What is a Senior Prophet?

In my prior post, I asked the question: What is a School of Prophets?  My purpose in writing that post was to confront the cheap imitation being offered today. I believe in schools of prophets. I wrote a book about schools of prophets. I believe schools of prophets are essential to the growth of prophets and prophetic people. That why I wrote my book, Entering the School of the Prophets. 

Today, we don't have healthy schools of prophets. Rather, we have people who are inculcated into a belief that they are attending a school of prophets by participating in a conference, buying an audio or video teaching, or participating in a training seminar where they are activated into prophetic. The closest thing to a school of prophets that I have seen is a 6-month onsite training. But that is not a school of prophets.

A school of prophets is a place where prophets and prophetic people gather around the anointed training of a senior prophet. That gathering creates a place where prophetic communities are built. When a prophetic community begins to form and families are raised in that prophetic community such that the prophetic spirit is passed from one generation to another. That is the basis for a school of prophets.

To understand what a school of prophets is, we must go back to where schools of prophets began. Many think schools of prophets began under the prophet Samuel. But they did not. Rather, schools of prophets began under Moses. In Number 11:16, God tells Moses to choose 70 elders. Then, in Numbers 11:17, ESV, we witness what takes place: "I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them..."

That was the beginning of the schools of the prophets in the Old Testament. Moses was a senior prophet who raised prophetic leaders to do the work of the ministry in Israel. That mantle of prophecy on Moses was passed from Moses to the 70 elders. Then, the mantle of the prophet was passed from the 70 elders to the next generation. And so it went from generation to generation. 

Amos recognizing the natural order of the passing of the mantle of the prophet, says, "I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet" Amos 7:14, NIV. The prophet Amos recognized that he was the odd prophet. Amos didn't have the credentials of coming from a prophetic family nor was he trained by a prophet. Rather, Amos was a different type of prophet.

But the norm amongst prophets was to come from a family of prophets or be raised amongst prophets. Isaiah was raised that way. Ezekiel was raised that way. Jeremiah was raised that way. Elisha was raised by Elijah. Both were senior prophets. In 2 Kgs 2:1-5, we see Elijah led 3 different schools of prophets: 1) Gilgal, 2) Bethel and 3) Jericho. Elijah had (schools) sons of prophets at each location. But only Elisha picked up Elijah's mantle.

Then, Elisha became a senior prophet. Even Elijah's sons recognized Elisha's promotion, saying, "'The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.' And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him." 2 Kgs. 2:15, NIV. They respected their father, Elijah. They recognized the spirit of their father, Elijah, on Elisha. And the schools of prophets grew.

Elisha trained Israel's prophets. The sons of the prophets traveled with him. 2 Kgs. 4:38. Naturally, the sons of the prophets wanted a home where a school could be built. In 2 Kgs. 6:1, CEV, we see the sons of the prophets desiring a place to call home: "The place where we meet with you is too small." They wanted a larger living area where they could learn from Elisha.

Samuel was also a senior prophet. Samuel grew up under the tutelage of Eli. Eli was the priest at Shiloh. That's where Samuel learned to hear the voice of God. Eli taught Samuel how to listen to the voice of God. Eli was a father to Samuel. But Eli allowed his natural sons to fall into sin. As a result, God judged Eli and his house. Further, God ended Shiloh; He closed Eli's "school of prophets". Why? Because of Eli's sin. What was Eli's sin? Eli allowed his sons to abuse their position in God's house. Samuel's first prophetic word was about the judgment of Eli's house: "I told him [Eli] that I would hand down a permanent judgment against his household because he knew about his sons' sin-that they were cursing God-but he didn't try to stop them." 1 Sam. 3:14, God's Word Translation.

Interestingly, Samuel's sons fell into the same sins as Eli's sons committed: "The sons didn't follow their father's [Samuel]example but turned to dishonest ways of making money. They took bribes and denied people justice." 1 Sam. 8:3, God's Word Translation. Because of Samuel's sons' sins, Israel wanted a king - like the other nations around them. And God gave them what they wanted. They got Saul.

Saul was known by the people as one of the sons of the prophets. They said of Saul: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 1 Sam. 10:11, Berean Study Bible. Why did they do that? Because Samuel anointed Saul as king. Like Elijah, Samuel was the head of 3 schools of prophets: 1) Gilgal, 2) Mizpeh, and 3) Ramah. Samuel dwelt in Ramah. As I wrote in my book, Entering the School of the Prophets, Ramah is a place of weeping. Note: Deborah, who was both a prophetess and judge, lived between Bethel and Ramah. 

Deborah was a senior prophet. Women may be senior prophets. It is likely that other senior prophets existed but were not recorded in Scripture. Although not supported by Scripture, it is believed by some scholars that John the Baptist, who was likely a senior prophet (John had disciples), was also trained in the wilderness by the Essenes, who are believed to have left behind the Dead Sea Scrolls in the desert. They were students of Scripture.

What does the Bible about senior prophets? Senior prophets existed. Both men and women could be senior prophets. Senior prophets were students and teachers of Scripture; they taught others to hear God's voice. Senior prophets could oversee multiple schools of prophets. I believe that each school offered different training for prophets. Like Elijah and Elisha, senior prophets often traveled to the schools they oversaw. Both Samuel and Deborah were judges. Senior prophets anointed kings.

We need senior prophets today. We need senior prophets who can bring common sense and wholeness to the prophetic movement. And I believe that is coming. Now is the time for senior prophets to begin to arise to teach prophets and prophetic people how to behave in this world, be above moral reproach, correct error, bring honor, release blessing and build prophetic communities across the earth.