What does Acts 3:22 mean?
Peter is relaying a quote from Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 18:15. We don't typically think of Moses in the same category as other "prophets" because he was so much more: the rescuer and leader of Israel, a military commander, and the friend of God (Exodus 33:11). A prophet is someone whom God called to tell others His words. Considering God gave Moses the Law, he may rightly be considered Israel's greatest prophet.Jesus claimed this direct responsibility as well: "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak" (John 12:49). When He is rejected in Nazareth, He identifies Himself with the prophets (Luke 4:24).
Biblical prophets have two main tasks. First, they are to relay what God wants the people to know (2 Samuel 7:4–5; Jeremiah 1:5, 7, 9; Ezekiel 3:4). Second, they tell the future. There are too many examples of this in the Old Testament to list! As for Jesus, not only did He prophesy His own death (Mark 8:31; 9:30–32; 10:32–34), He prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 (Mark 13:2), and the end times (Mark 13:3–27).
Jesus not only said what God wanted Him to say, He explained how His audience could judge if a prophet was from God or not. If someone spoke with the purpose of giving God the glory, that was a sign they were a true prophet; if they sought glory for themselves, they weren't (John 7:16–18). In addition, God identified His prophets by empowering them to perform miracles (Exodus 7:8–10). Although Jesus willingly performed miracles, the purpose of His ministry was never to heal; the signs were to validate His words (Mark 1:32–39). And He always sought Father-God's glory, not His own (John 8:50).
Different denominations have different views as to if there are still prophets in the world today. Since the ratification of the biblical canon, when the books of the New Testament were decided upon, we can say that there are no more prophets like those found in the Bible. God's Word comes to us through Scripture; nothing new is given directly to people.
