), through the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, to the end of King Hezekiah's rule in 686 (Isa. The futurist school of interpretation contends that the many promises of restoration and world leadership made to ancient Israel are yet to be fulfilled in connection with the establishment of the modern state of Israel in Palestine. They blindly overlooked those scriptures that point to the humiliation of Christs first advent, and misapplied those that speak of the glory of His second coming. By divine appointment the sacred writings were preserved, century after century, and Israel became their custodian (Amos 3:7; Romans 3:1, 2). Jerusalem would have become a great missionary center, and the earth would have been set ablaze with the light of truth in one grand, final appeal to those who had not as yet accepted the invitation of divine mercy. Any nation and kingdom that would not serve Israel was to perish chapter (60:12). Thus it was also with Samuel, Elijah, John the Baptist (see on Matthew 3:4), John the Beloved (see on Mark 3:17), and many others. But Judah failed to learn the lesson, and a little more than a century later her apostasy, also, was complete (see Jeremiah 22:6, 8, 9; Ezekiel 16:37; 7:2-15; 12:3-28; 36:18-23). All who turned from idolatry to the worship of the true God, were to unite themselves with His chosen people. In fact, this procedure is responsible more than anything else for the fanciful interpretations that distinguish the teachings of certain religious groups. Jeremiah (Yirmiyahu) It was Jeremiahs lot in life to be known throughout the ages as the prophet of doom, for he was G-ds main spokesman in the generation of the destruction of Jerusalems first Temple. The prophet Jonah was a Galilean from Gath-hepher. One needs to keep these in mind to better understand the heart of Isaiah's message. It was last of all that God sent unto them his son, according to Christs own words (Matthew 21:37), but they caught him and slew him (verse 39). Ezekiel However, there is no valid reason why Malachi should not be considered a proper name. None of Judahs last four kings trusted in the Lord, so Jeremiahs ministry was rejected by all of them. The prophets vivid description of the catastrophe that had befallen Thebes leaves the impression that the event was still fresh in the memory of the people, whereas Assyrias power, although waning, was not yet near its end. Again and again He had warned His people that captivity would be the result of disobedience (see Deuteronomy 4:9; 8:9; 28:1, 2, 14, 18; Jeremiah 18:7-10; 26:2-16; Zechariah 6:15; etc.). The gates of Jerusalem would be open continually to receive the wealth contributed to Israel for the conversion of still other nations and peoples (Isaiah 60:1-11, RSV; Psalms 72:10; Isaiah 45:14; Haggai 2:7, RSV). King James Bible At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. Thus, for more than 1,500 years, a great experiment designed to test the relative merits of good and evil was conducted before the world. WebAnd Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot. WebIsaiah was a prophet of the southern kingdom, living in a critical period of his nation. Nothing is known concerning the prophet Habakkuk beyond his name. The prophet Ezekiel, a priest, was one of the 10,000 Jews taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C., when King Jehoiachin was carried to Babylon. According to Jewish tradition Isaiah was sawn asunder. 1-39, 40-55, 55-66. 34:23) 622 Jeremiah 11 and 12 are given. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God warned them not to forget that the blessings they were to enjoy there if they cooperated with Him would come as divine gifts (see Deuteronomy 8:7-14), not primarily as the result of their own wisdom and skill (verses 17-19). The futurist school ignores both the conditional element pervading predictive prophecy, clearly and emphatically proclaimed by the prophets themselves, and the specific statements of the New Testament that affirm that the privileges and responsibilities of ancient Israel have, in Christ, been transferred to the church. With the call of Abraham, God set in operation a definite plan for bringing the Messiah into the world and for presenting the gospel invitation to all men (Genesis 12:1-3). WebBefore we begin our review of the parts of Jeremiahs early ministry, let us first set out the usual and customary picture of it. Far from becoming the light of the world, the Jews shut themselves away from the world as a safeguard against being seduced into idolatry (see Deuteronomy 11:26, 27; cf. In his early