MYSTERIES OF THE PROPHETIC DIMENSIONS
LEVELS OF THE PROPHETIC UNCTION
There are (3) three levels of the prophetic unction:
THE MYSTERIOUS OFFICE OF A PROPHET
A prophet is a selfless vessel who carries the mandate of God and is a channel through which Symbolic Oracles, prophecies, strange signs and wonders are transmitted, as the Prophet moves between realms and spiritual dimensions.
All Prophets are companions with the Prophetic Angels, and functions under the virtues of the four Seraphim. They manifest the power of the “Ox”, the power of the “Lion”, the power of the “Eagle” and the power of the “Man”. That is why all prophets have fire in their mouths and fire in their hands and fire in their feet.
All Prophets carry a Sword because all prophets are intercessors. They also venture into spiritual places where normal Christians cannot go except Intercessors, Evangelists and Apostles.
Therefore, they Pluck up, Pull down, Destroy, Throw down, Build, and Plant [Jer 1:10, Jer 31:28].
In the Office of the Prophet, there is embedded the spirit of judgment and righteousness, spirit of mercy and compassion, spirit of selflessness. Prophets are the Eyes of the Church. If a church does not have a prophet, it is blind and dumb.
PROPHETS LIVE BETWEEN REALMS
We must understand that Prophets live between realm spontaneously, which means they are not bound to the natural realm, nor are they bound by the laws of physics when they are under the anointing, i.e., Elijah could disappear for days and re-appear at will; Phillip under the anointing disappeared from one town and reappeared in another town in seconds and Jesus could walk on water.
Also, the partition of the natural realm is permeable to a Prophet, which means a prophet can travel between realms i.e., Enoch, Moses, Paul and Jesus.
Also, a prophet is one who’s spirit travels in the spirit realm, and render judgement among a Chaotic Church, people and nations as in Paul’s testimony in 1Co 5:3-4, “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus.
THREE (3) CATEGORIES OF PROPHETS:
When they function in their offices, they do so as a lamp that burns in the darkness to enlighten the hearts of Governors, Kings, Princes and Presidents and Rulers etc. Their prophesies are directed toward world leaders as well as spiritual leaders and their rebukes are to all men of all races, tribes and tongues.
Example: Jeremiah was a prophet to the Nations [Jer 1:5 "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations."] as well as Isaiah, Ezekiel.
Some prophets such as Obadiah, Jonah and Nahum had messages that focused more specifically on the gentile nations rather than Israel, but Prophets such as Haggai and Ezekiel spoke mainly to the Israelites but were also sent to rebuke the Gentile nations.
A Prophet is not always one who prophesy to people, though they will at some point, but these inner chambers prophets prophesy into the atmosphere of the Church and a person whom God has laid on their hearts.
PROPHETS ARE VESSELS OF UNCOMMON MIRACLES
To explain this Mystery I want to go further than theology and common church doctrine.
As we can see, in the Old Testament the Prophets did many strange things and demonstrated supernatural powers by the Holy Spirit, some of whom were branded as sorcerers.
TAKE NOTE: A Prophet under the anointing can weaponize everything around him to be a weapon of judgement, chastisement and destruction, as well as he can use nature as a rod of Blessing.
All prophets are endowed with the anointing to perform a miracle at some point, however, not all Prophets will manifest a trail of great Miracles. Example: Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many of the Old Testament Prophets were not miracle performing prophets, yet, though no miracles were recorded to their names in scriptures, it does not mean that they never performed a miracle in their prophetic ministry.
There will be those who possess the actual gift of Miracles, and some may have it in a more vibrant way. Example: Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha and few others had creative miracles manifested in their mission. Elijah divided the waters of the Jordan River by smiting them with his mantle [2 Kings 2:8]; Elisha cast salt into a spring to heal its bitter waters [2 Kings 2:19–21].
Moses casting the tree into the bitter waters [Exodus 15:22–25]
Most of the miracles were uncommon and surely, if these miracles were to manifest in our local churches today, they would be branded as witchcraft. Example, Elijah placed a stick in the pool and caused an iron Ax head to swim on the surface of the water to meet him. This is a demonstration of uncommon miracles which the common churches cannot stomach in this modern Age.
