ive heed to my words which he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' – when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you need not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:18-22).
             What the above passage makes clear is that becoming a prophet was not optional. When God called a person to the prophecy, that person had no choice but to heed that call. Furthermore, the passage makes it clear that God's true prophets would be distinguished from pretenders in history, because the prophecies of God's prophets would come true, while those of false prophets would not. This facet of Old Testament prophecy became very important after the life of Christ. One of the roles of the Old Testament prophets was to convey to the people of Israel God's rules and regulations. Following those rules, whether dietary restrictions or instructions regarding sacrifices, was something that God declared was necessary for His followers. However, Christ's death did away with the need to follow the rules that the prophets outlined in the Old Testament. For example, "while Ezra in about 400 B.C. divided the Old Testament scriptures into three sections...we must approach those same scriptures differently today because of the impact of Christ." (Goodnews Christian Ministry). When the Gospel of Christ replaced the Old Testament laws, it "brought into question the validity and nature of the Old Testament in man's relationship to God." (Goodnews Christian Ministry). However, the Old Testament ...