True Prophesying

Prophesying has been considered largely a thing of the past. Men have generally thought that the ability to prophesy had been relegated to those who lived in Bible times. They have imagined that prophesying was an especial gift, bestowed by God in those times on certain of His people, which gave them the right and power to foretell events. This power has, however, been supposed to be more or less supernatural in its nature, and mystery has often seemed to surround it in the thought of those contemplating it.

Among ancient prophets there were those who prophesied according to God’s command, and others who called themselves prophets but whom He condemned; as, for instance, those of whom Jeremiah wrote, “Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” Prophesying in those days of centuries ago was therefore of two kinds: there were those who spoke as God decreed, and those who expressed only their own evil, self-willed surmisings, but who nevertheless called these surmisings prophecies and claimed for them the authority of God, hoping and expecting they would be fulfilled.

Now the facts are that there has never been anything really mysterious about prophesying, and that it has never ceased. Mankind has always spent much of its time foretelling that which it believed would come to pass. Indeed, there are few mortals to-day who are not almost perpetually prophesying something or other. They are frequently predicting either good or evil. To-day, as in ancient times, there are those who prophesy in accordance with the law of God, and there are those who predict events in direct contradiction thereto. There have probably been few who have known that they were thus assuming the role of prophet; but have they not done this in just the degree that they have predicted either good or evil as likely to occur? How many have realized that every time one has declared for, or looked forward to, or expected an evil happening he has been joining hands with evil prophesying? While when hope has been singing in his heart in spite of clouds or storm, he has been on the side of good, predicting, expecting it to come to pass.

It was not until God gave Mrs. Eddy the great revelation of Christian Science that the eyes of mankind began to be opened to the importance of understanding what true prophesying means. That our Leader considered such understanding necessary to right thinking and living may be seen from the conspicuous place she gave to the subject of prophesying in the “Rule for Motives and Acts” (Manual, p. 40), which is read in all the Christian Science churches on the first Sunday of every month. In this rule, wherein she tells us to pray daily that we may be delivered from all evil, she mentions first the need of deliverance from erroneous prophesying. Herein is presented the demand that we learn the difference between true and false prophecy, and that we confine our own prophesying to that which is true and good.

When Mrs. Eddy defines “prophet” on page 593 of “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” as “a spiritual seer; disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth,” she elucidates the entire subject of true prophesying in a marvelous manner. To think of a prophet as one who sees spiritually and as one who must always be replacing material sense with “the conscious facts of spiritual Truth,” if he is to fulfill his God-given mission, is to find the way always to prophesy correctly. This is then the blessed privilege of every Christian Scientist!

Although the clear revelation which Mrs. Eddy has given us, as to what true prophesying really involves, has taken away all seeming mystery in regard to it no whit of its holy nature has been diminished. Instead, it would seem to have been the rather enhanced, since it shows that all who learn to hear God’s voice and obey it may become prophets who may always be prophesying the triumph of good and the annihilation of evil. At the same time, Christian Science uncovers and rebukes the mistaken evil nature of all false prophesying, of whatever has not God’s sanction and law to support it.

While we quickly see that he who walks most closely with God will prophesy most capably and most helpfully for all the world, nevertheless every one may begin this very hour to awaken to deliverance from all erroneous prophesying. Each may pray, as never before, that he may cling to good, declare for good, expect good to the complete and utter exclusion from his thinking of evil as power or entity, as person, or activity, or law. What glorious vision shall dawn upon the world when all Christian Scientists shall thus be delivered from prophesying erroneously!