“If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:22).
“But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true” (Jer. 28:9).
“When all this comes true - and it surely will - then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ezek. 33:33).
“The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord” (1 Sam 3:19).
“I declared the former things long ago and they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.… Therefore I declared them to you long ago, before they took place I proclaimed them to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my graven image and my molten image have commanded them’” (Isaiah 48:3, 5) Prophecy was given so they would know it is God who is watching over them, leading them being personally involved in their lives. The Hebrew prophets spoke mostly on the topic that was related to the nation of Israel, then and in the future.
The word prophet is found over three hundred times in the Old Testament and over one hundred times in the New Testament. It comes from two Greek words pro meaning “before,” or “in place of” and fayme meaning “to speak.”
“For PROPHECY came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pt. 1:21). The prophets spoke (and wrote) as they were moved (carried along) by the Holy Spirit, so that what they spoke (and wrote) was exactly what God intended. Peter points to the word 2 Pet. 1:19 “We have also a more sure word of prophec
