Who are the prophets in the Bible? Do prophets still exist today?

No one can go through the Scriptures without encountering a prophet in the Ancient and the New Testament. From Ezekiel to John Baptistethese messengers of God appear in just about every part of the Bible.

Why do they play such an important role? What role do they play exactly? And do they still exist in the world today or did they cease to play a role after the New Testament?

What is a prophet?

Christians vary in their characterizations of a prophet. This article will respect this definition:

A prophet receives messages from God, primarily concerning future events, and conveys them to a certain group of people or a singular person to whom God intends to hear the message conveyed.

In some ways, a prophet is an advocate or mediator between God and a group of people.

Old Testament Prophets

God does not always speak directly to a group of people. For example, God gave the prophet Jonah a message for the Assyrians, enemies of Israel at the time (Jonah 4:6-9). The prophet Daniel sent a dispatch to the Babylonians about their impending demise via the hands of the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:25-28).

However, sometimes God uses prophets to speak to His own people. For example, God commanded the prophet Jeremiah to speak against the idolatrous ways of Israel, and if they heeded this warning, he would let them remain in their land (Jeremiah 7).

Why do we need prophets?

Why would people need this messenger in the first place?

Any number of reasons may require a prophet.

1. The prophets increased the credibility of the Scriptures.

First, a prophet can impart truth to the Scriptures. If, for example, someone prophesied that a Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and hundreds of years later it would reinforce the truth of Scripture.

The chances of a prophecy coming true hundreds of years after the prediction would be so low that its fulfillment would increase belief in God rather than the belief that it happened by chance.

2. The prophets represented the time of repentance.

Second, a prophet gives a group of people a chance to return to God. Usually, God places a buffer of time (a prophet) between the immoral actions of a group of people and the consequences that follow.

Consider, for example, the example of Jeremiah mentioned above. God gave the Israelites time to turn from their wicked ways – via a prophetic message – before enacting a just, but severe, future punishment.

3. The prophets made the Word of God to the sinful people.

Third, before the coming of Christ, a prophet foresaw an arbitration between God and his people. Because sin had separated a holy God from sinful people, a prophet served as a bridge to convey the Word of God to a group needing to hear this message.

Do prophets still exist today?

This raises many questions which have sparked theological debate, mainly:

(1) Do the gifts of prophecy still exist? (2) And why would we need a mediator when Jesus is the mediator?

Before answering these two questions, we must keep in mind that the Scriptures warn of many false prophets in the age to come (Matthew 7:15). These “wolves in sheep’s clothing” will turn followers away from God. Christians should exercise extreme caution when discussing this topic.

The prophecy appears to exist even after Jesus’ ascension to heaven (Ephesians 4:11).

Some say this existed in the early church because these followers did not have the complete canonical Bible. So prophecy served as a cushion when they did not have the full body of Scripture to fall back on. Therefore, many theologians believe that prophecy ceased after we obtained the complete word of God. After all, Revelation warns against adding to Scripture (Revelation 22:18-19). If we have the complete word of God, why would we need additional prophets?

It may seem extreme to say that all prophecies have ceased today.

The author of this article met Christians who appeared before the prophecy before her. Although the author of this article somewhat believes that prophecy exists today, she acknowledges that many Christians do not believe this to be the case.

Either way, we must look to Scripture as the ultimate source of the Word of God and use the Bible to analyze any prophecy we might hear.

The litmus test of true prophecy is whether it lines up with what Scripture says. If it contradicts what God says in the Bible, pay no attention to the words of the so-called “prophecy.” If it aligns with Scripture, you pray for discernment of what God is trying to say for your life.

Hope Bolingeris a literary agent with CYLE and a recent graduate of Taylor University’s Professional Writing Program. More than 350 of his works have appeared in various publications, ranging from Writer’s Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. His “Hope’s Hacks” column, tips and tricks for avoiding writers’ block, reaches more than 3,000 readers per week and is featured monthly on Cyle Young’s blog, which receives more than 63,000 hits per month. His modern Daniel, “Flamber,” (Illuminate YA) was just released, and they just contracted the sequel. Learn more about her here.

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