New Covenant Prophecy (Acts 11:27-30)

Let’s talk about the modern American prophecy movement. I don't mean all the people trying to interpret biblical prophecy and apply it to current events. I’m referring to the many Christians claiming to be receiving prophetic words from God, predicting all kinds of future events, especially in politics. Do you remember the recent assassination attempt against Donald Trump? The one where he got a chunk of his ear blown off? A brother named Brandon Biggs supposedly prophesied the event months before it happened, although what he predicted was significantly different from what actually did happen. As well, many conservatives were predicting that somebody was going to try to assassinate Trump. I certainly wasn't surprised. And that's not the only example. There are hundreds of people claiming to be modern-day prophets, foretelling events revealed to them by the Holy Spirit.

Here's my prophecy: as we get closer to Election Day in November, so-called prophets will continue to issue so-called prophecies about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and all kinds of other candidates. There really is an actual prophecy craze going on in America right now.

The thing is, you can find prophets in the New Testament predicting events before they happen. There is one in the passage that we are looking at this morning, the 11th chapter of Acts. The prophet’s name is Agabus. He shows up in Acts 21, also. His prophecy there will be a specific prediction about a specific person, the apostle Paul -- and it will mostly come true. His prophecy here is a prediction about a massive event that will affect the whole Roman Empire -- and it too will largely, though not precisely, prove accurate.

The question is, when the modern-day “prophets” claim to be receiving their “prophecies” from the Holy Spirit just like Agabus did, are they right? I am not suggesting that they are all liars, deliberately claiming things that they know are not true. I am asking whether they might be seriously confused about what is actually happening to them. I believe many of them are, and I'll show you why over the next few minutes. And I'll show you why it matters, both for you and for me.

We just read last week about the the gospel breaking out powerfully in the city of Antioch, what is now called Antakya in Turkey. We pick up the story this week with more events that happened at that time and in that place. Please open your copy of God's Word to Acts 11, and we'll begin reading at verse 27. And if you are able, will you please stand with me to signify our reverence for the Word of God.

Acts 11   ²⁷ Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). ²⁹ So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. ³⁰ And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

• Luke doesn’t explain “prophets”
• four kinds of prophecy in Bible times and now.

the first kind of prophecy

Messianic prophecy spoke through a few believers under the Old Covenant

• preparation for the Christ
• Elijah, Elishah, Isaiah, Daniel, 12 minor prophets, John the Baptist

Messianic prophecy came through a few believers under the Old Covenant

the second kind of prophecy

Apostolic prophecy spoke through a few believers at the start of the New Covenant age

• foundation of the church
• 12 Apostles, Paul the Apostle, Mark (Peter), Luke (Paul), James, Jude
• inspired by HS to write the New Testament, the foundation…

Ephesians 2 ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

• infallible prophecy, infallibly inspired by HS

Messianic prophecy came through some believers under the Old Covenant

Apostolic prophecy came through a few believers at the start of the New Covenant age

the third kind of prophecy

Charismatic prophecy speaks through many believers until the end of the New Covenant age

• edification of the churches
• don't be alarmed at the word charismatic
• “gift” of the Holy Spirit
• Acts, 1 Corinthians 12-14
• needs to be sifted to determine whether or how much from HS

1 Thessalonians 5 ¹² We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. ¹⁵ See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil

It is noteworthy that this is one of the first letters that apostle Paul wrote. Some Bible scholars even assert that it is the very first one. Already there is a need to be careful about what you hear. You have to be careful not to accept anything that's not really from the Holy Spirit. But you also have to be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit by refusing to listen at all.

What I'm saying to us today in Dundalk is this: yes, there are a few liars and hucksters, and loads of so-called prophets who are just simply confused. Our Lord Jesus wants us to listen and be siftin’. Maybe if we say that together, we’ll remember it: Listen, and be siftin’.

Let me also tell you that you are not obligated to listen to every so-called prophet who comes across the airwaves or your computer or your telephone. That's a good way to drive yourself nuts. Be open to the people that God brings right in front of your face. God may well have something to say to you through them. Listen, and be siftin’.

John Piper

Virtually all the great pastors and teachers of history that I admire and that have fed me over the years belong to the first group who believe that signs and wonders were only for the apostolic age (John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Owen, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Benjamin Warfield, my own father). But I am not fully persuaded by their case.

[Still,] there does seem to be something unique about the way God did signs and wonders in the ministries of Jesus and the apostles. So what I think I can say for our guidance is this.

On the one hand, we ought to honor the uniqueness of Jesus and the apostles and of that revelatory moment in history that gave us the foundational doctrines of faith and life in the New Testament.

On the other hand we ought to be open to the real possibility that this too might be a unique moment in history, and in this moment it may well be God's purpose to pour out his Spirit in unprecedented revival—revival of love to Christ and zeal for worship and compassion for lost people and a missionary thrust with signs and wonders.

I want to have my keel deep and stable in the once-for-all biblical revelation of God, and I want to have my sails unfurled to every movement of God's Spirit upon the deeps.

Messianic prophecy came through some believers under the Old Covenant

Apostolic prophecy came through a few believers at the start of the New Covenant age

Charismatic prophecy comes through some believers until the end of the New Covenant age

the fourth kind of prophecy

Evangelistic prophecy speaks through all believers until the end of the New Covenant age

• evangelism
• remember how Peter quoted the apostle Joel at Pentecost

Acts 2 ¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

• remember also I showed you all throughout Acts how the filling of the Holy Spirit again and again results in someone speaking prophetic words about Jesus Christ the Messiah with the result that people get saved
• every last one of us is called to stay so full of the Spirit of God that we want to talk about Jesus so that people who we talk to about Jesus come to join us in embracing the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and King.

Messianic prophecy came through some believers under the Old Covenant

Apostolic prophecy came through a few believers at the start of the New Covenant age

Charismatic prophecy comes through some believers until the end of the New Covenant age

Evangelistic prophecy comes through all believers until the end of the New Covenant age

conclusion

• complicates things to listen to people who think that they're hearing from and speaking for the spirit of God
• it would be so much easier simply to dismiss them all out of hand

1 Thessalonians 5 ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

If you close your ears to prophecy, you close your heart to God. If you open your mind to everything, you open your life to evil. Listen, and be siftin’

• the Scripture is the sieve