Reference: Prophecy, Prophets
Hastings
Hebrew prophecy represents a religious movement of national and worldwide importance, not paralleled elsewhere in history. Most significant in itself, it has acquired deeper and wider import through its connexion with Christianity and the philosophy of religion generally. The present article will deal in brief outline with (1) the history, (2) the inspiration, and (3) the functions and specific teaching, of the prophets of the OT; also (4) with the special topic of Messianic prophecy and its fulfilment in the NT.
1. History and prophecy.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Give the man's wife back to him now. He is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not give her back, you and all who belong to you are doomed to die.
This is strange, he thought. Why is the bush not burning up? I will go closer and see.
Jehovah said to Moses: See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. Your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. read more. I will harden Pharaoh's heart that I may multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
Jehovah will rule as king forever and ever.
But Moses pleaded with Jehovah his God. Jehovah, he said, why are you so angry with your people? These are your people whom you brought out of Egypt using your great power and mighty hand!
Will you forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me out of the book you have written.
Jehovah came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the spirit he had given to Moses and gave it to the seventy elders. When the Spirit came on them, they began to shout like prophets, but not for long. Two of the seventy elders, Eldad and Medad, stayed in the camp and did not go out to the tent. There in the camp the Spirit came on them, and they too began to shout like prophets. read more. A young man ran out to tell Moses what Eldad and Medad were doing. Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' helper since he was a young man, spoke up and said to Moses: Stop them, sir! Moses asked him: Do you think you need to stand up for me? I wish all Jehovah's people were prophets and that Jehovah would put his Spirit on them!
Then Jehovah came down in the column of smoke and stood at the entrance to the tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam. They both came forward. He said: Listen to my words: 'When there are prophets of Jehovah among you, I make myself known to them in visions or speak to them in dreams.
He said: Listen to my words: 'When there are prophets of Jehovah among you, I make myself known to them in visions or speak to them in dreams. But this is not the way I treat my servant Moses. He is the most faithful person in my household. read more. I speak with him face to face. I speak plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of Jehovah. Why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?'
If a prophet or an interpreter of dreams appears among you and gives you a sign or a wonder (portent) (omen) (forecast of the future),
If a prophet or an interpreter of dreams appears among you and gives you a sign or a wonder (portent) (omen) (forecast of the future), in order to lead you to worship and serve gods that you have not worshiped before, and even if what they promise comes true,
in order to lead you to worship and serve gods that you have not worshiped before, and even if what they promise comes true,
Do not sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars. Do not let your people practice divination or look for omens or use spells or charms. Do not allow them to consult the spirits of the dead. read more. Jehovah your God hates people who do these disgusting things. That is why he is driving those nations out of the land as you advance. Be perfect (without blemish) with Jehovah your God. These nations whom you shall possess listened to observers of clouds and to diviners. As for you, Jehovah your God has not allowed you to do so. Jehovah your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. Listen to him!
You may wonder: How shall we recognize that Jehovah did not speak this message?
Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was serving as a judge for the Israelites at that time.
Then Jehovah sent a man, a prophet, to the Israelites. He said to them: Jehovah, the God of Israel says, 'It was I who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.
The Spirit of Jehovah took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet to call the men of the clan of Abiezer to follow him.
When the boy Samuel was serving Jehovah under the direction of Eli, there were very few messages from Jehovah. Visions from him were rare.
Formerly in Israel, when a person went to ask God a question, he would say: Come; let's go to the seer. This is because a prophet used to be called a seer.
After that you will come to Gibeah, the hill of God, where an armed force of the Philistines is stationed. When you come to the town, you will see a band of prophets coming down from the high place with instruments of music before them. They will be acting like prophets: The Spirit of Jehovah will come upon you with power. You will be acting like a prophet with them, and will be changed into a different person.
When Saul came to the hill a group of prophets came to meet him. God's Spirit came over him. He prophesied with them.
