Note 1 at Ac 11:27: The ministry of the prophet has always been very important to God's people. There are over 300 references about prophets in the Old Testament and over 150 in the New Testament. In the New Testament, the prophet is the second-highest position in the church, surpassed only by the apostle (1Co 12:28). Christ's church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20).

A prophet is God's mouthpiece (2Ki 17:13, 23, 21:10, 24:2; Ho 12:10; and Am 3:7) whereby He gives specific instructions, warnings, or rebukes. Although not limited to future events, much of the prophetic ministry deals with the future. Prophets have also been used to give God's perspective on past and current events (1Ki 20:13-14 and 2Ch 12:5), to anoint people for service (1Sa 10:1, 16:1, 13; 1Ki 19:15-16; and 2Ki 9:1-6), to preach the righteousness of God to those who practiced unrighteousness (Ne 6:7, Ac 15:32, and 1Co 14:3), as spiritual advisors to kings (2Sa 7), and to be used for people to inquire of God (1Sa 28:6; 1Ki 14:1-18, 22:7; 2Ki 3:11; 2Ch 18:6; and Eze 14:7).

Abraham was called a prophet, although he never prophesied any future events or spoke forth any messages of judgment. Ten prophetesses and one false prophetess are mentioned in Scripture (see note 1 at Lu 2:36).

The test of a true prophet who is predicting future events is whether or not the prophecy comes true. "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him" (De 18:22).