The New Testament refers to prophecy as one of the spiritual gifts given by the indwelling Holy Spirit according to wikipedia. From this, many Christians believe that the gift of prophecy is the supernatural ability to receive and convey a message from God.
The purpose of the message may be to “edify, exhort and comfort” the members of the Church. In this context, not all prophecies contain predictions about the future. The Apostle Paul teaches in First Corinthians that prophecy is for the benefit of the whole Church and not just of the individual exercising the gift