prophecies, he spoke of an unidentified peril which was to come upon Jerusalem and Yet the book contains no clear indication of the time in which the prophet lived. Which kingdom did Jeremiah preach in? - Answers Foskey, however, is far from a lock to be selected with one of the 31 first-round selections. Not only is Malachi last in the sequential order of the prophets; it is also the last prophetic book produced in pre-Christian times. Nehemiah 12:12, 16). The Book of Isaiah claims to be written by him, and scholars believe he at least wrote part of it. Nehemiahs first term lasted from 444 to 432 B.C. But maybe it wasnt at that spot. WebThese chapters in Ezekiel are similar to those in Isaiah and Jeremiah where prophetic burdens are pronounced on certain foreign nations (see Isaiah 1323; Jeremiah 4651). Few passages of Scripture are more commonly misunderstood and variously interpreted than those containing the divine promises made to ancient Israel through the prophets. Jeremiah 31 9:129) This verse first At Mt. Jeremiah They interpreted prophecy in accordance with their selfish desires, because their ambitious hopes were fixed on worldly greatness. They eagerly sought the power of His kingdom, but were unwilling to be guided by its principles. Similarly, the ways in which God dealt with men in crises of the past are often cited as examples of the manner in which He will deal with all the world in the last day (see on Deuteronomy 18:15). answer. It is thought, furthermore, that his ministry fell in the years when the high priest Jehoiada acted as regent for the child king Joash (2 Kings 11:17 to 12:2), which fact would explain why the king is not mentioned anywhere in the book, while at the same time the Temple service flourished. The 9th-century view.The great empires of Assyria and Babylonia do not appear within the horizon of the prophet. Desiring the same blessings for themselves, they would make inquiry as to how they too might acquire these obvious material advantages. 2 Kings 20:1-5; and of promised blessing, see Exodus 6:2-8; cf. But to go beyond that which is clearly set forth by Inspirationin the immediate context of the passage concerned, in the New Testament, or in the Spirit of prophecyis to substitute personal opinion for a plain Thus saith the Lord. Where Inspiration has not thus clearly spoken it is our privilege to compare scripture with scripture in an endeavor to understand more perfectly the mind of the Spirit. Literal Jews may still find salvation by being grafted into spiritual Israel, in precisely the same way that Gentiles are to be grafted in (verses 23, 24). EZEKIEL is born Josiah tries to purify the land 612 Ninevah destroyed according to Nahum's prophecy in the Book of Nahum 1:1-3:19 as prophecied in 663-654BC. Galatians 3:27-29; see on Deuteronomy 18:15). Bible Chronology Timeline Most of them are mentioned in the Bible, in either the prophetic or the historical books. Jer 2 - 6 2, 3 God sends Jeremiah to Jerusalem to give a series of messages to the people of Judah. Isaiah and Jeremiahs preaching against false idols and false prophets, mutual oppressions between nations, and against general injustice remains timely. This prophecy must have been pronounced either before Jeroboam came to the throne (approximately 793 B.C.) 6. It was probably at this time, when Daniel was nearly 90 years of age, that he was commanded to conclude his book and seal it up (chapter 12:4, 13). Isaiah and Jeremiah: 10 Key Verses to Consider With Commentary WebJeremiah is allowed to remain in Jerusalem. But the Scriptures record the fact that they disobeyed God and proved disloyal to Him instead. When the siege of Jerusalem was temporarily lifted at the approach of an Egyptian force, Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of the tribe of Benjamin. When the catastrophe came, he lamented the terrible fate of his people in the Book of Eichah (Lamentations) which we read on Tisha B'Av. Prophecies of the former classification cannot now be fulfilled because they were strictly conditional in nature and limited in scope, by their very nature, to literal Israel. WebLast time you checked the cover of your family Bible, it probably didnt say The Bible, by God. since nearly all are named and credit given to a specific writer: the book of Isaiah to Isaiah, the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations to Jeremiah, the book of Ezekiel to Ezekiel, and so on. Isaiah was the great forerunner of the writers. Continued obedience was necessary to the continuance of divine favor, whereas persistent disobedience must inevitably culminate in the