PROPHETIC OPERATIONS (3)

“If there is a PROPHET among you, I, the Lord make Myself known to hi in a VISION; I speak to him in a DREAM” – Numbers 12:6b

Dreams, Visions, and other supernatural manifestations are basic PROPHETIC OPERATIONS: “Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a PROPHET among you, I, the Lord make Myself known to him in a VISION; I speak to him in a DREAM” (Num.12:6). The context: Moses’ brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, tried to launch a revolt against his authority, based on a seemingly sensible complaint. Moses taught that Israelites were not to marry foreigners (Deut.7:3). Now, he himself had a foreign wife. They challenged him with regard to his marital choice and his superior prophetic status. In responsible to this audacious but erroneous move, God identified Dreams and Visions as two of the basic equipment of the prophetic. However, He related with Moses far beyond this basic level (vv.7-8).

Prophetic operations and functions are largely supernatural, transcending merely saying “Thus says the Lord.” Prophetic preparation often involves God isolating His vessels and streaming prophetic dreams and visions at them, as part of the starting point of prophetic education, to awaken their revelatory faculties. Afterward, the preparatory means shift to more stringent activities, as God actively goes after destroying inherent and nurtured pride, arrogance, and independence, submission being the prime prerequisite of prophetic service (Pro.15:33; 18:12).

God awakens the prophet spirit in the called, by summoning them through visions and dreams, nurturing them to receive and interpret divine communications, convey them to God’s people, and fortify their gifts with the authority to enforce their words on stubborn forces that would obstruct their manifestations. Here is an array of prophetic operations:

Dreams: Receiving or confirming the word of the Lord as revealed through dreams and night visions.

Tongues and interpretation: Supernatural prayer in the Spirit through diversity of tongues.

Discerning spirits: Ability to see or sense into the spirit realm or discern intuitively the presence of God’s invisible angels or demons.

Discerning heresy and heretical messengers: Detecting and correcting erroneous teaching or Scripture dilution, relative to scriptural truth.

Psalms and poetics: Activating the aesthetic side of the prophet’s mantle via songs, rhymes, and rhythmic sounds to release or give the Word of the Lord.

Supernatural stratagems: Meetings with God in special prophetic sessions (awake or asleep) for His Mind and Plans on imminent tasks.  

Spiritual warfare: Joining by prayer, praise, or intercession God’s invisible forces deployed to the earth to compel the fulfillment of His Word, or to invoke their actuation through prophetic power.

Power confrontations: Confronting sin, error, heresy, and perversion with the authority of the prophet’s mantle and standing against the works and forces of darkness to defend the church, faith, and flock of God.

Prophetic drama: Portraying the Word of the Lord in action, set to music or dance; depicting the invisible activities of eternity in public theatrics to demonstrate to worshippers what the Lord is doing behind the scenes.