Main news for 28 February 2024

The gift of prophecy was always perceived within the people of God as something extraordinary and eminent, as a distinguishing sign, by which God marks a person. And there were all reasons for such an opinion: indeed, there were never many prophets, there was a lot auguring the ecstatic, and the real servants of God were always counted in small number. And it is not surprising: because, the prophetic service supposed a complete surrender to God's will, this same righteousness, which in all the times in the fallen humanity was, unfortunately, an infrequent phenomenon.

And for prophetic service, in addition to righteousness, is needed also a special spiritual gift, which we meet even rarer, than righteousness. It is not surprising that the real prophets were never much. But here is Joel speaks about the times, when everyone will be a prophet. How will it be? When? According to the context, it is about the messianic Kingdom, it is effectively there that the prophecy will become norm; the prophecy will become not a special service, but a normal spiritual state of man. But what about the special prophetic gift?

To understand it, it is enough to remember that the prophet is above all, God's witness. And to be such a witness, one should learn to see the events that take place with the eyes of someone living in the Kingdom. And Joel indeed, speaks like that about the coming of the Kingdom! If before only few servants chosen by God could see the world like that, now, that the Kingdom comes, this possibility is opened to everyone involved in the Kingdom. And that is why everyone becomes a prophet. This is an integral part of the life of the Kingdom.