In the course of human history, prophets have made significant contributions to the spiritual advancement of mankind. Walking out of a past that could no longer hold them into a future of hope and promise, prophets through the ages have pointed human thinking away from materialism toward the purpose and will of God.
Today we might be inclined to dismiss prophecy as an aspect of ancient history. But should we? The certainty of God's supreme authority still needs to be seen and voiced! Whenever human consciousness realizes that God's will for man is—and always has been—entirely good, spiritual prophecy is at work. A true prophet—a role that every spiritually-minded thinker and healer fulfills—sees God-impelled progress for humanity by looking beyond surface events to the present spiritual reality. Mary Baker Eddy, in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, describes a prophet in this way: "A spiritual seer; disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth." Science and Health, p. 593.
In Biblical prophecies, the prophet's assurance of God's power to save sometimes demanded something of the people or of an individual. These could be identified as the "if" or the "admonition" prophecies. In other remarkable instances, the prophets simply declared God's all-power and goodness —unconditionally.
