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=Old Testament prophet = New Testament apostle?=
=Old Testament prophet = New Testament apostle?=


One marked parallel between the Old Testament prophet and the New Testament apostle is that an apostle was commissioned by Christ, “sent” by him on a specific apostolic mission just as Old Testament prophets were “sent” by God as his messengers.  
Old Testament prophets had an amazing responsibility—they were able to speak and write words that had absolute divine authority. They could say, “Thus saith the Lord,” and the words that followed were the very words of God. The Old Testament prophets wrote their words as God’s words in Scripture for all time (see Num. 22:38; Deut. 18:18–20; Jer. 1:9; Ezek. 2:7, et al.). Therefore, to disbelieve or disobey a prophet’s words was to disbelieve or disobey God (see Deut. 18:19; 1 Sam. 8:7; 1 Kings 20:36; and many other passages).


To the disciples (who were to become the “apostles” after Pentecost) Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21, RSV). In a similar way he told the eleven disciples, “''Go therefore and make disciples of all nations''” (Matt. 28:19).  
In the New Testament there were also people who spoke and wrote God’s very words and had them recorded in Scripture, but we may be surprised to find that Jesus no longer calls them prophets but uses a new term, apostles. The apostles are the New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament prophets (see 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Cor. 13:3; Gal. 1:8–9, 11–12; 1 Thess. 2:13; 4:8, 15; 2 Peter 3:2). It is the apostles, not the prophets, who have authority to write the words of New Testament Scripture.


And on the Damascus Road, Christ said to Paul, “I will send you far away to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21, Acts 26:17; 1 Cor. 1:17; Gal. 2:7-8). In fact, just as the Old Testament prophets were covenant messengers, so in 2 Corinthians 3:6 Paul calls himself a minister of the New Covenant, and Paul often referred to the fact that Christ had entrusted him with a specific commission as an apostle (1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 1:1; 5:20; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1, 25; 1 Tim. 1:1; etc.).  
'''When the apostles want to establish their unique authority, they never appeal to the title “prophet” but rather call themselves “apostles.”''' For example, “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:1; see also Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 9:1–2; 2 Cor. 1:1; 11:12–13; 12:11–12; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; 3:2, et al.).<ref>Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 1294.</ref>


It is not surprising, then, that when we read the New Testament we find several times when the apostles are connected with the Old Testament prophets, but New Testament prophets, by contrast, are never connected with Old Testament prophets in the same way.<ref>Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000).</ref>
==The Meaning of the Word Prophet in the Time of the New Testament==


==What identifies a prophet?==
Why did Jesus choose the new term apostle to designate those who had the authority to write Scripture? It was probably because the Greek word prophētēs (“prophet”) at the time of the New Testament had a very broad range of meanings. It generally did not have the sense “one who speaks God’s very words” but rather “one who speaks on the basis of some external influence” (often a spiritual influence of some kind). Titus 1:12 uses the word in this sense, where Paul quotes the pagan Greek poet Epimenides: “One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ ” The soldiers who mock Jesus also seem to use the word prophesy in this way, when they blindfold Jesus and cruelly demand, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” (Luke 22:64). They do not mean, “Speak words of absolute divine authority,” but “Tell us something that has been revealed to you” (cf. John 4:19).
 
Many writings outside the Bible use the word prophet (Gk. prophētēs) in this way without signifying any divine authority in the words of one called a prophet. In fact, by the time of the New Testament the term prophet in everyday use often simply meant “one who has supernatural knowledge” or “one who predicts the future”—or even just “spokesman” (without any connotations of divine authority). Several examples near the time of the New Testament are given in Helmut Krämer’s article in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament:
 
:A philosopher is called “a prophet of immortal nature” (Dio Chrysostom, AD 40–120)
:A teacher (Diogenes) wants to be “a prophet of truth and candor” (Lucian of Samosata, AD 120–180)
:Those who advocate Epicurean philosophy are called “prophets of Epicurus” (Plutarch, AD 50–120)
:Written history is called “the prophetess of truth” (Diodorus Siculus, wrote c. 60–30 BC)
:A “specialist” in botany is called a “prophet” (Dioscurides of Cilicia, first century AD)
:A “quack” in medicine is called a “prophet” (Galen of Pergamum, AD 129–99)
 
Krämer concludes that the Greek word for “prophet” (prophētēs) “simply expresses the formal function of declaring, proclaiming, making known.” Yet because “every prophet declares something which is not his own,” the Greek word for “herald” (kēryx) “is the closest synonym.”
 
Just as an apostle could sometimes be called a “teacher” (which Paul calls himself in 1 Timothy 2:7) along with other teachers in the churches, and just as an apostle could sometimes be called an “elder” (Peter calls himself a “fellow elder” in 1 Peter 5:1) along with other elders in the churches, so too the apostles could sometimes be called “prophets” or give a “prophecy,” though there were other prophets in the churches as well (so the book of Revelation, written by John, is called a “prophecy” in Rev. 1:3; 22:7), but there were also many other prophets in the churches. However, the apostles were not often called “teachers” or “elders” or “prophets.”
 
The important point is that, in first century Greek, the terms prophet and prophecy did not imply divine authority for their speech or writing. Much more commonly, the words prophet and prophecy were used of ordinary Christians who spoke not with absolute divine authority but simply to report something that God had laid on their hearts or brought to their minds. There are many indications in the New Testament that this ordinary gift of prophecy had authority less than that of the Bible, and even less than that of recognized Bible teaching in the early church.<ref>Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 1294–1296.</ref>
 
==Indications That Prophets Did Not Speak with Authority Equal to the Words of Scripture==
 
In Acts 21:4, we read of the disciples at Tyre:
 
:''“Through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.”
 
