What’s a Prophet?

1 Cor 12:28

Prophets - Yesterday I mentioned the possibility of false apostles.  Today I’m going to address false prophets.  This is a bit easier because Jesus and the book of Revelation both warn about the increase in false prophets.

But what’s a prophet?  We have images of the prophets of the Old Testament, people like Abraham (the first named prophet), Moses, Samuel…  There are over 133 named prophets, including 16 women.  They usually predicted something in the future, most of which was met with disdain.  The New Testament has some prophets with John the Baptist and Jesus being the most famous.  But do we have prophets today?

The definition of a prophet is a person who speaks God’s truth to others.  I don’t believe it’s that simple, but it’s a great start.  Just saying “you shouldn’t smoke, it’s ruins the temple of God” isn’t really prophecy.  Although it may be predictive.  A true prophet will have more spiritual insight.  Some believe that everything that has been said (and predicted) is already in the Bible.  In that regard, anything a prophet of today says should not contradict the Bible.  But a prophet could reveal more clarification. 

Bottom line, Jesus predicts that there will be many false prophets (Matthew 24:24).  But to identify those false prophets, you need to be in the Word, and be positioned to test and challenge those prophets.  Read first, argue later.