The Biblical Basis for a Modern Prophet
Frank B. Holbrook
April 1982
The prophetic gift rests upon the fundamental need for communication to take
place between the Deity and the fallen family of humankind. The occult and the
category of false prophets are two systems which have functioned throughout
human history to deceive and to mislead the ignorant and the unwary away from
genuine communications from God. On the other hand, God's communications
systems-basically
the prophetic gift-is
delineated clearly in the Scriptures (Num 12:6; Amos 3:7; Luke 1:70).
Four words (three Hebrew, one Greek) are used in the
Scriptures to refer to the human instrument in this form of communication. Ro'eh (1 Sam 9:9; Isa
30:10) and the more common chozeh
(2 Sam 24:11; Amos 7:12; 2 Kgs 17:13, et cetera) both relate to the
concept of "sight" and are commonly translated "seer." The
idea seems to be that God opens to the "eyes"-that is, to the
understanding of the prophet-whatever
information or messages He may wish to have transmitted to His people. The
terms therefore emphasize the reception of a divine message by the prophet.
The meaning of the later and more commonly used word, nâbi' (1 Sam 9:9) and
its Greek equivalent, prophetes,
is best seen in the following usage:
And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall
be thy prophet [nâbi']. Thou shalt speak all
that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh. (Exod 7:1,
2)
And thou shalt speak unto him [Aaron], and put words in his mouth: and I will
be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And
he shall be thy spokesman
unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be
to him instead of God. (Exod 4:15, 16)
It is evident from these statements in which Moses and Aaron were to role-play
as God and prophet respectively that the prophet (nâbi') was viewed as a divinely appointed
spokesman for God. The LXX (Septuagint) term for nâbi' in this instance is prophetes, the term which
appears in the NT and from which our English word prophet is derived.
Prophetes is a
compound word composed of the preposition pro
which carries the nuance of "before"-or "for" in this instance-and the verb phemi, "to speak."
Thus, in a general sense, the "prophet" is a spokesman for another.
But in the biblical setting, a true prophet is a spokesman or interpreter of
God, that is, he is a divinely inspired revealer, interpreter, or spokesman for
the Deity. So the terms nâbi'/
prophetes emphasize the
transmission aspect of the prophet's role. The four words together depict a
unique office or function: A prophet is one who receives communications from
God and transmits their intent to His people.
As may be expected, speaking
for God can shade off into preaching
for God. Consequently, there are those who hold that in the NT the
gift relates at times simply to expository preaching (Lenski, p. 760, on Rom
12:6). Some see it as a "gift of inspired preaching" (International Critical Commentary
[ICC] on 1 Cor 13:2, p. 287), or "preaching the word with power"
(ICC on 1 Cor 12:10, p. 266). However, from the context of
1 Corinthians 12-14
it is evident that although active "prophesying" may at times take
the form of
effective preaching (1 Cor 14:3), it was preaching based on divine
revelation (1 Cor 14:30) and not upon the simple illumination of the
Scriptures by the Spirit which may occur to any minister who speaks for God.
The NT maintains a difference between the simple ministry of
the Word and the prophetic ministry, between the "teacher" and the
"prophet" (Eph 4:11; 1 Cor 12:28). The preaching of Barnabas and
Paul on the themes of salvation doubtless sounded much alike. But whereas one
spoke by the authority of the written Word, the other spoke with the added
authority of divine revelation (Gal 1:11, 12).
While some authorities hold that "prophesying" (propheteuo) in the NT refers
at times to preaching, it is conceded that a category of persons who received
and communicated direct and special revelations from God did function in the
New Testament as prophets (Luke 1:25-38; Acts 11:27, 28; 13:1; 15:32; 21:9).
What was their function?
The Role of the
Prophetic Gift in the NT
In the basic New Testament lists of spiritual gifts the "prophetic
gift" is listed as second-between
that of apostles
(first) and that of teachers
(third). See 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:11. The gift did not
usurp the role of the apostles, but its function affected the apostles at times
as well as the church membership in general. Some of the apostles were
themselves endowed with this gift. The activities of persons so endowed in NT
times may be summarized as follows:
1. They
were commissioned at times to forewarn of coming difficulties (Acts
11:27-30; 20:23; 21:10-14). In the first instance (Acts 11) the warning of
coming famine resulted in a brotherly bonding of the Gentile Christians in
2. Through
the gift the foreign mission outreach of the church was initiated
(Acts 13:1, 2). It also had a part in directing where the early missionaries
were to labor (Acts 16:6-10). In Paul's second missionary tour it is noted that
he was accompanied by Silas, a prophet (Acts 16:40).