ALL PROPHETS ARE MULTI-GIFTED
Prophets carry All THE REVELATORY GIFTs: word of knowledge, Word of Wisdom, discerning of spirits, Miracles, Healing, Speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues, gift of prophecy, interpretation of visions and dreams etc.
Daniel had the gift of Excellent spirit, gifts of Knowledge, the gift of Understanding, the gift of Interpretation of Dreams, the gift of mysteries (which is hard sentences), and the gift of Dissolving of doubts [Daniel 5:12].
There are Prophets who are able to tell you the address of your house, the name of your great grand mother and the name of all your children, even the food you ate last week, without being told by another human being. Why? Because this is part of the Gift of the Word of Knowledge. Samuel exercised this gift when he told Saul about his lost donkeys, Nathan exercised this gift when he told David of his secret errors and Peter exercised this gift when he told Ananias and Sapphira about the money they kept back.
A Spiritual Gifts is dependent upon the Spirit, as it is His Gifts. This means, The Gifts of the Ruach HaKodesh are activated and MUST be exercised in the atmosphere of holiness, whether it be an atmosphere of Praise, Worship, of even casual speaking.
Take Note! When a Prophet is functioning in the atmosphere of Sin and ungodliness, and doesn’t repent, after a time there is going to be a “spirit of reverse”. This means, the gift will function in disorientation and will begin to operate backwards. Example, God would say go to the “Right side”, but the prophet with the spirit of reverse would prophesy and say go to the left side. When God says Down, the prophet will say Up.
CHARACTER OF TRUE PROPHETS
Every true Prophet operates under many spirits of godliness, i.e., the Spirits of the virtues of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit; however, EVERY Prophet who is anointed by God operates under the “SEVEN VIRTUES OF CHARACTER” in Isaiah 11:2 in order to live in the sanctuary of holy Fire.
These Seven Virtues of Character are the Seven Spirits who are sent into the World, and each carries a specific virtue to the World by which man should be perfected through the Spirit of Prophecy. All true Prophets are representatives of the virtues of the 7 Lamps of God, which are the 7 Spirits of God [Rev 4:5, Rev 5:6].
These Seven Spirits or virtues are:
As I said, every Prophet is under the Four Seraphim and manifest four powers: Ox power, Lion power , Eagle power and Man power.
This allows a prophet to walk both in the natural and in the spiritual at the same time.
Because of these Four Seraphic Powers, a Prophet is able to weaponize anything on earth, and is able to weaponize all the Four Elements on Earth.
That is why if a person stands against a True Prophet, he signs a death sentence for himself.
A prophet living in Sin will start prophesying false prophesies; He will start discerning wrongly and will begin to give false directions etc.
In Isaiah Ch.11 the Prophet Isaiah outlines the qualities of the main Prophet – the coming Messiah Jesus, nevertheless, all Prophets must possess these qualities.
Isaiah 11:3, And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
Isa 11:4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Isa 11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
MOST PROPHETS ARE ORAINED BY GOD DIRECTLY
SAMUEL was born a Prophet - 1Sam 3:19-20, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.”
MOSES was also made a Prophet by God directly – Deut 34:10, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face”,
JEREMIAH was born a prophet and anointed by God directly - Jeremiah 1:5, “I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.”
ABRAHAM was made a Prophet by God Himself - Gen 20:7, “Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet”.
DAVID’s calling was a King, but was made a Prophet, anointed by God personally - Acts 2:29-30, “Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him…”
AARON was also made a Prophet by God himself – Exo 7:1, “And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.”
Daniel was made of Prophet by God himself and the list goes on.
Num 11:27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
Num 11:28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
Num 11:29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
There are (3) three levels of the prophetic unction:
- THE GIFT OF PROPHECY – A person with this Gift has the ability to prophesy at all times but does not hold the Prophet's Office nor responsibility of a Prophet; nor is the burden of God’s people or nation laid upon this person.
- THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY – It’s a sudden filling of prophetic utterance which may come upon a person at a specific time for specific purpose in a specific season. It may come upon a person whether graced with the prophetic or not; and it may happen at home, in Church gathering, or by contact or association; as in the case of king Saul [1Sa 10:10-12]. However, those gifted with the Spirit of Prophecy are specifically chosen to carry the Testimony of Christ. They are endowed with a grace to receive fresh prophetic unction and Revelations of Jesus constantly. The spirit of Prophecy is always bringing forth revelations that testify of Christ [Rev 19:10]. SPIRIT OF PROPHECY - 1Ch 12:18, "Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them and made them captains of the band."
- OFFICE OF THE PROPHET -
THE MYSTERIOUS OFFICE OF A PROPHET
A prophet is a selfless vessel who carries the mandate of God and is a channel through which Symbolic Oracles, prophecies, strange signs and wonders are transmitted, as the Prophet moves between realms and spiritual dimensions.
All Prophets are companions with the Prophetic Angels, and functions under the virtues of the four Seraphim. They manifest the power of the “Ox”, the power of the “Lion”, the power of the “Eagle” and the power of the “Man”. That is why all prophets have fire in their mouths and fire in their hands and fire in their feet.
All Prophets carry a Sword because all prophets are intercessors. They also venture into spiritual places where normal Christians cannot go except Intercessors, Evangelists and Apostles.
Therefore, they Pluck up, Pull down, Destroy, Throw down, Build, and Plant [Jer 1:10, Jer 31:28].
In the Office of the Prophet, there is embedded the spirit of judgment and righteousness, spirit of mercy and compassion, spirit of selflessness. Prophets are the Eyes of the Church. If a church does not have a prophet, it is blind and dumb.
PROPHETS LIVE BETWEEN REALMS
We must understand that Prophets live between realm spontaneously, which means they are not bound to the natural realm, nor are they bound by the laws of physics when they are under the anointing, i.e., Elijah could disappear for days and re-appear at will; Phillip under the anointing disappeared from one town and reappeared in another town in seconds and Jesus could walk on water.
Also, the partition of the natural realm is permeable to a Prophet, which means a prophet can travel between realms i.e., Enoch, Moses, Paul and Jesus.
Also, a prophet is one who’s spirit travels in the spirit realm, and render judgement among a Chaotic Church, people and nations as in Paul’s testimony in 1Co 5:3-4, “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus.
THREE (3) CATEGORIES OF PROPHETS:
- Prophets To The Nations
When they function in their offices, they do so as a lamp that burns in the darkness to enlighten the hearts of Governors, Kings, Princes and Presidents and Rulers etc. Their prophesies are directed toward world leaders as well as spiritual leaders and their rebukes are to all men of all races, tribes and tongues.
Example: Jeremiah was a prophet to the Nations [Jer 1:5 "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations."] as well as Isaiah, Ezekiel.
Some prophets such as Obadiah, Jonah and Nahum had messages that focused more specifically on the gentile nations rather than Israel, but Prophets such as Haggai and Ezekiel spoke mainly to the Israelites but were also sent to rebuke the Gentile nations.
- Prophets to the Body of Christ
- Inner Chambers Prophets (Secret Prophets)
A Prophet is not always one who prophesy to people, though they will at some point, but these inner chambers prophets prophesy into the atmosphere of the Church and a person whom God has laid on their hearts.
PROPHETS ARE VESSELS OF UNCOMMON MIRACLES
To explain this Mystery I want to go further than theology and common church doctrine.
As we can see, in the Old Testament the Prophets did many strange things and demonstrated supernatural powers by the Holy Spirit, some of whom were branded as sorcerers.
TAKE NOTE: A Prophet under the anointing can weaponize everything around him to be a weapon of judgement, chastisement and destruction, as well as he can use nature as a rod of Blessing.
