John the Baptist was the last [prophecy] in a certain sense. As the final prophet in the sense of the Old Testament, John the Baptist stood at the intersection of the two testaments. God sent prophets to convey His message to the Israelites. They were specifically dispatched to clear the path for the Messiah and get Israel ready for his arrival.
John’s preaching
This undoubtedly holds true for John the Baptist. This is how Matthew 3:1–3 introduces him: “During that time, John the Baptist arrived and began preaching in the Judean wilderness. “Repent, for here is the kingdom of heaven coming.” This individual is the one mentioned by the prophet Isaiah in the passage, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'”
Jesus attested to John’s prophetic status. And the greatest of all the prophets, not just any old one. “So what did you go out to see?” he asked. A foreteller? Indeed, I assure you, and beyond a visionary. “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you,” is written about this person. There has never been a finer person born of a woman than John the Baptist, I assure you (Matthew 11:9-11).
Jesus showed up right after John finished his ministry. This signified the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy. The shadows moved on. It was sundown. The final prophet was John.
Jesus as a prophet
However, this statement can be qualified in two ways. First, it can be said that Jesus was a prophet as well. Deuteronomy 18:15 says “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers. It is to him you shall listen.” This is a prophecy about the Messiah, as is confirmed by Stephen in Acts 7:37. It calls the Messiah — Jesus — a prophet. Several people in the New Testament are talking about Jesus as a prophet, e.g. the Samaritan woman (John 4:19) and the men on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:19). They are not mistaken, because Jesus also refers to Himself as a prophet. E.g. “But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household’” (Matthew 13:57).
New Testament prophets
Secondly, prophets of the New Testament exist as well. Acts 21:10 mentions Agabus as a prophet of the New Testament. Paul attests that the church is home to prophets. According to 1 Corinthians 12:28, “And God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, and third teachers in the church.” The function of prophets in the church is a topic of much debate. That being said, it is evident that its ministry differs greatly from that of the Old Testament prophets. John the Baptist is, in fact, the last prophet, if we define prophets to be God’s agents sent to earth to pave the path of the Messiah via prophecy.
It is astonishing that Jesus says, “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he,” after praising John the Baptist so highly (Matthew 11:11). This helps us to appreciate how fortunate we are to have experienced God’s splendor in Christ and not have to rely on predictions about the Messiah. that the Messiah is known to us. that it is through Him that we are absolved of our sins. And that in order for us to survive, God sends his Holy Spirit. Even John the Baptist and the other prophets of the Old Testament did not have the fullness of God’s grace that we do!
