Prophecy

Prophecy, in a broad sense, is the prediction of future events. The etymology of the word is ultimately Greek, from pro- "before" plus the root of phanai "speak", i. e. "speaking before" or "foretelling", but prophecy often implies the involvement of supernatural phenomena, whether it is communication with a deity, the reading of magical signs, or astrology. It is also used as a general term for the revelation of divine will.

Prophecy in religion

In many religions, gods or other supernatural agents are thought to sometimes provide prophecies to certain individuals, known as prophets. The Old Testament of the Bible contains prophecies from various Hebrew prophets who foretold of their people's trials and tribulations. The Book of Revelation in the New Testament is accepted by many Christians as a prophecy related by its author, John the Evangelist, of the events of the end times and Armageddon (the "End of the World"). (see Bible prophecy)

Related Topics:
Gods - Supernatural - Prophet - Old Testament - Bible - Book of Revelation - New Testament - Christian - John the Evangelist - End times - Armageddon - End of the World - Bible prophecy

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Christians have long held that Jesus fulfilled many prophecies of the Old Testament, thus proving he was the son of God, or messiah. In the New Testament, the stories of Jesus telling a Samaritan woman about her life, or telling the apostles the future, are examples of prophecy in the Christian tradition.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Old Testament - Messiah - New Testament

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Muhammad, the prophet of Islam (circa 600 AD), said he had a spiritual awakening in a cave and from that point on spoke about teachings that he said came from God ("Allah," in Arabic).

Related Topics:
Muhammad - Islam - Allah

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More recently, in the 1800's, Joseph Smith claimed to have translated golden plates through divine inspiration from Jesus, thereby producing the Book of Mormon. Members of the Mormon Religion believe that their founder was a "latter day" prophet.

Related Topics:
Joseph Smith - Book of Mormon

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