If you've ever dived into the Bible's take on prophecy, you know it can feel like a wild ride—thunderous judgments in the Old Testament giving way to uplifting words in the New. But what if there's more continuity than meets the eye? Drawing from some deep dives into Scripture and Wayne Grudem's work on the gift of prophecy, let's explore how prophecy bridges the covenants, why Deuteronomy 18 isn't a zero-tolerance accuracy test, and how Deuteronomy 13 nails the real danger: voices pulling us away from God—and ultimately, from Jesus.
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​The Heart of Old Testament Prophecy: God's Voice in a Time of Law

Picture this: In the Old Testament, primary prophets like Moses, Elijah, and Isaiah weren't just spiritual influencers; they were God's megaphone, delivering infallible words straight from the throne to guide, warn, and sometimes judge Israel. These primary prophets spoke with divine authority—think miracles confirming their message (like Elijah's fire from heaven in 1 Kings 18) or spot-on predictions that proved Yahweh's power (1 Kings 14:18). Their words often became Scripture, demanding obedience because they echoed God's own voice, and failing to heed them was like ignoring the Lord Himself (Deuteronomy 18:19).

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But it wasn't all solo acts. There were secondary groups of prophets too—the 70 elders who suddenly prophesied with Moses (Numbers 11:25-29) or the 100 hidden from Jezebel by Obadiah (1 Kings 18:4)—who got genuine revelations but didn't carry the same weight as the big names. Moses even wished aloud that everyone could prophesy, hinting at a future where God's Spirit would flow more freely (Numbers 11:29). And here's the kicker: even these prophets weren't always batting 1.000. Nathan thought David could build the temple, only to get a divine correction (2 Samuel 7), and Ezekiel's prophecy about Tyre didn't fully play out as described (Ezekiel 26-29)—yet no one called for stoning.
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New Testament Prophecy: The Spirit's Gift for Everyone

Fast-forward to the New Testament, and prophecy explodes into something accessible and encouraging. At Pentecost, Peter quotes Joel 2:28-29: God's Spirit poured out on all flesh—young and old, men and women, even servants prophesying (Acts 2:16-18). No longer limited to a prophetic elite, it's a gift for building up the church with strengthening, encouragement, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). Apostles like Paul wrote Scripture with that same OT-level authority (Ephesians 3:5), but everyday prophecy was not meant to be Scripture. For example, Paul suggests that no one at Corinth, a church that had much prophecy, was able to speak God’s very words. He says in 1 Corinthians 14:36, “What! Did the word of God come forth from you, or are you the only ones it has reached?” Rather everyday prophecy was designed for edifying the church-possibly fallible in human interpretation, but worthy for encouragement and comfort.

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Take Agabus: He nailed a famine prediction (Acts 11:28) but missed on the details of Paul's arrest (Acts 21:10-11—the Jews didn't hand him over). Or the Tyre believers warning Paul not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4), which he ignored without drama. Paul tells us to test these words (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; 1 Corinthians 14:29), sifting the good from the imperfect, because they're not on par with Scripture—they point back to it.
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Why Continuity Makes Sense: Same Spirit, Evolving Role

The continuity view is helpful for understanding—it's like prophecy got an upgrade without losing its core. God's revelation is always spot-on, but humans can trip up on the details, just like in the OT examples above. Grudem points out how secondary OT prophets' messages weren't Scripture-level, paving the way for NT's widespread gift, while the Apostles mirror those primary voices in authority. There's no massive discontinuity; instead, the NT fulfills OT hopes (like Moses's wish in Numbers 11), with prophecy now democratized but still testable and redemptive.
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Deuteronomy 18:20-22 – It's About Presumption, Not Perfection

So, what about that scary bit in Deuteronomy 18:20-22? It says a prophet speaking unauthorized words or for other gods gets the death penalty, and if their prediction flops, it's not from God—don't fear them. Easy to think this means zero misses allowed, right? But context matters: Look at verse 18 - "I will raise up for them a prophet like you" - you meaning Moses. So, this targets presumptuous claimants to the big "prophet like Moses" role—national leaders leading Israel astray, not your local word of encouragement. Jesus Himself is the ultimate "prophet like Moses" (Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22).
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Cessationists sometimes swing this like a hammer against modern prophecy, but that's inconsistent—why not stone teachers who misexplain a verse? True prophets like Jeremiah saw conditional prophecies adjust (Jeremiah 18:7-10), and misses were corrected, not career-enders. In the NT, we weigh and repent (1 Corinthians 14:29), keeping prophecy humble and helpful without rivaling the Bible.
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Deuteronomy 13: The Real Red Flag – Leading Away from God (and Jesus)

Deuteronomy 13 flips the script: Even spot-on signs from a prophet? If they lure you to other gods, execute them—it's treason against the God who rescued you from Egypt (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). This pairs perfectly with chapter 18: Accuracy is one test, but the heart check is fidelity to Yahweh.

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In NT terms, false prophets don't just miss dates—they lead us away from Jesus to other gods, often to themselves. True prophecy always draws us closer to Christ.

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Does This Mean We Don't Have Accountability for Accuracy?

Absolutely not—while the continuity view allows for human fallibility in prophetic transmission, it doesn't eliminate accountability for accuracy; instead, it calls for rigorous communal testing and personal responsibility to align words with Scripture and God's character (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). In the Old Testament, prophets like Nathan faced divine correction for initial errors (without execution), underscoring that true faithfulness involves repentance and adjustment, not perfection as a prerequisite for legitimacy (2 Samuel 7). New Testament practice reinforces this through weighing prophecies in community, where higher influence—like national-stage voices—demands greater precision, and unrepentant inaccuracies or deviations from Christ warrant discipline or rejection, ensuring prophecy edifies without misleading (Ephesians 4:15; 2 Peter 2:1). This balanced accountability sharpens gifts, protects the church, and honors God's infallible revelation amid our limitations.
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Wrapping It Up: Prophecy for Today

Prophecy isn't a relic—it's God's ongoing whisper in the church, continuous from OT foundations to NT freedom, always under Scripture's lordship. Test it, weigh it, and let it point to Jesus. Whether you're in a small group or leading a congregation, embracing the balance of seeking and testing/weighing keeps the Spirit moving without the pitfalls.

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