rejection of the Jewish nation as Gods chosen instrument for carrying out the divine plan (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). What is fascinating is that the prophets Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Micah were all contemporaries. Paul emphasizes the fact that the rejection of literal Israel as Gods chosen instrument for the salvation of the world does not mean that individual Jews can no longer be saved (chapters 9:6; 11:1, 2, 11, 15), for he is a Jew himself (chapters 9:3; 10:1; 11:1, 2). For a graphic picture of how one nation would have responded to the irresistible appeal radiating from an Israel faithful to God, see Isaiah 19:18-22; cf. All rights reserved. However, 2 Kings 14:25 states that Jonah also pronounced a prophecy concerning the expansion of Israel that was fulfilled by Jeroboam II. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PROPHETS ISAIAH, DANIEL, AND ZECHARIAH Its messages show that it was written after the time of the kingdom of Judah, when a governor ruled over the country (chapter 1:8), a fact that points to the Persian period. Those who think that chapter 52 was added as an inspired postscript by Jeremiahs secretary or one of his disciples, believe that he died some 20 years earlier, about 580 B.C. It is certain, however, that he lived and labored in the southern kingdom, and that his main prophecy dealt with Assyria in general and Nineveh in particular. It is possible that Hebrews 11:37 refers to this event. 3. A less-well-defined school of interpretation bases its approach to the prophetic portions of the Old Testament on the theory that the prophet, while bearing messages to the people of his day, also took occasional excursions into the distant future, with the result that many of his forecasts did not apply to literal Israel at all, but were intended exclusively for Israel after the spirit, that is, for the church today. Zechariah probably belonged to a priestly family (chapter 1:1; cf. At the time of Isaiahs ministry, Judah was a sinful and unjust nation. With Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17). The establishment of the Hebrew monarchy did not affect the basic principles of the theocracy (Deuteronomy 17:14-20; 1 Samuel 8:7). Answer Jeremiah was one of the major prophets of ancient Israel and a key figure in the Old Testament. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel God did not forsake His people, even during the Captivity. But with regards to how Jeremiah died, the Scriptures leave no record. Post Exile c. 530 BC First view (and traditional one) is that Daniel was written immediately after the Babylonian exile ended and many Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Between the first invasion of Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. Encouraging Hezekiah and the people through his own trust in God, he was instrumental in saving Jerusalem. Timeline of the Hebrew prophets Isaiah lived about 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. For these reasons Daniels extended prophetic ministry can be dated approximately from 603 to 535 B.C. After the murder of Gedaliah, the new governor of Judea, the Jews of Mizpah, fearing the revenge of Nebuchadnezzar, went to Egypt and took with them Jeremiah as well as his secretary Baruch (chapter 43:6). Had Israel as a nation preserved her allegiance to Heaven, Jerusalem would have stood forever, the elect of God (Jeremiah 7:7; 17:25). Christianity is a historical religion, and its inspired messages are anchored to the hills and valleys, the deserts and rivers, of the ancient world, and to literal men and women who once walked the earth. Because I find it hard to think about BC dates, I've also included the number of years since the end of Solomon's, so that we have a scale of increasing year numbers. Only when its leaders formally rejected the Messiah and declared before Pilate their allegiance to no king but Caesar (John 19:15) did Israel as a nation irrevocably withdraw from the covenant relationship and the theocracy. A clear understanding of these aspects of the problem is essential to the formulation of a valid procedure for interpreting the messages of the Old Testament prophets. The house of God in Jerusalem would eventually be called an house of prayer for all people (chapter 56:7), and many people and strong nations would come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before Him in that day and be His people (Zechariah 8:22; 2:11). New King James Version This fact weakens the arguments for such a late date. It should be remembered that God does not force the