Prophet

== Christianity ==
{{Main|Prophets of Christianity}}

=== Traditional definitions ===
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 139.png|thumb|right|The Vision of Isaiah is depicted in this 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]].]]

In [[Christianity]], a prophet (or seer) is one inspired by God through the [[Holy Spirit (Christianity)|Holy Spirit]] to deliver a message. This includes the prophets of ancient Israel as well as those who function(ed) as prophets in the Church. Concerning the latter concept, some [[Christian denominations]] limit a prophet's message to words intended only for the entire church congregation, excluding personal messages not intended for the body of believers; but in the [[Bible]] on a number of occasions prophets were called to deliver personal messages.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Matthew|14:1–7|9}}, {{Bibleverse|2|Kings|3:11|9}}</ref> The reception of a message is termed [[revelation]] and the delivery of the message is termed prophecy.

The term "prophet" applies to those who receive public or [[private revelation]]. Public revelation, in Catholicism, is part of the [[Deposit of faith]], the revelation of which was completed by Jesus; whereas private revelation does not add to the Deposit. The term "deposit of faith" refers to the entirety of Jesus Christ's revelation, and is passed to successive generations in two different forms, sacred scripture (the Bible) and sacred tradition.

The Bible applies the appellation '[[false prophet]]' to anyone who preaches a Gospel contrary to that delivered to the apostles and recorded in Sacred Scripture.<ref name="Nei2019">{{cite book |last1=Nei |first1=Briana |title=Revealed in Ephesians: The Mystery of Who I Am in Christ |date=25 January 2019 |publisher=WestBow Press |isbn=978-1-9736-4773-7 |language=English |quote=Anyone who contradicts scripture, preaches another gospel or denies the divinity of Christ is a false prophet. Paul said, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you ...}}</ref> One [[Old Testament]] text in [[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]]<ref>{{Bibleverse||Deuteronomy|18:21–22|9}}</ref> contains a warning against those who prophesy events which do not come to pass and says they should be put to death. Elsewhere a false prophet may be someone who is purposely trying to deceive, is delusional, under the influence of [[Satan]] or is speaking from his own spirit.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Ezekiel|13:3|9}}, "Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!"</ref>

==== Catholicism ====
Six of the [[Twelve Minor Prophets|Minor Prophets]] are commemorated in December. Each encouraged people to return to God, to repent of past sins, and to recognize God's presence even in their difficulties.<ref>[https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2021/12/01/advent-and-the-jewish-prophets/ Beutner, Dawn. "Advent and the Jewish Prophets", ''The Catholic World Report'', December 1, 2021]</ref>

"Jesus Christ is the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and established as priest, prophet, and king. The whole People of God participates in these three offices of Christ and bears the responsibilities for mission and service that flow from them."<ref>Catechism of the Catholic Church, §783</ref> The laity act prophetically when they speak the truth, and live the Gospel by example before their families, neighbors, and co-workers.<ref>CCC, 905</ref> The Old Testament prophets defended the poor and powerless "and inspire Catholic Social Teaching on the preferential option for the poor, workers’ rights, and justice and peace."<ref>[https://www.usccb.org/offices/new-american-bible/roots-catholic-social-teaching-found-old-testament-prophets Colecchi, D.Min., Stephen M., "Roots of Catholic Social Teaching Found in the Old Testament Prophets", USCCB]</ref>

