Acknowledgments

 It probably goes without saying that a book of this magnitude and scope is no small undertaking. From its inception we were keenly aware of the challenges we would face in attempting to track the gift of prophecy in Scripture and history. There was the obvious hurdle of the subject matter itself, namely the movement and work of the Holy Spirit, who gives the gift of prophecy. How to assemble a group of scholars who could discern the manifestation of the Spirit’s work in Scripture and history and then relate their findings in an understandable way was itself a Spirit-led enterprise. We therefore want to thank God for guiding our efforts.We were heartened by the support of colleagues around the globe who saw light in the project and offered their expertise as needed. Their hard work and dedication were critical to producing The Gift of Prophecy in Scripture and HistoryWe especially want to recognize G. T. Ng and the board members of the Ellen G. White Estate for their assistance in this venture. In addition to voting the project, the White Estate board offered financial assistance to help defray some of the production costs associated with this volume. Jim Nix, director of the White Estate, has been an enthusiastic ally of this book project from the start. Without his timely guidance this project might not have seen the light of day.Merlin D. Burt, Michael Campbell, Jiří Moskala, and E. Edward Zinke played an integral part in envisioning the symposium that gave birth to this book project. Their support along the way helped to make The Gift of Prophecy in Scripture and History possible. Several people—Burt and Moskala included—willingly gave of their time to serve on the reading committee for this book, some doing so while also contributing chapters. We are especially indebted to Willie E. Hucks II and E. Edward Zinke for their timely insight and critical feedback during the manuscript review process. Besides offering valuable suggestions to the content of several chapters, James R. Nix facilitated financial and administrative support for the project through the Ellen G. White Estate.With Gratitude,

Alberto R. Timm and Dwain N. Esmond, Editors

Part I—Biblical Studies

Chapter 1 — The Prophetic Voice in the Old Testament: An Overview

Jiří MoskalaThe phenomenon of prophecy in the Old Testament appears after the Fall (Gen. 3:1-6), when human beings lost face-to-face relationship with God, and it began with God’s pronouncement of the proto-gospel, or “First Gospel” (verse 15). This astounding proclamation of God’s determination to send the Seed and defeat the serpent (Satan) in order to secure humanity’s redemption is the foundation and key for the recognition of the prophetic voice in the Old Testament. This divine statement makes a difference for the whole history of humanity— their salvation and the defeat of evil—and is expressed in the context of the great controversy when God stated: “I will put enmity” between the forces of good and evil. This soteriological announcement is a divine order of future events focused on God’s activity and the fulfillment of His promise.God is the only source of the gift of prophecy, and it is not an invention by godly people. Prophets could not initiate this process, but were led by the Spirit of God in order to prophesy (1 Pet. 1:19-21). Revelation and inspiration comes to the prophets by the Lord through the work of the Holy Spirit, and this is why their words were considered to be of divine origin (Num. 24:1, 2, 13; 2 Sam. 23:2; Neh. 9:30; Eze. 11:24; Mic. 3:8; Zech. 7:12). God communicates His message by using various means to reveal His truth, such as dreams, visions, or dialogues (Gen. 15:12, 13; Dan. 2:19; 7:1, 2; Hab. 1:2-2:2; Heb. 1:1, 2). Simply stated, true prophecy is the “human transmission of . . . divine messages.” It is interesting to observe that Old Testament prophets play a dominant role in Old Testament history, and their books “take up as much space in the Bible as the entire New Testament.” Martti Nissinen explains: “The huge process of collecting, editing, and interpreting prophecy that took place as a part of the formation of the Hebrew Bible was virtually without precedent in the rest of the ancient Near East.” This is why John Oswalt concludes that “the biblical books of prophecy are sui generis, one of a kind.” Their role is well summarized by the inspired historian in the following way: “The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets’ ” (2 Kings 17:13).Kenton Sparks states that “apart from the Hebrew Bible, prophecies from the ancient Near East are few.” Historical records reveal that they were transmitted by divination or consulting omens, and usually uttered in a trance. In Egypt, “prophets” were employed as priests, using different magical practices to provide the pharaohs with information. In the Greek world mantic puzzling utterances had to be interpreted by someone else. In Mesopotamia the prophets were more political figures in the service of the king, thus securing the royal institution. On the other hand, prophets in Israel had different roles. They were servants of God (Amos 3:7) with their ministry built on the revealed Word of God (Amos speaks about sod, namely, “secrets,” “counsel,” or “confidential things” exposed by God) and announced with an authority that came from God. Thus, they were not possessed by God but inspired by Him (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) and proclaimed God’s Word to people, at times rebuking even kings and priests (1 Sam. 3:15-18; 13:10-14; 2 Sam. 12:1-14). They struggled with false prophets (e.g., see Jer. 28:10-17; Eze. 13:1-23), but their unique role was to call people to repentance and to renew a close relationship with their living Lord (Eze. 18:30-32; Joel 2:12, 13; Amos 5:4, 6, 14, 15). John Oswalt underlines the uniqueness of God’s prophets in delivering their message: “There is no record of a Hebrew prophet’s message requiring confirmation through divination.” The phenomenon of prophecy cannot be separated from the prophetic role and function. It is indispensable to see both issues together, because the prophetic gift does not come in a vacuum and is always carried by people (with the exception of Balaam’s donkey—see Num. 22:21-33). Being and function cannot be dissected and separated; they belong together.