human will, and that Israels cooperation was essential to the success of His plan for the nation. He quotes Hosea 2:23. Ezekiel 38:16, 18-23; 39:1-7). The completeness and finality of this rejection is evident from chapter 8:19, 20: As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God. The rejection of Jesus by the leaders of Israel (cf. John 4:23, 24; 2 Tim. It was to be the result of wholehearted cooperation with the will of God as revealed through the prophets, and of divine blessing added to human efforts. The present-day return of the Jews to Palestine and the establishment of the modern state of Israel do not imply reinstatement as Gods people, present or future. Here Paul affirms that the rejection of the Jews did not mean that the promises of God had taken none effect (Romans 9:6), and explains immediately that they are to become effective through spiritual Israel. 1. For example, the judgment that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah, literal cities of the ancient past, is used by Bible writers as descriptive of the judgment God will eventually bring upon all the world. Nothing is known of the prophet Joel beyond the fact that he was the son of Pethuel (chapter 1:1). The fundamental principle by which we can tell unerringly when any particular promise or prediction of the Old Testament made originally to literal Israel is to meet its fulfillment with respect to spiritual Israel iswhen a later inspired writer makes such an application of it. By nowadays 2 500 years old concerns have simply gone through time changes, but Gods truth spoken by two prophets remains the same. This period spanned the reigns of five kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Yet, since Gods purposes are immutable (Psalms 33:11; Prov. Observe the conditional aspects of the prediction and ascertain whether or not, or to what extent, the conditions were met. The prophet was a citizen of Judah, but delivered messages to the kingdom of Israel as well. Jeremiah The student of the Bible who hopes to secure from it the greatest help will first proceed to reconstruct the historical context of each passage. Remember thatgenerally speakingit was originally given with respect to the historical circumstances that called it forth. Upon His final departure from the sacred precincts of the Temple, Jesus said, Your house is left unto you desolate (Matthew 23:38). At times they had an import, not only for the age in which the prophet lived, but also for a day far future; in other words, they had a dual application. They were to show forth His praise (chapter 43:21), to declare His glory among the heathen (chapter 66:19), to be a light to the Gentiles (chapters 49:6; 42:6, 7). But it is only against the background of the original historical context of the message that its meaning and value for us can be established with certainty. Amos presents himself to his readers as a herdsman and a gatherer of sycomore fruit (chapters 1:1; 7:14). He is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8). This leads us to conclude that Malachis work may have followed Nehemiahs first term as governor, but preceded his return to Jerusalem from the Persian capital. In spite of the bold and zealous efforts of such prophets as Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea, the northern kingdom rapidly deteriorated and was eventually carried into Assyrian captivity. The consecutive order of the book of Haggai would indicate that his whole recorded ministry lasted not longer than 31/2 months, beginning (chapter 1:1) on August 29, 520 B.C., and extending, in his last two recorded speeches (chapter 2:10, 20), to December 18, 520. Any idea that the return of the Jews to their ancestral home, that is, to the new state of Israel, may in any way be related to Bible prophecy is without valid scriptural foundation. Cooperation with the natural laws of body and mind would result in ever-increasing mental strength, and the people of Israel would be blessed with vigor of intellect, keen discrimination, and sound judgment. Prophetic Ministry in Jeremiah and Ezekiel Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Lips (no The kingdom was divided following Solomons death (see 1 Kings 11:33-38). For instance, the prophecy of the battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38, 39 was never fulfilled to literal Israel; but John the revelator assures us that in principle, though not necessarily in all details (such as those of Ezekiel 39:9-15), this battle will occur at the close of the millennium (Revelation 20:7-9). These were remedied by the vigorous actions of the governor. 