- EXAMPLE: The stars in the Sky can be used to fight battles along side us as in the case of the battle of the Book of Judges. People do not know this mystery but we see in Judges 5:20, "They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera". Also, Joshua was able to utilize the Moon and the Sun during battle and Jesus was able to Utilize the Fish to pay the Bill. Moses used the Elements around him to bring judgement to Egypt. He sent dust of the Earth into the air to bring about pestilence; he used water to bring down Egypt; Moses used a dry rod to disarm the Serpent Sorcerers of Pharaoh etc... These Prophets used animals for blessings and judgement, they used Plants for blessings and destruction as well as they used the Wind and other elements for blessings and judgement. Jesus used a fish to pay taxes; Elisha weaponized two female Bears to bring judgement of the troublesome children; etc. Elijah also was fed by a Raven [The Raven was an Angel of God] and Hagar was able to drink from an invisible well.
All prophets are endowed with the anointing to perform a miracle at some point, however, not all Prophets will manifest a trail of great Miracles. Example: Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many of the Old Testament Prophets were not miracle performing prophets, yet, though no miracles were recorded to their names in scriptures, it does not mean that they never performed a miracle in their prophetic ministry.
There will be those who possess the actual gift of Miracles, and some may have it in a more vibrant way. Example: Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha and few others had creative miracles manifested in their mission. Elijah divided the waters of the Jordan River by smiting them with his mantle [2 Kings 2:8]; Elisha cast salt into a spring to heal its bitter waters [2 Kings 2:19–21].
Moses casting the tree into the bitter waters [Exodus 15:22–25]
Most of the miracles were uncommon and surely, if these miracles were to manifest in our local churches today, they would be branded as witchcraft. Example, Elijah placed a stick in the pool and caused an iron Ax head to swim on the surface of the water to meet him. This is a demonstration of uncommon miracles which the common churches cannot stomach in this modern Age.
ALL PROPHETS ARE MULTI-GIFTED
Prophets carry All THE REVELATORY GIFTs: word of knowledge, Word of Wisdom, discerning of spirits, Miracles, Healing, Speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues, gift of prophecy, interpretation of visions and dreams etc.
Daniel had the gift of Excellent spirit, gifts of Knowledge, the gift of Understanding, the gift of Interpretation of Dreams, the gift of mysteries (which is hard sentences), and the gift of Dissolving of doubts [Daniel 5:12].
There are Prophets who are able to tell you the address of your house, the name of your great grand mother and the name of all your children, even the food you ate last week, without being told by another human being. Why? Because this is part of the Gift of the Word of Knowledge. Samuel exercised this gift when he told Saul about his lost donkeys, Nathan exercised this gift when he told David of his secret errors and Peter exercised this gift when he told Ananias and Sapphira about the money they kept back.
A Spiritual Gifts is dependent upon the Spirit, as it is His Gifts. This means, The Gifts of the Ruach HaKodesh are activated and MUST be exercised in the atmosphere of holiness, whether it be an atmosphere of Praise, Worship, of even casual speaking.
Take Note! When a Prophet is functioning in the atmosphere of Sin and ungodliness, and doesn’t repent, after a time there is going to be a “spirit of reverse”. This means, the gift will function in disorientation and will begin to operate backwards. Example, God would say go to the “Right side”, but the prophet with the spirit of reverse would prophesy and say go to the left side. When God says Down, the prophet will say Up.
CHARACTER OF TRUE PROPHETS
Every true Prophet operates under many spirits of godliness, i.e., the Spirits of the virtues of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit; however, EVERY Prophet who is anointed by God operates under the “SEVEN VIRTUES OF CHARACTER” in Isaiah 11:2 in order to live in the sanctuary of holy Fire.
These Seven Virtues of Character are the Seven Spirits who are sent into the World, and each carries a specific virtue to the World by which man should be perfected through the Spirit of Prophecy. All true Prophets are representatives of the virtues of the 7 Lamps of God, which are the 7 Spirits of God [Rev 4:5, Rev 5:6].
These Seven Spirits or virtues are:
- 1. The Spirit of The LORD
- 2. The Spirit of Wisdom
- 3. The Spirit of Understanding,
- 4. The Spirit of Counsel
- 5. The Spirit of Might
- 6. The Spirit of Knowledge
- 7. The Spirit of the Fear of The LORD
As I said, every Prophet is under the Four Seraphim and manifest four powers: Ox power, Lion power , Eagle power and Man power.
