The 5 Types of Prophecy—And How to Know It’s Legit

There are various types of prophecy given in the church.

Confirming prophecy simply confirms what God is saying in your inner man or has already said in His word. Confirming prophecy helps prove whether or not you are on track regarding a specific situation. Like all of the confirming witnesses, prophecy gives us confidence to step out in faith for we know that we have heard God’s voice and are in His will.

We see this type of prophecy at work in the apostle Paul’s life.

And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more (Acts 20:22-25 KJV).

The Holy Spirit repeatedly spoke to Paul that persecution and affliction were awaiting him in every city including Jerusalem. Through the inner witness Paul learned that he would soon be bound and that he would not see many of his brothers in Christ again. So it was no surprise when Agabus, a trusted prophet, confirmed that witness through a word of prophecy. Agabus said, “Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles” (Acts 21:11). Paul’s companions and other believers were devastated. They:

besought [Paul] not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:12-13 KJV).

This prophecy confirmed that the previous witnesses Paul had heard about the fulfillment of his destiny were correct. It could not be changed. When Paul’s companions realized this path was one of divine destiny, they conceded to the will of God and stopped trying to persuade Paul otherwise. (I’m sure knowing this ahead of time also served as a comfort to these men when they witnessed Paul’s arrest a few days later. In that moment they knew that the opposition Paul faced came about because of his obedience in following God.)

Corrective Prophecy

Another form of prophecy is correctional prophecy. As I’ve said, at no time is prophecy meant to be destructive or condemning. But that does not mean prophecy cannot correct. Hebrews 12 says:

You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? (Hebrews 12:5-7 NKJV).

The Lord does chasten and correct us as sons, but as the perfect Father He does so in love, not wrath or anger.

When corrected, if there is anything in our actions that deserves exhortation, God is quick to deliver it. He likes emphasizing the positive and encouraging us before rendering rebuke and admonishment through corrective prophecy. When Jesus spoke to the church in Pergamos through correctional prophecy, He started with praise and exhortation.

These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth (Revelation 2:12-13 KJV).

Then in the midst of that good report, He properly chastened them for their indiscretions.

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication (Revelation 2:14 KJV).

Wow! The doctrine of Balaam is being taught weekly in pulpits throughout our country. When we say sexual perversion is okay and normal, that is the doctrine of Balaam.

In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus gave more words of correctional prophecy to five of the seven churches mentioned there. He called each church to repent, stating specific issues they were facing. Though He was not physically with them, Jesus knew what was happening in their midst, and He directed them in the way they should go. Jesus knows exactly what’s going on in our homes and churches too. And like the churches in Revelation, He will direct us in the way we should go to stay in His will.

Directional Prophecy

This leads me to directional prophecy. Like circumstantial evidence, directional prophecy has a high margin of “user error.” We need to be cautious when giving or receiving this type of prophecy. It can easily lead people astray, especially the immature among us. If someone gives you a word of directional prophecy that doesn’t line up with something that is already in your heart, don’t do it. If someone claims that God told them you are going to marry someone who’s not even on your radar screen, tell them to marry that person. If someone tells you to quit your job, sell everything you have, and move to Africa but you’ve never thought of becoming a missionary, tell them that you’ll do it as soon as they sell everything they have and fund the trip for you personally. These may seem like extreme examples, but there are kooky people in the church and you need to prepare yourself to walk in wisdom.

This type of prophecy is only supposed to offer you course corrections that maintain or return you to the path of God’s best for your life. It is not for jumpstarting you on a life or career path. Often, this type of prophecy contains an element of correctional prophecy. It establishes a course of action without condemning or guilting you into following it. God uses directional prophecy to put you on course for Kingdom success.

Conferring Prophecy

Conferring prophecy reminds us to “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (1 Timothy 4:14 KJV). To confer simply means to bestow something. It has the connotation of being given through transfer.

 The gifts of the Spirit are conferred in this way, through prophecy and the laying on of hands.

Unfortunately, the church world seems to either misuse, abuse, or, in many cases, forbid this biblical practice because of religious fear. And while the potential for abuse is certainly high, especially when leadership is not unified or approved, we can’t throw the baby out with the bath water, even if it makes dealing with problems easier. That would be like getting rid of all your milk cows so you don’t have to clean up their messes, then being disappointed or confused when you don’t have milk! God gave us the tools we need to judge what is good and acceptable from that which is destructive and evil. We don’t need to stop laying hands on people or reminding them of the gift that is in them through conferring prophecy. We simply need to learn to make righteous judgments in this area.

Corporate Prophecy

The final type of prophecy I want to discuss is corporate prophecy. Corporate prophecy is the way God speaks to the church at large. Just as God is not restricted by language and culture barriers, age gaps, or the confines of our buildings, neither should we be restricted by the walls of our churches or our ideas of how God should speak. God may in fact speak His will to us from an outside source, someone who is not even a part of our church body. He does this to shake us and wake us up to something we are not seeing on our own. For obvious reasons, we need to build in corporate safeguards to prevent abuse of this voice, just like Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Thessalonians 5, so that all things can be done decently and in order.

When people we don’t know come into our churches and wish to speak in corporate prophecy, they must first be willing to submit themselves to the eldership of the church. Visiting ministers and others from outside the local body should provide a verifiable source of spiritual leadership that they are accountable to, even if they do not attend a particular church regularly (as happens with evangelists and others ministers who are perpetually on the road). These people should be accountable to some group that can verify their works and intents.

Once church leadership has established that an individual desiring to prophesy has been “approved,” Paul admonishes us to “let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” (1 Corinthians 14:29 NKJV). Scripture teaches that “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (1 Corinthians 14:32 NKJV). In other words, prophets can control themselves. If someone comes into a corporate meeting of the Body of Christ and cannot be quiet, that person is not a prophet. They should not prophesy publicly. “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV). Scripture also teaches that prophecy—all prophecy—is to be “judged.” No one is exempt. “Prove all things;” Paul says, “hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 KJV). This system of checks and balances protects the immature and vulnerable among us. It allows the gifts of the Spirit to work in the Body while preventing disorder, confusion, and chaos.

One reason we have to be careful with this witness is because “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29 KJV). A lost person with the gift of prophecy (what we’d call a psychic) does not use his or her gift to edify the church. Instead, they use their gift to access the spirit realm for financial gain or to harm others. Even someone in the church can misuse the gifts God gives, especially if they are immature. In those cases, they often don’t intend to harm others. They simply get caught up in the emotional thrill of “speaking the oracles of God” and add to what the Lord intended. So be patient (see Isaiah 28:16). Follow the pattern Paul established in the Gentile churches. Know them that labor among you. Judge everything. And seek the confirmation of multiple witnesses for whatever you feel God is speaking to you. Scripture says that “every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Corinthians 13:1 NIV).