Who Is the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18?

Question: Deuteronomy 18:18 tells of an unnamed prophet whom God would use to proclaim His message. Some Muslims say this refers to Muhammad, while others say it points to Joseph Smith or even various contemporary Christian leaders. Many Jews think it is a reference to Elijah or Jeremiah. How should we understand this verse?

Answer: Not only is this plainly a prophecy of Jesus Christ—it is also a warning against preachers who claim falsely to be prophets:

“I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I 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 prophet shall die.” And if you say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?”—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:18–22).

This passage describes a prophet who would be like Moses, sharing similar characteristics and a divine mission. The New Testament clearly demonstrates that Jesus Christ is the prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy 18; no one else can fulfill the requirements of that prophecy.

Moses and Jesus were born during times of oppression—Moses when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and Jesus during Roman occupation of Israel. Pharaoh ordered the murder of Hebrew infants during Moses’ infancy, while King Herod ordered the murder of infants in Bethlehem after Jesus’ birth. Moses led the Israelites out of physical slavery in Egypt, while Jesus leads His true disciples out of the spiritual captivity of sin. Large numbers of people were fed during the ministries of both Moses and Jesus.

Both Moses and Jesus received and delivered foundational revelations under divine authority; Moses received the law of God, which laid the foundation for the Old Testament, while Jesus brought the teachings that form the foundation of the New Testament. Jesus stated, “I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak” (John 12:49–50). This confirms that Jesus spoke the words given to Him by God, fulfilling the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18.

New Testament Testimonies

The New Testament gives us further evidence that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. In Acts 3:20–23, the Apostle Peter speaks to the crowd after healing a lame man and quotes Moses’ prophecy, clearly identifying Jesus as the prophet Moses spoke about. Similarly, Stephen, in his final sermon before being martyred, also testifies that Jesus is the prophet mentioned by Moses (Acts 7).

The strongest evidence comes from Jesus Himself, who said, “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:45–47). Jesus directly affirms that Moses wrote about Him, further indicating that He is the fulfillment of the prophecy Deuteronomy 18 records.

Scripture unequivocally shows that Jesus Christ is the prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy 18. Neither Muhammad nor Joseph Smith—nor any present-day claimants—fulfill this prophecy. Only Jesus Christ meets all the requirements described, and He alone is the prophet like Moses who brought a foundational revelation from God.