Another common term mentioned many times in the Old Testament for prophet was man of God.? This term emphasized his holy calling, moral character and divine ministry.? The term is used quite early in Old Testament writings, for instance for Moses, Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha. Deuteronomy 33:1; 1 Samuel 9:6; 2 Kings 4:9 ???
???? Servant of the Lord.? This title stresses the close and holy relationship between God and His faithful messengers.? It is used of the prophet Ahijah in 1 Kings 14:18.? God frequently speaks of ?My servants, the prophets? in 2 Kings 9:7; 17:13; Jeremiah 7:25; Ezekiel 38:17; Zechariah 1:6; Amos 3:7??? This appellation has confused many.? It is this name that sets the proper direction of the book of Revelation.? Many never see this book as a testament of the Almighty vindicating the death of His only begotten Son picturing the death, burial, and resurrection of the Christ.? Since they misconstrue the message of Revelation, the misconstrue the message and often think the message of Revelation concerns the second coming of Christ when, if fact it is about His first coming.? They also never look back to the work of the prophets for a definition of the figures-symbols-signs used in that great book of vindication.? See how this explains the message and content of the Book of Revelation!!? ?The revelation (taking off the cover, 1 Corinthians 2:9) of (not from, but about) Jesus Christ, which God (the Father) gave (this was His role in perfecting-bringing to completion, the plan of salvation-the agreement between Christ and the Ancient of Days, John 7:16-19; Acts 2:22-28) unto Christ, to show (vindicate, explain what and why Christ suffered and died such a horrible death, 1 Timothy 3:16) unto (by) His servants (prophets, men of God, messengers of the Lord-same term we are now studying as referencing the prophets) things (events) which must (the AMEN, or as God would have it, had just been completed) shortly (in the three and one half year ministry of Christ): and He (God, the Ancient of Days) sent and signified (used the signs and symbols used in the writings of the prophets) it (this message) by His angel (special apostle who had seen these events commonly discussed and understood in Paradise when he died at Lystra) unto His servant (same term-same qualified messenger as the Old Testament prophets, Amos 3:7) John (the apostle the believing Jew would most likely listen to).? Who bare record (qualification as in 1 John 1:1, not the angel who gave John the message, but the angel who could verify the message as being true) of the word (message) of God, and of the testimony (John 5:38-39) of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw (John had witnessed as one of the twelve).? Revelation 1:1-2?? To not understand who the servants were causes many to miss the message of this great treatise of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ!!? If you miss the direction of the first chapter and the first two verses of ANY book you miss the message of the entire book!!
???? Messenger of the Lord.? The same Hebrew term (mal?ak) is used for both messenger and angel.? As the angels of the Lord are His spiritual messengers (these are men not spirit beings), so too, His prophets were the messengers of His revealed word.? This term defines more exactly what the servant of Haggai, for instance, was employed to do, namely deliver the messages of God.? Haggai is called the Lord?s messenger-Haggai 1:13.? It is used of John the Baptist, Malachi 3:1 and the prophets generally, 1 Chronicles 36:15-16.? In Isaiah 44:26, both servant and messenger are used explain this function.?
???? So, we see how each appellation explains a function of the prophet of God!!