=== Ongoing prophecy ===
[[File:Mattia Preti - San Giovanni Battista Predicazione.jpg|thumb|''St. John the Baptist Preaching'', {{circa|1665}}, by [[Mattia Preti]]]]
Christians who believe that the [[Holy Spirit]] continues to give [[spiritual gifts]] to Christians are known as [[Cessationism versus continuationism|continuationists]].<ref name="Bellini2015">{{cite web |last1=Bellini |first1=Peter |title=Pentecostals Don't Have a Copyright on the Holy Spirit (Part I) |url=https://www.seedbed.com/pentecostals-dont-have-a-copyright-on-the-holy-spirit/ |access-date=20 August 2021 |language=English |date=4 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="DawsonHornbacher2019">{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=Steve |last2=Hornbacher |first2=Mark |title=Ordinary Christians, Extraordinary Signs: Healing in Evangelization |date=10 April 2019 |publisher=The Word Among Us Press |isbn=978-1-59325-007-2 |language=English |quote=The Catholic Church is "continuationist," rather than "cessationist." What does that mean? Cessationism is the belief that the signs and wonders of the New Testament Church—the extraordinary spiritual gifts (charisms) like tongues, prophecy, or healing—were only intended for a time and ceased to be present in the Church after that period of time had elapsed. Continuationism, on the other hand, is the belief that the signs and wonders of the early Church have continued.}}</ref> These charismata may include prophecy, [[Glossolalia|tongues]], [[faith healing|miraculous healing]] ability, and discernment (Matthew 12:32 KJV "Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.").<ref name="DawsonHornbacher2019"/> [[Cessationism|Cessationists]] believe that these gifts were given only in New Testament times and that they ceased after the last [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostle]] died.<ref name="DawsonHornbacher2019"/>

The [[last prophet]] of the [[Old Covenant]] before the arrival of Jesus is [[John the Baptist]].<ref>(cf. {{Bibleverse|Luke|16:16|KJV}})</ref><ref name="MacArthur2006">{{cite book |author=[[John F. MacArthur]]|title=John 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary |date=1 March 2006 |publisher=Moody Publishers |isbn=978-0-8024-8044-6 |page=124 |language=English |quote=John the Baptist was the last prophet under the old covenant (Luke 16:16); Jesus came as the mediator of the new covenant (Heb. 8:6; 12:24), which He ratified by His sacrificial death (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25).}}</ref> [[New Testament]] passages that explicitly discuss prophets existing after the death and resurrection of [[Christ]] include [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] 11:10,<ref>{{Bibleverse||Revelation|11:10|9}}</ref> [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 10:40–41 and 23:34,<ref>Gospel of Matthew {{Bibleverse-nb||Matthew|10:40–41|9}}, {{Bibleverse-nb||Matthew|23:34|9}}</ref> [[Gospel of John|John]] 13:20 and 15:20<ref>Gospel of John {{Bibleverse-nb||John|13:20|9}}, {{Bibleverse-nb||John|15:20|9}}</ref> and [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]] 11:25–30, 13:1 and 15:32.<ref>Acts of the Apostles {{Bibleverse-nb||Acts|11:25–30|9}}, {{Bibleverse-nb||Acts|13:1|9}}, {{Bibleverse-nb||Acts|15:32|9}}</ref>

The ''[[Didache]]'' gives extensive instruction in how to distinguish between true and false prophets, as well as commands regarding tithes to prophets in the church.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html| title = Early Christian Writings: Didache (Chapters 11–15)}}</ref> [[Irenaeus]], wrote of 2nd-century believers with the gift of prophecy,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103506.htm| title = ''Against Heresies'', Book V Chapter 6.1}}</ref> while [[Justin Martyr]] argued in his ''Dialogue with Trypho'' that prophets were not found among the Jews in his time, but that the church had prophets.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/justinmartyr-dialoguetrypho.html| title = Early Christian Writings: ''Dialogue with Trypho'' (Chapter LXXXII)}}</ref> ''[[The Shepherd of Hermas]]'' describes revelation in a vision regarding the proper operation of prophecy in the church.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/shepherd.html| title = Early Christian Writings: Shepherd of Hermas (Eleventh Commandment)}}</ref> [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] mentions that [[Quadratus of Athens|Quadratus]] and Ammia of [[Alaşehir|Philadelphia]] were both prominent prophets following the age of the Twelve Apostles.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm| title = ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 37.1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250105.htm| title = ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book V, Chapter 17.2–4}}</ref> [[Tertullian]], writing of the church meetings of the [[Montanism|Montanists]] (to whom he belonged), described in detail the practice of prophecy in the 2nd-century church.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0310.htm| title = ''A Treatise on the Soul'', Chapter 9}}</ref>