Categorization of Prophets

The first individual explicitly mentioned as being a prophet in the Hebrew Bible is Abraham (called in Hebrew nābî’), and his role was to pray for Abimelech (Gen. 20:7). However, Enoch is the actual first prophet (except for God, who made the first soteriological prediction of Genesis 3:15), according to Jude 14, even though he is not called a prophet in the Old Testament: “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone.’ ”In addition to this statement, Enoch named his son Methuselah, which is an unusual name and may have prophetic connotations. There are different possibilities of expressing its meaning, such as “he will send a man,” “at his death He will send,” “at his death it will be sent,” or “man’s arrow.” Alfred Jones translates it very pointedly: “When he is dead it shall be sent.” It is interesting that Methuselah lived 969 years; and on this basis, consider the following: Methuselah was 187 when Lamech was born; Lamech was 182 when he had Noah; and Noah was 600 years old when the Flood came. When the fathers’ ages at the birth of their sons are all added together, the result is astounding (187 + 182 + 600 = 969). So Methuselah died exactly in the year of the Flood, and it was predicted in his name!One can state that the first biblical prophets are categorized as “honorary prophets”: Noah (God communicated with him and gave specific instructions to prepare people for the Flood, even though he is not explicitly called a prophet [Gen. 6-9] but a “preacher of righteousness” [2 Peter 2:5]); Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 20:7; Ps. 105:15); Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18); Samuel (1 Sam. 3:20); and David (Acts 2:29-30). One can classify prophets in other ways: (1) nonwriting prophets, such as Enoch, Abraham, Elijah, Elisha; and (2) classical writing prophets—four major and minor prophets (a total of 16). These writing prophets can be additionally divided into the following chronological groups Before the Christian Era (B.C.E.): ninth-century prophet (Joel); eighth-century prophets (Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah); preexilic, or seventh-century, prophets (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah); exilic prophets (Jeremiah, Obadiah, Ezekiel, Daniel); and postexilic prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). Another special category of prophets are those who wrote their documents or books, but their writings were not included in the biblical canon—Jasher, Samuel, Nathan, Gad, Shemaiah, Oded, Ahijah, Jehu, and Iddo (for details, see Joshua 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18; 1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29; 12:15; 15:8; 20:34). In addition, there were also female prophets in ancient Israel: Miriam (Ex. 15:20); Deborah (Judges 4:4); Hulda (2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chron. 34:22); and Isaiah’s wife (Isa. 8:3).

