The Doctrine Of Prophecy

The Doctrine Of Prophecy

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, May 1, 2026 (Donate)

What Is Prophecy?

Biblically, prophecy is the revelation and proclamation of God’s Word through chosen servants, declaring His truth about past, present, or future events. It is not human prediction but divine communication originating from an all-knowing God Himself.

“for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21, NKJV)

Prophecy includes foretelling (revealing future events) and forth-telling (proclaiming God’s will, warnings, and truth). God, who is all-knowing and eternal, declares what will happen because He knows and governs all things.

The prophet Isaiah as shown in a discontinued exhibit at the Creation Museum; Photo by Bodie Hodge

So, prophecy is God using His absolute authority to speak through prophets and apostles to reveal His Word with absolute certainty, absolute authority, and absolute purpose, often calling people to repentance, pointing out judgments, and pointing ultimately to Jesus Christ.

The Doctrine Of Biblical Prophecy

The doctrine of biblical prophecy is that God, who is sovereign, omniscient, and eternal, reveals future events with perfect certainty through His chosen messengers. Again, prophecy is not guesswork or human prediction. Instead, it is divine revelation by the one true God predicated on the nature of God Himself.

On the converse, false prophecy is when someone tries to put themselves into the place of God claiming prophecies for themselves (errant and unreliable) usually for deceptive reasons. Because Scripture (the 66 books of the Bible) consistently presents God as all-knowing and existing beyond the limits of time, God’s prophecy is both possible and reliable.

God’s Nature Makes Prophecy Possible

Let’s discuss the foundation of prophecy further. It is because of God’s omniscience and His transcendence over time. God does not learn or discover the future; He declares it because He already knows it perfectly.

“Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.’” (Isaiah 46:9-10, NKJV)

God created time (Genesis 1:1), yet He is not bound by it. His eternal perspective allows Him to see all events with the power to act—past, present, and future—simultaneously. Therefore, prophecy is not merely foreknowledge but often includes God’s sovereign determination of events. Bear in mind that it is not a problem for an all-powerful God to work out His sovereignty through the use of man’s freewill.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2, NKJV)

The First Prophecy: Death Through Disobedience

The first prophecy in Scripture is found in God’s warning to Adam concerning the consequence of sin:

“but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17, NKJV)

This prophecy was fulfilled immediately in a spiritual sense (separation from God; their eyes were opened and Adam and Eve felt shame; Genesis 2:25, 3:7) and progressively in physical death (return to dust; Genesis 3:19, 5:5). It demonstrates that God’s prophetic word is certain and carries both warning and fulfillment.

The First Messianic Prophecy (Protoevangelium)

After the Fall, God gave the first prophetic promise of redemption, often called the Protoevangelium (first gospel):

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15, NKJV)

This prophecy foretells a coming “Seed” who would ultimately defeat the serpent. The bruising of the heel points forward to suffering and death (Isaiah 53), while the crushing of the serpent’s head signifies decisive victory. This is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who through His death and resurrection defeated Satan and the power of sin.

Prophets And Apostles As Instruments Of Prophecy

God chose specific individuals at particular times to serve as His mouthpieces. In the Old Testament, prophets were raised up to proclaim God’s Word, often calling Israel or other nations to repentance and revealing future events. In the New Testament, apostles and certain prophets were likewise given revelation to establish and communicate the gospel. Consider:

·       “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21, NKJV)

·       “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:

‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.’” (Jeremiah 1:9, NKJV)

·       “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:20, NKJV)

These passages show that prophecy is not human invention but divine revelation delivered through chosen servants. The prophets and apostles were given this gift at specific times to reveal the very Word of God, which has now been recorded and preserved in the Bible. Just consider the Old Testament Prophetic books for a moment and their major theme.

