I’ve been reflecting recently on the language we use when talking about prophecy, and have noticed a trend which has given me pause for thought.
How many of these phrases have you heard (or used) recently?
- I received a download from heaven
- Getting an upgrade in the prophetic
- Tuning into the frequency of heaven
- God dropped a revelation into my spirit
- Accessing the prophetic realm
I guess the answer will depend somewhat on your church tradition, or where you get your podcasts from. But I’ve heard each of these in recent months. I’m not suggesting that they’re all wrong, but I do think that these sorts of phrases represent a shift in our language: from the relational and conversational to the impersonal and technological. And that bothers me.
Biblical language tends to emphasise God revealing things in the context of relationship. It’s about the active interaction between two people, not the transfer of data between impersonal objects.
Jesus talks about sheep who hear and know the voice of their good shepherd (John 10.27, cf. v4–5). He tells his disciples that they are his friends, and that he’s made everything known to them in the context of that friendship (John 15.15). God doesn’t simply download information into us. He speaks or shows us things. And often he speaks WITH people, not simply TO them. Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Paul, John – these people all had conversations with God where they were able to ask questions and receive responses. Dialogue in the context of relationship.
Sometimes when God speaks, we’re told that he isn’t just revealing information, but rather he is ‘making himself known’ (Num 12.6–8; 1 Sam 3.21). It’s deeply personal. For Moses this was an intimate experience – face to face, not with riddles to be decoded.
Biblical language for revelation is relational and conversational. A father to a son. A master to a servant. A shepherd to a sheep. A friend to another friend. Not a transmitter to a receiver.
Now, I’m not saying that there’s no place for using modern metaphors or illustrations, and clearly it would be anachronistic to expect to find modern technological language in an ancient text! I do, for instance, often use the illustration of tuning a radio to the right frequency when I’m teaching about learning to hear God’s voice. Contemporary metaphors are useful precisely because they illuminate one aspect of something, in a way that resonates in a particular time or culture. The danger comes when that metaphor becomes our controlling way of seeing something, distorting our perspective or shaping our expectations in unhelpful ways.
I’m also not trying to suggest that the Biblical authors never speak about a transfer of information. There are times when God speaks a message and instructs the recipient to write it down verbatim (Jer 36.2; Hab 2.2; Dan 12.4; Rev 1.11). His instructions to Moses for the building of the tabernacle included detailed directions and showing him some kind of pattern (Exodus 25.40), not entirely unlike the giving of blueprints. On occasion an angel delivers a message. But even then, this often leads to conversation, where people ask questions of the messenger and engage in dialogue (Gen 22.11–18; Dan 8.15–19; Luke 1.11–20, 26–38).
At times ‘the word of the Lord came to’ an individual (Gen 15.1; 1 Sam 15.10; Jer 1.11, etc) which may sound like passive data transfer. But it’s worth noting that the New Testament reveals God’s Word to be, in fact, a person (John 1.1, 14).
My point is, biblical language emphasises relationship and conversation between persons, and we must not lose that in favour of impersonal, technological language. At a time when 28% of adults and 72% of teenagers have engaged AI for emotional, social or romantic companionship, it’s clear that our culture is already confused about the difference between technological engagement and genuine human relationship.
So let’s be mindful about the language we use, and what it really communicates. God is not an impersonal transmitter, and we are not merely receivers. We are people made in his image, created for relationship, and invited to know him, walk with him and hear his voice. And prophecy is not about gaining intel through a series of processes, upgrades and data transfers. It’s meant to be relational. Let’s not become so preoccupied with receiving the next download that we lose sight of the extraordinary privilege of knowing the one who speaks.
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Image generated using AI (in case you couldn’t tell), just to show I’m not entirely anti-tech!
