Prophecy is never given to establish doctrine. The Bible is the only source of doctrine. Prophecy may be given to reveal the strategic or tactical will of the Lord but never for establishing doctrine. Therefore, our basic understanding of things such as God’s judgments must come from the Scriptures, not prophecies, and certainly not from our own opinions, desires, or prejudices.
Some also think that if they accurately predict an event, then the doubters will believe. This seems to rarely be the case. When Jesus performed some of His greatest miracles, it only enraged the legalists more, so that they wanted to kill Him. It is good to not speculate about how people will respond to the prophecy, but rather keep our devotion to simple obedience, and let the Lord use them as He will. Usually for everyone who receives a prophet there will be many who reject them. Consequently selfish ambition has no place in a prophetic ministry and will only distort that ministry to the degree that it gets in.
