DIVINE COUNCIL AND PROPHETIC CREDENTIALIZING (original) (raw)

Prophet Versus Prophet in the Book of Jeremiah: In Search of the True Prophets

2009

The aim of this article is to examine the collection of oracles against the prophets in Jeremiah 23:9-40, with special focus on verses 16-17 and 18-22. The questions to which answers will be sought are : Who were the prophets opposing Jeremiah, and why are they called false prophets? What were the reasons for the conflict, and what criteria are applied to judge the opponents? It seems that the collectors of the Jeremiah oracles had their own ideas about what constitutes a true prophet, and were using Jeremiah's oracles to serve their own purpose. We have learnt that the opposing prophets were part of the power structures in Jerusalem and significant contributors to the moral depravity in Judah. We are dealing with a Jerusalem-based prophetic group close to the power base in Jerusalem. They are blamed for transgressions similar to those committed by the kings of Judah, and were therefore as guilty as everyone else in violating the covenant stipulations. Their deception of the peo...

A Prophet Like Moses? Who or Why?

The Asbury Journal, 2017

This paper examines the Hebrew understanding of Moses’ statement about a “a prophet like me” that YHWH would raise up in Deuteronomy 18:15. Here it is examined within its larger context of verses 9-22, with a comparison of the prophetic role of Moses held up against the role of diviners and fortunetellers in other regional religious traditions. The role of this scripture for a Jewish understanding of future prophets is highlighted as opposed to any messianic interpretation of the text.

Holding Prophets Accountable

Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, 2010

This article addresses the key issues involved in the relationship between contemporary Christian prophets and the wider church in the light of biblical data, and information about the early church, on prophecy. Specifically, I consider how prophecies were evaluated in the Bible and the post-apostolic church, whose responsibility it was to judge prophecies (according to the New Testament) and the relationship between prophets and other leaders in the church. This also includes questions about conditional predictive prophecy. This article advocates proper respect for, and accountability of, modern prophets. Introduction Prophecy and prophets are controversial and vulnerable. Prophets frequently go wrong, either in what they say or how they live. Recently some have had a particularly bad run. . The earlier controversies over the "Kansas City prophets" have been followed by the exposure of Paul Cain's double life. 1 Smaller scale scandals have "rocked the prophetic boat" around the world and clearly counterfeit prophecies abound. 2 Here in Australia, some devastating bush fires (killing nearly 200 people in February 2009) were followed by the reporting of a prophetic vision, implying that the fires were God's judgement in response to liberalised abortion laws. This stirred up a storm of controversy within and beyond the church. Meanwhile, on almost the opposite tack, UK prophet Graham Cooke has predicted a season of revival in Melbourne and pastors have been meeting to consider what to do about it. Both cases raise the issue of testing prophecies and the question of how the church should respond to a prophetic word, true or false.

Old Testament Prophets As Types for New Testament Leaders

Priscilla Papers, 1991

Author: Francis H. Geis Publisher: CBE International What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Old Testament prophecy”? Do you have a vivid picture of Elijah, valiantly opposing King Ahab and denouncing the false prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel? Or do you think of the Christmas story, where the scholars of Herod’s court tell the king that the Messiah, in fulfillment of prophecy (Michah 5:2), is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea? I think most of us, if asked to explain the nature and function of “Old Testament prophecy”, would define it in terms of foretelling – that is, we would say that the prophets had visions of the distant future, in which they predicted such things as the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth; the final judgment; and the new heavens and new earth. And indeed, the true prophets of God foresaw and recorded these things in their writings that have been preserved and handed on to us in Scripture. But if we view OT prophecy solely or primarily as prediction, then we have failed to understand the true nature and function of prophecy in ancient Israel.

DISCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD: DEUT 18:15-22 AND FALSE PROPHECY

Bigard Theological Studies, 2024

Humanity has often longed to exceed her boundaries and explore the world outside herself. The curiosity of human persons has led them to exert their rational and spiritual capabilities to comprehend that which is not immediately localized within the confines of their control and reasoning. The limited nature of human finitude has forced humanity to seek the infinite. God, however, reaches out to reveal of himself to human persons. This revelation and communication occur in various ways, including intermediaries who speak on behalf of God. The proliferation of these intermediaries raises the puzzle on how to determine their authenticity or otherwise. Deut 18:15-22 remains a rare scriptural passage which explicitly states the criterion for identifying genuine prophets. The essay examines, in a close reading, the injunctions of Deut 18:15-22 and employs it as a springboard for a critical evaluation of Christianity in contemporary Africa. The essay also seeks to explore the implications of false prophecy for Christianity today, especially in the African context.