Although the word prophecy is not in this verse, it seems to be a reference to prophecy directed towards Paul, but Paul disobeyed it! He never would have done this if this prophecy contained God’s very words and had authority equal to Scripture.
 
Then in Acts 21:10–11, Agabus prophesied that the Jews at Jerusalem would “bind” Paul and “deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles,” a prediction that was nearly correct but not quite: the Romans, not the Jews, bound Paul (v. 33; also 22:29), and the Jews, rather than delivering him voluntarily, tried to kill him, and he had to be rescued by force (v. 32). The prediction was not far off, but it had inaccuracies in detail that would have called into question the validity of any Old Testament prophet. However, this text could be perfectly well explained by supposing that Agabus had had a vision of Paul as a prisoner of the Romans in Jerusalem, surrounded by an angry mob of Jews. His interpretation of such a “vision” or “revelation” from the Holy Spirit would be that the Jews had bound Paul and handed him over to the Romans, and that is what Agabus would (somewhat erroneously) prophesy. This is exactly the kind of fallible prophecy that would fit the definition of New Testament congregational prophecy proposed above—reporting in one’s own words something that God has spontaneously brought to mind.
 
One objection to this view is to say that Agabus’ prophecy was in fact fulfilled, and that Paul even reports that in Acts 28:17: “I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.”
 
But the verse itself will not support that interpretation. The Greek text of Acts 28:17 explicitly refers to Paul’s transfer out of (Gk. ex) Jerusalem as a prisoner. Paul’s statement describes his transfer out of the Jewish judicial system (the Jews were seeking to bring him again to be examined by the Sanhedrin in Acts 23:15, 20) and into the Roman judicial system at Caesarea (Acts 23:23–35). Paul correctly says in Acts 28:18 that the same Romans into whose hands he had been delivered as a prisoner (v. 17) were the ones who (Gk. hoitines, v. 18), “when they had examined me … wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case” (Acts 28:18; cf. 23:29; also 25:11, 18–19; 26:31–32). Then Paul adds that when the Jews objected, he was compelled “to appeal to Caesar” (Acts 28:19; cf. 25:11). This whole section of narrative in Acts 28:17–19 refers to Paul’s transfer out of Jerusalem to Caesarea in Acts 23:12–35 and explains to the Jews in Rome why Paul is in Roman custody. This narrative does not refer to Acts 21:27–36 and the mob scene near the Jerusalem temple at all. So this objection is not persuasive. The verse does not point to a fulfillment of either half of Agabus’ prophecy: it does not mention any binding by the Jews, nor does it mention that the Jews handed Paul over to the Romans. In fact, in the scene it refers to (Acts 23:12–35), once again Paul had just been taken from the Jews “by force” (Acts 23:10), and, far from seeking to hand him over to the Romans, they were waiting in an ambush to kill him (Acts 23:13–15).
 
Another objection to this understanding of Acts 21:10–11 is to say that the Jews did not really have to bind Paul and deliver him into the hands of the gentiles for the prophecy of Agabus to be true because the Jews were responsible for these activities even if they did not carry them out. Robert Thomas says, “It is common to speak of the responsible party or parties as performing an act even though he or they may not have been the immediate agent(s).” Thomas cites similar examples from Acts 2:23 (where Peter says that the Jews crucified Christ, whereas the Romans actually did it) and John 19:1 (we read that Pilate scourged Jesus, whereas his soldiers no doubt carried out the action). Thomas concludes, “The Jews were the ones who put Paul in chains just as Agabus predicted.”
 
In response, I agree that Scripture can speak of someone as doing an act that is carried out by that person’s agent. But in every case the person who is said to do the action both wills the act to be done and gives directions to others to do it. Pilate directed his soldiers to scourge Jesus. The Jews actively demanded that the Romans would crucify Christ. By contrast, in the situation of Paul’s capture in Jerusalem, there is no such parallel. The Jews did not order him to be bound but the Roman tribune did it: “Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains” (Acts 21:33). And in fact the parallel form of speech is found here because although the tribune ordered Paul to be bound, later we read that “the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him” (Acts 22:29). So this narrative does speak of the binding as done either by the responsible agent or by the people who carried it out, but in both cases these are Romans, not Jews. In summary, this objection says that the Jews put Paul in chains. But Acts says twice that the Romans bound him. This objection says that the Jews turned Paul over to the gentiles. But Acts says that they violently refused to turn him over, so that he had to be taken from them by force. The objection does not fit the words of the text.
 
In 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21, Paul tells the Thessalonians, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good”. If the Thessalonians had thought that prophecy equaled God’s Word in authority, he would never have had to tell the Thessalonians not to despise it—they “received” and “accepted” God’s Word “with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:6; 2:13; cf. 4:15). But when Paul tells them to “test everything” it must include at least the prophecies he mentioned in the previous phrase. He implies that prophecies contain some things that are good and some things that are not good when he encourages them to “hold fast what is good.” This is something that could never have been said of the words of an Old Testament prophet or the authoritative teachings of a New Testament apostle. Therefore, prophecies that were given by ordinary Christians in the church at Thessalonica did not have the authority of God’s very words. These prophecies must have been ordinary human words reporting something that God had brought to mind.
 
It is significant that Paul tells the Thessalonians to test the prophecies, not the prophets. “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:20–21). It is the “prophecies” (plural of Gk. prophēteia, “prophecy”) that are not to be despised but are to be tested. It is the “good” content in prophecies that they are to “hold fast.”
 
