Yes. Both men and women will prophesy in the last days (Joel 2:28–32).

Jesus gave all five gifts — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers — for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12). The equipping of God’s end-time church is not possible if any of these gifts is missing.

No. Besides many men who had the gift of prophecy, God also gave it to at least eight women: Anna (Luke 2:36–38), Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), and the four daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8,9).

They will remain until God’s people come to the unity of the faith and become mature Christians (Ephesians 4:13) — that is, until the end of time.

Prophets do not express their own private opinions in spiritual matters. Their thoughts come from Jesus through the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

Through visions, dreams, or face to face (Numbers 12:6,8).

Notice six points: A. Initially loses physical strength (Daniel 10:8). B. May later receive supernatural strength (Daniel 10:18,19). C. No breath in the body (Daniel 10:17). D. Able to speak (Daniel 10:16). E. Not aware of earthly surroundings (Daniel 10:5–8; 2 Corinthians 12:2–4). F. Eyes are open (Numbers 24:4). Not all of these appear together at once.

No. The devil and his emissaries can also work miracles (Revelation 16:14). Miracles prove only one thing — supernatural power. But such power comes from both God and Satan (Deuteronomy 13:1–5; Revelation 13:13,14).

God warns of false christs and false prophets who will be so convincing that they will deceive all except God’s very elect (Matthew 24:24). Billions will be deceived and lost.

Test their teaching and conduct by God’s Word — the Bible. If they teach and behave contrary to Scripture, they are false prophets and there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:20).

Yes. Deuteronomy 18:10–12 and Revelation 21:8 speak against soothsayers, astrologers, sorcerers, those who contact the dead, mediums, fortune tellers, and witches. Most claim contact with the spirits of the dead. But the Bible plainly says the dead cannot be contacted (see Lesson 10); the supposed “spirits of the dead” are evil angels, devils (Revelation 16:13,14). Crystal balls, palm reading, astrology, and talking with “spirits” are an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:12), and those who continue in them will be shut out of God’s kingdom (Galatians 5:19–21; Revelation 21:8; 22:14,15).

The Bible is clear: although a prophet’s message may sometimes edify outsiders, the primary purpose of prophecy is to serve the church (1 Corinthians 14:22).

In Lesson 23 we saw that Jesus gives six identifying marks of His end-time church, one of which is the gift of prophecy. So God’s remnant must have a prophet.

It will anchor you spiritually. You will no longer be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14).

Since a prophet is sometimes called a seer (one who sees into the future), the eyes best represent the gift of prophecy (1 Samuel 9:9).

It would be blind. Jesus pointed to the danger, warning that if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch (Matthew 15:14).

Yes. Scripture plainly teaches that God’s end-time church will come short in no gift, which means it must have all the gifts, including the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 1:5–8).

Yes. An angel told John (Revelation 19:10) that he was his fellow servant who has the testimony of Jesus. The same angel repeated this in Revelation 22:9, calling himself a prophet. So having the testimony of Jesus and being a prophet mean the same thing.

The testimony of Jesus means that a prophet’s words come from Jesus (Revelation 1:1; Amos 3:7). We are to regard a true prophet’s words as a special message from Jesus to us. To reproach a true prophet is extremely dangerous — it is the same as reproaching Jesus, who sends them. No wonder God warns us not to harm His prophets (Psalm 105:15).

A. Live a godly life (Matthew 7:15–20). B. Be called to service by God (Isaiah 6:1–10; Jeremiah 1:5–10; Amos 7:14,15). C. Speak and write in harmony with the Bible (Isaiah 8:19,20). D. Predict events that come true (Deuteronomy 18:20–22). E. Have visions (Numbers 12:6).

Yes. The end-time church began to form in the early 1840s and greatly needed guidance. In harmony with the promise of Amos 3:7, God called a young woman — Ellen Harmon — to be His prophetess. She accepted the call, lived another 70 years, and died at age 87. Her aim was to point the church to the Bible as its creed and to Jesus’ gift of righteousness. She met every test of a prophet.

Yes, many. They lasted from a few minutes to six hours and met the Bible standard for visions (see question 7 of this lesson).

No. Doctrine comes from the Bible alone. As an end-time prophet, her aim was to stress the love of Jesus and His soon return, to urge people to serve Him and accept His righteousness as a gift, and to direct attention to the Bible’s end-time prophecies — especially the three-part message of Revelation 14:6–14.

Yes! Her writings are saturated with Scripture. Her stated purpose was to point people to the Bible. Her words never contradict God’s Word (Isaiah 8:20).

You can’t until you read what she wrote. However, you can know that (1) the true end-time church must have a prophet, (2) Ellen White met the tests of a prophet, and (3) she did the work of a prophet. Read her writing, asking whether it draws you to Jesus and agrees with the Bible (Isaiah 8:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:20,21).

Paul says we should not despise or tune out a prophet. Rather, we should carefully test by the Bible what the prophet says and does. If the words and conduct agree with the Bible, we should heed them (1 Thessalonians 5:20,21).

Jesus counts the rejection of a true prophet as rejecting the will of God (Luke 7:28–30). He also stated that spiritual prosperity hinges upon believing His prophets (2 Chronicles 20:20).

True prophets do not originate doctrine (Revelation 22:18,19); the Bible is the source of all doctrine. However, they: A. reveal new facets of Bible doctrines (Amos 3:7); B. lead God’s people into a closer walk with Jesus; C. help them understand difficult portions of Scripture; D. protect them from fanaticism and deception; E. help them understand end-time prophecies; F. help them sense the nearness of Jesus’ return.