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
And may he rule from sea up to sea, and from [the] River to [the] edges of [the] land.
May his name endure forever. May his name increase {as long as the sun shines}, and let them be blessed in him. Let all nations call him blessed.
He shall judge between the nations and he shall arbitrate for many peoples. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. A nation shall not lift up a sword against a nation, and they shall not learn war again.
And a wolf shall {stay} with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie down with a kid, and a calf and a lion and a fatling together {as a small boy leads} them. And a cow and a bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together. And a lion shall eat straw like the cattle. read more. And {an infant} shall play over a serpent's hole, and {a toddler} shall put his hand on a viper's hole. They will not injure and they will not destroy on all of my {holy mountain}, for the earth will be full [of the] knowledge [of] Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.
And this shall happen on that day: The Lord will again [extend] his hand a second [time] to acquire the remnant of his people that is left, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coastlands of the sea, and he will raise a signal for the nations. And he will gather the outcasts of Israel, and he will gather the scattered ones of Judah together from the four {corners} of the earth. read more. And the jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and the enemies of Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not be jealous [of] Judah, and Judah shall not be an enemy [of] Ephraim. But they shall {swoop} upon [the] Philistine shoulder, {westward}. Together they shall plunder [the] sons of [the] east. Edom and Moab {will be under their command}, and the sons of Ammon [will be] their subjugated people.
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and you have not remembered the rock of your refuge; therefore you plant plants of pleasantness, and you {plant} a vine of a foreigner. On your planting day you make [them] grow, and in the morning [of] your sowing you bring [them] into bloom, [yet] the harvest will flee in a day [of] sickness and incurable pain.
And on this mountain Yahweh of hosts will make for all peoples a {rich feast}, a feast of aged wines, fat filled with marrow, filtered aged wine. And on this mountain he will {destroy} the face of the shroud, the shroud over all peoples, and the woven covering over all nations. read more. He will {destroy} death forever, and the Lord Yahweh will wipe off [the] tears from all faces, and he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken.
Therefore hear the word of Yahweh, men of mockery, rulers of these people in Jerusalem: Because you have said, "We have {made} a covenant with death, and we have made an agreement with Sheol. [The] overwhelming flood, when it passes through, will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves in falsehood." read more. Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: "Look! I [am] laying a stone in Zion, a {tested} stone, a precious cornerstone, a founded foundation: 'The one who trusts will not {panic}.' And I will make justice [the] measuring line, and righteousness [the] plumb line; and hail will sweep away [the] refuge of lies, and waters will flood over [the] hiding place. And your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; you will become a trampling place for the overwhelming flood when it passes through.
Thus says Yahweh: "Heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] the footstool for my feet. Where [is] this house that you would build for me? And where [is] this resting place for me? And my hand has made all these [things], and all these {came to be}," {declares} Yahweh, "but I look to this [one]: to [the] humble and [the] contrite of spirit and [the one] frightened at my word. read more. The one who slaughters bull strikes a man; the one who slaughters lamb for sacrifice breaks the neck [of] a dog. The one who offers an offering, [the] blood of swine; the one who offers frankincense blesses an idol. Indeed, they themselves have chosen their ways, and their soul delights in their abhorrence.
You were looking on {until} a stone was chiseled out--that not by hands--and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and it broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold {all at once} broke into pieces and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away and any trace of them could not be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and it filled the whole earth.
And fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, [and] {just as} iron crushes and smashes {everything}, and as iron shatters all of these [other metals], [so] it will crush and it will shatter [these nations]. {And just as} you saw the feet and the toes, {partly potter's clay} and {partly iron}, it will be a divided kingdom; and {some hardness} of the iron will be [in it], {just as} you have seen the iron mixed with the wet clay. read more. And [as] the toes of the feet [were] partly iron and partly clay, [so] part of the kingdom will be strong {and partly brittle}. And [in] that you saw the iron was mixed with wet clay, [so] {they will mix in marriage} and they will not cling {to one another}, just as iron [does] not mix with clay. And {in the day of those kings}, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will {never} be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left for another nation, and it will bring an end to all these kingdoms, but it will stand {forever}. {Inasmuch as} you saw that a stone from the mountain was chiseled out [but] not by hands, and [that] it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, [thereby] the great God made known to the king what will be {in the future}, and the dream is certain and its explanation trustworthy."
After this in the visions of the night I was looking and there was a fourth beast, terrifying and frightful and exceedingly strong, and {it had} {great iron teeth}, [and it was] devouring and crushing, and it stamped the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all [the other] beasts {that preceded it} {and it had ten horns}. I was considering the horns, and look, another little horn came up {among} them, and three of the earlier horns {were rooted out} from before it, and there were eyes like the eyes of human in this horn and [also] a mouth [that was] speaking boastfully.
"Then I desired to make certain concerning the fourth beast that was different from {all the others}--exceedingly terrifying, with its iron teeth and its claws of bronze; it devoured and crushed [and] stamped the remainder with its feet-- and concerning the horns that [were] on its head, and [concerning] [the] other [horn] that came up and {before which three horns fell}, and this horn {had eyes} and mouth speaking {boastfully}, and its appearance [was] larger than its companions. read more. {I continued watching}, and this horn made war with [the] holy ones and it prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came and gave judgment to [the] holy ones of [the] Most High; and the time arrived and [the] holy ones took possession of the kingdom. "And he said, 'The fourth beast [is] the fourth kingdom [that] will be on the earth that will be different from all the [other] kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and it will trample it and it will crush it. And [as for] the ten horns [coming] from it, [from] this kingdom ten kings will arise, and another will arise after them. And he will be different from the earlier [ones], and he will subdue three kings. And he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out [the] holy ones of the Most High, and he will attempt to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time and two times and half a time.