Appearance in Crises and Crucial Moments of Salvation History

One can discover a pattern in the manner and timing of when God sent prophets. Prophets were called to their ministry at critical points in salvation history and in times of deep crisis. Usually the deeper the crisis, the greater the prophet. For instance, the prophets Elijah and Elisha ministered when Baalism and religious syncretism were very popular. Other examples include the beginning of the monarchy (Nathan, Gath), before the fall of the northern kingdom (Hosea, Amos), prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 587/586 B.C. (Habakkuk, Jeremiah), during the Babylonian exile (Ezekiel, Daniel), and after the return from the Babylonian exiles (Haggai, Zechariah). God was always seeking to help His people and encourage them to follow His instruction (Isa. 1:2, 3, 18, 19; Mic. 6:6-8).One can detect another pattern. Every time there was a crucial event in the plan of salvation or the fulfillment of a predicted prophetic period, prophets were sent by God: Noah (before the Flood with 120 years of grace, and afterward); Abraham (starting point for a new ministry to all nations); Moses (the Exodus from Egypt; the end of the 430-year stay in Egypt); Joshua (entering into the Promised Land); Samuel (beginning of the monarchy); Hosea and Amos (serving before the fall of the northern kingdom and Samaria in 722 B.C.); Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel (working before and during the Babylonian captivity); John the Baptist (ministering before the first coming of Jesus); and Stephen (witnessing in relation to the end of the 70-weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27).

Who Is an Old Testament Prophet?

The gift of prophecy is recognizable in its various forms in the ministry of the Old Testament prophets by revealing who is a prophet, detecting what is his or her role, and defining the nature of the prophetic phenomenon.

1. A Prophet Is Someone Who Is Called By God.

A prophet is a person who was called by God Himself to the prophetical ministry. Priesthood and kingship were hereditary, but one needed to be called by God in order to become a prophet. This is a specific feature of prophets and is different from kings, priests, or wise men. There are many narratives describing dramatic calls of prophets (see, e.g., the Lord’s calling of Moses [Ex. 3], Samuel [1 Sam. 3], Isaiah [Isa. 6], Jeremiah [Jer. 1], and Ezekiel [Eze. 1-3]. These calls confer authority on the prophet, and it is a distinct mark for becoming a prophet.

