PROPHECY
True prophecy is human communication initiated by the one true God (2Pet 1:21), for the purpose of expressing His immediate heart, mind, and will upon the earth to people (Am 3:7). 2Peter 1:21 is the perfect scripture expressing this definition. Some noticeable characteristics of true prophecy are unusual relevance, penetrating perceptiveness, perfect timeliness, emotional impact, felt authority, and harmony with God's attributes. True prophecy means two very different things in the Old Testament and New. This difference is fully explained in the OT & NT PROPHECY page.
False prophecy is human communication initiated by Satan and demons, done so in a malicious attempt to draw people away from the one true God (Jer 23:13, Mt 7:15). Because I've devoted an entire page to false prophecy, I will not go into anymore detail here. Like true prophecy though, its false counterpart means two different things in the Old Testament and New.
Neutral prophecy is human communication that is neither divine nor satanic, but nonetheless possesses highly compelling and inspirational qualities (Ac 12:21-23, Tit 1:12). We see neutral prophecy in Titus 1:12, where Paul quotes one of the "prophets" from Crete. He is referring to Epimenides, a Cretan poet and orator who lived around 600BC. In first century Greek culture, it was common to refer to poets and orators as "prophets", since their communication ability was so awesome. Many believed they were supernaturally-inspired, while some simply recognized their ability and called them "prophets" loosely in honor of that ability. Public heralds or proclaimers were governmental messengers authorized to make announcements to the public; they also were referred to generically as "prophets". Even today some refer to social reformers, powerful communicators, or inspiring visionaries as "prophets". Scripture is more concerned with the true and false brand.
For more great teachings on the prophetic ministry, visit JDM Prophetic Ministries where you will find some very valuable pearls.
