Dear Arthur and Sandra:

How did the people know John the Baptist was a true prophet? Especially since they had not heard from God in 400 years? Did the Israelites have any criteria for determining a true prophet from a false one? And how did they know when a true prophet was speaking to them? It seems like anyone can say, "God wants to say this to you..." One criteria is to see prophecy fulfilled, but some weren't fulfilled in a person's lifetime, so how would they know the words were true at the time they heard them, especially ones that didn't really contradict what was already known about God (or were false ones always contradicting what people knew to be truth and to be God's word)?

Thanks for the update and the question. That's a good question and I wish I had the time before tomorrow to research the Scriptures and books for a more concrete answer. However, time is short for me to write tonight but you did want something tonight. So, I'll give you what comes to mind at this point. Sorry, but I don't have the exact Scripture references off the top of my head. I can look them up later but am trying to get this to you quickly.

How did the people know John the Baptist was a true prophet? I'm sure this can be answered in a variety of legitimate ways. I guess my first, and best, answer would be that Jesus commended him, was baptized by him, and basically said that there has been no greater man who has ever lived up to that point. That, to me, would settle it.

There were, indeed, criteria for determining a true prophet. Not all of them come to mind right now, but one of the major ones was 100% accuracy in their prophecy. A true prophet needed to be perfect in that arena. As you know, the term "prophecy" does not only refer to the prediction of future events. That actually is secondary to what I believe is the primary use of the word, which means to bring forth God's truth. Prophets were spokespersons for God, were inspired by God, and were given authority by God. Thus, you and I are prophets in that sense, prophesying (bringing forth) God's truth.

Trying to put myself in that era, and trying to imagine what it might be like, the question comes to mind, "How do we determine today who is a true teacher and false teacher?" I would think that even though we have complete Scripture now, it still may be harder to distinguish today than 4,000 years ago. I say that because there are so many religions and cults today that claim to be Christian, that use (or misuse) Scripture, pray to "God", sound biblical, etc.

In antiquity, there certainly were false prophets and teachers but I don't think they were on the scale that we see today. First, Israel only had itself to deal with. What I mean is that God wasn't speaking to them through Gentile nations. Now, since the gospel is all over the world, we have so much more to deal with in our evaluations.

There are a few things I think that I would have to consider when evaluating a "prophet":

1. Is it consistent with Scripture, of course - not only the text but the intention and context, as well. At the time of John the Baptist, the OT canon was already complete. So, there was OT Scripture to compare any teaching to, which Jesus did frequently.

2. Is the power of the Holy Spirit evident in his teaching and in his life? Does the Lord anoint him? As you know, there is a certain authority and power on God's anointed that goes beyond mere charisma. It's a life that is lived in the Spirit and fears only God ultimately. There's a power to that life that commands respect.

3. What is it that the prophet is calling me to do? Prophets call people back to the heart of the gospel, to repentance, and to faithfulness to God, and they usually do it in the midst of much persecution, since people don't like to be confronted with things like that. Yet, they persist because it is their calling.

4. Is the Holy Spirit working in my heart under the prophet's proclamation?

So often, because the Lord was speaking through the prophets, they prefaced their remarks by stating, "Thus says the Lord . . .". Very few people would have the audacity to say something like that, for fear of death. They couldn't even say the name of the Lord and thus wrote YHWH, right? I suspect that there weren't too many "prophets" to evaluate, and of them, I suspect that it would be rather easy to tell who was of the Lord or not, IF I was sincerely seeking the Lord and not myself.

As I read the OT prophets, I never see them "enjoying" and vying for the attention God is calling them to receive (negative attention). They endure it, are overwhelmed by it, but persist in it because the Lord commands them to do it. That's true of all the OT prophets I can think of. It was true of John the Baptist, and was true for the chief Prophet of them all, Jesus.

I'm sure that I've left a lot out. I'm not sure if that helps or not.

Blessings,

Arthur