Prophets spoke for God. They were called to proclaim God's truths in a specific time and place, and to do so with authority. In many ways, Elijah was the prototype who defined the way in which future prophets would be understood. John the Baptist was a contemporary of Jesus and believed by most to be the last of the prophets. However, many people today still believe that Jesus was a prophet, that he was a good teacher who spoke the ways of God.
Prophets are ordinary people.
We can choose whether or not to respond to their messages. We determine the nature of our relationship with a prophet. It is much safer to consider Jesus a prophet than it is to recognize him as the Son of God. There are many prophets, but there is only one Messiah. The Messiah commands obedience.