What is a prophet in the Bible? Can I be a prophet?
"In Israel, prophets used to be called seers. So if someone wanted to ask God for advice, they would say, 'Come on. Let’s go to the seer'" (1 Samuel 9:9).
"Sometimes a prophet will announce something in the name of the Lord. And it won’t take place or come true. Then that’s a message the Lord hasn’t told him to speak. That prophet has dared to speak on his own authority. So don’t be afraid of what he says” (Deuteronomy 18:22).
A prophet is one who takes God’s Word and tells it to other people.In the Old Testament, a prophet took the words God gave him and preached them to Israel. Not all prophets were good prophets; some prophets gave false prophecies. The way to tell the difference is that a true prophet will always speak God’s truth and they will never say something that is against God’s Word. Micah was a true prophet in 2 Chronicles 18:13: "But Micaiah said, 'You can be sure that the LORD lives. And you can be just as sure that I can only tell the king what my God says.'"
In our world today, there is no need for prophets other than those who can take the Word of God, which is our Bible, and teach that Word to others. God, who in the past spoke through the prophets, now speaks to us through God’s Word, the Bible.