And he will make a strong covenant with the many [for] one week, but [in] half of the week he will let cease sacrifice and offering {and in its place} a desolating abomination [comes] even until {the determined complete destruction} is poured out on [the] desolator."
And he will make a strong covenant with the many [for] one week, but [in] half of the week he will let cease sacrifice and offering {and in its place} a desolating abomination [comes] even until {the determined complete destruction} is poured out on [the] desolator."
"Then the king will do {as he pleases}, and he will exalt himself and will consider himself above any god, and he will speak horrendous things {against} [the] God of gods, yet he will succeed until [the period] of anger is finished, for [what] is determined will be done. He will not pay respect to the gods of his ancestors, or to [the] darling of women, and not to any god will he pay respect, for he will consider himself great over all [gods]. read more. But {instead} he will honor the god of fortresses, a god whom his ancestors did not know. He will honor [him] with gold, and with silver, and with precious stones and with costly gifts. And he will deal with [the] {fortified strongholds} with [the help of] {a foreign god}; and he will increase wealth for whoever will acknowledge [him], and he will cause them to rule over the many, and he will distribute land for a price.
And many from [those] sleeping {in the dusty ground} will awake, some to {everlasting life} and some to disgrace and {everlasting contempt}. But the [ones] having insight will shine like the brightness of the expanse, and [the ones] providing justice [for] the many [will be] like the stars {forever and ever}.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, like the waters covering the sea.
And Yahweh will be king over all the earth; on that day Yahweh will be one and his name one.
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
that the creation itself also will be set free from its servility to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers agony together until now.
and so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written, "The deliverer will come out of Zion; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And this [is] the covenant from me with them when I take away their sins."
Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for [that day will not come] unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and who exalts himself over every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God. read more. Do you not remember that [while] we were still with you, we were saying these [things] to you? And you know that which restrains [him] now, so that he will be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is at work already; only the one who now restrains [will do so] until he is out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth, and wipe out by the appearance of his coming, whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with every unrighteous deception against those who are perishing, in place of which they did not accept the love of the truth, so that they would be saved. And because of this, God sends them {a powerful delusion} so that they will believe the lie, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but delighted in unrighteousness.
But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come, for people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, read more. hardhearted, irreconcilable, slanderous, without self-control, savage, with no interest for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God, maintaining a form of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid these [people]. For from these are those who slip into houses and captivate foolish women loaded down with sins, led by various kinds of desires, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. And {just as} Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth, people corrupted in mind, disqualified concerning the faith. But they will not progress to a greater extent, for their folly will be quite evident to everyone, as also the [folly] of those [two] was.
For there will be a time when they will not put up with sound teaching, but in accordance with their own desires, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, {because they have an insatiable curiosity}, and they will turn away from the hearing of the truth, but will turn to myths.
Dear friends, [although I] was making every effort to write to you concerning our common salvation, I considered [it] a necessity to write to you to encourage [you] to contend for the faith delivered once and for all to the saints. For certain men have slipped in stealthily, who were designated long ago for this condemnation, ungodly ones, who change the grace of our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.
Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, and have given themselves up to the error of Balaam for gain, and have perished in the rebellion of Korah.
And a measuring rod similar in appearance to a staff was given to me, saying, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it. And leave out the courtyard outside of the temple, and do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample the holy city [for] forty two months.
And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who live on the earth became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality." read more. And he carried me away into the wilderness in the Spirit, and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, holding a golden cup in her hand full of detestable things and the unclean things of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead a name [was] written, a mystery: "Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth." And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. And {I was greatly astonished when I saw her}. And the angel said to me, "Why are you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that has the seven heads and the ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is going to come up from the abyss, and he is going to destruction. And those who live on the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished [when they] see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present.
Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and whenever he comes it is necessary [for] him to remain a short time. And the beast that was, and is not, is also himself an eighth, and is of the seven, and he is going to destruction. read more. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings [for] one hour with the beast. These have one opinion, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
And the ten horns that you saw and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and the one seated on it was called "Faithful" and "True," and with justice he judges and makes war. Now his eyes [were] a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many royal headbands having a name written that no one except he himself knows. read more. And [he was] dressed in an outer garment dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies [that are] in heaven, dressed in clean, white fine linen, were following him on white horses. And out of his mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it he could strike the nations. And he will shepherd them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the wine of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. And he has a name written on his outer garment and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords." And I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly {directly overhead}, "Come! Assemble for the great banquet of God, in order that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of military tribunes, and the flesh of the powerful, and the flesh of horses and those seated on them, and the flesh of all [people], both free and slave, and small and great!" And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war with the one who is seated on the horse and with his army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. And the rest were killed by the sword of the one who is seated on the horse--the [sword] that comes out of his mouth--and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
And I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon--the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan--and bound him [for] a thousand years, read more. and threw him into the abyss, and shut [it] and sealed [it] above him, in order that he could not deceive the nations again until the thousand years are completed. After these [things] it is necessary [for] him to be released [for] a short time. And I saw thrones, and they sat down on them, and authority to judge was granted to them. And [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ [for] a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.) This [is] the first resurrection. Blessed and holy [is] the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over this person the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and he will go out to deceive the nations [that are] at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle, {whose number} [is] like the sand of the sea. And they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the fortified camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet also [are], and they will be tormented day and night {forever and ever}.