“THE
PROPHETS”
They would not predict the future, as this
would imply guesswork on the part of the prophet.
God simply used these messengers, to tell what WOULD
be happening. No guessing needed!
The books of the prophets, Isaiah to Malachi,
cover about 400 years, 800-400BC approximately, when the Hebrew
nation
was in decline.
THEIR MISSION
AND MESSAGE
1. To
try and save the Hebrew nation from IDOLATRY and
wickedness.
2. Failing
this, to announce to the nation, that they will be destroyed.
3. But
not completely destroyed, as a remnant (a few left) will be
saved.
4. Out of this remnant will come
a Person who
will bring all nations to God.
5. That
person will be a great man who will one day arise out of the family
tree of
David. The prophets called him THE BRANCH. This family
tree of
David, once the most powerful family in the world, was cut down in the
days of
the prophets, and disappeared. But the family would comeback with this
man
called THE BRANCH, and he would become KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF
LORDS (Rev 19:16)
· Not
understanding the full meaning and importance of their words, the
prophets were
still obedient.
MEMORIZE THE
ORDER OF THE PROPHETS
Although there are 17 books of
the prophets, there are only 16 prophets, as Jeremiah wrote two
of them
– Jeremiah and Lamentations.
They are divided into 2 groups
– the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets, not
because of their
importance, but because of the size of the books they wrote.
The Major Prophets –
Isaiah, Jeremiah (Lamentations), Ezekiel, Daniel (remember the order as
I J E
D)
The Minor Prophets –
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah,
Malachi. A nonsense sentence to help you remember the order is as
follows:-
Imagine you are talking to two of
your friends called Joel and OJ, about the unhealthy state of some
Zebras, that
belong to a neighbour of yours. Here is a sentence, or you can make up
your
own.
The first letter
of each of these words is the first letter of the books.
“Hey Joel
And OJ, My Neighbour Has Zero
Healthy
Zebras, Man!”
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah,
Malachi
Israel, after entering Canaan,
Israel had series of Judges (the book called Judges in the
Bible) that
ruled till 1050BC. Saul then reigns for 40 years, David for 40 years,
and then
Solomon for 40 years, ending in 930BC. At this time, God divides Israel
into two
kingdoms – the Northern and the Southern.
The Northern
kingdom, CALLED ISRAEL, had the ten tribes, and
lasted about 210
years, and the prophets during this period were Joel, Jonah,
Amos,
Hosea, Isaiah, Micah.
The destruction and captivity Northern
kingdom went from 734-721BC. They were taken to Assyria
have
simply disappeared from the face of the earth.
The destruction and captivity of
the Southern kingdom, went from 606-586BC. Taken to Babylon.
Invading armies didn’t kill and
destroy everything at once, but slowly strangled their captive nations,
with
taxes, slaves and goods. Under their rule, they then left the very
poorest in
the land to struggle on.
The RESTORATION of the Nation,
made up of only Judah and Benjamin, NOW CALLED ISRAEL,
happened
from 536-444BC, and the prophets during this period were Haggai,
Zechariah,
Malachi.
To deliberately keep themselves
separate from the South, the North adopted as their national religion of
CALF WORSHIP, the religion of Egypt, and soon after added BAAL
WORSHIP. This Baal worship got hold of the South, when some
rulers
from the North, inter-married into the Southern line of kings. This is
when
God’s name started disappearing from their minds.
Northern
- ISRAEL |
Southern
- JUDAH |
Other
Nations |
Amos |
Before
captivity |
Ninevah |
Hosea |
Joel |
Jonah
|
|
Isaiah |
Nahum
|
|
Micah |
|
|
Jeremiah |
Edom
(Esau) |
|
Habakkuk |
Obadiah
|
|
Zephaniah |
|
|
Before
& to Babylon |
|
|
Daniel |
|
|
Captives
in Babylon |
|
|
Ezekiel |
|
|
Return
from Captivity |
|
|
Haggai |
|
|
Zechariah |
|
|
Malachi
|
|
The prophets were not a
hereditary class, in that, they did not inherit the office of
prophet. Each
one got their call directly from God. They were from all walks of
life, and
often complete no-bodies, as in the case of Amos, who was a simple
shepherd.
WHAT THE
PROPHETS SAW
AMOS
HOSEA
760-720BC GOD WILL ONE DAY BE GOD OF
ALL NATIONS. Israel will be cast off. About
200yrs
before, they have a
golden calf as their god. Ch1-3 A
harlot wife reflects Israel with a faithful God. Children Jezreel
= retribution,
Loammi = no longer my people, Loruhamah=no
more mercy Ch4-13 idols, desolation,
lewd priests murder, adultery Ch14
He sees Israel return to God Hosea 3:4-5, Hos 6:1-2
JOEL 830BC 1st
of Judah’s 11 prophets. GOD WILL RESCUE ISRAEL. THE COMING
DAY OF
GOD. The locust plagues herald the
up-coming day of the Lord. He sees: 1.
The great tribulation 2:28-32 2. Pouring out of Holy
Spirit on Israel in
the 7 year tribulation 2:28-32 3.
Removal Russia & Arab nations in 1st half of the
tribulation 2:20
4. Armageddon 3:1-17 5.
Millennium 3:18-21
ISAIAH
MICAH
740-700BC THE COMING PRINCE OF
BETHLEHEM AND HIS UNIVERSAL REIGN Coming fall of Judah
& Samaria - the latter with robbing
the poor, seizing fields, false
prophets & national corruption He
sees: 1. Birth of Christ Micah 5:2 2. Millennium Micah 4:1-4,5-7
JEREMIAH
(Book
of LAMENTATIONS:
Mourning, crying and lamenting over the
desolating of Jerusalem).
HABAKKUK
ZEPHANIAH 639-600BC
WRATH
FOR JUDAH; WRATH FOR THE NATIONS; COMING OF A ‘PURE LANGUAGE’ Under
Josiah
the 15th king, there was a temporary revival (see 2 Ki 22)
A. Near
invasion by Nebuchadnezzar 1:1-2:3 B.
Judgment on other nations – eg Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, etc C. Filthy
moral state
of Jerusalem 3:1-7 D. Armageddon 3:8 & the Millennium 3:20
DANIEL
EZEKIEL
HAGGAI
ZECHARIAH
MALACHI
For
ASSYRIA (Nineveh) and EDOM (Esau)
JONAH
NAHUM
630 THE FALL OF NINEVEH (Assyria) God
slow to anger Nahum 1:3 (Jonah 150 years
before, saves Nineveh). Zephaniah (Zephaniah 2:13-15) predicts the fall of
Nineveh the bloody city Nahum 3:1.
OBADIAH 586 THE DOOM OF EDOM (Esau) to be ‘cut off forever’ (Obadiah 1:10) ‘as though they had not been’ (Obadiah 1:16). Descendants of Esau had perpetual enmity with Jacob (Gen 25:23). Refused Moses passage Num 20:14-21). Always ready to aid an attacking army. But Judah will prevail (Obadiah 1:17, Obadiah 1:19, Obadiah 1:21). After Jerusalem falls in 70AD, they disappear from history.
Harley
Hitchcock
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website’s front page is:
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