4. The
prophets built up, encouraged, and consoled the church. "He
who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding,
(oikodome,
metaphorically, `building up the spiritual life') and encouragement [paraklesis, encouragement,
exhortation] and consolation
[paramuthia,
encouragement, comfort, consolation]" (1 Cor 14:3, RSV).
5. The
prophets tended (along with the other gifts) to unify the church in the true
faith and to protect it from false doctrines. "And his gifts
were . . . until we all attain to the unity of the faith . . . so that we may
no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles"
(Eph 4:11-15, RSV).
6. The
prophets along with the apostles assisted in founding the church.
"You are . . . built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" (Eph 2:20, RSV; cf. 3:5;
4:11).
"The couplet `apostles and prophets' may bring together
the Old Testament (prophets) and New Testament (apostles) as the basis of the
Church's teaching. But the inverted order of the words (not `prophets and
apostles' but `apostles and prophets') suggests that probably New Testament
prophets are meant. If so, their bracketing with the apostles as the Church's
foundation is significant. The reference must again be to a small group of
inspired teachers, associated with the apostles, who together bore witness to
Christ and whose teaching was derived from revelation (Eph 3:5) and was
foundational" (John R. W. Stott, God's
New Society [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979], 107. For
a similar viewpoint, see The
Expositor's Greek Testament, W. R. Nicoll, ed. [
The Continuance of the
Prophetic Gift
As we have already noted, the NT does set forth a doctrine of "spiritual
gifts," or charismata,
"gifts of grace" (1 Cor 12; Eph 4). These endowments by the Holy
Spirit upon individual members of the church are to "equip the saints for
the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Eph 4:12, RSV).
"As each has received a gift," he is to employ it in the service of
the church and thus assist in forwarding its work in the earth (1 Pet 4:10, 11,
RSV; cf. Rom 12:6, 7).
Since the gifts are to be continuously bestowed as the
Spirit sees fit "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ . . ." (Eph 4:13, RSV), it is obvious
that the gifts are intended to function until the church has completed its
ministry and human probation has closed.
There is no evidence in Scripture that God ever intends to
withdraw the prophetic gift or any of the other gifts this side of the Second
Coming (cf. 1 Cor 13:8-12). There is, instead, the OT prophecy of Joel
2:28-32 which is repeated by Peter (Acts 2:16-21) foretelling an end-time
outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a resultant activity of spiritual gifts. In
that connection it is appropriate to note that false prophets will be active in
the end-time as well (Mat 24:24).
The Bible Canon and
Spiritual Gifts
The Holy Scriptures, composed of the Old and New Testaments, are themselves the
product of the operation of the prophetic gift. Indirectly the Scriptures
themselves indicate a closed canon of sacred writings. The limits and sections
of the OT were already known and understood in Jesus' time. In Matthew 23:35,
Jesus indirectly indicates its outer limits: Genesis to 2 Chronicles (the
last book in the Hebrew Bible), and its three-part division in Luke 24:27, 44-the Law of Moses, the
prophets, and the writings, the first of which was the Psalms.
Hebrews describes the unfolding revelation thus: "In
many and various ways [literally, `In many portions and in many ways'] God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets;
but in these last days he has
spoken to us by a Son" (Heb 1:1, 2, RSV). Starting with Moses
(fifteenth century B.C.) the revelations from God begin to be recorded; over
the centuries other prophets record the messages entrusted to them as God saw
fit to further the understanding of His people. Finally, God chose to make His
ultimate revelation through His Son. Jesus Christ has given the human family
the greatest revelation of God possible for man to receive (John 1:18). The New Testament is the
inspired apostolic
witness and interpretation of Jesus Christ and His teaching. His is an
unrepeatable life and disclosure; theirs is an unrepeatable attestation to Him.
See sketch:
Postcanonical
prophetic gift
Jesus-Final revelation
NT = apostolic witness and
interpretation of Jesus
OT
Heb 1:1,2
Unfolding
revelation
Moses
Initial revelation
Since Christ's life on earth and the apostolic interpretation of it provide the
ultimate revelation of God, no function of the prophetic gift (as one of the
spiritual gifts) subsequent to the NT can equal, supersede, or be an addition
to its unique witness. But rather, all claims to the prophetic gift must be
tested by the Scriptures (1 Thess 5:19-21; 1 John 4:1-3; Matt 7:15-20).
