Why did the early church have the gift of prophecy?

The early church had the gift of prophecy not for predicting the future but for speaking forth the Word of God. This gift was given because the printed page had not yet come out, so they needed men to speak forth the Word orally.

Les explains that the word prophesy in Scripture can mean either telling the future or speaking forth the Word. He points out that when the Apostolic Church had men with the gift of prophecy, it was not that they had a gift for telling the future, but they had a gift for speaking forth the Word. That gift was given to the early church because the printed page had not yet come out. So the gift of prophecy served to proclaim God's Word orally before the printed page came out.

Was the New Testament gift of prophecy the ability to tell the future?

No. The New Testament gift of prophecy was not primarily the ability to tell the future; it was the gift of speaking forth the Word. While the word 'prophesy' in Scripture can mean either telling the future or speaking forth the Word, the early church's gift was for speaking forth the Word because the printed page had not yet come.