When Saul came to the hill a group of prophets came to meet him. God's Spirit came over him. He prophesied with them.
When Saul came to the hill a group of prophets came to meet him. God's Spirit came over him. He prophesied with them. All those who knew him before saw how he prophesied with the prophets. They asked one another: What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets? read more. A man from that place asked: Who is their father? So it became a proverb: Is Saul one of the prophets? When he finished prophesying he went to the worship site.
David escaped to Samuel at Ramah. He told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel stayed in Naioth.
The Spirit of Jehovah spoke through me. His word was on my tongue.
When David got up in the morning, Jehovah spoke his word to the prophet Gad, David's seer.
Have you not heard that when Jezebel was killing Jehovah's prophets I hid a hundred of them in caves, in two groups of fifty, and supplied them with food and water?
The hand of Jehovah was on Elijah. Jehovah gave special strength to Elijah and he ran ahead of Ahab until they came to Jezreel.
So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them: Should I attack Ramoth, or not? They answered: Attack, Jehovah will give you victory.
How will you deceive him? Jehovah asked. The spirit replied: I will make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies. Jehovah said: Go and deceive him. You will succeed.
The history of King David from beginning to end is recorded in the records of the three prophets, Samuel, Nathan, and Gad.
He made the most holy place. It was as long as the Temple was wide, thirty feet long. It was also thirty feet wide. He overlaid it with forty-five thousand pounds of fine gold.
The rest of the acts of Solomon from first to last are written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and in Iddo the seer's visions about Jeroboam son of Nebat.
Although the illegal worship sites in Israel were not taken down, Asa remained committed to Jehovah his entire life.
They believed that whenever this land is struck by war, judgement, disease, or famine, your people can pray to you at the Temple. You will hear their prayer and save them.
The king followed the instructions Jehovah gave to King David through Gad, the king's prophet, and through the prophet Nathan. He stationed Levites in the Temple, with harps and cymbals,
([Psalm of Asaph]) God, why have you rejected us forever? Why do you smoke with anger against the sheep of your pasture?
We see no miraculous signs. There is no longer any prophet. There is no one who knows how long.
He said: Do not touch my anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Then they said: Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise man, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike him with our tongue, and let us pay no attention to any of his words.
The days are coming, declares Jehovah, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch. He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.
This is what Jehovah of Hosts says: Do not listen to what the prophets are saying to you. They fill you with false hope. They speak about visions that they dreamed up. These visions are not from Jehovah.
Maybe their prayers will come into Jehovah's presence, and they will turn from their evil ways. Jehovah has threatened these people with his terrifying anger and fury.
The word of Jehovah (YHWH) spoke to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi. It was in Babylon by the Chebar River. The power of Jehovah came upon him.
I will tear down the wall that the prophets covered up with whitewash. I will level it and expose its foundation. When the wall falls, they will be destroyed by it. Then you will know that I am Jehovah.'
After I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision I sought to understand it. Behold, there appeared before me a man standing.
The time for them to be punished will come. The time for them to pay for their sins will come. When this happens, Israel will know it. They think that prophets are fools and that spiritual people are crazy. They have sinned a lot, and are filled with hostility.
I ordained some of your sons for prophets and some of your young men for Nazirites (dedicated ones). Is this true, O you children of Israel?: said Jehovah.
The Lord Jehovah will do nothing without revealing his secrets to his servants the prophets.
Jehovah spoke concerning the prophets: They make my people stray. They bite with their teeth and cry, Peace, but receive nothing in their mouths. They declare holy war on him.
Her prophets are insolent and treacherous persons. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary! They have done violence to the law.
It will happen! The prophets, each one of them will be ashamed of his vision and his prophesy. They will not wear a hairy mantle to deceive.
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.
Yes, all the prophets from Samuel and his successors also announced these days.
Concerning this salvation the prophets inquired and searched diligently! They prophesied about the grace that should come to you: