Prophets: Do We Still Need Prophets Today?

One of the questions that constantly probed at me was regarding prophets. The Bible is full of prophets and prophetesses. The Mormon church has a prophet with twelve apostles, claiming to follow the biblical design. 

I reached out to a friend of mine recently, and we began talking about prophets and their role in Christianity. I had been a missionary who taught her and helped lead her and her family to baptism within the Mormon church, so we both had experience with Mormon prophets. 

At the beginning of this conversation, I asked her why she had decided to leave the Mormon church, as her family had adamantly left only months after their baptisms. She explained six reasons that she had for leaving, one of which, she said,

“And sixth and final, calling somebody a prophet to me is absurd.”

This was towards the beginning of my journey navigating outside of the Mormon church, so I found this reason peculiar. The Mormon church teaches that because the gospel was corrupted after the deaths of Jesus and his apostles, there was a necessity to restore the gospel to the earth. This being said, God used Joseph Smith as a prophet to restore His gospel. 

This conversation opened up a new avenue of questions, among them: What are prophets? Do we need prophets today? If we do not need prophets today, why would there be a need for prophets in the Bible? 

I decided to do some digging. I knew what the Mormon church’s stance was on prophets, as explained by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of the twelve apostles, in an article in the March 2012 Liahona magazine called, “Why Do We Need Prophets?”

“God loves all His children. That is why He pleads so earnestly with us through His prophets. Just as we want what is best for our loved ones, Heavenly Father wants what is best for us. That is why His instructions are so crucial and sometimes so urgent. That is why He has not abandoned us today but continues to reveal His will to us through His prophets. Our fate and the fate of our world hinge on our hearing and heeding the revealed word of God to His children.”

But what is the difference between what Elder Uchtdorf is saying and what Christians in general say about prophets? 

In an article by Hope Bolinger on Christianity.com, Hope tackles the question of “What are prophets in the Bible?”

How a prophet is defined in this article is, “A prophet receives messages from God, mainly concerning events that will take place in the future, and conveys them to a certain group of people or singular person, whom God intends to hear the delivered message.” 

In other words, “a prophet is an advocate or mediator between God and a group of people.”

Another article gives a reworded definition to the word, “prophet” by saying, “A prophet is meant to receive a message from God…and then communicate that message to the people. God often sent prophets to warn or guide people. Often, they served as God’s representative, ambassador or spokesperson.”

There are five words among these two definitions that specifically caught my eye. Advocate, mediator, representative, ambassador and spokesperson, which are all synonyms. In reading these quotes, I was reminded of a few scriptures that I had studied recently:

• 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

• John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

• Hebrews 9:15, “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

From what these scriptures were teaching me, I realized that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the role of advocate, mediator, representative, ambassador and spokesperson. Which begs the question, “Do we need prophets in the church today?”

Before I was able to seek out the answer to this question, I still had a few stops to make along the way. I needed to understand what the role of prophets was in the Bible and what the differences are between true prophets and false prophets.

Hope Bolinger explains three reasons prophets were needed in the Old Testament, and how that relates to us today:

“First, prophets increased the credibility of the Scriptures. If, for instance, someone prophesied about a Messiah who would be born in Bethlehem, and hundreds of years later it happened, this would bolster the truth of Scripture.

Second, prophets represented a time for repentance. A prophet gives a group of people a chance to turn back to God.

Third, prophets delivered God’s word to sinful people. Before Christ came, a prophet provided an arbitration between God and His people. Because sin had divided a Holy God from sinful people, a prophet served as a sort of bridge to convey God’s word to a group in need of hearing that message.”

Now, with this understanding of what a prophet is and what the role of prophets were in the Bible, let’s look at the next resource: an article entitled, “What Does the Bible Warn about False Prophets?” from Christianity.com.

This article defines a false prophet as, “people who pretend to speak for God, to get attention and power. They often make big promises that sound good but are just lies.”

• Deuteronomy 18:20, “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.”

• 2 Corinthians 11:12-15, “And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

• Matthew 24:24, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

• Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

In this article by Jessica Brodie, an award-winning Christian novelist and journalist, Jessica explains, “The bottom line is that false prophets bring a message that is not from God. Their message contradicts what God instructs…And ultimately, they produce ‘bad fruit.’ Trust instead in Jesus and the Word of God as given to us all in the Bible.”

So, let’s recap:

1. What are prophets?

   - A prophet is someone who is called to act as a mouthpiece for God to a specific group of people.

2. What was the role of prophets in the Bible?

   - Prophets provided credibility to the scriptures.

   - Prophets provided groups of people opportunities to repent.

   - Prophets acted as a bridge between God’s word and the sinful actions of the people.

3. What are false prophets?

   - Prophets: Do We Still Need Prophets Today?A false prophet is someone who claims to be speaking on behalf of God, but are preaching lies and deception

Now that we have a general understanding about prophets, we can try to tackle the final question of “Do we need prophets today?” 

I came across a video clip that helped me find this answer. It is called “Are There Prophets in the Church Today?” and it is available to be seen on Christianity.com. This video clip was part of an interview of a pastor named Scotty Smith. The information he shares within this clip goes hand-in-hand with the verses of scripture above, 1 Timothy 2:5, John 14:6 and Hebrews 9:15. 

He explains that the Lord gave the offices of prophet, priest and king to His people in the Bible. He defined these offices as such:

A prophet spoke forth the word of the Lord.

A priest provided means by which we can engage in the presence of the living God and His worship.

A king was a gift of our Lord that would mediate the unfolding rule and reign of our God on earth.

Hebrews 4:14-16 reads, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

This verse of scripture answers the final question that I had. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfills the roles of prophet, priest and king, and is, therefore, the final Prophet, Priest and King that we need in our lives. 

Jesus Christ is all that we need. 

The Mormon church has spent the last two centuries convincing its members that they need a prophet to guide them towards God. Now, the Mormon church claims to follow the biblical pattern of prophets, and, superficially, this does seem to be the case. Unfortunately, the Mormon church is missing a critical piece of information about Christianity as a whole, from the Biblical evidence we have discovered:

Jesus Christ fulfills the need for a prophet. 

Jesus Christ is the last prophet in our midst. 

Jesus Christ is the ultimate Mediator.

Jesus Christ is all that we need.

In the next post, we will dissect what the Mormon church refers to as “modern-day revelations from modern-day prophets” and how this corresponds to Biblical teaching.

God may not call someone to be a prophet, but He does call men and women to uphold his word and teach His children, as preachers, ministers and teachers. And we, as Christians, are called to study the Word of God. The answers to any of our questions can be found within the delicate and powerful pages of the Bible; all we need to do is open it and read. 

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is all that we need.