God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

No Longer The Word Of The Prophets

In the early days of the world, God spoke directly to men. Adam and Eve had close communion with God as He walked in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. Noah received commands from God to build an ark and Abram was promised wonderful things by the word of the Lord. Prophets became an integral part of how God revealed Himself. Through the guidance of the Holy, Spirit men were moved to speak the oracles of God to instruct the people of God concerning His will. Many prophets remain unknown in scripture as they worked among the early fathers while others rose to prominence like Abraham, Moses, Gad, Nathan, Ahijah, Elijah and Elisha and all the great prophets of the Old Testament writings. During His ministry, Jesus often referred to the prophets and how they spoke of Him fulfilling prophecy. The work of the prophets served a vital role in the completed revelation of God’s will to men but their work was limited in time until the coming of the final mouthpiece of God – Jesus Christ. All authority was given to Jesus as the spokesman of the Father. His words would bring the final conclusion of hope in eternal life. Throughout the centuries the prophets served to bring the hearts of the people to the Lord and while many of them were killed for what they taught, none would die in the manner of the Son of God. The word of truth, the way of life and the hope of eternal life would come through the words of Jesus Christ who is the only spokesman for God. Jesus became the sacrifice that would draw all men to the Father. His word would solidify the words of the prophets as they spoke of Him and told of His life, death, and resurrection. Everything written by the prophets pointed to the image of Jesus Christ and the authority of His word. God spoke for many generations through the avenue of men but in these last day, His word comes from His Son alone.

Understanding the nature of authority is when a person recognizes who has the right to speak for another. Peter made that mistake when on the mountain Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John and the disciple thought it would be a great idea to build a tabernacle for Moses and Elijah who were speaking to Jesus and to build one for the Lord. Moses and Elijah disappeared and a voice came out of Heaven declaring that men should listen to Jesus. Peter had made the mistake of assuming the greatness of Moses and Elijah qualified them as spokesmen of God. They served a purpose in the scheme of man’s redemption but now all men must listen to Jesus and to Him alone. Jesus has been appointed heir of all things, not Moses, Elijah or one of the prophets. The word of the Lord can only be established through the word of Christ. One reason Jesus has all authority is because He created the world and has final authority as the Creator. The Maker of the world came in the form of His creation, suffered and died at the hands of His creation and by the power of God rose from the dead never to die. No prophet has that authority. There are no men today who can embrace that authority and speak for the Father. God spoke through the prophets in various ways like dreams, visions, or speaking to them through His angels or sometimes directly with His voice (as when Jesus was baptized by John). In every case, the prophets spoke as commanded by the Lord. Now in the last days, God has spoken to all men by His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Hebrew writer refers to the prophets of the past and while they served a purpose, the Father declares that Jesus is His spokesman for all time. Today those who seek to find God’s word apart from the will of the Father go beyond the authority of God. Jesus still has all authority and no man has a right to speak for the Father apart from the word of Jesus Christ. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope is represented as “God on earth” and the spokesman for Christ which is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints declares the president of the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. He is the only one who can receive revelations to guide the Mormons. The Hebrew writer disputes this claim. Many faiths have “prophets” among them that seek to speak for God. If any man speaks a word that is not found in the Bible then he is a false prophet. The Bible is the final word of God and no man can speak a word outside the bounds of holy scrip without incurring the wrath of God for speaking where He has not authorized. If a man speaks what is found in the word of God he is not a prophet but a follower of truth. There is no need for prophets today because God has spoken to all men through His Son and the will of the Father is written down so that men can read and understand the truth of God’s will. Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life and no man can usurp the authority of His divine right as spokesman and Creator. Let God be true and every man a liar. Jesus speaks for the Father.