Table 1: Old Testament Prophetic Books[1]:

	Book	About whom (primarily)?	Major theme or threat:
1	Isaiah	Judah	Judgment
2	Jeremiah	Judah	Judgment
3	Daniel	Four beasts/kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece, and Rome	Judgment and demise
4	Ezekiel	Jerusalem and others	Judgment
5	Joel	Judah and other nations	Judgment
6	Jonah	Nineveh	Judgment
7	Obadiah	Edom (Esau)	Judgment
8	Hosea	Israel	Judgment
9	Amos	Israel, Judah and other nations	Judgment
10	Micah	Judah, Israel, and Samaria	Judgment
11	Nahum	Nineveh	Judgment
12	Habakkuk	Judah	Judgment
13	Zephaniah	Judah and other nations	Judgment
14	Haggai	Jews who returned from captivity	Judgment of gentile nations and restoration from Judgment
15	Zechariah	Jews who returned from captivity	Restoration from Judgment, but future judgment
16	Malachi	Jews	Judgment

The Purpose and Certainty Of Prophecy

Biblical prophecy serves several purposes. It reveals God’s glory and sovereignty, calls people to repentance with the threat of judgment, confirms His Word when fulfilled, and provides hope for believers (i.e., looking forward to the blessings of God in Heaven). Consider:

·       “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9, NKJV)

·       “Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.” (John 13:19, NKJV)

·       “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19, NKJV)

Because prophecy originates from God, it is completely trustworthy and never fails. When God speaks it will certainly happen.

Bear in mind that many prophecies came with an alternative response if men or nations repented. For instance, God has every right relent on His prophesied judgment on Nineveh because the people relented of their sin and repented and turned from it. These are conditional prophecies. Had the Ninevites continued in their disregarding God’s warning that punishment would have been certain. Consider:

·       “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19, NKJV)

·       “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11, NKJV)

Prophecy And Christ

A central theme of biblical prophecy is the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies about His life, death, and resurrection, all fulfilled in the New Testament.

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:27, NKJV)

Consider some of the many prophecies about Jesus Christ.

Twenty Messianic Prophecies

	Messianic Prophecy	OT Reference	NT Reference
1	Seed of the Woman	Genesis 3:15	Matthew 1:20; Galatians 4:4
2	Line of Abraham	Genesis 12:3, 22:18	Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
3	Line of Isaac	Genesis 17:19, 21:12	Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
4	Line of Israel	Numbers 24:17	Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
5	Line of Judah	Genesis 28:14	Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
6	Heir of David	2 Samuel 7:12–13; Isaiah 9:7	Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–34
7	Eternal Throne and Everlasting Kingdom	2 Samuel 8:13–16; Psalm 45:6–7; Daniel 2:44, 7:13–14	Luke 1:33; Hebrews 1:8–12; 1 Peter 5:11; Jude 1:25; Revelation 1:6
8	He will be a Prophet	Deuteronomy 18:18	John 8:28–29;
9	Savior of both Israel and Gentiles	Isaiah 49:6	Luke 2:29–32; John 8:12; Acts 13:46
10	Called the Son of God	2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7	Matthew 3:16–17
11	He will be King	Psalm 2:6; Zechariah 9:9	Matthew 27:37; Revelation 7:14, 19:16
12	He will resurrect	Psalm 16:10, 49:15	Matthew 28:2–7; Acts 2:22–32
13	Sits on the Throne of God	Psalm 68:18, 110:1	Matthew 22:44; Mark 16:19
14	He would be a sacrifice for sin	Isaiah 53:5–12	Romans 5:6–8
15	He would be pierced in His side	Zechariah 12:10	John 19:34
16	As in a proper Passover sacrifice, His bones would not be broken	Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20	John 19:33–36
17	His hands and feet would be pierced	Psalm 22:16	John 20:25–27
18	Born in Bethlehem	Micah 5:2	Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4–6
19	Born of a virgin	Isaiah 7:14	Matthew 1:22–23
20	Called Immanuel (God with us)	Isaiah 7:14	Matthew 1:22–23

Conclusion

The doctrine of biblical prophecy stands firm on the character of God. Because He is all-knowing, sovereign, and eternal, He can declare the future with absolute certainty. 

From the first prophecy of death in Genesis 2:17 and the first messianic prophecy of redemption in Genesis 3:15, Scripture reveals a consistent pattern: God speaks, and what He declares comes to pass. Through prophets and apostles, God revealed His Word at specific times, and that revelation has been faithfully preserved in Scripture. Prophecy ultimately points to Christ and as believers we can fully trust that God’s plan from creation to consummation will be perfectly fulfilled.

□

Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

 

---

[1] There were many prophets, including Moses; and there were other prophets, who wrote no books like Abel or Nathan.