Reference: Prophets, The
Morish
The books so designated form a distinct and most important part of scripture. Prophecy usually implied a ruined state of things among God's people, calling for His intervention. Some of the prophecies are appeals, reminding the people of what God had done for them, and declaring how willing and ready He was to bless them if they would be faithful to Him; though interwoven with this are constant predictions of that which will be for the blessing of Israel in the future, after they have for the time been set aside. Others strictly allude to events which were then or are still future. As a whole the prophets refer to Israel as an inner circle, or chief platform, on which the dealings of Jehovah were and will be developed, and with which the Messiah is in immediate relation. The nations formed an outer circle, and were regarded more or less according to their relations with the twelve tribes. These nations are sometimes spoken of as being God's instruments by whom He punished His own people, they themselves having afterwards to bear the punishments of God. Beyond and above all, there is God's universal government; in which everything is in result to be made subject to the Messiah, while God's promises are made good to Israel, for all Israel will again be brought into blessing, with Jehovah in their midst surrounded with glory, and the nations will be blessed with them.
The Prophetic scriptures naturally fall into three divisions.
1. Those that were given to Israel while still a nation, though divided into two parts, extending to the complete break up of Judah.
2. Those referring to the times of the Gentiles, which began with Nebuchadnezzar, and, continuing beyond the days of the Messiah on earth, are still running on: these are almost entirely given in Daniel.
3. Those given after a portion of Judah had returned from exile, when they were helped by the prophecies of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, which present the time of the Messiah on earth, and go even beyond to future blessing.
To these may be added the prophecies in the Gospels, the Epistles, and the Revelation, embracing the judgements of God upon apostate Christendom and the nations generally; the final overthrow of Satan, and universal blessing, ending with the judgement of the dead and a glorious outlook into the eternal state.
It will not be inappropriate here to add a few words as to the relative position, in point of time, of the various O.T. prophetic scriptures. It may be premised that the burden of the prophets Obadiah, Jonah, and Nahum has special reference to Edom and to Nineveh, that is, to peoples that were always hostile to Israel. There is but little whereby to fix precisely the dates of Joel and Habakkuk. Of the remainder, Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah are anterior to the captivity of the ten tribes. The visions of Isaiah, however, have reference to Judah and Jerusalem. It appears probable, whatever may be the reason, that the testimony commonly known as "the prophets" began in the time of Jeroboam 2 king of Israel, Uzziah being his contemporary in Judah. The introduction of prophetic scripture indicated that the ordinary relations of the people with God had broken down, Lo-ammi being prophetically written upon them.
Others follow closely, as Micah, who prophesies concerning Samaria and Jerusalem, though no personal reference is made to a king of Israel; and, either before or contemporary with the captivity of Judah, Jeremiah and Zephaniah. The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel speak from the land of Chaldea, when all present hope was over for both Israel and Judah, and the times of the Gentiles had set in. After the return from the captivity we have Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The testimony of the prophets extended thus over a period of from three to four hundred years.
The approximate dates of each of the prophets may be seen in the tables of chronology under KINGS.
The Books of Isaiah and Jeremiah are remarkable, the former as being the most comprehensive of the prophecies, taking up almost in order the various moral questions involved in God's dealings with Israel, and giving what may be described as a general prophetic framework; and the latter as bringing out, in a peculiarly touching way, the feelings induced by the Spirit of Christ in regard of God's people when, there being no remedy, the end was come.
Two remarks of great importance as regards prophecy may be made: first, that no prophecy carries its own interpretation: each has to be understood in its place and relation to the whole system of prophecy. Secondly, that the scope of all prophecy takes us on to the day of the Lord; the judgement of the nations and of the wicked in Israel; the establishment of the kingdom; and the reunion of Israel and Judah under the Lord their righteousness. This is the great end of God's ways on earth. This recovery and blessing by God of His ancient people, in their Messiah, may be said to be a golden thread running through all the prophets. It was ever before God, and shines out everywhere.
It is of the greatest importance, both for the right understanding of these scriptures, and for a true appreciation of what Christianity is, to see that the church has no place in the prophets. In the church there is neither Jew nor Gentile, and the prophets recognise both, while carefully maintaining the distinction between them. Prophecy treats of the earth and of the government of God and its issue: the Christian belongs to heaven, and he will reign with Christ in the kingdom. In the A.V. of the O.T. the headings of many of the chapters are misleading: the church often spoken of in them is never found in the text; Christ is there, and the manifestation of God; and the scriptures which develop His ways, and speak of the sufferings and the glories of the One to whom the Christian is united, are of deep interest to him, though he himself may not be immediately spoken of.
Some Christians, though they know and enjoy certain portions of prophecy., without seeing its reference strictly to the remnant of Israel, fail to study the prophets. Not a few deem the study to be unprofitable
See Verses Found in Dictionary
So let him have dominion, From sea to sea, And from the River unto the ends of the earth;
May his Name he age-abiding, In the presence of the sun, let his Name flourish, - And may all the families of the ground bless themselves in him, All nations, pronounce him happy!
And he will judge between the nations, And be umpire to many peoples, - And they will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, Nation - against nation, shall not lift up sword, Neither shall they learn any more to make war,
And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, And, the leopard, with the kid, shall lie down, - And the calf and the young lion and the fatling - together, With, a little child, leading them; And the cow, with the bear shall find pasture, Together, shall their young ones, lie down, - And, the lion, like the ox, shall eat straw; read more. And the sucking child shall caress over the hole of the asp, Yea over the vipers den, hath the weaned child stretched out his hand: They shall not hurt - nor destroy, in all my holy mountain, - For filled is the land with the knowledge of Yahweh, As the waters, to the sea, form a covering.
And it shall come to pass in that day, That My Lord will again a second time set his hand, to possess himself of the remnant of his people, - who shall be left - from Assyria and from Egypt and from Pathros and from Ethiopia and from Elam and from Shinar and from Hamath and from the Coastlands of the sea; And he will lift up a standard to the nations, And will gather the outcasts of Israel, - And the dispersed of Judah, will he collect, From the four corners of the earth. read more. And the envy of Ephraim shall be removed, And the vexatious doings of Judah, shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah, shall not vex Ephraim; But they shall fly on the wing of the Philistines in the west, Together, shall they make prey of the sons of the east, - On Edom and Moab, putting forth their hand, With the sons of Ammon hearkening unto them.
Because thou didst forget the God of thy salvation, And thy Rock of refuge, thou didst not remember, For this cause, shalt thou plant very pleasant plants, And, the slip of a stranger, shalt thou set: In the day when thou plantest, fence thou in, And in the morning, cause thou, they slip, to blossom, - A harvest will have waved in the day of destiny, and mortal pain.
Then will Yahweh of hosts prepare for all the peoples in this mountain, A banquet of fat things, A banquet of old wines, - Of fat things full of marrow, Of old wines well refined; And he will swallow up in this mountain, The mask of the veil, the veil that is upon all the peoples, - And the web that is woven over all the nations. read more. Having swallowed up death itself victoriously, My Lord, Yahweh, will wipe away, tears from off all faces, - And the reproach of his own people, will he remove from off all the earth, For, Yahweh, hath spoken.
Wherefore, hear ye the word of Yahweh, Ye men who scoff, - Ye rulers of this people that is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said - We have solemnised a covenant with death, And with hades, have we effected a vision, - The overflowing scourge when it sweepeth by, shall not reach unto us, For we have made lying our refuge. And in falsehood, have we hid ourselves, read more. Therefore, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Behold me! founding in Zion a stone, A stone of testing, The costly corner of a well-laid foundation, he that trusteth, shall not make haste! But I will make - Justice the line, and Righteousness the plummet, - And the hail shall, sweep away, your refuge of lying, And your hiding-place, the waters shall overflow; So shall be wiped out your covenant with death, And your vision with hades, not stand, - When the overflowing scourge, sweepeth past, then shall ye be thereby beaten down:
Thus, saith Yahweh, The, heavens, are my throne, and The earth, is my footstool: Where then is the house which ye can build me? Or where is my place of rest? For, all these things, hath mine own hand made, And all these things came into being, - Declareth Yahweh. But for this one, will I look around, For him who is humbled and smitten in spirit, And so careth anxiously for my word. read more. He that slaughtereth an ox, is as one who smiteth a man, He that sacrificeth a lamb, is as one who beheadeth a dog, he that causeth a meal-offering to ascend, offereth it with the blood of swine, He that maketh a memorial of frankincense, is as one who blesseth iniquity: They indeed, have chosen their own ways, And in their own abominations, their soul hath found delight;
Thou didst look, until that a stone tare itself away, not by the aid of hands, and smote the image upon its feet, which were of iron and clay, - and they were broken in pieces. Then were broken in pieces at once, the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, and became like chaff out of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind, carried them away, and, no place, was found for them, - but, the stone that smote the image, became a mighty rock, and filled all the land.