2. A Prophet Is the Spokesperson for God.

Prophets are spokespersons for God. Their crucial role is to deliver speeches on God’s behalf. It is clearly explained in Exodus 4 and 7 that Moses would act like God (‘ēlōhîm) to Pharaoh, and Aaron would be Moses’s prophet (nābî’), which means that Aaron’s task would be to speak to Pharaoh what Moses tells him. Aaron would be the intermediator and deliverer of God’s word. So God calls prophets in order to deliver His words: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country’ ” (Ex. 7:1, 2). “You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him” (Ex. 4:15, 16).A prophet is thus God’s “mouth,” His speaker (Jer. 15:19). A prophet is an authorized and authoritative spokesperson called by God Himself. He is a nābî’ (occurring 309 times in the Hebrew Bible), which means a prophet. Scholars have not reached a consensus about the meaning of this term. There are two interpretative possibilities: 1. The word is derived from the Akkadian term nabu (this language predates Hebrew), meaning “to be called,” “one who is called,” or nabitu, signifying “one called (by the gods),” thus nābî’ would mean “someone called to a certain task.” 2. The noun nābî’ is derived from the Hebrew verb nāba’, which root means to “speak,” “prophesy.” Westermann claims that the prophetical formula “Thus says the Lord” reflects the style of Mari kings’ messengers. Thus, prophets speak for God. These two meanings should be taken as complementary, so a prophet is a person called by God and authorized by Him to be His spokesperson who communicates the content of God’s revelation. The result is that “God spoke to Israel through prophets.” Abraham Heschel aptly corrects a misunderstanding of the commonly accepted view that the prophet is God’s “mouth”: “The prophet is not a mouthpiece, but a person; not an instrument, but a partner, an associate of God.” A prophet is not a spectator, but an actor on the stage of life; he is personally involved, immersed, and engaged in his, i.e., God’s mission. Prophets play out their message as actors, as in the cases of Hosea (Hos. 1; 2), Isaiah (Isa. 20:2-4), Micah (Mic. 1:8), or Ezekiel, who performed 12 symbolic actions (Eze. 3:26, 27; 4:1-3; 4:4, 5; 4:6-8; 4:9-17; 5:1-4; 12:1-6; 12:17-20; 21:6, 7; 21:18-23; 24:15-26; 37:15-23).Numbers 12:6-8 plainly explains the authority of a prophet in comparison to the ministry of Moses. God Himself speaks: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” Moses is a prophet par excellence and becomes a norm for all later prophets. “All prophetic utterances were to be tested by God’s revelation to Moses.” He was uplifted to this level as a prophet because (1) God communicated with him very closely like with a friend (Ex. 33:11; Deut. 34:10); (2) he was His faithful servant and called the servant of the Lord (Ex. 14:31; Num. 12:7, 8; Deut. 34:5; Josh. 1:1, 2; compare with Heb. 3:2, 5); (3) he performed mighty deeds and miraculous signs and wonders (Deut. 34:11, 12) ; (4) he was a mediator of the covenant at Sinai (Ex. 19:3-8; 20:18-20; 24:3-8); (5) he developed the Old Testament church more fully after the Exodus, with Israel becoming one nation; and (6) he had several important roles assigned by God—leadership with speaking and writing. For these reasons all future prophets were to be compared to him. His ministry was normative, and people were to look forward to the “prophet like Moses.” Deuteronomy 18:15 alludes to this messianic hope: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.”Also Samuel and Elijah were considered as prophets with special stature (Jer. 15:1; 2 Chron. 35:18; Mal. 4:5), even though they did not write a book. They were the model prophets and fulfilled their roles without any faults in times of extraordinary crisis. Samuel stood for a theocracy and encouraged the first two kings of Israel to do the will of God. Elijah’s faithfulness on Mount Carmel when he opposed 850 Baal and Asherah prophets in false worship and courageously called the whole nation to serve the Lord was magnificent and spectacular (see 1 Kings 18:16-46). A prophet is a voice (qol) in the wilderness (Isa. 40:3; Mark 1:3); he is God’s messenger, mal’ak (see Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:1-4; see also Mal. 2:7). Gary V. Smith expresses it well: “The written records of the prophets portray them as normal people, preaching to diverse audiences in a wide array of settings. Each fulfilled God’s calling by communicating a life-transforming message that required a reevaluation of the way their audiences conceived the phenomena in the world. . . . They saw themselves as messengers who communicated God’s word to an audience that needed God’s love, wisdom, power, and grace.” Abraham Heschel explains: “The prophet claims to be far more than a messenger. He is a person who stands in the presence of God (Jer. 15:19), who stands ‘in the council of the Lord’ (Jer. 23:18), who is a participant, as it were, in the council of God, not a bearer of dispatches whose function is limited to being sent on errands. He is a counselor as well as messenger.” Grudem correctly writes: “The main function of the Old Testament prophets was to be messengers from God, sent to speak to men and women with words from God.”