More extensive evidence on New Testament prophecy is found in 1 Corinthians 14. When Paul says, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (1 Cor. 14:29), he suggests that they should listen carefully and sift the good from the bad, accepting some and rejecting the rest (for this is the implication of the Greek word diakrinō, here translated “weigh what is said”).
 
We cannot imagine that an Old Testament prophet like Isaiah would have said, “Listen to what I say and weigh what is said—sort the good from the bad, what you accept from what you should not accept”! If prophecy had absolute divine authority, it would be sin to do this. But here Paul commands that it be done, suggesting that New Testament prophecy did not have the authority of God’s very words.15
In 1 Corinthians 14:30–31, Paul allows one prophet to interrupt another one: “If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one.” Again, if prophets had been speaking God’s very words, equal in value to Scripture, it is hard to imagine that Paul would say they should be interrupted and not be allowed to finish their message. But that is what Paul commands.
 
Paul suggests that no one at Corinth, a church that had much prophecy, was able to speak God’s very words. He says in 1 Corinthians 14:36, “Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?” Paul expects the answer “no” to both questions. But this means that “the word of God” did not come from the church at Corinth even though there were many people giving prophecies (as Paul’s instructions in chapters 12–14 indicate).
 
Then in verses 37 and 38, he claims authority far greater than any prophet or any potential prophet at Corinth: “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.” Paul would not allow the possibility that any prophet at Corinth could speak with authority equal to his authority as an apostle. This implies an assumption that no prophets at Corinth were speaking the very words of God.
All of these passages indicate that the idea that prophets spoke “words of the Lord” when the apostles were not present in the early churches is simply incorrect.
 
In addition to the verses we have considered so far, one other type of evidence suggests that New Testament congregational prophets spoke with less authority than New Testament apostles or Scripture: the problem of successors to the apostles is solved not by encouraging Christians to listen to the prophets (even though there were prophets around) but by pointing to the Scriptures.
So Paul, at the end of his life, emphasizes “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), and the “God-breathed” character of “Scripture” for “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Jude urges his readers to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Peter, at the end of his life, encourages his readers to “pay attention” to Scripture, which is like “a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19–20), and reminds them of the teaching of the apostle Paul “in all his letters” (2 Peter 3:16). In no case do we read exhortations to “give heed to the prophets in your churches” or to “obey the words of the Lord through your prophets.” Yet there certainly were prophets prophesying in many local congregations after the death of the apostles. It seems that they did not have authority equal to the apostles, and the authors of Scripture knew that. The conclusion is that prophecies today are not “the words of God” either.
 
Paul writes about prophets in Ephesians as follows:
 
:''“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:19–20).
 
A frequent objection to the view that prophets in New Testament churches did not speak the very words of God is based on Ephesians 2:20: if the entire church throughout the world (“the household of God”) is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, then it seems evident that these “prophets,” like the apostles, spoke the very words of God—words that were equal to Scripture in their authority. And therefore, it is argued, since no more words are now being added to Scripture, the gift of prophecy has now ceased.
In response, I agree that the kind of “prophets” mentioned in Ephesians 2:20 ceased in the first century. The “foundation” for the church throughout the world was laid once for all in the first century and will not be laid again. But the question is whether this verse describes all who had the gift of prophecy in the New Testament churches. I see no convincing evidence that it describes all who prophesied in the early church. Rather, the context clearly indicates a very limited group of such prophets. In fact, just a few verses later, Paul gives us more information about these apostles and prophets:
 
:''When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Eph. 3:4–6)
 
In Paul’s writings, a “mystery” (Gk. mystērion) is often a truth that was only faintly revealed in the Old Testament but now has been clearly revealed in the New Testament age. And in Ephesians 3:6 the specific “mystery” that Paul is talking about is the fact that God wants to include gentiles (!) as well as Jews among God’s people and that these gentiles will have equal standing with Jews before God (they will be “fellow heirs” and “members of the same body” with the Jewish believers in Christ). Paul says that the understanding of this mystery was revealed to “his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”
 
Therefore, the “prophets” that Paul is talking about in Ephesians 2:20 and 3:5 are a very limited, very specific group: they were (a) part of the very foundation of the church, (b) closely connected with the apostles, and (c) recipients of the new revelation from God that the gentiles were equal members with Jews in the church.
 
But surely that group does not include all the Christians with the gift of prophecy in all the New Testament churches at that time. The Ephesian Christians to whom Paul was writing were not pictured by Paul as part of the “foundation” because he says they were “built on” the foundation—they were part of the (metaphorical) building that was continually being built up after the foundation had been laid.
The same can be said for all the “sons” and “daughters” and “male servants and female servants” who prophesied in fulfillment of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:17–18), the prophets in Jerusalem (Acts 11:27), the prophets at Antioch (Acts 13:1), the brand-new believers who suddenly “began speaking in tongues and prophesying” in Ephesus (Acts 19:6), the Christians with the gift of prophecy in Tyre (Acts 21:4), Phillip’s four daughters who prophesied in Caesarea (Acts 21:9), people with the gift of prophecy in Rome (Rom. 12:6), the men and women who were prophesying during the church services in Corinth (1 Cor. 11:4–5), the Christians in Corinth who were given a gift of prophecy after they followed Paul’s encouragement to “earnestly desire to prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:39), and the ordinary Christians who had a gift of prophecy in the churches of Ephesus (Eph. 4:11) and Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:20).
 
Surely not all of these prophets were laying again and again the “foundation” of the church, and receiving again and again the revelation about the gentiles being included with Jews in the church (about which Paul had already written), but they were part of the (metaphorical) church building that was being built on the foundation. And for these ordinary Christian prophets in churches throughout the New Testament world, the passages I have discussed in the previous sections indicate again and again their prophecies were ordinary human words (not God’s words) in which they were reporting things that God spontaneously brought to mind.
 
