Hi,
It was quite clear to me that Jesus was referring to himself as a Paraclete whilst making the prophecy. Hence I said it was a prophecy by a prophet about another prophet who would prophecy.
The Jews were waiting for at least 3 prophets; this is apparent from their questioning of John the Baptist, viz:
- John 1:19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Eli′jah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22 They said to him then, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither **the ***
Christ, nor
Eli′jah, nor
the prophet?”
Jesus said that John was the Elijah who was to come. He had come in the spirit and power of Elijah. So John’s denial can be taken to mean that he was either denying that he was the same person who was Elijah, for he had come in his likeness, or it can be taken to mean that John was not himself aware that he had fulfilled the prophecy of the return of Elijah.
And Jesus himself was the Christ. It is clear that there was to come one after him, described as ‘the Prophet’. This is understood to be a reference to the Prophet prophecied about in [Deut 18:18].
Apart from ‘the Prophet’, Jesus also prophecied his own second coming. There is no reason why this would not be in the form of another prophet who was to come in the spirit and power of Jesus, just as John the Baptist was the Elijah.
So, we can safely say that at least 2 prophets were expected to come after Jesus.
Peace.