3. A Prophet Is the Proclaimer of the Divine Word.

Prophets very often used specific formulas: “This is what the Lord says” (Isa. 45:1; 49:8; Jer. 18:13; 29:10); “The Lord said to me” (Isa. 8:1; Hos. 3:1); “The Lord spoke to . . . me” (Isa. 8:11, NKJV); “This is what the Sovereign Lord says” (Eze. 6:11; 7:5; Oba. 1); “The word of the Lord came to me” (Jer. 1:4, 13; 2:1; Eze. 6:1); “Declares the Lord” (Jer. 3:20; 4:1; 8:1; Hag. 1:13); “The word of the Lord came to [follows a name of a particular prophet]” (1 Kings 16:1; Hos. 1:1; Joel 1:1; Jon. 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1; Zech. 1:1); “By the word of the Lord a man of God came” (1 Kings 13:1); etc. Prophets proclaim the word of God, because God revealed it to them (Amos 7:15, 16). This fact of God’s revelation gives to them the highest authority. The secrets (sod) of God are revealed to them (Amos 3:7; Gen. 18:17); they saw God and had a personal encounter with Him (1 Kings 17:2; 18:15; Isa. 6:1-9; Jer. 1:4-10; Eze. 1:28; Dan. 7:9, 10, 13, 14; Amos 9:1). They are His speakers; they speak in God’s name to His people and sometimes even to other nations (see prophets’ oracles against foreign nations in Isaiah 13-23; Jeremiah 46-51; Ezekiel 25-32; Amos 1; 2; or Jonah’s mission to the Ninevites—Jonah 4; see also Seraiah’s journey to Babylon with the message from Jeremiah in Jeremiah 51:59-64). They were ministers of God’s word. Through prophets the invisible God becomes audible. Prophets make God’s presence more real; they declare that they were in God’s presence. Samuel Meier states that “only the prophet ever made the claim that he stood in the presence of God.” Abraham Heschel observes that the prophet’s task was to bring people to the presence of God. They “could not use the language of essence; they had to use the language of presence. They did not try to depict Him; they tried to present Him, to make Him present. In such effort, only words of grandeur and intensity, not abstractions, can be of any avail.” The authority of a prophet is derived from God, His revelation, and His word. Prophetic office is not bought or inherited but given from above. If a prophet is called by God, he or she has the authority—as Moses did—and speaks the very word of God that needs to be obeyed. When a prophet speaks, it is like God would speak, because the prophet delivers His Word and not his or her own (see 2 Pet. 1:19-21). Deuteronomy 18:17-19 gives reasons a prophet has authority and must be highly respected: “The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.’ ” Grudem correctly states that the words of a prophet have the highest authority: “We could fully trust the words of the Old Testament Scriptures, and (whenever its commands apply to us today) we should fully obey its commands, for they are commands from God.” The proclamation of God’s word is very crucial because it provides a control to the prophetic gift. The orthodoxy and genuineness of the prophet can be established and confirmed by examining his word (Isa. 8:19, 20). It gives balance to the spiritual and visionary part of the prophet, because anybody can claim that God revealed Himself to him/her or that God spoke to him/her. The prophet’s word is something tangible that can be evaluated and judged if it is in harmony with the directions of God’s previous revelation, or if it is in contradiction to its original intent and purpose.The needed truthfulness of the prophet’s message and credibility is described in Deuteronomy 13:1-4: “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.”It is important to realize that even false prophets can perform miracles, and prophets with wonders can mislead. Mighty deeds and miracles are not proof of the trustworthiness and authenticity of the prophecy or the prophet’s teaching. “One impossibility for a true biblical prophet, therefore, is that he would proclaim any message that promotes other gods and their worship.” “The signs or wonders the prophet performs are of secondary importance to the message they accompany.” “A person is not necessarily a prophet because he is able to announce a sign or wonder that comes to pass. If the message that person speaks calls people to faithful obedience to the God of the Scriptures, only then should the sign or wonder be acknowledged as legitimate.” The principle is thus clear: the prophetical message must be in harmony with God’s previous revelation and His law, and the new message cannot contradict basic principles of what other prophets have taught. Not the gift of the Spirit but only the fruit of the Spirit are genuine signs of truth: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matt. 7:21-23).Grudem argues that in the Old Testament “every prophet is judged or evaluated, but not the various parts of every prophecy.” It means that “when a prophet spoke in the name of the Lord, if even one prophecy did not come true, he was a false prophet (Deut. 18:22).” Samuel was evaluated as a person and his message in its entirety (see 1 Sam. 3:19; 9:6; also Jer. 28:8, 9) and prevailed (1 Sam. 2:30). Biblical prophets are always very closely associated with the law of God. The law (Hebrew Torah, teaching, God’s instructions) is inseparable from their activities. All that the prophets were doing was deeply rooted in the Torah. They were called and obliged to transmit God’s word to the people. They pointed back to the law of God. Thus, the Pentateuch is the foundation in which prophets were ingrained and to which they referred. God’s transcendence prevented prophets from manipulating God or altering His message. A warning example is the prophet Balaam, who could only utter genuine prophecies (Num. 22:35, 38; 23:11, 12, 25, 26; 24:12-13) in spite of his attempts to do otherwise (Num. 24:1, 2). He pronounced the most beautiful blessings on God’s people (Num. 23:18-24; 24:9) and proclaimed messianic prophecies (Num. 24:17-19). However, he departed from his call, gave wicked advice, and his life ended in a violent death (Num. 25:1, 2; 31:8, 16; Josh. 13:22; cf. 2 Pet. 2:15; Rev. 2:14).It is interesting that God could give even prophetic dreams to Pharaoh (Gen. 41:1-40) or Nebuchadnezzar (see Dan. 2 and 4), but always the correct interpretation needed to be delivered by God’s men (e.g., Joseph or Daniel) so that the divine message would not be mixed and confused with magic or divination. The word and content of God’s message is more crucial than the manner of deliverance. Also the unusual symbols in apocalyptic visions of the prophetic books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah demand thorough cognitive work for understanding of the meaning of the Old Testament message.

