In another thread, the discussion of LDS prophets has centered upon them telling the future. I have started this thread to explore what exactly it is that the prophets in the Bible actually did as prophets.
According to dictionary.com the word prophet means:
1. a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.
2. a person chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel:
3. one of a class of persons in the early church, next in order after the apostles, recognized as inspired to utter special revelations and predictions. 1 Cor. 12:28.
5. a person regarded as, or claiming to be, an inspired teacher or leader.
6. a person who foretells or predicts what is to come:
7. a spokesperson of some doctrine, cause, or movement.
As you can see, foretelling the future is only a portion of what it means to be a prophet. And here is what Strongs has to offer on the understanding of this word.
In the Old Testament, nabiy is the word used for prophet and it means: Spokesman, Speaker, Prophet. That fits in with the description so far from dictionary.com.
In the New Testament, prophetes is the word that is used and it means: an interpreter, or one who is moved by the spirit to declare what has been revealed by inspiration, especially concerning future events and in particular as they relate to the Kingdom of God and salvation.
Here is what the Bible itself has to say about prophets. (Please feel free to add any verse that I might have missed and you believe is important to our understanding of prophets.)
Numbers 12: 6
6. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Deut: 13: 1-3
1. If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2. And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3. Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
I find it interesting that this verse demonstrates that fortune-telling is not proof that a prophet is a prophet of God. The test of that is based on the message he gives to the people and whether that leads them closer, or farther, away from Him.
Deut. 18: 20-22
20. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
22. When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
1 Kings 18: 13
13. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lords prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
That's a lot of prophets.
Matthew 13: 17
17. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Matthew 23: 34
34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
It appears that prophets are rejected quite frequently.
1 Corinthians 14: 37
37. If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Ephesians 3: 5
5. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
1 Peter 1: 10
10. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Prophesied of grace. Interesting.
Revelations 11: 10
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Two prophets are prophesized to dwell on the earth during the last days.
The Bible itself identifies the following individuals as prophets.
Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Gad, Nathan, Elijah, Ahijah, Jehu, Elisha, Isaiah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Hanhaniah, and more in the Old Testament. Agabus, Judas, Silas, Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen are listed in the New Testament.
That is enough for one post. I plan to take a look at the prophets, starting with the Old Testament and looking at what they did in the role of prophet.
According to dictionary.com the word prophet means:
1. a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.
2. a person chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel:
3. one of a class of persons in the early church, next in order after the apostles, recognized as inspired to utter special revelations and predictions. 1 Cor. 12:28.
5. a person regarded as, or claiming to be, an inspired teacher or leader.
6. a person who foretells or predicts what is to come:
7. a spokesperson of some doctrine, cause, or movement.
As you can see, foretelling the future is only a portion of what it means to be a prophet. And here is what Strongs has to offer on the understanding of this word.
In the Old Testament, nabiy is the word used for prophet and it means: Spokesman, Speaker, Prophet. That fits in with the description so far from dictionary.com.
In the New Testament, prophetes is the word that is used and it means: an interpreter, or one who is moved by the spirit to declare what has been revealed by inspiration, especially concerning future events and in particular as they relate to the Kingdom of God and salvation.
Here is what the Bible itself has to say about prophets. (Please feel free to add any verse that I might have missed and you believe is important to our understanding of prophets.)
Numbers 12: 6
6. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Deut: 13: 1-3
1. If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2. And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3. Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
I find it interesting that this verse demonstrates that fortune-telling is not proof that a prophet is a prophet of God. The test of that is based on the message he gives to the people and whether that leads them closer, or farther, away from Him.
Deut. 18: 20-22
20. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
22. When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
1 Kings 18: 13
13. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lords prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
That's a lot of prophets.
Matthew 13: 17
17. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Matthew 23: 34
34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
It appears that prophets are rejected quite frequently.
1 Corinthians 14: 37
37. If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Ephesians 3: 5
5. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
1 Peter 1: 10
10. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Prophesied of grace. Interesting.
Revelations 11: 10
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Two prophets are prophesized to dwell on the earth during the last days.
The Bible itself identifies the following individuals as prophets.
Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Gad, Nathan, Elijah, Ahijah, Jehu, Elisha, Isaiah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Hanhaniah, and more in the Old Testament. Agabus, Judas, Silas, Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen are listed in the New Testament.
That is enough for one post. I plan to take a look at the prophets, starting with the Old Testament and looking at what they did in the role of prophet.
