Jesus was not only the promised Jewish Messiah. Jesus was also the voice of God. As the Messiah, when He spoke His followers listened. As the Son of God, He was perfectly in tune with the will of His Father.
Our Messiah was the greatest of all prophets. He was God's word, manifested in the human body. Through Jesus, God Himself came to earth to speak with us. As a prophet, He foretold about things to come. Some prophecies came true shortly after His death like the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.... Other prophecies have not yet been fulfilled, but await patiently for His second coming for their complete fulfillment.
Moses predicted that someday God would send a prophet even greater than Moses himself (Deuteronomy 18:18). For more on this prophecy please read A Prophet Greater Than Moses.
Ask yourself this question. If Jesus is not the fulfilment of this prophecy and Malachi is the final prophet (some people who don't believe in the New Testament believe Malachi to be God's final prophet) where is the prophet that will be greater than Moses? For more on this please read Was Malachi The Final Prophet?
Definition of a Biblical Prophet.
A biblical prophet is someone who spoke on behalf of God. He or she would either preach a message (Isaiah 1:6) or foretell the future (Isaiah 7:14) or both. Both men and women are recognized as prophets and prophetess in the Old Testament and the New Testament along with the Talmud.
In a reason proposed by some who don't recognize Jesus as a prophet, the claim is made that He cannot be a prophet because some prophecies made by Him remain unfulfilled. An example of this kind of objection can be found in the following text. "By definition, if God truly speaks through the mouth of a prophet every prophecy will come true. Therefore, the failure of even the most minor detail of a prophecy to come true constitutes conclusive proof that God is not the source of a prophecy."(1)
We will be taking a look at this theological position.
Other things to consider when evaluating is a prophet is a false prophet are:
This question is one of the reasons some people believe that Jesus was not a true biblical prophet. This idea is based on a biblical passage referenced in Deuteronomy 18:22, the same area of scripture where God promises to send a prophet greater that Moses.
“When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken...(Deuteronomy 18:22).
The fulfillment of a prophets prophecy is not conditional on being fulfilled why the prophet is still alive. This test is applicable only when the alleged revelation has reference to the near future.(2) But even where the prophecy concerns the immediate future this test is not always applicable. It is conclusive only when a prediction of prosperity fails, because then it is seen that the alleged revelation did not emanate from the All-Merciful (comp. Jer. xxviii. 9); but the failure of a prediction of disaster is not conclusive, the fulfilment of such predictions being always conditioned by the conduct of the people (Jer. xviii. 7, 8; xxvi. 19; Ezek. xviii. 21, xxxiii. 11; comp. Yer. Sanh. xi. 30b).(2)
There have been many Old Testament prophets who shared their prophecies with Israel only to have them come to fulfillment many years, sometimes centuries, after they died.
Sometime prophets gave prophecies that still have yet to come true. For more on this please read Old Testament Prophets With Unfulfilled Prophecies:
Our Messiah Jesus, cannot be disqualified from being a true biblical prophet simply because some of the prophecies looked towards the future. To disqualify Him for that, would mean one would have to disqualify many other prophets because their prophecies were not fulfilled during their lifetime and many remain unfulfilled to this day. Furthermore, how can prophecies concerning end times possible be fulfilled until that stage of the end times occurs?
Lets look at some of the more common misconceptions:
In Matthew 12:38-40 Jesus Prophesied that He would be in the Earth three days and three nights. For a better understanding of this prophecy and why Jesus was a greater prophet than Jonah please read Jesus And Jonah.
In Matthew 24:34 Jesus Prophesied about the generation that would be alive when He returned to Earth. For more on this prophecy please read Jesus Will Return During This Generation.
There are just two examples of prophecies that Jesus made that are often misunderstood.
One of the signs of a false prophet is that the prophet wishes to turn others away from the true God of Israel. Jesus did not ask anyone to turn away from the Lord. On the contrary He taught the following:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’(Matthew 22: 36-37)
Jesus reaffirmed what is still today the cornerstone passage of all Judaism known as the Shema.
Because Jesus is part of the Trinity which consists of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which collectively make up one God, (not three individual Gods) Jesus encouraged the one and only true God to be worshiped.
The passage in the previous paragraph (The Shema) does not exclude the possibility of God being a compound unity and still being "one God." For more on this please read Lessons From The Shema.
Just because a person is able to perform a miracle does not make that person a prophet of God. The source of the power of the miracle can be in question. Jesus was able to perform many miracles. The New Testament along with Josephus records several and also records that the miracles were undeniable. The Jewish authorities at the time were unable to deny the miracles but they did bring into question the source of power for Jesus to be able to perform them.
The Pharisees and Scribes, unable to deny His supernatural power, and unwilling to attribute it to God, were left with the blasphemous alternative that His power came from Satan himself (Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).(3)
For a list of miracles performed by Jesus please read Miracles Performed By Jesus.
When someone was thought to be a false prophet, they were to be taken in front of the San Hedrin Court and if found guilty was to be punished by death by strangulation.(2) Jesus was never charged with this crime and His death was crucifixion on a cross not by strangulation.
Jesus qualified as a true biblical prophet.
1). Twenty-Six Reasons Why Jews Don't Believe In Jesus by Asher Norman p.34.
2). http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=553&letter=P&search=prophet
3). The MacArthur New Testament Commentary John 1-11 p.27.