4. A Prophet Is the Presenter of the Right Picture of God.

The principal task and the main role of God’s prophets was to present a right picture of God. Prophets paint the picture of God on the background of the great controversy between good and evil. Not a sentimental dream picture about God, not a distant God, not a cruel, tyrannical or capricious God, not a God of philosophers (an idealistic, motionless, non-historical God), but a living, interacting, emotional, suffering, intervening God. Satan tried from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden to distort the character of God, making of Him a monster (Gen. 3:1-5). The main role of prophets was to restore the true understanding of God, because from the lack of knowledge people perish (Hos. 4:1, 6; 5:1). Oswalt aptly summarizes that prophets “understanding of God and of humanity and of the world and of the meaning and purpose of human experience, and indeed of reality, is unique.” Prophets were correctors of the wrong picture of God. They presented the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God of prophets, God of love, truth, justice, and freedom (Gen. 3:1-15; Ex. 34:6, 7). Only this correct view of God stirs a right response (Rom. 2:4). God is presented already in Genesis as God the Creator, Judge, Savior, Leader, Help, Lord of History, Covenant God, and personal God. Prophets spoke about hope and restoration. Some prophets performed great miracles—especially Moses, Elijah, and Elisha, but others not. However, the most important point for all prophets was to deliver the divine message faithfully. Prophetic message was twofold—proclaiming judgment or condemnation, but on the other hand, also hope, restoration, and salvation. Prophetical message is strongly monotheistic and against all forms of idolatry. It is an ethical message of true morality with respect for God, other human beings, and self. They demand responsible moral behavior. Justice is another key component of their message that was often stressed and emphasized. Their principal message, however, was always one of repentance and return to the Lord (Eze. 14:6; 18:30-32; 33:11; Hos. 6:1; 14:1, 2; Joel 2:12-14; Amos 5:4-6, 14, 15). They are “guardians of theocracy” who want God to rule in the lives of everyone and allow Him to be their God and Lord.Prophets specifically spoke about the Day of the Lord (for example, Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:14-3:1), which was the type for the second coming of Christ. Zimmerli rightly points to the fact that on many occasions the prophetic word regarding “a day of Yahweh . . . is interpreted as a phenomenon that is relevant for the whole world.” True prophets had to unmask the false worship system like Elijah and Daniel did (1 Kings 18:18-39; Dan. 3:1-30; 7:8, 24-27; 8:9-26) and denounce false prophets with their wrong practices (Eze. 13). It is significant to note that there is no term in the Hebrew Scriptures for false prophets. The Septuagint uses the word pseudoprophētēs (see Jer. 28:1 [= LXX 35:1]; Jer. 29:1, 8 = [LXX 36:1, 8]; Zech. 13:2), but in the Hebrew this terminology is missing; the word nābî’ is used to designate a true or a false prophet. Their belief system and praxis identify them as true or false. This is why it was quite difficult in Israel to distinguish between the true and false prophet. Abraham Heschel pointedly explains: “The God of the philosophers is a concept derived from abstract ideas; the God of the prophets is derived from acts and events.” When they practiced magic or divination (Isa. 9:19; Jer. 14:14), went after false gods and fell into idolatry (Eze. 8:6-18; 14:3-8; 20:30-44), their morality was questionable (Jer. 23:14), predicted things that did not happen (Jer. 28:2-4, 10, 11, 15-17), or misled people (Deut. 13:2; 18:20; Jer. 2:8), so they were identified as unfaithful servants.

