Not at all, 1000 silverlings
Thank you for the reply yourself, Alamo Girl!
Ergo, Here is something interesting that occurred to me last night:
If you reject the authority of men re God's Word, revelations, etc. who and how would you personally define a "prophet" or perhaps a "prophetess?"
Iknow Quix will be interested in this subject as well. Thanks
Certainly I'm interested. And will keenly attend to Angel-Gal's response.
For myself, The Scriptural descriptions are adequate.
I wait a lot in such matters to see WHAT DOES GOD HIMSELF CONFIRM.
What GOD HIMSELF DIRECTLY AND OVERTLY CONFIRMS, I can treat as from God Himself. That which He has not yet confirmed may yet be confirmed; may be hogwash, may be a human error, may be an evil counterfeit.
IF it's important to my mission from God's perspective for me to know which of those a given thing or person is, then I expect Him to clue me in. He tends to be very faithful to do so though My ears are not always faithfully 'clean' in hearing Him.
Likewise, if there is a thing to be treasured in what another says, or in another ancient manuscript, the indwelling Spirit authenticates it to me, within. And conversely, if it is anathema, He raises an alarm within (I call it "Holy Spirit radar" LOL!)
Not everything a person or prophet says in his life is of God obviously. But when it is truth, we can and must rely on the Spirit to confirm it. (Romans 8)
We must not resist the Spirit.
And yet, it sure seems to me that many people have long wanted a "formula" for God, a surpassing sense of God their minds could obtain through reason - or a "god" that could be in some way touched, physically, so that he would be "real" to their physical senses. They wanted a "small god" not God who is spirit (John 4).
Stephen was filled of the Holy Spirit when he raised that very point, and just after he did, they stoned him to sleep:
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye.
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept [it]. - Acts 7:47-53