Question 117: John the Baptist’s place in prophecy?

Answer:

"Who was the last prophet of the old dispensation?" John the Baptist came as the forerunner of Moshiach and so may be considered the last prophet of the old dispensation. Moshiach said: "All the prophets and the Law prophesied until John" (Matthew 11:13). Otherwise, if you regard him as belonging to an intermediate dispensation, the last would be the prophet called Malachi, the writer of the last book in the Old Testament. It is not certain that Malachi was his name, as the word may be translated, "My messenger."