This is certainly a different situation from the Old Testament, where there were individual prophets or small groups of prophets from time to time in Israel, but there is no indication that there were prophets in every village and every city. But now in the New Testament our impression (from multiple verses) is that there were people with the gift of prophecy in every church. This is another argument showing that these ordinary prophets in the churches were not speaking the words of God. Or are we prepared to say that thousands of “prophets” in hundreds of churches throughout the Mediterranean world were actually speaking the very words of God? Were God’s people to be expected to go around to the many hundreds or even thousands of churches in the first century world, collect the prophecies given week after week, write them down, and produce hundreds of volumes of “words of the Lord” that they were to obey like Scripture? In fact, we have no record of anything like this happening, nor do we have any record anywhere in the New Testament of churches recording or preserving these prophecies as if they were “words of the Lord” that were foundational for the entire church throughout the world. Rather, they preserve and obey the writings and teachings of the apostles, not of the prophets.
 
Who then were the small group of “prophets” in Ephesians 2:20 and 3:5 who were part of the foundation of the church? There are two possibilities. The first possibility, and the one on which I have based my argument above, is that they were a small group of individuals who were not actually apostles but who were closely connected to the apostles, and who played a foundational role in the beginning of the church. Perhaps this group even included some of the authors of New Testament books who were not themselves apostles, such as Mark, Luke, Jude, and the (unknown) author of Hebrews.
 
The second possibility, which I have advocated elsewhere in writing (though it is not at all important to my understanding of the gift of prophecy), is that the expression “the apostles and prophets” is referring to one group of people, “the apostle-prophets,” or, in other words, the apostles functioning in the role of prophets (just as apostles can elsewhere be referred to as teachers or elders or preachers). The grammatical construction in Ephesians 2:20 is the same as the construction in Ephesians 4:11, which speaks about “the shepherds and teachers,” which some commentators understand to be one group, the shepherd-teachers. I have not based my understanding of Ephesians 2:20 on that second possibility.<ref>Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 1296–1303.</ref>
 
==How Should We Speak about the Authority of Prophecy Today?==
 
The conclusion is that prophecies in the church today should be considered merely human words, not God’s words, and not equal to God’s words in authority. But does this conclusion conflict with current charismatic teaching or practice? I think it conflicts with much charismatic practice but not with most charismatic teaching.
 
Most charismatic teachers today would agree that contemporary prophecy is not equal to Scripture in authority. Though some will speak of prophecy as being the “word of God” for today, there is almost uniform testimony from all sections of the charismatic movement that prophecy is imperfect and impure and will contain elements that are not to be obeyed or trusted. For example, Bruce Yocum, the author of a widely used charismatic book on prophecy, writes, “Prophecy can be impure—our own thoughts or ideas can get mixed into the message we receive—whether we receive the words directly or only receive a sense of the message.”
 
But it must be said that in actual practice much confusion results from the habit of prefacing prophecies with the common Old Testament phrase, “Thus says the Lord” (a phrase nowhere spoken in the New Testament by any prophets in New Testament churches). This habit is unfortunate because it gives the impression that the words that follow are God’s very words, whereas the New Testament does not justify that position, and when pressed, most responsible charismatic spokesmen would not want to claim it for every part of their prophecies anyway. So there would be much gain and no loss if that introductory phrase were dropped.
 
Now it is true that Agabus uses a similar phrase (“Thus says the Holy Spirit”) in Acts 21:11, but the same words (Gk. tade legei) are used by Christian writers just after the time of the New Testament to introduce very general paraphrases or greatly expanded interpretations of what is being reported (so Ignatius, Epistle to the Philadelphians 7:1–2 [about AD 108] and Epistle of Barnabas 6:8; 9:2, 5 [AD 70–100]). The phrase can apparently mean, “This is generally (or approximately) what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.”
If someone really does think God is bringing something to mind that should be reported in the congregation, there is nothing wrong with saying, “I think the Lord is putting on my mind that …” or “It seems to me that the Lord is showing us …” or some similar expression. Of course that does not sound as authoritative as “Thus says the Lord,” but if the message is really from God, the Holy Spirit will cause it to speak with great power to the hearts of those who need to hear.<ref>Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 1303–1304.</ref>
 
