prophecy as political language

I stole the title of this blog from Felicitas Schmieder, but the idea is close to my heart. One may indeed interpret the medium of prophecy as a political language, a flexible language which has the ability to shift codes depending on context. I was thinking of the different ways that a prophecy can be political. It can overtly predict or attempt to influence political outcomes. Or it can be more subtle, endowing certain people, objects, places, or events with eschatological meaning. A prophecy can also create expectations, make a framework for perceiving events. Finally, it can give certain people, the "prophets" among us, a unique authority and influence.