‘A prophet is not a seer’ - Catholic Bishops Conference President explains true prophecy

The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Rev Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, has explained that prophecy is different from simply having a dream and claiming that God has revealed something.

He said a prophet is a person who receives a message from God, usually with a condition or instruction, and not simply someone who sees events in a dream.

Speaking on JoyNews, Most Rev Gyamfi said the Catholic Church’s understanding of prophecy is based on detailed study of the Bible and the original meanings of the word.

“We understand prophecy quite differently from what these people are saying is prophecy. We study the Bible in detail; we know the original meaning of the words in prophecy and prophecy in Greek, if you like, Aramaic, and Hebrew, and Jesus was a prophet and a priest.

“From our studies, we don't know what others have studied and what they found. A prophet is not a seer. A prophet is somebody God gives a message to and it is conditional,” he explained.

He cited the biblical example of God telling Israel that its relationship with Him depended on its actions.

“So he tells you, ‘Israel, if you do this, I will be your God, and you shall be my people’, that is a prophecy. ‘If you do this, this will happen. If you refuse to do this, that will happen’,” he asserted.

Most Rev Gyamfi also criticised the practice of people claiming to have received prophecies simply because they had dreams.

“It is not just that you wake up, you dream, and you come and say that God has told me this. It is not true. It is not true, and anybody who really knows the Scriptures will tell you that is not prophecy and God has not revealed such things to anybody,” he criticised.

He also questioned prophecies about political elections that fail to materialise, saying such claims should not be presented as messages from God.

“So why is it that the prophecy says God has said that this person will win and then the person does not win? Is God lying?”

“That tells you that they are lying and that is not the true meaning of prophecy. They may be doing something else, but they should not call it prophecy,” he concluded.

Watch the video below: