Scribal Prophets & Scribal Prophecy
Copyright 2010 Theresa Harvard Johnson
Not for reprint, publishing or distribution without written consent from this author.
What is a scribal prophet?
A scribal prophet is a minister of the gospel who is called into the office of a prophet whom Father uses to release and RECORD prophecy on a consistent basis from words received by the Spirit, through dreams, through supernatural experiences and through visions. These scribes write from their governmental office in the Kingdom of the Heaven.
For example, some prophets record what they hear audibly — that stream or flow of “hearing” that is between that prophet and the Lord. Other prophets hear from Father primarily through dreams, supernatural experiences and visions. Father will command them to record that dream, hear him through that supernatural experience or vision and then He will give them the revelation of that dream, supernatural experience or vision and command them to WRITE.
The scribal prophet is OBEDIENT to this call and will get no rest until they fulfill this mandate. Many of their assignments become books, detailed essays, articles, etc. that address a “specific” message Father is conveying through those experiences.
SCRIBAL PROPHETS are NOT simply prophets who write and record personal prophecy, or the occasional prophetic word. They DEVELOP the messages of HEAVEN under a specific directive from the Lord. In particular, they are on-fire to WRITE OR RECORD what Father releases through them.
Some examples, though many may not understand these kinds of books include, Final Quest by Rick Joyner, A Divine Revelation of Heaven by Mary K. Baxter, He Came to Set the Captives Free by Rebecca Brown Yoder, etc. There are also books of complete PROPHETIC INSTRUCTION & DIRECTION that prophets will get from the war room of the Lord that will guide the body through a particular season. These books, letters, notes, etc. are ALWAYS assignment oriented. An excellent example of that is Prayers that Rout Demons by John Eckart, The Rules of Engagement by Cindy Trimm, The Breaker Anointing by Barbara Yoder, etc.
**Jeremiah 36:1-2, “In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now.”
(a) Scribal Prophets will receive DIRECTIVES from the Lord to write.
(b) Scribal Prophets will receive a targeted list to deliver their messages to — they will not be random. You will know who your assignment is from the Lord.
(c) The Lord will tell you what to write and what to withhold.
(d) He will cause you to date the WRITTEN prophetic word because TIME MATTERS.
(e) He will tell you WHEN to deliver that Word.
(f) He will tell you HOW to deliver that Word. (Continue reading Jeremiah 36 to understand this.)
Jeremiah functioned as a scribal prophet. Some of His prophesies were delivered in the form of letters or messages by carrier to those He was assigned to when He could not go in person.
What is scribal prophecy?
Years ago, Father placed this phrase in my spirit. It is used to describe the type of prophecy – that “Thus saith the Lord” type of prophecy — that flows from the pen of the person whom the Lord uses to deliver a prophetic word in writing. Scribal prophecy serves as a record, a witness, evidence and proof of what Father has said — and is intended to be kept and archived. (Not everything that Father, his Son or Holy Spirit did is recorded in writing in the earth realm; however, there are some thing that were required to be written because of their significance.)
Exodus 17:14 says, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. In this passage of scripture, a prophetic word of judgment went forth and it was recorded.
DIRECTIVES FOR SCRIBAL PROPHETS:
Please note that I am specifically speaking to prophets who write for the nations. At some point, I will address those who scribe in a place of personal prophecy. Right now, I believe Father is using many of the scribal prophets in this group to scribe for the nations.
Also prophets, you should always have SEASONED APOSTLES & PROPHETS in your circle of influence — those who are, preferably, in an advanced place of spiritual understanding before the Lord — not just those who are your friends. TRUE Prophets walk in humility, believe in accountability, embrace submission and will pray their prophetic words through in the earth at all costs. They understand the importance of being in fellowship with the BODY under the new covenant — not rogue. Even with this, there are some PROTOCOLS that must be adhered to FOR THE SCRIBAL PROPHET in this day and time:
1. Pray over the word you receive. NEVER just release a word without praying that word through into the atmosphere, and asking Father how He wants to direct it. IN EVERYTHING, pray…
2. Pray for revelation of that word. If no one else has understanding of what you’ve been given, be sure that YOU DO. WHEN YOU PRAY, Father will give you a scriptural foundation. THIS IS NECESSARY when stepping outside of your circle of influence and will help people get to a place of confirmation when they take that word before God. BEWARE of prophets who say, “This is how the Lord gave it to me, so I’m releasing it like that.”
That is a lie AND clearly is not the Lord. God is a God of understanding, and when you inquire of HIM concerning what He has given you from your office as a PROPHET WHO IS ALSO A SCRIBE He will guide your pen through His Word to prove what has been spoken. (Acts 17:10-11). Begin to put this into practice and you will quickly know this as truth.
3. Have that Word Judged by other SEASONED prophets — not your buddy. I don’t care how seasoned you are as a PROPHET that word still must be judged. (I didn’t say INTERPRETED — just judged. There is a difference.) Beware of people who want to interpret a WORD that you received. That interpretation is between you and God as HE ALONE knows what he desires to convey through you. So even in this, be led of the Lord.
The judging of your scribal prophecy is critical. You do not want to release an immature or under-developed Word before the people. Sometimes, what you receive ISN’T COMPLETE, this is why you must keep that prophecy before the Lord. Releasing confusing prophecy will really hurt you in your office. It will affect YOUR REPUTATION as a prophet, and all those tied to you, and the ministry of the prophet in general. (2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Corinthians 14:29)
4. Seek Father’s Timing. Timing is as unique to prophet, as it the way Father speaks to your spirit. Every prophet has their own way of “knowing” when it’s time to let that prophetic word loose. This will be a process between YOU & FATHER. For me, for example, it literally becomes like fire SHUT UP IN MY BONES and I can’t hold it back. This is how I know it’s time, but for someone else it might be different. A prophecy released TOO LATE is as detrimental as one released PREMATURELY. Your prayer-relationship with Father is instrumental in this area. You can get to a place of maturity in your walk with Father in which you can follow His move and His timing. This is yet another reason why having strong counsel is key.
5. Who is Father’s TARGET. I know I mentioned this before, but it is imperative that you know WHO your written message is assigned to. For those who release a lot of “personal words” as a scribal prophet this is EASY– because you’ll get names or you will just KNOW when you come in contact with that person. Corporate prophecy is different. EVERY SINGLE PROPHET in the bible had an “audience” for a lack of a better word. It wasn’t always a willing audience — but it was a group of people whom FATHER wanted to release that word to — so he sent that Word to that specific people group.
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to find out who that “audience” is. Now, sometimes other prophets can help you discover this — but you must learn how to identify this area yourself because your target TODAY could be different TOMORROW.
**The Scribal Prophet is one of my favorite areas to teach under The Scribal Anointing; however, it is also an area where I’ve seen a great deal of ERROR and IGNORANCE. There are people WHO NEED TRAINING — not in how to hear, but in HOW TO DELIVER… and understand protocol. The challenge here is learning humility and becoming teachable.
ONE MORE THING: There are people who will try to tell you HOW TO WRITE your prophecies. More than likely, this is HOW the Father taught them. I want to encourage you to let the Lord lead and guide you through your own delivery process. I don’t always use “THUS SAITH THE LORD.” For me, the Lord will have me write prophetic insight and revelation BEFORE delivering the Word using a scriptural foundation, and THEN he will release the prophecy. There are other times the will walk me through that prophetic word directly from the scriptures. I’ll write the scripture, release the Word, write the scripture, release the word. THEN, there are times when He comes with the “THUS SAITH….”
Also remember that the phrase “THUS SAITH” is literally a writing style authored by King James. It doesn’t mean YOU have to speak like the people in that historical time. You can simply say, “The Lord is saying or God is saying…”
So please, don’t put Father in a box….
Let Him DEVELOP your SCRIBAL GIFT in the OFFICE OF A PROPHET.
