Do We Have Prophets in the New Testament?
1) Direct answer
Yes. The New Testament has prophets, and God still sets prophets in the Church today. They do not add new Scripture, but they call God’s people back to the written Word, reveal what is hidden, warn, and edify the Body.
2) Scriptural explanation
- God placed prophets in the Church: “God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets…” (1 Corinthians 12:28). “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets… for the perfecting of the saints… till we all come… unto a perfect man” (Ephesians 4:11-13). We have not yet arrived at that global perfection, so the ministry remains.
- New Testament examples: Prophets and teachers in Antioch (Acts 13:1). Agabus who foretold famine and Paul’s bonds (Acts 11:27-28; 21:10-11). Judas and Silas, “being prophets also themselves” (Acts 15:32). Philip’s four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9).
- Order and testing: “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge” (1 Corinthians 14:29). “Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). The standard is the Word: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). If a thing is spoken in the Name of the Lord and does not come to pass, don’t fear it (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
- End-time promise: “Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things” (Matthew 17:11; see Malachi 4:5-6). That points to a prophetic ministry before the great and dreadful day of the Lord—a restoring call back to the original Word, not the writing of a new Bible. Revelation 10:7 shows that in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be finished—again, not adding Scripture, but bringing to light what God already gave.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- If Jesus “gave” prophets for the Church “till we all come” to full maturity, then prophets continue until that purpose is fulfilled.
- The same Holy Spirit who inspired prophecy in Acts has not changed. Therefore the gifts and offices He set remain, with the same Bible standard of judgment.
- True prophecy never contradicts Scripture, never leads to sin or pride, and always exalts Jesus Christ and holiness. False prophecy fails the Word test, the fruit test, and the fulfillment test.
4) Reinforcing statement
Now notice, the Bible does not tell us to reject prophecy; it tells us not to despise it, but to judge it by the Word. A true New Testament prophet will point the Bride back to the written Word, reveal the secrets of the heart, and prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.
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Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
61-0205E §12
Then besides that, He's got five ministerial offices. First is apostles or missionaries. The word apostle means "one sent." A missionary means "one sent." Secondarily, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and so forth. Those are God-given gifts that's set into the church. They're predestinated of God, and set into the church. You can't make yourself a minister. God's got to call you to be a minister. Prophets are foreordained. They're prophets. Now, there's a gift of prophecy in the church that could be on one, then the...
Blind Bartimaeus
57-0301 §30
Then I read back in the Bible, and I see Joseph, many others in the Bible, that how that Spirit lived back in the Old Testament on men. I see how it lived in the New Testament. How Joseph would see visions, and the prophets would see visions, and how he'd interpret dreams, and the Spirit life of the prophet. I see it over on Paul, Peter, many of the others of the New Testament. And I believe that these two things that I know are the product of these two things I believe. God has sent Christ to the world. He died fo...
Discernment of Spirit
60-0308 §45
Now, brethren, in closing, may I say this. Our time gets away, but, look, may I say this in closing, with these scriptures here. Let's see. If a man that all the Old Testament theme was about Him, all the holy prophets anointed with God's Spirit, if all that and everything that they said was fulfilled to the letter exactly in Him, surely that great person called the Son of God ought to know how to set up the New Testament church. Don't you believe that? He ought to have a conception to know how to set up the New Te...
In His presence
62-0909E §24
We see Isaiah, in Isaiah 6:5, as we've just read, this great mighty prophet, He's one of the greatest prophets there is in the Bible. There's sixty-six books of the Bible; there's sixty-six chapters in Isaiah. Isaiah starts off in Genesis, the middle of Isaiah he brings in the New Testament, at the end of Isaiah he brings in the Millennium; just exactly Genesis, the New Testament, and Revelation. Perfect! Isaiah was one of the major prophets. But one day he had been leaning upon the arm of Uzziah the great king, Uz...
Sir, we would see Jesus
62-0724 §57
Now when He was made manifest, and ... see what He was yesterday, let's carry it just a little further. Now, we know that the prophets of the Old Testament... God always had his people to believe his prophets. We know that, don't we? Because the Bible said that the Word of God (the Word, now, which was God), came to the prophets. Is that right? The Word of the Lord came to the prophets. The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. The Word of the Lord came to Moses. The Word of the Lord came different ways to the prophet...