Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 11:27

"Now in these days there came down prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch." — Acts 11:27 (ASV)

And in these days. While Barnabas and Saul were at Antioch.

Came prophets. The word prophet denotes, properly, one who foretells future events (see Barnes on Matthew 7:16).

It is sometimes used in the New Testament to denote simply religious teachers, instructors sent from God, without particular reference to future events. To teach the people the doctrines of religion was a part of the prophetic office, and this idea only was sometimes denoted by the use of the word. See Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 1 Corinthians 13:2, 8; 1 Corinthians 14:3, 5, 24.

These prophets seem to have been endowed in a remarkable manner with the knowledge of future events; with the power of explaining mysteries; and in some cases with the power of speaking foreign languages. In this case, it seems that one of them at least had the power of foretelling future events.