Prophets- What, Who,Where, and Why? (part 1)

Where are the prophets today?
This past month an actor passed away that played some interesting roles in his life. One that most will remember is the role that he played as Moses. Yes, I am talking about Charlton Heston. He was known for many roles that he played not only on screen but also in life. He was conservative and believed in the fundamental rights that we were blessed with in the U.S. Constitution. To a lot of Americans this concept of a prophet is the only one that they know of.
A fundamental question that I have always had and one that was eventually answered is "where are the prophets today?"
Looking back over history there is a a distinct line that can be seen- there were prophets prior to the coming of the Savior and then it stops. Why?
When a I think of prophets I also think of Moses. I also think of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Elisha, Elijah, and even some that are less known such as Amos, Micah, and Malachi. These are all great figures in the Old Testament. But are there more than that? If they were so essential for ancient Israel why weren't they in place following the time of the Savior?
As I muse I have come to realize that this process of thought will be somewhat extensive- thus it will be a small serial starting with the question- what is a prophet?

Prophet Defined

I think (ok- I'm still working on how this thing works- don't be surprised if it gets off the bold at some point) that the basics are essential to start with. A prophet as defined by:

• Websters New World Dictionary (4th edition) states: " a religous leader regarded as, or claiming to be, divinely inspired."
• The American Heritage® Dictionary
  • prophet (n.) A person who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter through whom the will of a god is expressed.

  • prophet (n.) A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.

These are two definitions of which I prefer the latter over the first. Although both address the quest as to what is a prophet the second definition looks further into what the role of a prophet might be.
An even more in depth look as to what a prophet is and does can be found in the following link-
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bd/p/61
These thoughts are the beginning of what was a quest of mine. It was one that started decades ago (I know that I am getting old when I can say "decades ago"). A quest that was successful and one that I wish to share....jsf