=What identified an Old Testament prophet?=


God knew that His people would have trouble identifying true and false prophets so the Bible contains some very clear identifications of a true prophet.
God knew that His people would have trouble identifying true and false prophets so the Bible contains some very clear identifications of a true prophet.
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This text reveals how God gives information to a prophet. When a prophet speaks, people do not know '''whether the prophet is lying''' (speaking out of his own imagination) '''or if the prophet has actually received a dream or a vision from God'''.  God told Israel to listen to everyone who claims to have received a vision from Him because such persons must either be believed or destroyed!  The question is - '''What is the REAL Biblical test of a prophet?'''
This text reveals how God gives information to a prophet. When a prophet speaks, people do not know '''whether the prophet is lying''' (speaking out of his own imagination) '''or if the prophet has actually received a dream or a vision from God'''.  God told Israel to listen to everyone who claims to have received a vision from Him because such persons must either be believed or destroyed!  The question is - '''What is the REAL Biblical test of a prophet?'''
=The "One Mistake" rule of Deuteronomy 18=
A true Prophet must be 100% accurate.  There is absolutely no margin for error.
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states:
:''But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, '''that same prophet shall die'''.  And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’ — when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, '''if the word does not come to pass or come true''', that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. '''You need not be afraid of him.'''<ref>Deuteronomy 18:20-22</ref>
The true Prophet of the Lord predicts that which does come to pass. If the Prophet's predictions fail, they are exposed as NOT of God.  Jeremiah 28:9 tells us:
:''The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.<ref>Jeremiah 28:9</ref>
Ezekiel 13:2-9 is also an interesting passage:
:''Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’  Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!  Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel.  You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD.  They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.  Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, ‘Declares the LORD,’ although I have not spoken?”  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.  My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Eze 13:2–9.</ref>
God says a false prophet can actually say they are hearing from the Lord but it really is their own spirit.
In 1 Samuel 3:19-20, the Bible says this of the prophet Samuel:
:''As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and '''everything Samuel said proved to be reliable'''. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord<ref>1 Samuel 3:19-20</ref>
In the Old Testament, prophets prophesied within three time frames: their own time, for the 1st coming and the 2nd coming. The test of a prophet was his near prophecies which would be fulfilled in his own lifetime. Obviously, if it was beyond his lifetime, he wouldn't be around to have to answer for it. Prophecy was very specific in the Old and the New Testament. They would foretell God's revelation to the people and if one looks back at the Biblical record to study a prophet's calling, it was God who picked them and they are often found arguing not to have the office. In contrast, there are now schools to train new prophets because the people desire this office.
Another test used on would be prophets, found in Deuteronomy 13:1. In addition to whether or not their predictions came true is whether they used signs and wonders as tools to draw people to other gods or a different representation of God. (Such as Jannes and Jambres in 2 Timothy 3:8). Here, God is testing the people to see if they love only Him. This is probably the most overlooked scripture pertaining to examining the claims of those who profess supernatural powers that come from God. If they were to contradict the teaching that had already been revealed - which had provided knowledge of the one true God then they were seen as false prophets. God did not, and still does not tolerate false prophesying. If they wrong once, they are false, they were to be stoned. If this occurred today many if not all who lay claim to this position would have a quick end to their so called anointing!
Remember: just because one performs miracles, even inside a church, does not mean God is working. We should be more on guard inside the church than we would like to think. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, we are told no to go beyond what in written. If one contradicts the apostolic writings and teachings, then they are false (2 Cor.11:14). Those who go beyond the word having God speak to them directly with new revelation, become puffed up with self-deception. There is something called humility that is practiced when one adheres to the same standard that everyone else does. Isa.8:16” bind up the testimony (of the Prophets) seal the law among my disciples”. (Moses) vs. 20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because their is no light in them.” This standard distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever. The test of the prophet was his conformity to the word of God, he condemns sin, he comforts the brethren, and he speaks of things in the near future and later than his life. A prophet, like an apostle, not only functioned as a gift, but as an office. A prophet would declare God's will for his generation, addressing idolatry or lukewarmness. We see this personified in John the Baptist who warned and rebuked the people preparing the for the Messiah.
====William Branham applied the Deuteronomy 18:20-22 test to himself====
It is clear that William Branham considered himself to be an Old Testament prophet and that as a result he was not subject to the judgment of the church.  He also stated the test in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 applied to him:
:''“Let one speak and two or three judge,” said Paul. Now, those are the spirits of the gifts that’s in the Church. '''But the only person that has a right to say, THUS SAITH THE LORD, is an a vindicated prophet'''. '''You never seen anybody judging Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or those people.''' They were prophets, foreordained and borned in the world to be prophets. And they foresaw the thing by a vision, and then said, “THUS SAITH THE LORD,” for the Lord had already said it.<ref>William Branham, 50-0405 - Expectation, para. 16</ref>
:''You can go to my hometown and '''find it one time, in all the times that It’s ever told anything, that didn’t come to pass''' just exactly the way It said. '''Now, you pin a sign on my back as a false prophet,''' and I’ll walk through your streets. Cause it’s not myself, I’m a man, but He’s God. And He’s the One Who does the saying. If I would say it, it could be a lie, ’cause I’m subject to any—any mistakes, lies, anything else, like anybody else.<ref>William Branham, 53-1106 - Do You Now Believe?, para. 10</ref>
:''Prophets are foreordained. They’re prophets. Now, there’s a gift of prophecy in the church, that could be on one, then the next one, the next one, the next one, and so forth—of prophecy. Paul said you may all prophesy one by one. But there’s a lot of difference between a prophet and a prophecy. A prophecy has to be judged by three witnesses (two or three) before it can be given or accepted in the church, according to the Scriptures. '''But a prophet, like the Old Testament prophet, t'''hey had the Word of the Lord. The translation was right to them. And they were known, because the Bible said, “If there be one among you spiritual or a prophet, I, the Lord, will make Myself known unto him, speak to him in visions, and reveal Myself in dreams. '''And if what this man says comes to pass, then hear him, for I’m am with him. If it doesn’t, then don’t hear him.''' I’m not with him. Don’t fear him.”<ref>William Branham, 61-0205E - Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever, para. 12</ref>
:''And you who will not come back, I want you to do me a favor, mark a little piece of paper, and put it in your Bible, and say, “Brother Branham said, ‘THUS SAITH THE LORD.’”  Then if God lets us live, watch what this thing’s coming to. If God lets us live for a few more years and I pass through Phoenix, get that—get a little yellow piece of paper out, and walk up to the pulpit and say, “'''What about this, Brother Branham?” Then I’ll tack it on my back, and you get in your car, and drive me down the street, as a sign on my back, “A false prophet.”'''<ref>William Branham, 57-0306 - God Keeps His Word #1, para.42</ref>
:''God always sends a prophet. The Word comes to the prophet; the written Word, a discerner of the thoughts of the heart. Did you always notice? The prophet, being that he knowed that he was a prophet, is because that the Word of God discerns the thought that’s in the heart, foretells things, forth-teller and teller-forth. Did you ever take the dictionary, the old Hebrew dictionary, and see what the word seer means? It’s the one that has the Divine revelation of the written Word. And how it’s vindicated, he foresees things that he foretells, and they come to pass. 42 Now, how does that type in with the Scripture? Just exactly. “If there be one among you, who is spiritual or a prophet, I the Lord will make Myself known to him, speak to him in visions. '''And if these things comes to pass, then it’s God. If they don’t come to pass, then don’t hear him; don’t fear him at all, but just ignore it.'''”<ref>William Branham, 64-0120 - His Unfailing Words Of Promise, para. 41</ref>
 
