What is the definition of a prophet?

The concept of prophet and messnger is ill defined in the Bible, although both terms are used frequently.

According to the Qur'an, A prophet is the righteous man whom God spoke to. There are too many prophets we dont know about. A messenger however is the prophet who was given a new divine message to reform his society. A messenger by definition is a prophet, but not every prophet was a messnger. Messengers were protected from being killed, but the same protection did not apply on prophets only. The Qur'an spoke about prophets being killed but no messenger was killed. John the Baptist is the best examply as he was a prophet and he was kiiled, like Zachria, but Jesus who was a messnger was protected from being killed. All known messngers died naturally except Jesus who is still alife.

The Biblical confusion came from the fact that the Bible uses the term prophet more frequently, because it applies both to messengers and prophets. The distinction between their roles and fate could only be appreciated when the diferentiation between who was only a prophet and who was a messnger 'a prophet by defintion' be clear.

buddyman wrote: minuteman wrote:    O.K. Buddyman, I have read your first post. It is telling a lot about a true prophet and false prophet but in a vague way. I find the reply by Andalus (of 04 July) the best one for your post. According to your fromula, even Moses cannot be a prophet because he never taught about Jesus. Please see that reply by Andalus again below:   An extremely cursory approach to such an important idea. It is very difficult to follow your work, as you try and mix the NT with the OT, and you bury unproven assumptions in your work. As an example, in your second test, you stated: Quote: What is the second test of a prophet? 1 John 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. A prophet of God must acknowledge and teach the truth about Jesus Christ--that He was God in human form. True prophets must also exalt Jesus, not themselves. Most false prophets seek to draw attention away from God's Word and to their own ideas. This is Christian theological doctrine, not a "truth". You cannot expect me, or any non Christian, to believe that a prophet must agree with 1 John? If everyone held this belief as true, then we would be Christians. My reply would be, "Gee, I did not read 1 John! What can I say? I am astounded Buddy! See you at church on sunday!".  1) I reject 1 John and ask you to authenticate this as having an authority from Jesus(or from any author that knew Jesus). You have an unproven, buried assumption about the validty of 1 John, and Christian doctrine. 2) I do not believe Jesus was divine, which is yet another assumption you buried in this theological hyperbole. I say that any man who claims Jesus, or anything of this world is God, is false. Moses did not teach of Jesus, and never prayed to him. I reserve my right to later add to what is said above. But the reply by Andalus should be an eye opener for the Buddyman. I am surprised that Buddyman has not replied to all those points.   Why would you not use the OT and the NT? That makes no sense. Obviously throughout time God has told us what a true prophet is. Not really that hard, you just have to read the Bible including the OT and you will see.

The NT does not contain "explicit" details which allow us to "define" a prophet. It has too many "implicit" verses that only allow you to invent a "Christian Prophet".

buddyman wrote: Andulus, Answers to you questions.   How do you derive 70 weeks? 490 years?   As Imentioned before. We are told, that 1 week is equal to 7 years. There are 7 days in the week. 1 day equals one year. So we then take 7 and times that by 70 and get 490 years (the prophecy is 70 weeks wich is equal to 490 years)

You are referring to 9:24:

Seventy weeks [of years] have been decreed upon your people and upon the city of your Sanctuary to terminate the transgression and to end sin, and to expiate iniquity, and to bring eternal righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.

The year 457 as a decree to rebuild Jerusalem?   We get this date because it's the last date at which the decree was given to rebuild the temple (Artaxerxes gave the last decree and Cyprus made it happen)

I am still puzzled as to how you came to your date. You have a bad habit of just "asserting" your beliefs as if they are "facts" that everyone accepts and knows.

You need to show how you have come to a 457 date? You are "handwaving" your conclusions and I will briefly demonstrate:

Nehemiah 2:1-8 suggest that the date is 445 BCE when you take the notion of the month of Nissan into account and adjust it to our calender system.

Ezra suggests that the decree to build the temple, as opposed to the city, was 457 by Artaxerxes 7:11-28

Cyrus made a decree to build the temple, as opposed to the city, approximately 538 BCE (2 chronicles 36).

Buddyman, you always "over simplify" the proof of your claims.  

What is 483 years?   This is when the prophecy gets to the 69th week. This is from the time the decree was given until the temple was rebuilt.

You still need to validate your "decree date".

You need to show from where in Daniel 9 you deduced this.

How do you arrive at Jesus being crucified at 31 CE? How do you get from 457 BCE to 31 CE?   From the time the decree was given in 457 BC to when the temple was built the prophecy states that Messiah the Prince. How do we get to the date 31? We are toldin the Bible who was in power during those times and then we just look at history. For example, we know that Pontius Pilate was a Roman governor during Jesus's time.

This is another "handwaving" job. So ask me how I know your faith is wrong? Well Buddyman, that is easy, we know from history and the bible itself and archeology. Ok?

Of course not. The last passover of Jesus would have place the year at 32 CE. Since the "exact" date is dispited even aomgst your own group, you need to establish the year he was "allegedly" killed.

Please don't forget to read the Book of Daniel. Let me know if you've read any part of it yet and then we can discuss.

 Very good. Could you tell me who is a prophet according to your belief?? Is Adam a prophet? Is Noah a prophet? Is Abraham a prophet? Is Moses a prophet?? Is Jonas a prophet? Is John the Baptist a prophet? Please include some more, as much as you know. Thanks.