And, the fourth kingdom, shall be hard as iron, - in like manner as iron breaketh in pieces and crusheth all things, - even as iron which bringeth to ruins all these, shall it break in pieces and bring to ruins. And, whereas thou sawest the feet and the toes, part of them of potter's clay, and part of them of iron, the kingdom, shall be, divided, and, of the hardness of the iron, shall there be in it, - forasmuch as thou sawest, the iron, combined with the miry clay; read more. and, the toes of the feet, part of them, iron, and, part, of clay, - some part of the kingdom, shall be strong, but, a part thereof, shall be brittle; and, whereas thou sawest, the iron, combined with the miry clay, they shall be combined with the seed of men, but shall not cleave firmly one to another, - lo! as iron is not to be combined with clay. And, in the days of those kings, shall the God of the heavens, set up, a kingdom which, to the ages, shall not be destroyed, and, the kingdom, to another people, shall not be left, - it shall break in pieces and make an end of all these kingdoms, but, itself, shall stand to the ages. Forasmuch as thou sawest that, out of the rock, a stone tare itself away, but not with hands, and brake in pieces the clay, the iron, the bronze, the silver and the gold, the mighty God, hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. Exact then is the dream, and trusty its interpretation.
After that, I was looking in the visions of the night, when lo! a fourth wild beast, terrible and well-hipped and exceeding strong, and it had, large teeth of iron, it devoured and brake in pieces, and, the residue - with its feet, it trampled down, - and, it, was diverse from all the wild beasts that were before it, and it had, ten horns. I was considering the horns, when lo! another horn, a little one, came up among them, and, three of the former horns, were uprooted from before it, - and lo! eyes, like the eyes of a man, in this horn, and, a mouth, speaking great things.
Then desired I to be sure, concerning the fourth wild beast, which was diverse from all of them, - exceeding terrible, whose, teeth, were iron, and, his claws, of bronze, he devoured, brake in pieces, and, the residue - with his feet, he trampled down; also concerning the ten horns, which were in his head, and the other, which came up, and there fell - from among them that were before it - three, - and this horn which had, eyes, and, a mouth, speaking great things, and, his look, was more proud than his fellows: read more. I continued looking, when, this horn, made war with the holy ones, - and prevailed against them: until that the Ancient of Days, came, and, justice, was granted to the holy ones of the Highest, - and, the time, arrived, that the holy ones should possess, the kingdom. Thus, he said, The fourth wild beast, is a fourth kingdom which shall be in the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, - and shall devour all the earth, and shall trample it down, and break it in pieces. And, the ten horns of that kingdom, are ten kings who will arise, - and, another, will arise after them, and, he, will be diverse from the former ones, and, three kings, will he cast down; and, words against the Most High, will he speak, and, the holy ones of the Highest, will he afflict, - and will hope to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand, for a season and seasons and the dividing of a season,
And he will confirm a covenant to the many, for one week, - but, in the middle of the week, will cause sacrifice and present to cease, and, in his stead, shall be the horrid abomination that astoundeth, even till, a full end, and that a decreed one, shall be poured out on him that astoundeth.
And he will confirm a covenant to the many, for one week, - but, in the middle of the week, will cause sacrifice and present to cease, and, in his stead, shall be the horrid abomination that astoundeth, even till, a full end, and that a decreed one, shall be poured out on him that astoundeth.