The postcanonical function of the prophetic gift whenever it
shall appear will be similar to its function in the time of the apostles and
will carry with it the authority of the Spirit who speaks to the church through
it. The function may be summarized as follows:
A postcanonical manifestation of the prophetic gift-
1. Will point back to Holy Scripture as the basis of faith
and practice.
2. Will illumine and clarify teachings already present in
Scripture.
3. Will apply the principles of Scripture to the daily life.
4. May be a catalyst to direct the church to carry out its
commission as charged in the Scriptures.
5. May assist in establishing the church.
6. May reprove, warn, instruct, encourage, build up, and
unify the church in the truths of Scripture.
7. May function to protect the church from false doctrine
and to establish believers in the true.
End-Time Manifestation
of the Gift
Joel 2:28-32.
Living in the "last times" (from the OT perspective, 1 Pet 1:20;
Heb 1:2) the apostle Peter saw a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy in the
Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit with the endowment of tongues (Acts 2).
However, Pentecost seems to have been only a partial fulfillment, for Jesus
places the signs in the sun and moon mentioned by Joel as coming after the Dark
Ages of persecution and nearer the advent of "the great and the terrible
day of the Lord" (Joel 2:31). Furthermore, Joel specifically refers to a
manifestation of the gift of prophecy. Thus a complete fulfillment of Joel's
ancient prediction would require an end-time manifestation of the prophetic
gift.
Matthew 7:15-20; 24:24.
Inasmuch as Jesus foretold the appearance of "false prophets" in the
end-time, such a prediction is presumptive evidence of a true manifestation of
the gift.
1 Corinthians 12;
Ephesians 4; et cetera. The New Testament doctrine of
"spiritual gifts" (which includes the prophetic gift) has never been
rescinded. If the past may give any indication of the future, we may note that
the prophetic gift commonly functioned at periods of crisis or significance:
Noah before the Flood; the major and minor prophets cluster around the critical
periods of
Revelation 12:17; 19:10.
While our pioneers emphasized the prediction of Joel
But let us look at Joel 2:32, and see where he locates the prophecy. "And
it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall
be delivered: for in mount
God has ever manifested His power to His children according to their
necessities and their work. And can we for a moment suppose that God's people
will pass through the perils of the last days, and face the time of trouble
such as never was, and He not manifest Himself to them through those gifts
which He Himself has set in the Church? Nay, verily. God has by the prophet
Joel promised to do great things for the REMNANT `before the great and the
dreadful day of the Lord come.
1. The book of Revelation depicts two women: a pure woman clothed in light (Rev
12), and a fallen woman, designated "
The pure woman hiding in the wilderness to escape
persecution both by the dragon (12:17), and by the fallen woman (17:6), in
essence, represents multiple loyal groups. These groups (while not necessarily
doctrinally pure in every respect: compare the symbolized history of the
church, Rev 2:3), maintained faith in God and loyalty to the Scriptures during
the period of the Dark Ages. How then is the "remnant of her seed"
("the rest of her offspring," RSV) to be identified: Is it to be
understood as an end-time remainder of Christianity in general? Or, is it to be
delimited to a specific group of Christians?
2. The book of Revelation appears to describe the
truehearted followers of God in the end-time under two different
classifications: (a) "the remnant of her seed which keep the
commandments of God" (12:17), and (b) "my [God's] people"
who are in
Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume that the remnant or
last phase of God's people spoken of in Revelation 12:17 will also preach God's
last message. That last message is described in Revelation 14:9-12 as the
"third angel." It is a specific message with definite points and
involves the contents of the first two angels as well (see Rev 14:6-14). If
those who compose the "remnant" of Revelation 12 are the propounders
of the message of the third angel (Rev 14), then they would of necessity have
to be a specific group of Christians, distinguished by the characteristics of
that special message. Historically, Seventh-day Adventists have believed they
were fulfilling the role of the third angel; hence, we have naturally seen our
movement as also symbolized in 12:17.
3. "The testimony of Jesus" (12:17). The question
here is whether this phrase denotes an end-time manifestation of the prophetic
gift in the group delimited as "the remnant of her seed."
The expression "testimony of Jesus" occurs six
times in the book of Revelation (1:2, 9; 12:17; 19:10; 20:4). The first problem
which relates to the expression concerns translation. Two translations are
grammatically possible:
a. The testimony (witness) about/concerning
Jesus (objective genitive) = what Christians witness about Jesus; "who
bear testimony to Jesus" (RSV).
b. The testimony (witness) from/by
Jesus (subjective genitive) = messages from Jesus to the church.
