In article <Apr.9.01.10.38.1993.16892@athos.rutgers.edu> evensont@spot.Colorado.EDU (EVENSON THOMAS RANDALL) writes:  >Which brings me around to asking an open question.  Is the Bible a closed >book of Scripture?  Is it okay for us to go around saying "God told >me this" and "Jesus told me that"?  Wouldn't that imply that God is STILL >pouring out new revelation to us?  I know that some people will feel >that is okay, and some will not.  The concept of a closed canon would >certainly cast a shadow on contemporary prophets.  On the other hand, >an open canon seems to be indicated sometimes.  There are a lot of people running around saying "God told me this" and  "God told me that" these days.  Some people really have heard God, and others heard their glands.  Mario Murrillo mentioned this in a sermon once.  He said someone told him, "The Lord gave me a song."  He said that it was the worst song he had ever heard.  "I know why he gave you that song," Murillo said, "He didn't want it anymore."  But God does still speak to His people today, and the idea is contrary to the idea of a closed cannon.  Ireneaus wrote about all the gifts of the Spirit in the church of His day (2nd and 3rd century) and he was one of the first to put forth a New Testament cannon, which was almost identical to the one we have today.  He believed in a closed cannon.    Many prophets prophesied prophecies which were not recorded in the Scriptures. For example, one prophet in Kings, whose name starts with an "M" who prophecied that the king would lose a battle.  That is the only prophecy he gave recorded in Scripture, and we no that he had given other prophecies because the king complained before he heard the prophecy, "He never prophesies anything good about me."  Yet only one little paragraph of all of his  lifetime of prophecies are recorded in Scripture.  There are numerous examples. Barnabas was a prophet, Acts says, before he was even sent out as an  apostle.  Yet his writings are not recorded in Scripture.  Only two of Agabus prophecies are mentioned in Scripture.  He was already a prophet before he gave them.    So prophecy may be genuine and from God, but that does not make it  Scripture.    >Also interesting to note is that some so called prophecies are nothing new >but rather an inspired translation of scripture.  Is it right to call >that prophecy?  Misleading?  Wouldn't that be more having to do with >knowledge?  I don't know about translations of Scripture, but I am familiar with  prophecies that give applications for Scripture.  There are also  similar examples in the Bible.  Several times Peter interprets prophecies in a seemingly prophetic way, for example, "And his bishoprick let another take" concerning Judas office.  A clearer example can be found in Matthew 24.  Jesus is prophesying about what will happen before His return and He quotes a passage out of Joel about the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood.  So Scriptural prophecy can be used in later prophecy.    Sometimes this sort of thing can cross over into being a word of knowledge, but gifts of the Spirit seem to overlap.  Words of knowledge and wisdom can overlap.  The word of knowledge and prophecy can overlap.   Interpretation of tounges is very similar to prophecy.  Healings are often considered miracles.  So sometimes the distinction between gifts is a  bit hazy.  Imho, it doesn't usually matter that much if we are able to label a phenomenon, as long as we recognize them as the work of the  Spirit, and use them according to His leading.