And the king, will do according to his own pleasure, and will exalt himself, and magnify himself against every GOD, yea, against the GOD of GODS, will he speak wonderful things, - and will succeed, until exhausted is the indignation, for, what is decreed, must be done; and, for the god of his fathers, will he have no regard, nor, for the delight of women, nor for any god, will he have regard, - for, against all, will he magnify himself. read more. Howbeit, to the god of the fortresses, in his place, will he give honour, - even to a god whom his fathers, knew not, will he give honour, with gold and with silver and with precious stones and with articles of delight. And he will prepare, for the strongholds of the fortress of the sea, the people of an alien god, whom he will acknowledge - will greatly honour, - and will give them authority over the many, and, the soil, will he apportion for a price.
and, many of the sleepers in the dusty ground, shall awake, - these, shall be to age-abiding life, but, those, to reproach, and age-abiding abhorrence; and, they who make wise, shall shine like the shining of the expanse, - and, they who bring the many to righteousness, like the stars to times age-abiding and beyond.
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, - as, the waters, cover the sea.
So will Yahweh become king over all the earth, - In that day, shall there be one Yahweh, and, his Name, be one.
And, then, will be displayed - The sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and, then, will smite their breasts - all the tribes of the earth; and they will see the Son of Man - coming upon the clouds of heaven, with great power and glory.
That, creation itself also, shall be freed - from the bondage of the decay into the freedom of the glory of the sons of God; For we know that, all creation, is sighing together, and travailing-in-birth-throes together until the present, -
And, so, all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written - There shall have come out of Zion the Deliverer, - He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; And, this, for them, is the covenant from me, as soon as I take away their sins.
Lo! a sacred secret, unto you, do I declare: - we shall not, all, sleep, but we shall, all, be changed, - In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet; for it shall sound, and, the dead, shall be raised, incorruptible, and, we, shall be changed.
That no one may cheat, you, in any one respect. Because that day will not set in - except the revolt come first, and there he revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, The one who opposeth and exalteth himself on high against every one called God, or an object of worship; so that he, within the sanctuary of God, shall take his seat, showeth himself forth, that he is, God: - read more. Remember ye not, that, while I was yet with you, these very things, I was telling you? And, what now restraineth, ye know, to the end he may be revealed in his own fitting time; For, the secret, of lawlessness, already, is inwardly working itself, - only, until, he that restraineth at present, shall be gone, out of the midst: And, then, shall be revealed the lawless one, - whom, the Lord Jesus, will slay with the Spirit of his mouth, and paralyse with the forthshining of his Presence: - Whose, presence, shall be according to an inworking of Satan, with all manner of mighty work and sign and wonders of falsehood, And with all manner of deceit of unrighteousness, in them who are destroying themselves, because, the love of the truth, they did not welcome, that they might be saved; - And, for this cause, God sendeth them an inworking of error, to the end they should believe in the falsehood, - In order that should be judged who would not believe in the truth, but were well-pleased with the unrighteousness.
But, of this, be taking note - that, in last days, there will set in perilous seasons; For men will be - fond of themselves, fond of money, ostentatious, arrogant, defamers, to parents, unyielding, unthankful, unkind, read more. without natural affection, accepting no truce, given to intrigue, without self-control, uncivilized, unfriendly to good men, traitors, reckless, beclouded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but, the power thereof, denying! and, from these, turn away; For, of these, are they who enter into the houses, and captivate silly women, women laden with sins, led on by manifold covetings, Ever learning and never, unto a personal knowledge of truth, able to come; Moreover, like as, Jannes and Jambres, withstood Moses, so, these men also, withstand the truth, - men utterly corrupted in their mind, disapproved concerning their faith; But they shall not force their way further, for, their folly, shall be, fully evident, unto all, - as also, that of those men, became.
For there will be a season - when, the healthful teaching, they will not endure, but, according to their own covetings, will, unto themselves, heap up teachers, because they have an itching ear, And, from the truth, indeed, their ear, will they turn away, while, unto stories, they will turn themselves aside.
Beloved! though I was using all diligence to be writing unto you concerning our common salvation, yet have I had necessity to write at once unto you, exhorting you to be earnestly contending for, the faith, once for all delivered unto the saints. For there have crept in unobserved certain men, who, from of old, have been publicly notified for this sentence, ungodly, men, the favour of our God, turning into wantonness, and, our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ, denying.
Alas for them! because - in the way of Cain have they gone, and, in the error of Balaam's wage, have they run riot, and, in the gainsaying of Korah, have they perished.