:''The Bible said, “'''If there be one, and what he says comes to pass, then you hear him; but, if it doesn’t, don’t believe him, don’t fear him''', but My…if—if My Word is not in him. But if it does come to pass, then My Word is in him.” That’s his identification. That’s the characteristic of a prophet.<ref>William Branham, 64-0320 - God Identifying Himself By His Characteristics, para. 85</ref> 
 
:''Now, prophets. There’s such a thing as “gift of prophecy” in the Church; but a prophet is predestinated and foreordained for the hour. See? Yes, sir. Now, if a prophecy goes forth, two or three has to set and judge whether that’s right or not, ’fore the church can receive it.  '''But nobody set before a prophet, ’cause he was—he was absolutely the Word of God. He was that Word in his day. You seen God reflect. Now, God has promised to send us that again in the last days''', to bring the Bride out of that ecclesiastical mess, in the only way it can be done. ref>William Branham, 65-1204 - The Rapture, para. 136</ref>
===True prophets do not plagiarize===
A true prophet does not plagiarize from others.
Jeremiah 23:30
:''So I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me. (NET)
===Performing miracles proves '''NOTHING'''===
Moses stated that a prophet that performed miracles could still be a false prophet in Deuteronomy 13:
:'''''If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place''', and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.  It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.  '''That prophet or dreamer must be put to death''' for inciting rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.<ref>The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Dt 13:1–5.</ref>
==What is a New Testament prophet?==
===New Testament prophets are not the highest office===
1 Cor. 12:28:
:''And God has appointed in the church, '''first''' apostles, '''second''' prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.<ref>New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Co 12:28.</ref>


===Performing miracles proves '''NOTHING'''===
===Performing miracles proves '''NOTHING'''===
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Followers of [[The Message|William Branham's message]] point to only one thing - the miracles.  They state that his "''gift of discernment came from God for the purpose of vindicating him as a true servant of God''".
Followers of [[The Message|William Branham's message]] point to only one thing - the miracles.  They state that his "''gift of discernment came from God for the purpose of vindicating him as a true servant of God''".


===Having one or more gifts of the Spirit does not make one a prophet===
===Having one or more gifts of the Spirit does not make one a New Testament prophet===


The Bible indicates that Jesus bestowed spiritual gifts on the early church. (The word “church” as it is used in this study should not be confused with a particular denomination.) Paul wrote, “it was he [Jesus] who gave some [gifts to ordinary people so that they could serve as] to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, [so that all of these should work together] to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13, insertions mine)  
The Bible indicates that Jesus bestowed spiritual gifts on the early church. (The word “church” as it is used in this study should not be confused with a particular denomination.) Paul wrote, “it was he [Jesus] who gave some [gifts to ordinary people so that they could serve as] to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, [so that all of these should work together] to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13, insertions mine)  
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These verses reveal that Jesus equips ordinary people with extraordinary gifts for the benefit of building up His church. Please notice that Paul identifies their order of importance: “And in the church God appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.”<ref>1 Corinthians 12:28</ref>
These verses reveal that Jesus equips ordinary people with extraordinary gifts for the benefit of building up His church. Please notice that Paul identifies their order of importance: “And in the church God appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.”<ref>1 Corinthians 12:28</ref>


===The "One Mistake" rule===
===Both Old and New Testament prophets had to be judged===


A true Prophet must be 100% accurate. There is absolutely no margin for error.
Once the scriptures were completed, the Church had all that was necessary in the area of revelational truth. The apostles' instructions were in words, then put to paper for all succeeding generations on how to live in obedience to the faith.


Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states:
Once a foundation is laid down and a house is built, we don't rebuild the foundation.(Eph.2:20) Neither should we rip apart the house that the Lord has built.


:''But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, '''that same prophet shall die'''. And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’ — when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, '''if the word does not come to pass or come true''', that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. '''You need not be afraid of him.'''<ref>Deuteronomy 18:20-22</ref>
In terms of authority, the Bible is a closed book. When the apostolic age ended, the Bible was completed. God has not given subsequent prophets any information that extends Scripture. Everything that God wanted said in the Bible has been said in the Bible and the Canon is closed.  


The true Prophet of the Lord predicts that which does come to pass. If the Prophet's predictions fail, they are exposed as NOT of God. Jeremiah 28:9 tells us:
This means that Scripture must test all prophetic utterances since the apostolic age. The words of prophets today are not authoritative (that is, their words are not to be regarded as an extension to Scripture). True prophets always direct people to the Bible because every true prophet knows that the Bible is man’s sole authority in matters pertaining to God.  


:''The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.<ref>Jeremiah 28:9</ref>
Yes, we should consider the claims of people who say that God has told them something, but we have to test their claims by the Bible. Paul wrote, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22) Those claiming to receive dreams or visions from God are not to be revered, quoted as an authority, or worshiped. Instead their words are to be thoroughly challenged by the Word of God and if they bear up after close investigation, the Word of God is to be exalted – not the prophet!


