The Prophetic Office

I will start with whether the office of the Prophet was done away with. Did the prophet only serve the nation of Israel?

The ministry of the prophet did not cease in the Old Testament. However, their assignments differed and to whom they were called also differed. For example, in the Old Testament we see the development of the Prophetic office. Two focal points are seen in the prophets Moses and Samuel. The prophet Moses was the one who represented the letter of the law. He received the Law of God on Mt. Sinai for Israel. Then we have prophets from Samuel to Malachi who represented the Spirit of the Law. Acts 3:22 “For Moses truly said...” Acts 3:24 “Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after....” Now Elijah is generally used as one to represent all Old Testament prophets whilst Moses the Law. Samuel was the last Judge and the first of this unique order of prophets. Then we have prophets in relation to the Kings, Nathan, Samuel, Shemiah, Elijah and Elisha etc.

In the New Testament prophets take on a different function. They are placed in the Five-Fold Ministry for the edification if the body. Yes, they were placed for church administration or church governing. In the New Testament it’s no longer about natural Israel alone it is now about the spiritual Israel . In fact, prophets in the New Testament have a far much greater assignment than the Old Testament. Remember John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets in the Old Testament but the least in the Kingdom of God was greater than John. God ordains prophets in the New Testament, remember in Acts 11:27 “And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood one of them named Agabus and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth...” Now Apostle Paul was full of the Spirit and Jesus personally appeared to him (Hebrews 1:1) yet he listened to the ministry of Agabus who was led by the Spirit. The reason why Apostle Paul listened to prophet Agabus was because they were in two different offices and two different functions. Apostle Paul needed the gift of Prophet Agabus. I think God does this so that we are not puffed up and arrogant and claim that since we the Holy Spirit we do not need to submit to others in the body of Christ. Acts 21:10-12 Paul listens again to Agabus. We also have Anna the prophetess Luke 2:36-38 from the tribe of Asher who prophesied and interceded for the coming of Jesus Christ. Acts 21:9 Philip had four daughters that would prophesy, notice the scripture does not call them prophetesses but they would prophecy. They had the gift of prophecy. Ephesians 4:11 this is the fivefold ministry that Christ gives to the church. Now on the order God says in 1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God has placed in the church first Apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, of helping, of guidance , and of different kind of tongues.”

 This is the order of church administration in a church. This is the order of the church government. In 1 Corinthians 12:31 Apostle Paul admonishes us to earnestly desire greater gifts, so yes there are greater gifts and like I said the gift of prophecy is greater that the gift speaking in tongues. Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest of prophets from the OT. I do not know what criteria he was using but that just what the Word says. I personally do not measure preachers by the size of their audience but yes there are greater prophets than others but that is for God to judge not us. However, we are supposed to desire the best gifts for the body to be edified and not for self-aggrandizement. The office of a prophet is the criteria that I am using to classify who is a prophet and who is not. Every prophet has the gift of prophecy but not everyone who prophecies is a prophet. Apostle Paul distinguishes between the office and the gift. Everyone can earnestly desire the gift of prophecy in fact Paul wished that everyone would prophecy, but we know that not every part of the body can be the mouth. There would be disorder.

 The office of a prophet is not by choice but by divine election. Prophets do not necessarily matriculate from the school of prophecy. They are elected by grace and not by merit. God says to Jeremiah before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you and I ordained you to be a prophet unto the nations. You do not train to be in the office of a prophet. There are no maximum or minimum requirements. It is purely an election by grace. Prophets function from the platform of divine election that separates them into an office. Prophets generally receive mantles from above. Prophets are anointed with the unction to function. There is a huge difference between the office of a prophet and the gifts of prophecy. The Prophet belongs to the fivefold ministry, it is a grace gift. The Bible however says earnestly desire the gift of prophecy. Then the Holy Spirit will distribute it according to his will. Just because you have the gift of prophecy does not necessarily make you a prophet. However, the gift of prophesy is greater gift than speaking in tongues because it edifies the body(church). Its equivalent is the gift of interpretation of tongues.

Prophets foretell the future. They also forth tell the scriptures. They are seers (they see into the future). They are God’s mouthpiece. They have an unusual boldness to speak truth to power. Their ministry is backed by unusual miracles and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. William Marion Branham for example one time preached with a pillar of fire on his head. Sometimes angels appeared in his meetings, he raised a young boy from the dead in the streets after a horrible accident by re-membering the boy’s skull. Prophets are heavily defended by heaven. They are also willing to lay their lives for the gospel. They cannot be bought with a price and they are usually eccentric, unusual. They don’t fit in.