No prophet has ever written a prediction in an envelope. No prophet instructed that this envelope be hidden in a location unknown to him. And only opened when he asks – when the predicted event has come to pass.
It is hard to see how if event x was forecast and publicly disclosed before the event, how that fits free will. A contradiction arises if free will has a role in an impending event and that event is literally foreseen. Surely the revelation changes the sequence of events leading up to it? What if somebody tried to stop the prediction from coming true?
Seeing the future and then successfully changing it makes no sense. If it was really seen and now it has not happened, a contradiction arises.
Surely the only option is for the prophet to merely record it and act as if he knows nothing?
It seems harsh. But all predictors, such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Jesus and Joseph Smith were cheats.
They claimed to have supernatural foresight to see what had not yet come to pass and announce it. Sure enough, their followers had to wait until something happened that they could declare a good fit. The prophets were careful not to give exact years or persons. They were careful to be open to interpretation.
With Jesus and Smith in particular, we are still waiting for a reasonable "fulfilment".
Our argument is not that prophecy never happens. It is that nobody wants prophecy to be given in a proper way.
Many prophets claim to have apparitions from Heaven. Apparitions never show any sign of understanding any tongue other than the visionary's. The clerics who say Jesus' mother appears to some people at Medjugorje never get somebody to ask her questions in Chinese. She could reply through the visionary. No tests like that are ever done.
OBJECTION:
Demanding that God require his prophets to seal the predictions until after the event is testing him - it is lacking faith. It is up to him how he wants predictions relayed.
ANSWER: But he has decided to be tested with his prophets! Did he supposedly say in Deuteronomy 18 that any prophet saying things will happen must get it right or be dismissed in total? He supposedly did.
Why would God use a bad test?
Your desperation to justify a bad test shows you do not really trust him. You want to make yourself trust men who claim to speak for him. It is about them not God.
If a prophet comes along who is committed to the sealed envelope test, are you going to ignore him?
People have always used God and even Jesus to hide behind unreasonable adherence to religious tradition. It is about culture more than faith.