This allows a prophet to walk both in the natural and in the spiritual at the same time.
Because of these Four Seraphic Powers, a Prophet is able to weaponize anything on earth, and is able to weaponize all the Four Elements on Earth.
That is why if a person stands against a True Prophet, he signs a death sentence for himself.
A prophet living in Sin will start prophesying false prophesies; He will start discerning wrongly and will begin to give false directions etc.
In Isaiah Ch.11 the Prophet Isaiah outlines the qualities of the main Prophet – the coming Messiah Jesus, nevertheless, all Prophets must possess these qualities.
Isaiah 11:3, And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
Isa 11:4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Isa 11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
MOST PROPHETS ARE ORAINED BY GOD DIRECTLY
SAMUEL was born a Prophet - 1Sam 3:19-20, “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.”
MOSES was also made a Prophet by God directly – Deut 34:10, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face”,
JEREMIAH was born a prophet and anointed by God directly - Jeremiah 1:5, “I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.”
ABRAHAM was made a Prophet by God Himself - Gen 20:7, “Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet”.
DAVID’s calling was a King, but was made a Prophet, anointed by God personally - Acts 2:29-30, “Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him…”
AARON was also made a Prophet by God himself – Exo 7:1, “And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.”
Daniel was made of Prophet by God himself and the list goes on.
Num 11:27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
Num 11:28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
Num 11:29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
THE ORACLES - VESSELS OF SIGNS & WONDERS
In Ancient Israel, several Old Testament Prophets dramatized the prophecy through symbolic actions, gestures, movements, postures etc., many of which were weird and bizarre to the human mind, and could not be understood by the common people, except by interpretation with a prophetic word. These are called divine “Oracles”, (non-verbal or symbolic Oracles) and are Prophetic actions that speaks divinely and falls under the category of “Nonverbal Communication”.
Symbolic Oracles were conventional among ancient Prophets as God's Prophets were vessels of divine mysteries, signs and wonders [Ezekiel 4:3, Isa 20:3].
Also, using symbols for Communication was a common practice and were considered a way to communicate messages effectively.
Many symbolic oracles were performed in public in the sight of the people and after the prophet would interpret the oracle through prophesy, as in Ezekiel 5:1 and Jeremiah 27:2-11.
In some cases, the Prophet would perform the oracle in private and receive the interpretation by prophecy in private, which he would keep between he and God, as in the case of Ezekiel 4.
However, there are times when the Prophet would receive the prophetic word in secret, which he would keep for himself, or would conceal it for a specific time as in Isaiah 8:3-8.
Prophets most times use metaphors to bring forth Prophecies [Eze 23:1], and usually liken the main character to the characteristics of someone or something of the similar personalities [Jeremiah 19:1-11].
On the other hand, the prophet can watch the actions of another person and use it as the enactment and influence of a symbolic oracle, a prophetic gesture, as in the case with Jeremiah, who watched a potter create two clay vessels and brought forth the prophetic word of God [Jeremiah 18:1–12].
Understand, whenever a Prophet gives you a word, it should be a confirmation to what God has already spoken to you in your heart in your closet; therefore, a prophet confirms. But if it pertains to the Church or Nation, then the prophetic word would either be fresh and new or would be an “Overdue” Word. This means, the word was sent to the Church or Nation a long time, but because they did not receive it, God had to send a Prophet, hence, the word is an overdue Word.
We must understand, when God send a Prophet, it’s because the person did not understand or adhere to the Holy Spirit, or God wanted to confirm the word for the person’s sake. These would be confirmed by more than one prophet.
Let us look at few prophets who did very weird and bizarre actions to send a prophetic message.
Jeremiah was commanded to buy a linen girdle, wear it for a while without putting it in water, then hide it in a hole in the rock by the Euphrates River.