5. A Prophet Is the Interpreter of History.

When I ask people the question “Who is a prophet?” the typical answer is that a prophet is a person who predicts future events. This answer is partially true because prophets can predict the future, but contrary to popular opinion, predicting the future was generally a minor role (one exception would be the apocalyptic prophet Daniel). The English term prophet is derived from the Greek noun prophētēs, which basically means to foresee. However, this understanding is misleading and simplifies, because prophets only rarely predicted the future. Uttering a prophecy occupies a small portion of their role.It is interesting that the Hebrew canon places among the prophetical portion of the Old Testament books that in a Christian canon belong among historical books. The Hebrew canon consists of these three sections: (1) Pentateuch; (2) Prophets—(a) Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings (in our canon they are all part of the “historical books”); and (b) Latter Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets; and (3) Writings, which include wisdom literature and the rest of the historical books.So, according to the Hebrew canonical division, a prophet is an interpreter of history. Prophets interpret the history from God’s perspective. There is no prophecy—or real life, for that matter—without memory! The primary role of the biblical prophets is not to satisfy our curiosity regarding the future. Petersen mentions that “prophets are presented as historians.” Redditt claims that prophets “by far the majority, dealt with explanations of past and present events and exhortations for the people to live righteously, priests to teach properly, and rulers and judges to administer justice fairly.” They are rather “forthtellers” than “foretellers.” Prophets interpreted past history in order to help people to understand it, and thus to do right and make mature decisions now. They call for present actions. Thus, prophets are people of three tenses: they interpret what happened in the past history, they predict the future, but urge people to act ethically in the present.

6. A Prophet Is a Person With Special Insight.

A prophet receives insight into complex situations. This is why he or she is called rō’ēh, or seer (used 11 times in the Hebrew Bible). The Hebrew root of this particular noun is rā’āh, meaning to “see” or “perceive.” Prophets perceive what other people do not see (1 Sam. 9:19; 15:28; Eze. 1:1; Amos 8:1, 2; Jer. 1:11-14; 24:3-5, 8; Zech. 4:2-6). They know God’s will to the extent that He discloses it to them. He is ḥōzēh, a vizier (employed 16 times in the Old Testament). The Hebrew root chāzāh means to “see,” “gaze,” “look intently,” “have vision” (Num. 24:4; Isa. 1:1; 13:16; Amos 1:1; Oba. 1; Mic. 1:1; Hab. 1:1). This is why a prophet is a person of vision seeing life from God’s angle, from His point of view.It does not mean that prophets understand everything. They also ask questions, need to search the Scriptures for answers, and sometimes must learn to live with their questions (Dan. 7:28; 8:27; 9:2, 22, 23; 12:8, 9; Hab. 1:2, 12, 13; 2:1-3; 3:2, 3, 16-19; “No prophet asks more questions than Zechariah” ; 1 Peter 1:10-12). Prophets can speak about things only if God reveals them to them. For example, Elisha did not know the cause of a woman’s grief (2 Kings 4:27). It is God who reveals to prophets the future (2 Kings 8:10, 13) and secret things (2 Kings 6:12). See also the experiences of Balaam, who had to deliver only the word of God to the Moabite king Balak (Num. 22:35-38; 23:11, 12, 26; 24:12, 13), and Daniel, who did not understand what God had revealed to him (Dan. 8:27; 12:8). It is interesting that all three terms for designating a prophet are used in 1 Chronicles 29:29, where Samuel is called the seer, Nathan the prophet, and Gad the vizier. In 2 Samuel 24:11 Gad is called both the prophet and the vizier, and 1 Samuel 9:9 explains that in the past a prophet was called a seer.Because prophets receive special insight from God about the future (the great controversy and details of the plan of salvation), they can predict the future, usually the near future (Jer. 28:15-17; Eze. 24:15-18; Hab. 1:6). Sometimes they even predict the distant future (Isa. 24-27; Eze. 38; 39; Dan. 2; 7; 8; 9:24-27), while false prophets are without the ability to see beyond their own time.What prophets really see is the significance of what God presents and the meaning of it. They are able to distinguish the relevancy of the topic presented (Amos 7:7, 8; 8:1, 2). This ability to perceive implications demonstrates that they are filled with the Spirit. They can see the real point of the vision and what God intends to do. God’s ultimate intention is the salvation of humankind; thus a true prophet points to Christ. Isaiah speaks about Immanuel (Isa. 7:14), Divine Son who will be born (Isa. 9:6), Davidic King (Isa. 11:1-16), and the Servant of the Lord (Isa. 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12; 61:1-3). Ezekiel projects five messianic predictions (Eze. 17:22; 21:27; 29:21; 34:23; 37:24, 25). Williams asserts: “All of the Old Testament points forward to him [Jesus Christ], and all of the New Testament reflects back on the significance of the Christ event.” Also, a prophet speaks about the future kingdom of God (Isa. 24-27; Dan. 2 and 7).Another integral part of their messages were announcements of judgment upon nations such as Babylon and Egypt, and Daniel even spoke about the activities of the little horn. They also preached about God’s judgment on His people (Joel 3:14-16; Amos 5:18-24). A prophet is a person of three tenses—past, present, and future—which enables him or her to help people achieve a correct orientation, perspective, or knowledge, and to motivate them to make right decisions. Prophets push for actions and encourage God’s people to act now.