Ezekiel :132-9 is also an interesting passage:
The lives of the prophets should also be examined. Speaking of prophets, Jesus said, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:19,20)


:''Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’  Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!  Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel.  You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD.  They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.  Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, ‘Declares the LORD,’ although I have not spoken?”  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.  My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Eze 13:2–9.</ref>
Each time a prophet claims to reveal something from God, that claim has to be verified. If the claim is found to be in harmony with Scripture, then a clearer understanding of Scripture will unfold and the body of Christ will be blessed! Otherwise, I hope that none of you will have anything to do with the subtle lies of a false prophet!


God says a false prophet can actually say they are hearing from the Lord but it really is their own spirit.
Isa. 29:10-13:


In 1 Samuel 3:19-20, the Bible says this of the prophet Samuel:
:''“For the LORD has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate Therefore the LORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.”


:''As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and '''everything Samuel said proved to be reliable'''. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord<ref>1 Samuel 3:19-20</ref>
When we see new prophets operate outside the written word or give new unknown meanings to the word they have become illiterate to expounding truth. When this happens many turn to signs and wonders to validate their ministry. Its not truth that they have to give, but the power to display.


In the Old Testament, prophets prophesied within three time frames: their own time, for the 1st coming and the 2nd coming. The test of a prophet was his near prophecies which would be fulfilled in his own lifetime. Obviously, if it was beyond his lifetime, he wouldn't be around to have to answer for it. Prophecy was very specific in the Old and the New Testament. They would foretell God's revelation to the people and if one looks back at Biblical record to study a prophet's calling, it was God who picked them and they are often found arguing not to have the office. In contrast, there are now schools to train new prophets because the people desire this office.
2 Tim.4:3


Another test used on would be prophets, found in Deuteronomy 13:1. In addition to whether or not their predictions came true is whether they used signs and wonders as tools to draw people to other gods or a different representation of God. (Such as Jannes and Jambres in 2 Timothy 3:8). Here, God is testing the people to see if they love only Him. This is probably the most overlooked scripture pertaining to examining the claims of those who profess supernatural powers that come from God. If they were to contradict the teaching that had already been revealed - which had provided knowledge of the one true God then they were seen as false prophets. God did not, and still does not tolerate false prophesying. If they wrong once, they are false, they were to be stoned. If this occurred today many if not all who lay claim to this position would have a quick end to their so called anointing!
:''The time will come when they will not adhere to sound doctrine but according to their desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.”


Remember: just because one performs miracles, even inside a church, does not mean God is working. We should be more on guard inside the church than we would like to think. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, we are told no to go beyond what in written. If one contradicts the apostolic writings and teachings, then they are false (2 Cor.11:14). Those who go beyond the word having God speak to them directly with new revelation, become puffed up with self deception. There is something called humility that is practiced when one adheres to the same standard that everyone else does. Isa.8:16” bind up the testimony (of the Prophets) seal the law among my disciples”. (Moses) vs. 20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because their is no light in them.” This standard distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever. The test of the prophet was his conformity to the word of God, he condemns sin, he comforts the brethren, and he speaks of things in the near future and later than his life. A prophet, like an apostle, not only functioned as a gift, but as an office. A prophet would declare God's will for his generation, addressing idolatry or lukewarmness. We see this personified in John the Baptist who warned and rebuked the people preparing the for the Messiah.
Fables are all things beyond what is written in the word.
 
===Prophets must be judged===
 
Once the scriptures were completed, the Church had all that was necessary in the area of revelational truth. The apostles' instructions were in words, then put to paper for all succeeding generations on how to live in obedience to the faith.
 
Once a foundation is laid down and a house is built, we don't rebuild the foundation.(Eph.2:20) Neither should we rip apart the house that the Lord has built.
 
In terms of authority, the Bible is a closed book. When the apostolic age ended, the Bible was completed. God has not given subsequent prophets any information that extends Scripture. Everything that God wanted said in the Bible has been said in the Bible and the Canon is closed. This means that Scripture must test all prophetic utterances since the apostolic age. The words of prophets today are not authoritative (that is, their words are not to be regarded as an extension to Scripture). True prophets always direct people to the Bible because every true prophet knows that the Bible is man’s sole authority in matters pertaining to God. Yes, we should consider the claims of people who say that God has told them something, but we have to test their claims by the Bible. Paul wrote, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22) Those claiming to receive dreams or visions from God are not to be revered, quoted as an authority, or worshiped. Instead their words are to be thoroughly challenged by the Word of God and if they bear up after close investigation, the Word of God is to be exalted – not the prophet! The lives of the prophet should also be examined. Speaking of prophets, Jesus said, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:19,20)
 
Each time a prophet claims to reveal something from God, that claim has to be verified. If the claim is found to be in harmony with Scripture, then a clearer understanding of Scripture will unfold and the body of Christ will be blessed! Otherwise, I hope that none of you will have anything to do with the subtle lies of a false prophet!
 
There are those who claim to be apostles and prophets by their own word. Others claim it by showing their signs, wonders and miracles. This so-called signs and wonders movement is part of an effort to restore what they understood to be the five-fold ministry described in Ephesians 4:11. The proliferators of the movement claim that these dynamics are what is necessary for the church to have power. In actuality, those who lay claim to this ministry today are operating under a misunderstanding of apostles and prophets of the Bible. The Lord confirmed His signs to the apostles' words to show a transition of authority from Israel and its priesthood to the apostles who were laying down the foundation for the church, a new entity. This unique anointing testified to Israel and to the gentiles a new order of leadership, the demonstration of spiritual authority was transferred to the church Christ body. Becoming aware of what the Bible says about these positions in the early church can help us guard against misleading teachings in the church today.
 