A number of later Christian saints were said to have powers of prophecy, such as [[Columba of Iona]] (521–597), [[Saint Malachy]] (1094–1148) or [[Padre Pio]] (1887–1968).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Who Is a Prophet?|url=https://slife.org/prophet/|date=2019-05-24|website=The Spiritual Life|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-19}}</ref> [[Marian apparition]]s like those at [[Fátima, Portugal|Fatima]] in 1917 or at [[Kibeho]] in Rwanda in the 1980s often included prophetic predictions regarding the future of the world as well as of the local areas they occurred in.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marianapparitions.org/marian_apparitions/index.html |title=The Miracle Hunter : Marian Apparitions |website=marianapparitions.org |access-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref>

Prophetic movements in particular can be traced throughout the Christian Church's history, expressing themselves in (for example) [[Montanism]], [[Novatianism]], [[Donatism]], [[Franciscan]]ism, [[Anabaptist|Anabaptism]], [[Camisard]] enthusiasm, [[Puritan]]ism, [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakerism]], [[Quietism (Christian philosophy)|Quietism]], [[Lutheranism]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.brill.com/products/book/lay-prophets-lutheran-europe-c-1550-1700 |title=Jürgen Beyer, ''Lay prophets in Lutheran Europe (c. 1550–1700)'' (Brill's series in church history and religious culture 74), Leiden & Boston: Brill, 2017 |access-date=2017-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923052427/http://www.brill.com/products/book/lay-prophets-lutheran-europe-c-1550-1700 |archive-date=2016-09-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Radical Pietism]]. Modern Pentecostals and Charismatics, members of movements which together comprised approximately 584 million people {{as of | 2011 | lc = on}},<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/''Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population''], p. 67. See also ''The New International Dictionary'', "Part II Global Statistics: A Massive Worldwide Phenomenon".</ref> believe in the contemporary function of the gift of prophecy, and some in these movements, especially those within the [[Apostolic-Prophetic Movement]], allow for idea that God may continue to gift the church with some individuals who are prophets.

Some Christian sects recognize the existence of "modern-day" prophets. One such denomination is [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], which teaches that God still communicates with mankind through prophecy.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/beliefs/prophets.shtml | title=BBC - Religions - Mormon: Living prophets }}</ref>

==== Latter Day Saint movement ====
[[File:Joseph Smith, Jr. portrait owned by Joseph Smith III.jpg|upright|thumb|A portrait of [[Joseph Smith]]]]

{{Main|Prophet, seer, and revelator|List of Book of Mormon prophets|President of the Church|Revelation (Latter Day Saints)}}

[[Joseph Smith]], who established the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Christ]] in 1830, is considered a prophet by members of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]], of which [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) is the largest denomination. Additionally, many churches within the movement believe in a succession of modern prophets (accepted by Latter Day Saints as "[[Prophet, seer, and revelator|prophets, seers, and revelators]]") since the time of Joseph Smith. [[Russell M. Nelson]] is the current Prophet and President of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].

==== Adventism ====
[[Baptism|Baptist]] preacher [[William Miller (preacher)|William Miller]] is credited with beginning the mid-19th century North American religious movement now known as [[Adventism]]. He announced a [[Second Coming]], resulting in the [[Great Disappointment]].

==== Seventh-day Adventist ====
{{Main|Inspiration of Ellen G. White}}

The [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]], which was established in 1863, believes that [[Ellen G. White]], one of the church's founders, was given the [[Spirit of Prophecy (Adventist)|spiritual gift of prophecy]].

==== Branch Davidians ====
The [[Branch Davidians]] are a religious cult which was founded in 1959 by [[Benjamin Roden]] as an offshoot of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. [[David Koresh]], who died in the [[Waco Siege]] in 1993, called himself their final prophet and [[List of people claimed to be Jesus#20th century|"the Son of God, the Lamb"]] in 1983.