7. A Prophet Is a Man of God.

A prophet is also called ‘îš ‘ēlōhîm, i.e., the man of God. This expression is used 76 times in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 2:27; 9:6-10; 1 Kings 12:22; 17:24; 2 Kings 4:7, 9; 1 Chron. 23:14; 2 Chron. 8:14). Why this designation? This phrase describes a special relationship between God and the prophet. He belongs to God, but at the same time it points to the godly life of the prophet. So this term means to be a “holy man” and underscores the delivery of God’s word by God’s man. It is interesting that this phrase “is not used for any of the literary prophets.”

8. A Prophet Is a Man of the Spirit.

A prophet is also ‘îš hāruach, i.e., the man of the Spirit (Hos. 9:7). Even though in the book of Hosea this designation is used pejoratively, the fact remains that a prophet is led, filled, and endowed by the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit they are powerless. “The Spirit of God came on” Balaam, so he could prophesy (Num. 24:2). The Spirit of God gives to prophets the message (Eze. 2:1; 3:12, 24; 2 Pet. 1:21). There is a play on the word ruach in Jeremiah 5:13, because ruach can mean “Spirit” (of God), but also “wind”: “The [false] prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them.” The prophetic office is a Spirit-empowered ministry (Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14, 15; 2 Sam. 23:2; Neh. 9:20, 30; Isa. 61:1; 63:14). The story is told about a man who came to his dying rabbi and said: “Rabbi, God spoke to me in a dream and stated that I am to be your successor. You need to appoint me to your position before you pass away.” The rabbi wisely answered: “Go home, and if you have the same dream tonight, come again to me.” The next day the man returned and confirmed that he had received the same dream. The rabbi insisted that they needed to be sure about it, so he requested the man to go home and pray. If he had the same dream for the third time, then something must be done about it. When the man came the third day and affirmed that he had the same dream again, the rabbi then advised him: “Now you need to pray that the same dream will be given to each person in our community of faith! Only then will you be my successor!”Everyone can claim that he or she has had a dream or a vision in which the Spirit of God spoke. How do we judge the authenticity of such a claim? Not by external signs, assurances of dreams and visions, or experience but in God’s revelation. His Word is the ultimate proof of the genuineness of the prophet (see point 3, above), the only warrant of truth. “The true prophets of Israel, whether precanonical or canonical, possessed both the word and the Spirit of the Lord.” To this crucial element can be added some external physical phenomena that may accompany the vision (e.g., the prophet has open eyes while in vision [Num. 24:4, 16], does not breathe [Dan. 10:17], or his strength is gone [Eze. 2:1; Dan. 7:28; 8:27; 10:16, 17]).