ARE MODERN-DAY PROPHETS/PROPHETESSES BIBLICAL AND ARE THEY NEEDED TODAY?© By Pastor Greg Hooker As we inch closer and closer to the return of our Lord, we see an influx of those claiming to be ‘prophets’ and ‘prophetesses’ - people who believe and claim they have direct access to new insights from God. In other words; those who assert to receive divine revelations like the Apostle Paul, Peter, or John. Is this Biblical, or is this a fulfillment of the Bible? Let’s see if we can glean something from the inerrant, divine, Word of God on this subject. Let’s begin our study by establishing the definition of a biblical prophet. I. THE BIBLICAL PROPHET DEFINED In short, a prophet is someone who is a mouthpiece of God. He is a communication source between God and man. A biblical prophet as God’s mouthpiece were inspired and without error in their proclamations. On the flip side of the coin, the prophet was not someone who was a mere puppet in God’s hands. Instead, he was someone who expounded the truth of God’s Word, but at the same time retained his own thoughts and mind when he spoke for the Lord. In other words, the prophet would receive the Word of God and put them in their own words without compromising the true, exact meaning of them. A biblical prophet was two things: 1) They were a servant of God, “But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers” (Zech. 1:6)? 2) They were a messenger of God, “And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place” (2 Chron. 36:15). II. THE BIBLICAL PROPHET’S PURPOSE The gift of the New Testament prophet’s office was a temporary position granted by the Lord for the purpose of establishing His Church. Unlike the apostles whose ministry was broad in nature, the prophet’s ministry was localized within the local churches. We see examples of this in the following passages: “And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar” (Acts 11:27 – 28). “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon …” (Acts 13:1). In addition, the New Testament church prophets had two primary purposes: 1) They were gifted men provided to the Church and appointed by God to lay the foundations of the New Testament Church, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12, see also 1 Cor. 12:28). 2) They received God’s direct revelations of truth and communicated it to their congregations, “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” (Eph. 3:5). We must keep in mind; the early Church did not possess a complete Bible like we do today. Thus God used these prophets to teach them His message to the Church. III. THE BIBLICAL PROPHET’S NECESSITY FOR TODAY We now approach the question: Is prophets still needed today? To answer this question, let’s review what we stated above. 1) First, we learned that prophets were given by the Lord for the purpose of laying the foundations of the early New Testament Church. In our modern-day time in which we live, the foundations of the New Testament Church have long be established. They do not need to be laid again, for the foundations of the Lord remain true and steadfast. They are immovable and will stand as sure as God Himself. 2) Second, we learned that the Word of God as revealed to us through the prophets of old is complete. God’s revealed Word needs no additions, for it was closed and sealed in the New Testament canon. According to 2 Tim. 3:16-17, we have the final authoritative Word of the Living God and have no use for further revelations, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” If someone now claims to have a ‘special revelation from the Lord’, we must test it against the Holy Scriptures we already possess. If it is contrary to the Word of God, then we must invariably reject it post haste! On the other hand, if it ‘is’ consistent with the Scriptures, then we must ask ourselves why an ‘extra’ word was necessary if its truth is already contained in the Bible? So while we will always need men to boldly proclaim the Word of God as it is contained in the Scriptures (as pastors, teachers, and evangelists), there is no need for the office of “prophet” as it existed in the early New Testament founding of the Church. John Calvin said, ‘I do not understand the gift of foretelling the future, but the science of interpreting Scripture, so that a prophet is an interpreter of the will of God.’ We have the complete Word of God for today and it is our job to interpret it correctly, not to add nor take away from it. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Rev. 22:18). My friends, it’s a dangerous occupation to add too, or subtract from the inspired, written Word of God.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 17:29:53 +0000