prophet, the young boy Samuel, why was already close to Eli, to deliver a message. It was solely to remind Eli that he already knew what would happen if he “did not restrain” his sons from desecrating the community’s place of worship.

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Since nothing had changed since the first warning, the consequences revealed to him earlier must now come to pass. Then his sons died in battle, followed by Eli’s passing upon hearing of their deaths.Sometimes we can know information, but never really take it to heart. God knows that, and if need be, He can strategically send a messenger to call attention to what’s been forgotten or pushed away. In other cases, this prophetic method succeeded! In the book of Jonah (though there’s a different lesson we can learn from his behavior), God told him to prophesy to the large city of Nineveh. He was to bring them word that their “wickedness” was so great, He would allow their city to be overthrown in 40 days—unless they repented and changed their ways.

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“The people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth [symbol of mourning]—from the greatest of them to the least. ... God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with.  And He did not do it.” (Jonah 3:5, 10, CSB)

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TO EXPOSE COMMON PITFALLS

OF HUMAN NATURE

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Sometimes God had to send a human messenger to remind His people what it meant to live a godly life. Most knew the commandments of God, but it was easy to become blind to issues close to home. All throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, God’s chosen nation kept ping-ponging back and forth. They’d follow God with fervor for one generation, then fall away from the next. Some kings followed God, some chose to rule the nation according to their own desires. To keep this fickle group of people in check, God sent numerous prophets to get their attention. They often needed a stern reminder that their hardships were a consequence of choosing their own way over God’s. Instead, they opted for the temporary satisfaction of their desires and temptations.

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The book of Hosea tells of the prophet Hosea, whom God called to proclaim a message to Israel and Judah. It wasn’t a message of words, preached from a platform in front of a listening crowd—instead, it was a message lived out in a symbolic example. Since these nations went back and forth on their commitment to God, He commanded Hosea to marry and start a family with an “unfaithful woman”—“for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”Sure enough, Hosea’s wife, Gomer, would occasionally run off with other men as they tempted her with gifts, wealth, and flattery. But God instructed Hosea to welcome her back with love every time, just as God accepted His chosen people back every time they repented.

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TO HELP US UNDERSTAND 

THE FUTURE

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Notice, it’s not “to tell us the future.” It’s to prepare us for the future! That does, however, include some details about what to look for as time goes on. Many of the most famous Bible prophecies, such as those in Daniel and Revelation, predict the progression of power from one nation to another. They also include some details about how that progression affects the ways people live. These prophecies are typically the ones loaded with figurative language, as the prophets had to think of the most effective way to describe events yet to come or new complex concepts that would be unfamiliar to the readers. For example,

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“Then I saw a second beast coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.” (Revelation 13:11)

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Reading this, you might be thinking, beasts, horns, dragons. Remembering how to interpret symbolism, this beast represents a mighty person or nation. It has an appearance similar to a sheep, which symbolizes meekness and loyalty, but ultimately its evil will be revealed as it opens its mouth to speak “like a dragon.” But even symbolic messages like these can help us in our spiritual growth. Rather than being told exactly which king was going to do what when this figurative imagery paints a larger picture.  Rather than names, we get an idea of the temperament and motivations of the nations or rulers who rise up against God. And we can strive to be different, prayerfully keeping up with the Bible and with the progression of the world.

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TO GIVE US HOPE!

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Yes, several of the major Bible prophecies contain scary language. But if you read through to the end of the Bible, you’ll find that ultimately, all those beasts and dragons and horns won’t even matter. The best part of studying prophecy has to be the new perspective you get after reading the book of Revelation, specifically savoring chapters 21 and 22. These contain the “It’s all going to be okay!” passages of Scripture: "Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

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“Look I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ... Blessed are they who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22:12-14) If we know how the story ends, and it ends well, what perspective does that give us for the more alarming prophecies we discover along the way? Evil things may be happening throughout the world, but God will be triumphant over all. Just imagine how knowing that can aid in your studies. No matter what kind of odd depictions of the future (or the past or the present) you find in the Bible’s prophecies, where justice will always be served and God will save those that follow Him. 

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1. Isaiah 4
2. Isaiah 5
3. Isaiah 51:17-23 

4. Jeremiah 24
5. Jeremiah 19
6. Ezekiel 1
7. Ezekiel 37:1-4

8. Ezekiel 4