What are five characteristics of biblical prophecy?

Answer 1

The prophets were extremely learned and pious individuals, both men and women, whose superlative level of piety merited them with visions from God. They had to be humble, yet speak with authority. They had to love their people, yet not hesitate to speak caustic words if commanded to by God. The prophets were called upon by God to guide the people and to guide the king. While the king had authority in national matters of state, and the Sanhedrin (Sages) had say in Torah-rulings and halakha (law), the prophets spoke in matters of ethics, of belief, of loyalty to God, and behavior. They rebuked the people at God's command, they predicted events which God revealed to them, they taught through Divine inspiration, and they provided optimism and hope with the prophecies of eventual Redemption. Some of the prophetical chapters (or books) detail Israelite history and past events, some exhort the people to improve their spiritual level, some predict events and/or warn (especially concerning the First Destruction), some serve to comfort the nation, some speak of prayer and love of God, and some speak of life, experience and wisdom.

Answer 2

The original Old Testament notion of a prophet was not as someone who could prophest future events, but as someone who communicated with God on behalf of the people. Later, particularly in Christian beleif, a prophet was to prophesy the future, particularly events surrounding the life of Jesus.

The general characteristics of biblical prophecies that are seen by Christians:

1. Prophecies invariably provide some form of positive evidence in support of the story of Jesus or of his second coming;
2. The prophecy is received by the prophet as a revelation from God, and can include not only words, but visions, signs and so on;
3. Jesus is not actually named or identified in the prophecy;
4. When read carefully and in context, the original author seems to have been writing about events of his own time, not projecting into the future;
5. The prophecy is obscure and can easily be overlooked by the uninitiated; moreover some passages can be interpreted as prophecies of quite different events, depending on the wishes of the person reading the prophecy.

Answer 3

The prophets were extremely learned and pious individuals, both men and women, whose superlative level of piety merited them with visions from God. They had to be humble, yet speak with authority. They had to love their people, yet not hesitate to speak caustic words if commanded to by God.
The prophets were called upon by God to guide the people and to guide the king. While the king had authority in national matters of state, and the Sanhedrin (Sages) had say in Torah-rulings and halakha (law), the prophets spoke in matters of ethics, of belief, of loyalty to God, and behavior. They rebuked the people at God's command, they predicted events which God revealed to them, they taught through Divine inspiration, and they provided optimism and hope with the prophecies of eventual Redemption.
Some of the prophetical chapters (or books) detail Israelite history and past events, some exhort the people to improve their spiritual level, some predict events and/or warn (especially concerning the First Destruction), some serve to comfort the nation, some speak of prayer and love of God, and some speak of life, experience and wisdom.