And there was given unto me a reed, like unto a staff, saying - Rise, and measure the Sanctuary of God, and the altar, and them who are doing homage therein; and, the court that is outside the Sanctuary, cast thou outside, and do not measure, it, because it hath been given unto the nations, and, the holy city, shall they tread under foot, forty and two months.
And one of the seven messengers who had the seven bowls came, and spake with me, saying - Hither! I will point out to thee the judgment of the great harlot, who sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed lewdness, - and they who were dwelling upon the earth were made drunk with the wine of her lewdness. read more. And he carried me away into a desert, in spirit. And I saw a woman, sitting upon a scarlet wild-beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And, the woman, was arrayed with purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, - having a cup of gold in her hand, full of abominations and the impurities of her lewdness; and, upon her forehead, a name written, a secret: Babylon the great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I was astonished, when I beheld her, with great astonishment. And the messenger said unto me - Wherefore wast thou astonished? I, will tell thee the secret of the woman, and of the wild-beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns. The wild-beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and into, destruction, goeth away. And they who are dwelling upon the earth whose name is not written upon the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished, when they see the wild-beast, because it was, and is not, and shall be present.
and they are, seven kings: the five, have fallen, the one, is, the other, hath not yet come; and, whensoever he shall come, a little while, must he remain, and the wild-beast which was and is not. And he, is an eighth, and is, of the seven, - and, into destruction, goeth away. read more. And, the ten horns which thou sawest, are, ten kings, - who, indeed, have not received, sovereignty, as yet, but, authority, as kings, for one hour, shall receive, with the wild-beast. These, have, one mind, and, their power and authority, unto the wild-beast, they give.
And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the wild-beast, these, shall hate the harlot, and, desolate, shall make her, and naked, and, her flesh, shall they eat, and, herself, shall they burn up with fire.
And I saw heaven, set open, and lo! a white horse, and, he that was sitting thereon, calledFaithful, and True; and, in righteousness, doth he judge and make war; and, his eyes, are a flame of fire, and, upon his head, are many diadems, having, a name, written, which, no one, knoweth, but himself, read more. and arrayed with a mantle sprinkled with blood, and his name hath been called - The Word of God. And, the armies which were in heaven, were following him, upon white horses, clothed with fine linen, white, pure; and, out of his mouth, is going forth a sharp sword, that, therewith, he may smite the nations, - and, he, shall shepherd them with a sceptre of iron, and, he, treadeth the wine-press of the wrath of the anger of God the Almighty. And he hath, upon his mantle and upon his thigh, a name, written - King of kings, and Lord of lords. And I saw one messenger, standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, unto all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, - Hither! be gathered together unto the great supper of God, - that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them who sit upon them, and the flesh of all, both free and bond, and small and great. And I saw the wild-beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together - to make war with him who was sitting upon the horse, and with his army. And the wild-beast, was taken, and, with him, the false prophet who wrought the signs before him, whereby he deceived them who received the mark of the wild-beast and them who were doing homage unto his image, - alive, were they two cast into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone. And, the rest, were slain with the sword of him that was sitting upon the horse, which went forth out of his mouth, and, all the birds, were filled with their flesh.
And I saw a messenger, coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain upon his hand; and he laid hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is Adversary and the Accuser, and bound him for a thousand years, - read more. and cast him into the abyss, and fastened and sealed it over him, - that he might not deceive the nations any more, until the thousand years, should be ended: after these, must he be loosed for a short time. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and sentence of judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them who had been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and such as had not done homage unto the wild-beast or unto his image, nor had received the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand; and they lived and reigned with the Christ, for a thousand years. The rest of the dead, lived not, until the thousand years, were ended. This, is the first resurrection. Happy and holy, is he that hath part in the first resurrection: upon these, the second death, hath no authority; but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ, and shall reign with him for the thousand years. And, as soon as the thousand years, shall be ended, the Accuser shall be loosed out of his prison, and will go forth to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, the Gog and Magog, to gather them together unto the battle - the number of whom, is as the sand of the sea. And they came up over the breadth of the land, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. And there came down fire out of heaven, and devoured them; and, the Adversary that had been deceiving them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where were both the wild-beast and the false-prophet; and they shall be tormented, day and night, unto the ages of ages.