I thought about doing another poll, but I really wanted to get more input on this next question. As you answer these questions, it might be helpful for you to keep in mind this scripture, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7
Here are four things I would like you to answer:
--What is a prophet?
--Can you name a prophet?
--What is the function of a prophet?
--Are there prophets today?
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8 comments:
Hmmmm. A prophet hangs out in the Mojave dessert, he (or she - Miriam was a prophetess per Exodus 15:20) wears clothes made of llama skins, eats wild locusts, and shows up at the door unexpected and confronts me regarding the sin that I didn't think anyone knew about. Prophets also do annoying things like announcing to our politicians that the US will undergo seven years of famine and/or that we will flee before our enemies for a period. With people dying all over the US, the prophet will head across the border and take care of a widow in Juárez. Is that a good start?
lol Looney, that is a good start. Perhaps you would like to attempt the other questions? :) It is amusing to think about how Moses, or Abraham, or any of the other Prophets of old would react in today's world if they were suddenly dropped here.
Also, I'm wondering what other types of things you think a prophet would do today?
Prophets I think of?
Mostly old testament ones come to mind, like Hosea and Jeremiah. Then there is Agabus in the book of Acts.
I haven't met any prophet today and would be very cautious if I did meet one. A while before the Aceh tsunami, I was told that there was a prophecy that the Islamic world would go through a series of catastrophes. There have been many from Darfur to earthquakes in Pakistan to terrible floods in Bangladesh. Now the food prices are going to hit poor urban areas hard.
Although I am hyper-conservative, I am not a cessationist and believe that there certainly can be prophets today. Just haven't met one.
Looney I am really learning a lot from you. I never heard the term "cessationist" before. But I think that is really a great new word for me. :) Of course in our religion we believe that the church is led by a living Prophet, and has been since Joseph Smith. Our current prophet is Thomas S. Monson.
I have to say that I totally understand where you are coming from with regards to skepticism about prophets. The Bible teaches us to beware of false prophets. And my athiest friends' views of prophets and religion have really been damaged by the fanatics we have seen like David Kuresh. (hmm..that doesn't look like it is spelled right).
I think there are a couple of ways to know if a prophet is real. One way is to take the advice of the scripture that says, "By their fruits ye shall know them". The other way is to ask God directly. I prefer this method of course.
I remember hearing about someone who was talking about the state this world is in, and at one point he said, "What we really need today is a prophet." I think that is really true. Our society and the challenges we face are different from those faced by those in Old Testament times. We need modern guidance to help pull us through. A prophet is also known as a "Seer". He can forsee what we cannot. He can give us counsel to help us through the things that are to come.
Regarding the term "cessationism", this is a formal term that has been the subject of vast amounts of discussion and polemics between charismatics and their Christian critics.
For the most part, I just sit on the side of this. God sends me here and there to do what he requires of me. I have no human authority to whom I look for answers, so I search the Bible and I read the opinions of various people and pray to the Lord for answers as I need them. Thus, if a prophet turns up somewhere in the world, I usually reserve my judgment. Unless the prophet has a specific word to me or to someone close to me, do I really need to involve myself in the process of ascertaining whether the prophet is a false prophet or not?
To me a prophet is a called out one. Someone that the book of life had their name inscribed in before the founding of the world. One that is going to be a major intrument of God's will.
Nate you have once again given an excellent description. We too believe that Prophets were called and ordained before the foundations of this world. I have quoted before the scripture in Jeremiah 1:5 " Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." There is another good scripture about this in the book of Abraham. "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born." Abraham 2:22,23
We look at our Prophet has being the one to whom the Lord reveals His will for the church. We do believe that individuals can receive revelation for their own lives, but only the Prophet can receive revelation for the church as a whole. If needed, the Prophet could be someone who, like Moses, led the people out of bondage. But more often than not, the Prophet gives council to help us avoid the snares of the devil in our day. We think of prophets like a watchman on a watchtower. They can see ahead and warn us of dangers, and give us guidance. I have been thinking lately of making of list things Prophets have councilled us to do in modern day, just to give an example for what our Prophets do for us. I'll work on that.
Ephesians 1:4-5 -
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless inn his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will."
Thus, I think God knew all of us before the world began, even though we had not yet come into existence.
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