Prophet - Correct Me If I'm Wrong

[Wynteriii]

When people say the role of prophet has ceased, what do they mean?

If they meant what people think prophet means, that is one who on God's behalf "predicts" what will happen in the future, then I agree this office has ceased partly if not mostly because it is no longer needed.

But Vines defined Prophet as "one who speaks forth or openly","a proclaimer of a divine message".

Would not the Bible be consider our divine message? Do we not proclaim how the great is our God who we read about in the Bible? Does this not make us prophets as defined in Vines?

 

[rbcbob]

"Prophet" is used in more than one sense in the NT. In the sense of foretelling what is future, which continued in the church prior to the completion of the Canon, the office of such prophets has ceased.

 

[jwithnell]

In some senses, our pastors today fill the same role as the later OT prophets: they are bringing God's word to His people and warning them of the very real danger of going against God's way. Perhaps it is clearer to say that special revelation has ended.

 

[Wynteriii]

Perhaps it is clearer to say that special revelation has ended.

I agree

 

[Caroline]

I'm completely unable to resist any invitation to correct someone. Not really much to correct, though.

The WLC (and probably also the Confession, but I'm more familiar with the WLC), describes Jesus as our Prophet ("Christ executes the office of a prophet, in his revealing to the church, in all ages, by his Spirit and Word, in divers ways of administration, the whole will of God, in all things concerning their edification and salvation.")

And in that sense, those who proclaim the Word of God as found in Scripture could be considered "prophets" (and I think I read something--maybe in New Horizon--about us all being prophets), but the cessation of the office of prophet refers to new revelation. A true prophet proclaims the Word of God. There is no new Word from God, and so a prophet (in the sense of someone proclaiming a NEW message) is gone. The more sure word of prophecy is the Scripture (2 Peter 1:19).

 

[Wynteriii]

If I don't get corrected now it will be harder to fix later on.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

What is your doctrine of "ministerial calling?" Do you believe that God calls certain people to an office? Not just a general office, like "priesthood of all believers," but a special calling to church office. Not a calling that is "higher" (per se) than a calling to be an architect or a farmer, but to something more than the ordinary Christian.

1) Jesus is THE Prophet (and Priest, and King). He is the living Word.

2) The Word of God written is the prophets (OT) and the apostles (NT). Not every line of the OT was a "prediction," in the sense of a preestablished fact that was then lived-out. It was ALL foresignificant of Christ; but it was also a special sort of record of events and of preaching moments and documents for addressing a people and time with revelation that had been given, whether at that hour or long before.

As the OT was the witness to what the Christ would do, the NT is the witness to what Christ has done. The NT is also a forthtelling, a proclamation, the Gospel. It also contains foretelling, in that it testifies to the world of what is yet to come.

3) Our ministers of today are successors to the prophets and the apostles. They continue the work of proclaiming the Christ, more or less simply by repeating what has been said. They do not seek for a new revelation, but are content to proclaim the prophetic/apostolic Word already given.

4) Christians in any place may bear a similar witness, although they may not have been granted an official commission, a Herald's job. But just because a person hasn't been clothed with an official authority, doesn't mean that in some sense by sharing the witness of the Word passed on to him, he doesn't perform the function of a herald-of-sorts. He just shouldn't pretend to be a minister (absent an ordination), or an apostle or a prophet (both which unique Offices have ceased).

 

[Wynteriii]

Give me some time to think before I respond