What Are Prophets Of God – Prophets are messengers of God to His children. They speak for God and make His will known. The Bible records many examples of prophets – such as Noah, Joseph in Egypt and Moses – whom God sent to His children long ago. In ancient days, prophets called people to repentance and encouraged them to live God’s commandments. Prophetic teachings were not always popular, and many prophets were persecuted.
By the time Jesus Christ was born, wicked people had killed many prophets. Because these true messengers of God were killed, many religious leaders taught false doctrines and distorted God’s commandments. When Jesus Christ began His ministry, He again taught pure doctrine and established His Father’s true Church on earth. He organized the Twelve Apostles and sent them to teach His gospel.
What Are Prophets Of God
As Christ and His Apostles were gradually killed, wicked people began to twist Christ’s teachings to suit their own desires (see Matthew 24:24). Christ’s true Church was finally taken from the earth, and the world fell into a period of spiritual darkness and error known as the Great Apostasy.
Is Prophecy Really A Thing Of The Past?
During the Great Apostasy, God did not send prophets to the earth. But in 1820, after centuries of darkness, God spoke again and revealed His will to a young boy named Joseph Smith. Joseph was a humble, fourteen-year-old farm boy who prayed to know which of all the churches on earth he should join. In answer to Joseph’s prayer, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They told him not to join any of the churches on earth because none of them were His true Church (see Joseph Smith—History 1:1–20).
Joseph Smith followed the advice He received from God and later became the prophet through whom God restored His true Church on earth: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Like many prophets of old, Joseph was persecuted and killed. Members of the Church do not worship Joseph Smith, but they honor him because of his sacrifice and his prophetic work and mission.
Through Joseph Smith, God’s children were blessed in countless ways. God has restored the sealing power that allows families to be together forever, the priesthood, the true organization of Jesus Christ’s Church, and many pure and simple truths of the gospel that were lost during centuries of apostasy.
Since Joseph Smith, an unbroken line of prophets has led the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Like prophets of old, modern prophets encourage people to follow God and obey His commandments. They encourage people to have faith in Jesus Christ, live morally clean lives and serve others.
God Has Spoken By The Pro
The prophet also serves today as the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He serves with fourteen other men, known as the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Members of the Church uphold these men as prophets, seers and revelators. The Prophet and the other members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak to members of the Church and non-members around the world, including twice a year during a meeting called general conference.
Are you curious about how counsel and guidance from the prophet today can bless your life and help you find happiness? To learn more about Joseph Smith and other modern prophets, visit comeuntochrist.org. In my previous two articles on training the prophetic voice, I laid a foundation by first establishing that our understanding of prophecy (truth-telling) is grounded in the character of God as a truth-telling God, and second that the kind of truth we speak of is of a moral nature when we consider prophetic acts and speeches. My goal with this series of articles is to promote the idea that our schools aim to develop the prophetic voice of our students.
In this next article we will go back to the Bible to make some comments about where the prophets went to school. Educational principles can be found throughout the Bible, so it is not surprising to find that prophets and prophecies were cultivated in specific schools in the Old Testament.
During the Old Testament times there were many prophets in Israel. Both when Israel was a united nation and after the nations were divided into the northern and southern kingdoms, there were schools of the prophets. There were six places where these prophetic schools or guilds existed: Ramah, Bethel, Gilgal, Jericho, Carmel, and Samaria. Ira Price, in his article “The Schools of the Sons of the Prophets” (
The Hebrew Prophet Jonah
8 [1889], 245-246), describes how in these places new generations of prophets were trained, usually under the guidance of a few seasoned prophets. It was very important to find out who were authentic and false prophets, because these would be the people who not only spoke the words of the Lord, but also the people who would lead these prophetic schools.
Unfortunately, we do not know the curriculum they used. We do not know the methods they used. But we do know that what made those schools special is a core principle. They were based on faith as a first principle. Faith in God’s active communication with his people and faith in the salvation that God provides for his people. These prophetic schools were faith-based educational institutions.
It is nice to imagine a prophet like Elijah as the head of the school. What kind of uniforms would they have worn? What would their classrooms look like? What kind of books would they read? Interestingly, we can guess several of these. The prophets wore robes that indicated they were part of the prophetic guild. You will know a prophet by the plain tunic and hood they wore. The classrooms, at least we learn from Samuel, were associated with local centers of worship; either the tent of meeting in ancient Bethel, or later the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem. We also know that they studied the revealed word, the written scrolls that existed in their time.
In the early chapters of First Samuel we learn about the mother of Samuel who miraculously gave birth to him and then dedicated him to the Lord by letting him enter the household of Eli (1 Sam. 1:25-28). This section of stories gives us a first look at the early training of a prophet. Unfortunately, Eli was not such a great teacher or leader of the prophetic school in Shiloh. His own sons acquired a rather bad reputation (1 Sam. 2:12-17). So there is a sense of irony that Samuel would be in the apprenticeship with Eli.
I Wish All The Lord’s People Were Prophets!
Samuel’s training took place in the tent of meeting in Shiloh as well as in Eli’s house. This was typical of apprenticeships where the novice craftsman would live with the family of the master. Samuel probably spent a lot of time at the tent of meeting, which is indicated by the phrase: “Samuel served before the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:18). Here he learned how to perform the duties of priesthood. However, the most striking moment in Samuel’s training took place in Eli’s house, when he learned how to hear the voice of the Lord and proclaim the Lord’s messages (1 Sam. 3:1-18). He learned the essentials of how to perform the role of prophet.
Samuel heard a voice calling his name. He ran to Eli, thinking he heard Eli’s voice, only to discover that Eli hadn’t called. It took three times before Eli wised up to what was happening. The text provides the insight that Samuel has not yet learned the ways of the Lord (1 Sam. 3:7). With Samuel’s third arrival, Eli now taught Samuel how to respond to the Lord. He told him to go back to bed and wait for the Lord’s voice.
Although it is very short, Eli’s teaching conveys not only the knowledge that Samuel needs, but also the right attitude that Samuel should have towards the Lord. The words are no mere formula. To consider oneself as a servant of the Lord is essential for the individual who desires to be truly used by the Lord. With this training in hand, Samuel was finally able to listen to the Lord. The Lord communicated again and Samuel received a message of judgment against Eli because his sons had blasphemed God.
The next morning contains another episode of teaching. Eli pressed Samuel to reveal the message he had heard from the Lord. Samuel received a message that the punishment against Eli’s household would soon be fulfilled. Not quite the message you want to share over breakfast. Eli then taught Samuel to be brave. He must share the message, no matter how difficult it may be. Eli’s response to the condemning message taught Samuel that the words of the Lord are good (3:18).
Elijah Was The Boldest Of God’s Prophets
Samuel’s training as a prophet takes place in only two short episodes. But from this we can gather some insights about spiritual education. First, Samuel gained core knowledge about listening to the Lord: to distinguish the Lord’s still small voice from other competing sounds, to give a reverent response to the Lord, to show the appropriate attitude towards the Lord and to convey the message properly to despite one’s own reticence.
Second, Samuel was led to
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