4:14; Colossians 2:2-4, 8; 2 Peter 1:16; Revelation 22:18). [1] The prophet received his call while still a young man, during the thirteenth year of King Josiahs reign, about 627 or 626 B.C. As the nations of antiquity should behold Israels unprecedented progress, their attention and interest would be aroused. In contrast to Isaiah and others, Jeremiah provided more detail about himself in his book than any of the other prophets. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the L ORD , for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the L ORD. As the numbers of Israel increased, they were to enlarge their borders, until their kingdom should embrace the world (cf. For these reasons his ministry can be dated from about 755 (or earlier) to about 725 B.C. Consideration is given to the role of literal Israel as Gods chosen people, to the way His plan for them was to have been accomplished, to the way in which it actually did work out, and to the eventual transfer of the privileges and responsibilities of literal Israel to spiritual Israel, that is, to the Christian church. The older generation place him in the 9th century B.C., whereas most commentators are now inclined to assign him either to the time of King Josiah or to the postexilic period. Paul makes it clear beyond argument that when he speaks of Israel as the chosen people of God he means it in this sense. It was therefore not alone unto themselves and to their contemporaries that the prophets ministered, but also to all sincere men and women of later generations (1 Peter 1:12). Hence, 640 B.C., about midway between the two limits, marked by the destruction of Thebes and the fall of Nineveh, would seem to be a reasonable conjectural date for Nahums prophetic ministry. Practice all cards Practice all cards Practice all cards done loading. Hosea. The prophet Hosea was a citizen of the northern kingdom of Israel, whose ruler, Jeroboam II, is called by the prophet, our king (chapters 1:1; 7:5). Daniel 5:25-28; Matthew 21:40-43; 22:3-10; Luke 14:24). He had told them that He would progressively diminish their strength and honor as a nation until they should all be carried away into captivity (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; 2 Chronicles 36:16, 17). Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, however, did. 3:5). God provided Israel with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the earth. The short book of Obadiah, consisting of only 21 verses, is not dated and its chronological setting is uncertain. No chronological data are given, but the prophet speaks of the fall of No (chapter 3:8) as an event of the past. By Which king? Archaeologists Are Finding the Signatures of Salvation was to be of the Jews, in that the Messiah would be a Jew (John 4:22), and by the Jews, as messengers of salvation to all men (Genesis 12:2, 3; 22:18; Isaiah 42:1, 6; 43:10; Galatians 3:8, 16, 18). He was sawed in half, Menessah killed him. WebIn Isaiah, we read about God's unbroken relationship with His people both the promise and its fulfillment in an ongoing pattern that's visible throughout history. Promises not already fulfilled to literal Israel either would never be fulfilled at all or would be fulfilled to the Christian church as spiritual Israel. WebThe great prophet Jeremiah lived during one of the most critical periods in Jewish history. Jeremiah A Nebuchadnezzar 59 Q 4. In this case, he was an octogenarian. Isaiah Furthermore, the fact that the people of Tyre and Sidon do not appear as hostile nations of Judah until the last decades of its history, while they are mentioned by Joel as Judahs enemies, seems also to point to a late date for the prophets ministry. Copyright 2008 - http://www.BibleChronologyTimeline.com. They looked for Messiah to reign as a temporal prince (cf. The ministry of Amos may therefore have fallen in the years 767-753 B.C. Partial compliance on their part with the will of God made possible a partial fulfillment of the covenant promises on Gods part. Sinai God entered into covenant relation with Israel as a nation (Exodus 19:1-8; 24:3-8; Deuteronomy 7:6-14) upon the same basic conditions and with the same ultimate objectives as the Abrahamic covenant. The accompanying chart enables the reader to study these prophets in their historical setting. Who was Isaiah in the Bible The 7th-century view.This view holds that Joels ministry seems to fit into the early years of Josiah, when Assyrian power was nearing its end and Babylon was still a weak kingdom. The Bible contains more information about his life and times than any other prophet.