The evidence from the use of this expression in the book of
Revelation suggests that it should be understood as a subjective genitive (a
testimony from or by Jesus), and that this testimony is given through prophetic
revelation. A few exhibits:
a. Revelation 1:1, 2.
"The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him, to
shew unto his servants . . . and he sent and signified it by
his angel unto his servant John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ,
and of all things that he saw."
In this context it is evident that "the Revelation of
Jesus" designates a revelation from
or by Jesus to
John. John then bears record of this testimony/witness from Jesus. Both genitive
expressions make the best sense in context as subjective genitives and agree
with Christ's closing words in the book: "He which testifieth [witnesses] these things
saith, Surely I come quickly" (Rev 22:20).
Commenting on the same phrase in Revelation 19:10, James
Moffat writes:
The testimony of Jesus is practically equivalent to Jesus testifying (xxii,
20). It is the self-revelation of Jesus (according to i, l, due ultimately to
God) which moves the Christian prophets. He forms at once the impulse and
subject of their utterances. (The
Expositor's Greek Testament, W. Robertson Nicoll, ed. [Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1961 reprint], 5:465)
b. A comparison of Revelation 19:10 and 22:9 links the testimony from Jesus
with the prophetic function:
19:10-"You must not do that!
I am a fellow servant with you" (RSV) and
22:9-"You must not do that!
I am a fellow servant with you" (RSV) and
19:10-"your brethren who hold the testimony of
Jesus" (RSV)
22:9-"your brethren the prophets
. . ." (RSV)
c. Revelation 19:10 defines the testimony from Jesus as "the spirit of
prophecy." "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Although James Moffat regards the sentence as a gloss, he
analyzes its meaning from the implications of a subjective genitive.
"For the testimony or witness of (i.e.,
borne by) Jesus is (i.e., constitutes) the spirit of prophecy." This
. . . specifically defines the brethren who hold the testimony of
Jesus as possessors of prophetic inspiration. (Ibid.)
4. The phrase "spirit of prophecy" may be understood in either of two
senses:
a. It can refer to the Holy
Spirit who indites or conveys the prophetic revelation. "Holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet 1:21). Such
expressions as the "Spirit of grace," the "Spirit of
truth," et cetera, designate the Spirit who conveys grace or who conveys
truth. So the testimony from Jesus may be equated or linked with the Spirit's
function to inspire the prophet with a revelation from God (cf. 1:10). Such a
revelation is, in effect, a testimony or witness from Jesus. This
interpretation of the phrase is in keeping with 1 Peter 1:11 which notes that
the OT prophets were inspired by "the Spirit of Christ" and thus bore
a testimony from Him.
b. The phrase, "spirit of prophecy," may also be
understood as the genius
or distinctive essence
of prophecy. Jesus bearing witness is the very genius or soul of prophecy.
James White phrased it this way: "The spirit, soul, and substance of
prophecy, is the testimony of Jesus Christ. Or, the voice of the prophets
relative to the plan and work of human redemption, is the voice of the Redeemer"
(Life Sketches
[1880 ed.], 335-36, cited in SDA
Encyclopedia, art., "Spirit of Prophecy").
6. If the "testimony of Jesus" is indeed the
witness of Jesus to His church through the prophetic channel, then the question
is whether the characterization of 12:17 is stressing the remnant's possession
of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments or the possession of a
postcanonical manifestation of spiritual gifts in the form of the prophetic
gift. The former assertion seems too obvious a point for the prophetic writer
to underscore; but a manifestation of the prophetic gift in an end-time setting
would be significant.
This prophecy regarding the remnant's possession of the
prophetic testimony from Jesus may be compared with the many references to the
Messiah in the Davidic Psalms. A reader in OT times would have related many-if not all-of the statements in these
psalms to David. Later-after
Christ's life, atoning death, and resurrection-these statements are seen to have a greater
and more perfect application to the Messiah, the Son of David. Just so, in the
fulfillment of Revelation 12:17, together with the development of the movement
of the third angel, we may now see what was not evident before that
development: that the remnant's possession of the "testimony of
Jesus" involves the heartwarming truth that Christ has chosen to speak
once more through the prophetic gift to His people as they face the myriad
challenges of the end-time and the close of human probation.
Scriptures
quoted from RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©
1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the
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