The Place Of The Prophet In Revelation
THE PLACE OF THE PROPHET IN REVELATION
God, after He spoke long ago to the father in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son... (Hebrews 1:1-2 a). The underlying premise of the Bible is that God has spoken. In Old Testament times, this was accomplished through His prophets. What is a prophet? The Prophets served as a mouthpiece for God. He spoke through them.
Old Testament Designations for “Prophet.”
Now the acts of King David, from first to last, as written in the chronicles of Samuel the SEER, in the chronicles of Nathan the PROPHET, and in the chronicles of Gad the SEER. (1 Chronicles 29:29).
Prophet (Genesis 20:7 - first usage; Exodus 7:1). The term “prophet” carried the idea of one who prophesies or foretells the future, but it is not limited to that idea. More often than not, a prophet was also one who told what God is doing in the present. This is related to the next term that is used for this office.
Seer (1 Samuel 9:9). A seer is one who “sees” things from a heavenly perspective. He might see the future or he might see what God is doing in the present.
Man of God (used of prophets and especially of Elisha). The Dependence of the Prophets upon the Spirit of God. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20-21). In 2 Peter 1:20 we have the negative aspect of revelation, what revelation is not. It is not a matter of man's own invention. In 2 Peter 1:21 we have the positive aspect of revelation. This is what revelation is. Revelation is that which is spoken by God. A superficial reading of this passage would seem to indicate that the author is referring to interpretation of the Scriptures. However, the issue in this context is not interpretation, but rather one of origin. Notice the statement of 2 Peter 1:21. For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will... (2 Peter 1:21). The contrast is obvious. The message of the prophets did not originate with the prophets. That message came from God. This Revelation was Multi-faceted.
God, after He spoke long ago to the father in the prophets in many portions and in many ways... (Hebrews 1:1). The Greek text of this passage places the phrase the emphasis in a different place. The verse begins, not with the subject or even with the verb, but with the preposition. In many portions and in many ways, God spoke to the fathers in the prophets... (Hebrews 1:1). The Old Testament records many different ways in which God revealed Himself to men. Abraham saw Him as a “smoking oven and a flaming torch” (Genesis 15:17). He spoke to Joseph in dreams. He appeared to Moses in a burning bush. To Samuel he was a voice calling in the night. To Elijah he was a still, small voice.
God's Revelation Coincides with His Redemptive Work.
Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7).
God always speaks when He institutes redemptive activity. When He is not engaged in redemptive activity, there is generally no need for God to speak. This is why there was a 400-year period of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is not that God has gone on vacation, but rather that He was not engaged in any new redemptive work. In the same way, it is why there is no on-going revelation today. The Cessation of Old Testament Prophets. The Old Testament does not make an announcement that its revelation is now at a close. However, it became generally recognized by the Jews that this was the case. So there was a great affliction in Israel, the like whereof was not since the time that a prophet was not seen among them. (1Ma_9:27).
Josephus, in his work Contra Apion where he defends the trustworthiness of the Old Testament Scriptures, says that...
...our history has been written since Artaxerxes, very particularly, but has not been esteemed of the same authority with the former by our forefathers, because there has not been an exact succession of prophets since that time. (Contra Apion 1:8).
Jesus - the Ultimate Prophet.
Jesus fulfilled the promise of Moses that there would come one who would be a prophet of his caliber (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). He is the ultimate prophet. A prophet is one who speaks to people on behalf of God. He represents God to people and he reveals God to people.
Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. It is for this reason that He is called “the Word” (John 1:1; John 1:14). He is the living word of God. God has communicated Himself to us by becoming man.