After a while, he was commanded to go for it, and finding it rotten it was considered good for nothing (Jeremiah 13:1-10). This was to prophetically symbolize how fast the pride of Judah and Jerusalem would come to ruin, thus rendering them good for nothing.
Another Oracle performed in Jeremiah 43:8 -10, where he was commanded to take great stones in his hand, [in the sight of the men of Judah] and hide them in the clay in the brick-kiln which is at the entrance to Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes.
This symbolized the elevation and strong grounding of Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah 43:10, “…"Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne on these stones that I have hidden. And he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.”
Also, Jeremiah performed an oracle in Jeremiah 27:2, where he made bonds and yokes of Oxen, and put them upon his neck, and to also send some to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the Ammonites, to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of the Zidonites.
This was prophetically symbolic, carrying a message to the kings of the nations that they will be placed under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.
HOSEA
One of the well-known prophetic symbolisms is found in the first chapter of the book of Hosea.
God commanded the Prophet to marry a Harlot and have children so that the children would carry a name that carries a meaning that would reveal God’s heart against Israel.
The first son was named Jezreel; which represented the judgement upon Israel in order to avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu [Hosea 1:3-4].
The second was a daughter upon whom was placed the name Loruhamah which carried the prophetic word that God’s mercy was withdrawn from Israel [Hosea 1:6].
The third child was a son and the name Loammi was given to him to bring forth a prophetic oracle that Israel would not be God’s people again [Hosea 1:8-9].
Also, we see in Hosea 3:3-4 that God asked Hosea to love a Harlot and ask her to stay few days without a lover as an oracle to Israel, that they shall be without a king, without a prince, without a sacrifice, without an image, without an ephod, and without teraphim for few days.
ISAIAH
As a prophetic gesture and oracle, God requested Isaiah to take off his loins clothe and shoes, and that he walks naked and barefoot for three years. This oracle was to symbolize the leading away of the captivity of Egypt and the Ethiopians by the king of the Assyrians, and the exposure of the shame of Egypt, and the defeat of the Egyptians. Isaiah 20:2-5.
EZEKIEL
In Ezekiel 4:12 the Prophet Ezekiel was commanded to bake bread over dried human dung (poop), however, because of Ezekiel’s complaint God gave him Cow’s dung instead. This symbolic oracle of baking bread over dung was a prophetic signature revealing the cutting off of the bread supply of Jerusalem, and the defiled bread which the children of Israel would eat by weight and carefulness, and with anxiousness among the nations.
Ezekiel was also asked to lay on his left side for 390 days in order to carry the iniquities of Israel, then on his left side for 40 days to carry the iniquities of Judah; totaling up to 430 days [Ezekiel 4:4-6].
Whenever a Prophet gives you a word, it should be a confirmation to what God has already spoken to you in your heart in closet; therefore, a prophet confirms. But if it pertains to the church or Nation, then the prophetic word will be fresh and would be confirmed by more than one prophet.
In Ancient Israel, several Old Testament Prophets dramatized the prophecy through symbolic actions, gestures, movements, postures etc., many of which were weird and bizarre to the human mind, and could not be understood by the common people, except by interpretation with a prophetic word. These are called divine “Oracles”, (non-verbal or symbolic Oracles) and are Prophetic actions that speaks divinely and falls under the category of “Nonverbal Communication”.
Symbolic Oracles were conventional among ancient Prophets as God's Prophets were vessels of divine mysteries, signs and wonders [Ezekiel 4:3, Isa 20:3].
Also, using symbols for Communication was a common practice and were considered a way to communicate messages effectively.
Many symbolic oracles were performed in public in the sight of the people and after the prophet would interpret the oracle through prophesy, as in Ezekiel 5:1 and Jeremiah 27:2-11.
In some cases, the Prophet would perform the oracle in private and receive the interpretation by prophecy in private, which he would keep between he and God, as in the case of Ezekiel 4.
However, there are times when the Prophet would receive the prophetic word in secret, which he would keep for himself, or would conceal it for a specific time as in Isaiah 8:3-8.
Prophets most times use metaphors to bring forth Prophecies [Eze 23:1], and usually liken the main character to the characteristics of someone or something of the similar personalities [Jeremiah 19:1-11].
