With recent news regarding the death of Gordon Hinckley, prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aka the Mormons…I thought I would take a moment to pose the question, was Gordon Hinckley a prophet? I personally have listened to his messages over the past 12 or so years, have listened to him in person in Salt Lake City on one occasion, and read his works. I am confident that this great man was a Prophet of our God in Heaven, inspired for our day and time. I am curious what the world at large today would consider the characteristics of a prophet are? Where would a prophet be born? What would his parents be like? What message would he deliver? Would he blog his prophecies or use some other medium to communicate to the public?
Here are a some insights from a devotional address given many years ago by Hugh Brown that might be an intersting starting point as you consider what makes a prophet:
1. He will boldly claim that God had spoken to him.
2. Any man so claiming would be a dignified man with a dignified message—no table jumping, no whisperings from the dead, no clairvoyance, but an intelligent statement of truth.
3. Any man claiming to be a prophet of God would declare his message without any fear and without making any weak concessions to public opinion.
4. If he were speaking for God he could not make concessions, although what he taught would be new and contrary to the accepted teachings of the day. A prophet bears witness to what he has seen and heard and seldom tries to make a case by argument. His message and not himself is important.
5. Such a man would speak in the name of the Lord, saying, “Thus said the Lord,” as did Moses, Joshua, and others.
6. Such a man would predict future events in the name of the Lord, and they would come to pass, as did those predicted by Isaiah and Ezekiel.
7. He would have not only an important message for his time but often a message for all future time, such as Daniel, Jeremiah, and others had.
8. He would have courage and faith enough to endure persecution and to give his life, if need be, for the cause he espoused, such as Peter, James, Paul, and others did.
9. Such a man would denounce wickedness fearlessly. He would generally be rejected or persecuted by the people of his time, but later generations and descendants of his persecutors would build monuments in his honor.
10. He would be able to do superhuman things—things that no man could do without God’s help. The consequence or result of his message and work would be convincing evidence of his prophetic calling: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).
11. His teachings would be in strict conformity with scripture, and his words and his writings would become scripture. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).
Would you add anything to this list?
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