The New Testament tells us there is an office of prophet (Eph. 4:11) and then there are people who prophesied (Philip's daughters in Acts 21:9).
This creates confusion because it makes it seem as if all kinds of people, including women, actually served in the office of prophet. But this is not true.
So, what's going on here? The key lies in understanding the difference between the term prophet and the term prophesied, a distinction that only became necessary in the New Covenant.
A Prophet vs. One Who Prophesies
In the early days after the ascension of Jesus, God began to reveal his new revelation in a widespread manner to many types of people within the church. He did this by revealing elements of New Covenant truth to individual believers in small doses and then using those believers to proclaim those truths to the church.
This was foretold as a sign of the New Covenant by the prophet Joel: “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (2:28).
Dreams, visions, and prophesying
Dreams, visions, and prophesying were common ways in which God revealed his truth in the OT period. What Joel is saying is that in the New Covenant era, God’s revelation would not be sent through only a few select individuals (in other words, not just by those holding the office of prophet), but would be disseminated in a widespread fashion by everyday believers.
After Pentecost, this is exactly what happened. The Spirit began to speak through average disciples. “The first and main theme of [Joel’s] prophecy,” I. Howard Marshall notes, “is that God is going to pour out his Spirit upon all people, i.e. upon all kinds of people and not just upon the prophets, kings and priests, as had been the case in Old Testament times.”[1]
This type of revelation— revelation through the common man—is what the Bible is referring to when it says a certain believer “prophesied.”
Prophesying and the prophet
However, saying someone prophesied did not mean they actually occupied the office of prophet any more than saying that someone with the gift of teaching occupied the office of pastor.
So when it is said that Philip’s daughters “prophesied” (Acts 21:9), it does not mean they held the office of prophet, but that they were simply given a portion of truth by the Holy Spirit to reveal to the church.
As confirmation of this, consider that in the passage that directly follows the comment about Philip’s daughters prophesying, a man is identified and actually called a prophet: “And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down to Judea” (Acts 21:10).
Philip’s daughters did not hold the office of prophet; they simply prophesied in accordance with Joel’s promise. Agabus, on the other hand, actually held the office, and therefore was referred to as a prophet.
Confusion in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14
This also explains the contrast between Paul’s comments regarding women prophesying in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14. In 11:2-10, he speaks of women prophesying and does not forbid the practice; however, in 14:34-35, he forbids women from speaking when the prophets are prophesying. What is going on here?
In chapter 11, he is speaking of the prophesying promised by Joel; in chapter 14, he is speaking of the office of prophet, which, like all positions of leadership and authority in the New Testament church, could only be held and exercised by men.
Conclusion
The New Testament can be confusing when it talks about both prophets and those who prophesied as if they are one. But a careful examination reveals that common, everyday believers prophesied in the early days of the New Covenant, but that did not mean they served in the office of New Testament prophet.
Notes:
[1] Howard I. Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, ed. R.V.G. Tasker, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 73.