Prophets played a vital and continuing role in Israel. God shows in many places that those He appoints to the prophetic office will always preach the keeping of the commandments of God as evidence of the Source of their inspiration. They will teach the conservation of past truths even as they break new doctrinal ground. They both forth-tell that is proclaim a message truthfully clearly and authoritatively to those for whom it is intended and they will on occasion but not always foretell that is predict events before they take place. It is misleading to believe these verses in Deuteronomy 18 apply only to Christ. His is undoubtedly their ultimate application but the promise and description applies to all true God-ordained prophets.

The office of prophet was not merely to foretell the future but also to forth tell with power and with exposition and application of the law which is the declaration of God's will. In biblical usage a prophet is one who expresses the will of God in words. A prophet is an expounder of the word of God. A prophet is someone who speaks for another. A prophet is a representative who carries a message from another usually from a higher authority. Their function was to cry aloud and show men their sins. Therefore as an extension from this they were also pastors and ministerial monitors of the people. The prophet approached men going in the opposite direction as ambassadors from God beseeching men to turn from their evil ways repent and live. The New Testament ministry more closely approximates the prophet's function than the priest. The prophetic voice of one of God's true prophets speaks for God and will always have at the base of what he says the keeping of God's commandments for evidence that identifies him as a true prophet. The exposition of his message will always be in harmony with previously revealed truth even though the prophet may be breaking new ground. Within their prophecies is an understanding of history. Their understanding of history shows meaning only in terms of God's purpose and their participation within that purpose. Prophecy is not intended to open the future to idle curiosity. Its greater purpose is the furnishing of guidance to God's people to give encouragement hope confidence and instill urgency in the lives of the heirs of salvation to prepare themselves for the Kingdom of God.

Prophets both forth tell and on occasion foretell. Forth telling means that prophets bring a message out truthfully clearly and authoritatively to those to whom it is intended. A man can be a prophet without ever foretelling anything but he will faithfully carry the message God gave him and he will always stick to the line that God gave beginning with Moses like unto Moses who was faithful in all of his house. The foundational pattern for the office was established through Moses. The prophet will be raised up from among the Israelitish people. A prophet will perform the function of a mediator between God and men. Because of this a prophet will stand apart from the system that is already installed. A prophet is directly appointed and separated for his office by God and therefore the thrust of his service as God representative is direct and authoritative. In simple broad definition a prophet is one who is given a message by another of greater authority and speaks to those for whom the message is intended in place of the original giver of the message.