Isa. 29:10-13: “For the LORD has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate Therefore the LORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” When we see new prophets operate outside the written word or give new unknown meanings to the word they have become illiterate to expounding truth. When this happens many turn to signs and wonders to validate their ministry. Its not truth that they have to give, but the power to display. 2 Tim.4:3 The time will come when they will not adhere to sound doctrine but according to their desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.” Fables are all things beyond what is written in the word.


===A prophet does not point to himself===
===A prophet does not point to himself===
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===Does not give a private interpretation of scripture===
===Does not give a private interpretation of scripture===


2 Peter 1:20, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."
2 Peter 1:20, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." A true Prophet NEVER gives his private interpretation. He only shares what the Lord reveals. Scripture defines Scripture, not man.
A true Prophet NEVER gives his private interpretation. He only shares what the Lord reveals. Scripture defines Scripture, not man.


==Does not glorify himself==
===Does not glorify himself===


2 Peter 1:21, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
2 Peter 1:21, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
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A true Prophet believes and preaches the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He will preach Jesus as God who came to Earth and put on humanity in order to redeem us all.
A true Prophet believes and preaches the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He will preach Jesus as God who came to Earth and put on humanity in order to redeem us all.


===Gender is not an issue===
===Gender is not an issue for either Old or New Testament prophets===


Exodus 15:20, "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances."
Exodus 15:20, "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances."
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Age makes NO difference in being a prophet.
Age makes NO difference in being a prophet.


===Do not disagree with scripture===
===Does not disagree with scripture===


Isa. 8:20. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them."
Isa. 8:20. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them."
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True prophet's sayings are totally consistent with all that the Holy Spirit has already revealed in Scripture.
True prophet's sayings are totally consistent with all that the Holy Spirit has already revealed in Scripture.


===Do not plagiarize===
===Does not create pride===
 
A true prophet does not plagiarize from others.
 
Jeremiah 23:30
So I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me. (NET)
 
===Do not create pride===


Mt. 7:15. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Ye shall know them by their fruits. ... Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ...Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
Mt. 7:15. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Ye shall know them by their fruits. ... Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. ...Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
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The Bible is clear that genuine and false prophets will exist until the end. I believe the first step in identifying a true prophet is found in the book of Ezekiel: “The word of the Lord came to me [Ezekiel]: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination:
The Bible is clear that genuine and false prophets will exist until the end. I believe the first step in identifying a true prophet is found in the book of Ezekiel: “The word of the Lord came to me [Ezekiel]: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination:


[They deceitfully say] ‘Hear the word of the Lord! [But,] This is what the Sovereign Lord says [to them]: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, O Israel, are like [noisy] jackals [roaming aimlessly] among ruins. You [claim to speak on my behalf, but you] have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel [that is, you have not turned My people away from their decadent sins] so that it [My house] will stand firm [in righteousness] in the battle on the day of the Lord. Their visions are false and their divinations a lie.’ They say, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, ‘The Lord declares,’ though I have not spoken?’” (Ezekiel 13:1-7, insertions and italics mine)
:''[They deceitfully say] ‘Hear the word of the Lord! [But,] This is what the Sovereign Lord says [to them]: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, O Israel, are like [noisy] jackals [roaming aimlessly] among ruins. You [claim to speak on my behalf, but you] have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel [that is, you have not turned My people away from their decadent sins] so that it [My house] will stand firm [in righteousness] in the battle on the day of the Lord. Their visions are false and their divinations a lie.’ They say, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, ‘The Lord declares,’ though I have not spoken?’” (Ezekiel 13:1-7, insertions and italics added)


===Visions are not indicative===
===Visions are not indicative===
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2 Peter 1:19 says we have a more sure word of prophecy. No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. There seems to be a common denominator with all the new cults that disguise themselves as the original. They have new views on basic fundamental doctrines that have been accepted for almost 2,000 years.  Their doctrines usually start with "the Lord told me" or "he appeared to me" or "I went to heaven".
2 Peter 1:19 says we have a more sure word of prophecy. No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. There seems to be a common denominator with all the new cults that disguise themselves as the original. They have new views on basic fundamental doctrines that have been accepted for almost 2,000 years.  Their doctrines usually start with "the Lord told me" or "he appeared to me" or "I went to heaven".


===Prophets do not bring doctrine===
===Prophets do not bring new doctrine===


Hebrews 1:1 I tells us that God has spoken in times past to the fathers by the prophets in many various ways, but in these last days, He has spoken by His Son. Once the New Testament was completed, there was no longer a need for prophets to reveal God's will or new revelational knowledge. His Son's words are all we need. Prophets are not a continuing position. However, we do have the gift of prophecy functioning for edification, consolation, and exhortation within the local church body. But this is never doctrine. Prophets are not sent, as in Old Testament times, to rebuke; rather the gift is to console and build us up.
Hebrews 1:1 I tells us that God has spoken in times past to the fathers by the prophets in many various ways, but in these last days, He has spoken by His Son. Once the New Testament was completed, there was no longer a need for prophets to reveal God's will or new revelational knowledge. His Son's words are all we need. Prophets are not a continuing position. However, we do have the gift of prophecy functioning for edification, consolation, and exhortation within the local church body. But this is never doctrine. Prophets are not sent, as in Old Testament times, to rebuke; rather the gift is to console and build us up.
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[[Category:Prophecies]]
[[Category:Prophecies]]
[[Category:Supernatural vindication‏]]‎
[[Category:Supernatural vindication‏]]‎
[[[Category:Eschatology]]
[[Category:Eschatology]]
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