On the other hand, the prophet can watch the actions of another person and use it as the enactment and influence of a symbolic oracle, a prophetic gesture, as in the case with Jeremiah, who watched a potter create two clay vessels and brought forth the prophetic word of God [Jeremiah 18:1–12].
Understand, whenever a Prophet gives you a word, it should be a confirmation to what God has already spoken to you in your heart in your closet; therefore, a prophet confirms. But if it pertains to the Church or Nation, then the prophetic word would either be fresh and new or would be an “Overdue” Word. This means, the word was sent to the Church or Nation a long time, but because they did not receive it, God had to send a Prophet, hence, the word is an overdue Word.
We must understand, when God send a Prophet, it’s because the person did not understand or adhere to the Holy Spirit, or God wanted to confirm the word for the person’s sake. These would be confirmed by more than one prophet.
Let us look at few prophets who did very weird and bizarre actions to send a prophetic message.
Jeremiah was commanded to buy a linen girdle, wear it for a while without putting it in water, then hide it in a hole in the rock by the Euphrates River.
After a while, he was commanded to go for it, and finding it rotten it was considered good for nothing (Jeremiah 13:1-10). This was to prophetically symbolize how fast the pride of Judah and Jerusalem would come to ruin, thus rendering them good for nothing.
Another Oracle performed in Jeremiah 43:8 -10, where he was commanded to take great stones in his hand, [in the sight of the men of Judah] and hide them in the clay in the brick-kiln which is at the entrance to Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes.
This symbolized the elevation and strong grounding of Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah 43:10, “…"Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne on these stones that I have hidden. And he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.”
Also, Jeremiah performed an oracle in Jeremiah 27:2, where he made bonds and yokes of Oxen, and put them upon his neck, and to also send some to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the Ammonites, to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of the Zidonites.
This was prophetically symbolic, carrying a message to the kings of the nations that they will be placed under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.
HOSEA
One of the well-known prophetic symbolisms is found in the first chapter of the book of Hosea.
God commanded the Prophet to marry a Harlot and have children so that the children would carry a name that carries a meaning that would reveal God’s heart against Israel.
The first son was named Jezreel; which represented the judgement upon Israel in order to avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu [Hosea 1:3-4].
The second was a daughter upon whom was placed the name Loruhamah which carried the prophetic word that God’s mercy was withdrawn from Israel [Hosea 1:6].
The third child was a son and the name Loammi was given to him to bring forth a prophetic oracle that Israel would not be God’s people again [Hosea 1:8-9].
Also, we see in Hosea 3:3-4 that God asked Hosea to love a Harlot and ask her to stay few days without a lover as an oracle to Israel, that they shall be without a king, without a prince, without a sacrifice, without an image, without an ephod, and without teraphim for few days.
ISAIAH
As a prophetic gesture and oracle, God requested Isaiah to take off his loins clothe and shoes, and that he walks naked and barefoot for three years. This oracle was to symbolize the leading away of the captivity of Egypt and the Ethiopians by the king of the Assyrians, and the exposure of the shame of Egypt, and the defeat of the Egyptians. Isaiah 20:2-5.
EZEKIEL
In Ezekiel 4:12 the Prophet Ezekiel was commanded to bake bread over dried human dung (poop), however, because of Ezekiel’s complaint God gave him Cow’s dung instead. This symbolic oracle of baking bread over dung was a prophetic signature revealing the cutting off of the bread supply of Jerusalem, and the defiled bread which the children of Israel would eat by weight and carefulness, and with anxiousness among the nations.
Ezekiel was also asked to lay on his left side for 390 days in order to carry the iniquities of Israel, then on his left side for 40 days to carry the iniquities of Judah; totaling up to 430 days [Ezekiel 4:4-6].
Whenever a Prophet gives you a word, it should be a confirmation to what God has already spoken to you in your heart in closet; therefore, a prophet confirms. But if it pertains to the church or Nation, then the prophetic word will be fresh and would be confirmed by more than one prophet.