Prophet or Not?
The world is full of prophets!
But how do they stack up
to the biblical definition and God’s designation?
More than 300 men, women and children die in Guyana following their prophet, Jim Jones.
39 men and women of "Heaven's Gate" quietly take their lives in a mass suicide
to follow their prophet to a better place aboard a space ship.
Men, women and children burn to death in Texas following their prophet, David Karesh
These
are just three examples of hundreds throughout history of people being deluded
and destroyed because they followed self-proclaimed prophets. Do you remember
that in Jesus's day there were a number of
"Christ's" (Greek term for the Jewish "Messiah") going around Palestine "prophesying" and claiming
divine ministry? You and I both know their ilk is still around today.
Are
there true prophets today? Are all of those who are considered to be prophets charlatans or misguided fools? How does one know?
What standard can the Christian use to tell the true from the false?
The
purpose of this study is to better know some of the people of the Bible, to
examine the prophetic ministry and to determine what distinguishes the true and
false prophet. We will take a brief look at major Biblical personages but we
will also be concentrating on the lesser known men and women of the Bible in
relation to the prophetic ministry. This study undertakes the task of
determining the Biblical marks of the true prophet. To do this, we look at many
of those mentioned in the Bible and determine those who were or were not
prophets, in God’s eyes, and what distinguished them as such. Armed with that
knowledge, the Christian today can judge those who either claim to be or are
recognized as prophets. There is a definite academic value in this study.
Perhaps just a deeper study of the people in the Bible is of sufficient value
in and of itself to undertake this study. Follow the links through the rest of
the study:
Anointing, a message and a beard do not a prophet make!
The four classifications Of Prophets and associated
personages
Are there biblical prophets around today?
Hosea - The Righteous Man Who Sinned on Demand!